It seems ages ago now, but last week was spent in the Big Apple, New York. My previous run in with this city didn't have me look forward to it, but without the foul August stench of rotting trash mixed with disinfectants it turned out to be quite enjoyable.
When we got there on Friday afternoon, the first thing to do was go to the Apple Store and buy Kylie a (RED) iPod Nano as she somehow seemed to have misplaced her old Mini. If you've been to one Apple Store, you've been to them all and as they all sell the same, there was no reason to hang around.
The rest of the week was filled with all the usual tourist things like Central Park, the Empire State Building, Liberty and Ellis Islands, riding the subway, getting into bright yellow taxis, eating big steaks, going to the movies, you name it, we've done it. Kylie even went on a tour of locations made famous in various movies and TV shows!
Wednesday was Steak Night: going out to The Strip House for some fine New York steak with Hani, Terry, Kostas, Kim, Phil and Thom, all colleagues who were in New York plus some partners. As good as the steaks were, they were no match for the fillet my sister smuggles out of South Africa...
Thursday we went gallery watching and were thoroughly disappointed with the "art" photography on display, let alone the prices. Thankfully, the day before we spotted LUMAS from the back of a cab so we went back there. Almost two hours and 2 grand (US!) later we walked out knowing within a few weeks we'll receive five gorgeous framed prints at our Australian address ready to find a place in our new home when we get there. They are all very, very good digital Lambda prints of work by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Günter Rössler and Martin Munkácsi. (who was also exhibitted at the International Center of Photography while we were in New York)
They are also all over Germany and in fact we went into one in Berlin while we were there. The nice thing about the New York one was that they filtered out the kind of work that only appeals to Germans. (i.e.: bland photos of everyday scenes and blurred images of trees) If you are looking to buy some great photography to cover some cracks in the walls of your home, go to LUMAS.
One thing not to miss when you get to New York is Rice to Riches. A beautiful find by Kylie that sells many flavors of the best rice pudding you'll find anywhere.
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