East Village

Today's tour the East Village, located beneath Fourth Ave and East 14th Street. Known for it's alternative, punk rock & grunge image for the majority of four decades now its more of a nostalgic fantasy. A great collection of boutiques, bars & restaurants. This neighbourhood was a cultural inspiration for the musical Rent and Led Zepellin's Physical Graffiti album cover. For a good part of the 1970s this was the NY drug headquarters.

The first stop was the store below which use to be CBGB a diamond amongst the rough and tumblers kind of night club with such performers as the Ramones, Patti Smith & Lou Reed.

Closed in 2006 due the pike in rent prices. Now known as John Varvatos boutique selling rock inspired leather jackets at prices to cover the rent! 

I just love the name of this restaurant.

Cooper Union

In 1860 this was the place where Abraham Lincoln shocked a cynical New York crowd with an anti slavery speech which ensured his candidacy.

 The same place years later in 2004 AIDS activist Larry Kramer did the same thing with his speech "The Tragedy of Today's Gays"

The infamous strip continuing down East Astor Place turns into St Marks Place full of tattoo parlours cheap eateries and novelty punk rock collectibles.

Trash & Vaudeville 

Landmark goth & punk shop.

Selling the famous "New York F*ckin City" shirts

It just happened to be incorporated into my tour, I finally found heaven on earth aka Curry Row!

Second Ave & 6th St.

Believe it!

AMAZING!

The site of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti cover and where the stones filmed 'Waiting on a Friend' in 1981.

Cause you can't have one without the other.

Tompkins Square Park

The birth of the drag queen summer festival 'Wigstock'

Jimi Hendrix played here in the 1960s.

Madonna's first apartment in NY.

My favourite colour in a rose!

Hell's Angel Motorcycle Club

First Ave & 3rd St

makes sense it would be located in this neighbourhood.

~JBomb

West Village

Today I took a tour of the village radicals tour with the assistance of my bible aka the Lonely Planet NYC. It contains a mapped out walk of each New York neighbourhood highlighting historical landmarks, events and people.

The reputation of The Village traces back to the 20th Century when artists and writers moved to the neighbourhood. In the 40s it became the gay crowd go to neighbourhood. The Stonewall Inn was the local hangout and the place of the historical Stonewall Inn raid in 1969 which led to the beginning of the equal rights movement and the famous Stonewall Riots showing the city the lesbian & gay community wouldn't accept being treated like second rate human beings.

Cafe Wha? est. 1950s

Corner of MacDougal St & Minetta Lane

Where Bob Dylan found his first audience & Jimi Hendrix use to frequent in 1960s

Washington Square Park

Renowned place for radicals hosting anti war, pro-marijuana and dyke pride demonstrations amongst other things and of course the famous Stanford White Arch dubbed the Washington Square Arch standing 72 ft tall originally designed in wood in 1889 to celebrate the centennial of George Washington inauguration proving to be such a popular monument 6 years later it was replaced with beaming white dover marble and statues of the general in war and peace.

NYU (New York University) is located across from the park so it is a local hangout for students especially when the fountain is empty.

For those who watched Hamish & Andy's gap year this is where they performed the illusion trick in order to get Andy a girls number, ahh good times.

Gay St 

Oscar Wilde's bookstore was located on the corner of Gay St and Christopher St.

Selling "queer books and periodicals since 1967" due to the GFC it had to close in 2009.

To conclude the adventure for today I was lured in by this pizzeria and their sign reading "best pizza in New York" by the food network.

The base was different to what I expected it was a thin layer of crisp bread and then then a thin layer of soft dough. It was pretty good but I want one that soft enough to fold in half thats my idea of NYC pizza so I continue to eat every slice I can get my hands on!

~JBomb

Sandwich Saturday

Today I headed to SoHo (South of Houston St) for a bagel and a pastrami sandwich. As mentioned in one of my earlier post I am working on  The List from Masterchef 2011, today I crossed off Russ & Daughters. Located on East Houston & Allen St.

A little history lesson for you!


Used as a noun, “appetizing” is most easily understood as "the foods one eats with bagels.”


Appetizing also originated from Jewish dietary laws, which dictate that meat and dairy products cannot be eaten or sold together. As a result, two different types of stores sprang up in order to cater to the Jewish population. Stores selling cured and pickled meats became known as delicatessens, while shops that sold fish and dairy products became appetizing stores.

 I ordered the Heebster

Horseradish-Dill Cream Cheese and  Whitefish & Baked Salmon Salad.

I packed the bagel to eat at a later date aka brunch the next day and it was divine!

 Then I hit up Katz deli located a bit further down on E Houston & Ludlow St

Pastrami Sandwich on Rye with hot mustard

The meat was delicious warm melt in your mouth with a nice balance of spicy mustard

Vintage counter a dozen boys lined up ready to slice your meat and make a mean sandwich.

So full I couldn't even finish the sandwich!

~JBomb

Happy Stra'ya Day!

There's nothing better than celebrating Australia day in another country you get a real sense of camaraderie and no homesickness!

Sadly I could not get a hold of some Aussie flag temporary tattoos but we soldier on.

We headed to the Sunburnt Calf a chain of Australian bars from Moo Life Group. Everything about this place is aussie including the staff. They also have all you can drink brunch, seriously Australia we are behind on that idea!

Dinner!

Barbecued Brussell Sprouts AMAZING we ordered seconds

it tasted like they were steamed for a bit, grilled on the BBQ with olive salt & pepper innovative way to serve an old school vegie

Calamari with a light batter served with aioli and kiwi fruit, refreshing

and of course potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce classic pub food

The sunburnt country wallpaper

Bondi Road

Bondi beach

Happy days!

Hope you guys had a great day in the sunshine.

~JBomb 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

January 24

I finally got to go to the movies and as I was approaching the theatre they were setting up for a movie premiere, red carpet and everything! Ahh to be in New York.

So this is a quick one I highly recommend this movie it has everything great films are made of Tom Hanks, New York City, historical events and raw human emotion.

The second thing I can highly recommend is going to the movies by yourself in the middle of the day! Seriously best thing ever no talking, no distractions and there was heaps of us doing it I just gave my fellow patrons the nod to not sit anywhere near me, I think they got the hint because I had my packet of tissues out during the previews.

Then I hit up Big Daddy's for Brinner that's breakfast for dinner. This is a wicked diner it has bright 80's feel even though the decor reminded me of sitting in a diner on Happy Days. I got some eggs benedict with a twist, they are served on hashbrowns instead of bread, pretty much the best invention ever! With a wicked hollandaise sauce that had some sort southern spice I could not put my finger on.

~JBomb