mood: soremusic: 'hyperstation' by sonic youth

a week and a half into new york, and i love it. i'm staying at christian's uncle's apartment in the upper west side, and i pretty much know my way through the subways of manhattan. every afternoon and night, christian and i go walk around trying to find something interesting to do.

wednesday we got settled and later went out to west greenwich village. well, almost. it was more like we got lost slightly north of the west village. it was snowing, and i've never actually seen snow fall, so i was excited. freezing cold with wet socks, but awed nevertheless. still we stayed out late and had pizza at joe's, which was apparently in the movie spiderman. the next day, we actually go into the west village, and walk up and down bleecker street, which is filled with bakeries, cafes, and music shops. we still didn't do much until the next day, where we ventured into the poorer east village and found our share in antique store, thrift shops, cafes, parks, and urban scenery.

we ate at katz's deli, which was where sally faked an orgasm in 'when harry met sally'. earlier today we went to balthazar's for brunch and lucked out in terms of getting a table. among the best things i've seen actually relates to the song i'm listening to. i never really thought i'd see first hand the bowery st., broome st., and greene st. that thurston moore sings in 'hyperstation'. furthermore, we went down bowery and found a poetry club/cafe where they're actually holding a circus tonight. across the street from it is cbgb's, which was kind of a kick, but pretty unimportant.

from bowery, we walked about 2 miles to the empire state building, which was crowded as hell, so we were content with passing by. from there we went to grand central station and i was amazed at the size and grandeur of the interior. simliarly, we visited st. john the divine's cathedral, which is the biggest gothic cathedral in the united states. the reading that was taking place had to do with fire and brimstone, so it fitted the atmosphere perfectly.

lastly, as an added bonus, i discovered that yo la freakin tengo is playing on tuesday at a small venue called the tonic that's about to go bankrupt. the downside is the $30 price, but yo la tengo playing a fat set in new york, or anywhere else, is worth it.

---Goei---