Teaching House NYC

Here are some random pictures from the Teaching House at St. John's in Manhattan.




The view from outside the front doors. There are a few picnic tables for people who want to eat their lunch in a noisy NY environment.


The dreaded phoneme chart.

Iridium

I had a great time at the Iridium last night. It's easy to imagine Les Paul coming here and turning the place upside down. When I was waiting in line for the 10 o'clock show, I met an older couple from Ft. Lee. They've been lifelong residents of Queens, with stops all over the world "thanks to Uncle Sam". It was really nice to have a normal chat. Most people here are ALL BUSINESS. They recommended the Village Vanguard for next week. Pictures to come!

Times Square

I'm headed to the Iridium jazz club tonight. This was the place where Wisconsin guitar legend Les Paul used to play Monday night gigs through his 80's and 90's. I did a dry run last night and discovered that it's in Times Square. As I slowly made my way down Broadway, the lights got brighter and brighter until ...










Even the hot dog carts have neon lights!

A funny thing happened on the way home from the Blue Note ...

On Saturday night, I saw so many people carrying around instrument cases. It seemed like about 10% of the city had a gig that night! Anyway, the Local 1 had some schedule changes because of the WTC construction. I had to get on a different train than usual and discovered these guys in the process. It was an interesting compliment to a night of busy jazz in an upscale club. I'll be looking for these guys next weekend too!


Here they are jamming "Yesterday" by the Beatles.

Blue Note Jazz Club

It was Jimmy Heath's night to shine at the Blue Note on Saturday. The 84 year old sax player had the most fun of anyone in the club. He played, sang, danced, cracked jokes, and made getting old look cool.

Here are more pictures of Columbus Circle on a Friday night. It's a very safe and relaxing place to visit!

Central Park

Most people who watch crime dramas know that Central Park is the most common place in the world to be attacked or murdered. As it turns out, it's just the most popular place to film an attack or murder. On Friday night, a film crew took over the park and surrounding area to film a scene for a new movie. They were filming a movie based on the novel 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'. According to Wikipedia, it will star Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and John Goodman. I didn't see any of them, and I don't think I'd recognize John Goodman these days if he stood in front of me.






I got a little complacent when I saw that there was a "coin operated laundry" in the basement of my building. I waited a few days longer than I should have, and then was informed that there is no coin-op laundry anywhere near here! I got a few leads, but both places looked like dry-cleaners. They had all kinds of shirts and suits in the windows and no sign of any washers or dryers. That's when I learned the magic words: "wash and fold". As it turns out, the place across the street does a mean "wash and fold". It's a little pricey, but I don't have to spend time waiting on a washing machine or spend money on detergent and dryer sheets either. Just hand them a bag and they get right to work! 빨리빨리!!

Last day before class

When I went to South Korea last summer, Usher was on the plane. This time, I shared a plane with Naima Adedapo. We got to the airport at about the same time and surprisingly she was on the same flight. I thought she was a diva on the show, but she seemed very nice in person. She took time to say hello and take pictures with people who wanted to say hello. When we landed in NYC, she didn't get any special attention. She sat down at the baggage claim and made some calls. I wonder what she's up to?

I got some good insight into NYC by my taxi driver. He is originally from Morrocco and has been a driver for 14 years. It was the first and last real conversation I've had with anyone since I've been here. When I arrive in class on Monday, they will probably think I'm a chatterbox because I've been saving up!

More pics ...



This is my new neighborhood. It's a half-block away from Central Park.



The Empire State building on a foggy night. The temperature is in the 50s, but the humidity is high. The humidity tomorrow should be around 90%. :-(





This is a view of the subway from the top of the stairs. Using the ledge, I can hold the camera steady and take photos with a slow shutter speed. Maybe it was too slow this time, since the subway cars are a total blur.



This is the street outside my school.

The subway stop closest to my room is at Trump Tower. It's interesting to see the place in real life. It's unreal.

Trump Tower is near a place called Colombus circle. The man who discovered America has a wonderful park dedicated to him. I will post more pictures soon.





Columbus Circle @ Central Park West

Saturday Afternoon Exploration

This is the spot halfway between my room and the subway stop. Saturday night @ 7pm.





Koreatown is easy to find! My first meal was at Woorijip! They have a Korean style buffet and a lot of lunchbox and takeout foods. I really wish my room had a refrigerator!



Here is the subway. The monthly MetroCard costs just over $100 for unlimited rides throughout Manhattan and parts of New York City.