Avicii at Radio City Music Hall

Last night I went to an great show at the Radio City Music Hall. The performer was Avicii who is a Swedish DJ/producer. I was lucky enough to be given free tickets to the show.

The stage set up was amazing with him performing on top of a large head structure. The sound and lighting effects were wonderful especially with the colours and L.E.D. display.

I personally don't like his sound of dubstep/house as I think it is pre recorded to match the lighting effects. But in terms of an overall performance it was great. The crowd really got into it.

You can see a clip I recorded of his most famous song, Levels, below.

Rockaway Beach and the End of Summer

A few weekends ago I went out to Rockaway Beach in Queens for my final Summer of George adventure. Rockaway Beach is at the end of the A Subway line and takes around an hour to get there from Manhattan.

While there I went to the famous Rockaway Taco. They had amazing fish and chorizo tacos as well as nacho chips and salsa.

The Barrels and Kegs event was on at the 98th St Beach Bar. The event was sponsored by Beer Sessions Radio that had amazing folk, rock and roll and American music playing all day.

As the day wore on a storm rolled in and in more ways than one it felt like the end of summer.

Fashion's Night Out

I was photographed by the website Guest of a Guest during Fashion's Night Out last week. I think they liked the colour of my blazer as that night I had 9 different strangers stop me and compliment me on its colour.

Below is the link to more of the photos from that night.

http://guestofaguest.com/new-york/galleries/2012/september/fashions-night-out-nyc-2012/727105

Kimset and Fire Island

Over the Labor Day weekend I took a day trip out to the hamlet of Kismet on Fire Island. Fire Island is a 50 kilometre long barrier island off from the South Shore of Long Island. To get there I purchased a $36 beach getaway package from MTA and the Long Island Railway. The package included 1 Discounted LIRR Off Peak round trip ticket from Penn Station to Bay Shore, 2 One way Kismet Ferry Tickets, 2 David Brothers One Way Taxi tickets from Bay Shore to the Ferry terminal and 1 Fire Island Lighthouse Admission ticket.

I left Penn Station around 8 45 in the morning and arrived at the ferry terminal at 11 15am. The ferry only takes 20 minutes and is a beautiful ride.

The hamlet of Kimset is a lovely small community with narrow streets and no car access. All the locals ride bikes and it is only a 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal to the beach.

To get to the Lighthouse is a bit of a treck but definitely worth the effort. If you walk along the beach from Kimset, you will walk through a nudist section, which was quite a surprise. There is a road if you want to avoid the naked sunbathers.

To get up to the Lighthouse you need to take the internal stairs, which are easily walked by people of all ages. The views across Fire Island are amazing from the top. Robert Moses Beach is shown with the large parking area behind.

I finished up my day with a beer at one of the bars back at the Harbor and then caught the 5 15 ferry back to Bay Shore followed by the 5 45 train back to Penn Station. I look forward to going back again next summer.

Public Pools in Manhattan

During my previous summers in Manhattan I was for some reason unaware that Manhattan and New York had such a great array of outdoor pool options. It was to my great surprise that I found the NYC Parks Department list of pools across the 5 Boroughs. The past week I have visited both a downtown and uptown pool. The first pool was on Houston Street in the Lower East Side. The Hamilton Fish Park pool has both a wading pool and olympic size pool. There are limited sun beds but I was able to score one quite easily.

The second pool I visited is the Lasker Pool and Rink that during winter is converted into a skating rink. The pool is the biggest one in Manhattan and features one large over sized circle pool. A nice feature was the Fountain at the end which sprayed water that was colder than the pool. The Lasker Pool is in Central Park only a 5 minute walk from 110th St. 

Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach and Pop Up Pool

Continuing the Summer of George I visited the pop up beach and pool at the Brooklyn Bridge Park. The pool opened up earlier this summer and is open till Labor Day on September the 3rd. Once again you needed to bring a lock to put all your valuables into the provided lockers. The pool is kept quite cold which is great with the 30+ degree weather happening at the moment. The sandy beach is a nice touch with lounge chairs that are freely available. With the amazing views looking back towards Manhattan and up the East River you can easily tell why I went back more than once to this pool.

Check out my new Downtown NYC Mix 3!

A random selection of tracks for your enjoyment. Let me know what you think!
http://www.mixcloud.com/AustralianAbroad/downtown-nyc-mix-3/

The Lobster Joint

While out in Brooklyn I went to visit the Lobster Joint at 1073 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint. During happy hour they have $1 oysters, $4 oyster shooters and $4 beers. I ordered half a dozen oysters, an oyster shooter and a pint of Lobster ale. I also ordered the wonderful lobster claw bloody mary. The cocktail was not on special, but at $9 it is still great value. As you can see from the pictures the claw is huge and the drink also comes with a slice of pickle. The Lobster Joint is a must visit if you're in the area.

Just Blaze at Warm Up at PS1

Today I am off to Long Island City in Queens to the Warm Up event at PS1. PS1 is an old school converted by MoMA into a contemporary art museum. During Summer they hold events out in the outdoor area. Today's DJs include:
Just Blaze
Nick Catchdubs
Danny Brown
The Stallions (Lovefingers & Lee Douglas)
BAIO

Also on today is the free Blues BBQ event at Hudson River Park. There will be live Blues music and a variety of BBQ foods for sale.

Should be a wonderful Saturday.

McCarren Park Pool

As part of my summer adventures I travelled to Greenpoint, Brooklyn to visit the newly renovated McCarren Park public pool. The pool is larger than normal olympic swimming pools at over 50metres long. It can hold a total of 5000 people at a time. There was luckily no line up when I arrived on Tuesday afternoon around 1pm. You must bring a lock which I wasn't aware of so I needed to go to a local deli to pick one up. All of your posessions must be put into a locker including your shirt as only your towel, sunglasses and sunscreen are allowed on the pool deck. Around the pool is concrete, which can be uncomfotable to lay on but I was able to snare one of the limited deck chairs. The pool is extremely clean and at a great temperature. I will most certainly be back next week.

Review of Gansevoort Park Avenue

I stayed at the Gramercy Park Avenue for two nights last weekend. We stayed in a superior king room. The room has a large bedroom with flat screen tv and wonderful mini bar. The bathroom features a oversized bath and wash basin. One of the highlights is the rooftop pool. It is great to relax by and have some cocktails and snacks. My tip is to arrive early so you can get a spot on the 29th St side so you have the sun on you for the longest time.

The Summer of George Begins

Given I have had two winters in a row with the North American Winter of 2011/2012 followed by the Australian Winter of 2012, I have decided to make an effort over the next two weeks to enjoy the rest of the US Summer as much as possible. The summer's unofficial end is Labor Day on Monday the 3rd of September.

Today begins the summer activities with a visit to the Gansevoort Park Avenue Rooftop Pool. We are staying here for two nights and will take advantage of their pool today and tomorrow.

Other summer activities include trips to Jersey Shore (Seaside Heights), Atlantic City, Montauk, Rockaway Beach, Fire Island- Kismet beach, Jones Beach, the pool at McCarren Park, the pool at Brooklyn Bridge Park, the pool at King and Grove Brooklyn and the pool at SoHo house.

Hopefully I will have a lovely tan by the end of the two weeks.

20 Days Until I am Back Overseas!

Very excited. Next stop NYC!

Have a Listen to my New 1960's Rock'n'Roll and Motown Mix!

Hope you like it!
http://www.mixcloud.com/AustralianAbroad/60s-rock-and-motown-mini-mix/

New Concert: M83 at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Just picked up tickets to see M83 at Hammerstein Ballroom in October. Very excited to see them perform.

This is my favourite song by the group. Midnight City.

Will Tourists Bring Helmets on Their Holidays Just to ride in NYC?

Previously I have talked about the Citi Bike Share program to discuss my excitement and to talk about its effects on local businesses. amNY has another article this time discussing the concerns for riders safety. NYC currently has the highest fatality rate from bike wrecks in North America. One of the safety measures discussed includes mandating the use of helmets for all Citi Bike users.

I wonder, will tourists use the schemes if they are forced to wear helmets, which currently isn't the practice in London, Paris or Washington DC?

I certainly support safety measures but is having one rule for Citi Bike riders and one for other bike riders a mistake?

Check out my new Downtown NYC Mix 2

Enjoy!
http://www.mixcloud.com/AustralianAbroad/downtown-nyc-mix-2/

Public Hotel Pool at King and Grove Williamsburg.

NYC certainly isn't the normal beach or summer location most people think of. In fact in the middle of summer it can be down right revolting with the humidity and heat. Therefore, one idea is to seek out somewhere cool to relax and unwind. Thrillist has found just the place in the new pool at King and Grove Williamsburg. Unlike the Pools at SoHo House, Gansevoort Hotel and The Empire Hotel, this pool is open to the public. Their menu offers refreshing local brews on hand, warm-weather cocktails and a tidy sum of delicious eats.

The Pool At King & Grove Williamsburg
160 North 12th St; between Bedford and Berry St;
Williamsburg; 718.218.7500

Have a Listen to my New Hip Hop Mix!

Enjoy!
http://www.mixcloud.com/AustralianAbroad/hip-hop-mix-1/

Great video of Downtown NYC

New York has always been a mecca for skateboarding. This video captures some of the exciting street skating you can enjoy on Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown and the Lower East Side.