Vertical pictures

Tank - Candice's flat, Brooklyn.
New York mentality: if there's not enough space, go vertical.


Chinatown shopping - Man on the street


Little Italy: rising star of italian music (never heard before, though advised on the front door of the shop) + immigrants' signs


Spiritual sides of Manhattan

Boston, artistic pictures (to shoot the first one Yvonne was lying on the street)

We finally managed to upload vertical pics on the right side! Cool, but tiring, I have to go to sleep now.
We have soo many pictures of New York, but we have to go through them and choose, and upload etc... These ones were taken last week. We are alright, came back to New York, met Filippo, staying at a hostel, still walking loads. Yesterday we went on top of the Empire State Building and walked around Greenwich Village, tried to go and see the Statue of Liberty or a Broadway show without success. Today Central Park, Statue of Liberty, bought ticket for tomorrow's Stomp. Tomorrow should be last day in the apple town, and we were thinking of a museum day.
Then friday day tour of Philadelphia, and then Washington DC.

The radiator in the room is set to 25°C, and it's a 3,5x3,5 metres room with four beds. We are cooking up, so we keep our window open (outside, around 5°C i guess).
Enjoy Europe and good morning (must be around morning there, here is night).

Piero

Lakeville and boston

Hey everyone!!!!!
so we are in lakeville now, a beautiful place, staying at Dan and christine's house (lakeville is between providence and boston in massachusettes). We have been staying here for a while now, hanging around the house, sleeping until 11 everyday (much to our shame seeing as dan and christine get up at about 8 every morning). We also went to a great thanksgiving dinner at a friend of Dan's, Max and Lee. It was brilliant. we started the aperitif at around 3pm, had a bit of a break, started again at around 5 and finally ate the much awaited dinner at 7pm... it was great!!!!! we had two turkey's (one roasted and one smoked), stuffing, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and millions of other things that were really good, but even though they told me the name I have no idea what they were... it took us about 2 hours to eat and then we had to have a break and coffee (in order to keep our eyes open).
Eating with us were also lee's mother and father... the father is retired and now carves old grandfather clocks and violins and the most amazing things!!!!!! her mother was so much fun too, she is half portugues and half french and we asked her if she had ever been to portugal, she answered "no, but I have been to france" " Oh really, when? how did you like it?" " it was nice, well, it was canada... but its the same thing".

at the end of the evening we all sat down and max, dan and the grandfather started playing instruments... max was really good... dan and the grandfather were very good at keeping the beat with their instruments... but maybe not the tune ;oP and after a while even me and pietro joined in with our own very hot musical skills!!!!!! (obviuosly everyone not playing an instrumant had by this time evacuated the area!!!!!)

On friday me, pietro and Austine (the older of christines and dans two sons) decided to brave the american train and head for the historical town of Boston!!!!
we got out of the train and thought we would die!!!!! It was sooooooo cold!!!! everyone had told us to dress well, but we thought "ha!! we are strong young travellers, we can handle a little bit of cold, its no big deal!!!" how very wrong we were... boston is a coastal city, so the freezing wind comes right off the atlantic ocean and tears you to pieces... by the end of the day (that being around 4... sunset) we had to actually run through the city in order to keep... not warm, but at least not frozen to death... so we decided to go see a movie (it being three of us pietro couldnt argue with a fair democratic vote of 2 to 1!!!!) and when to see beowolf in 3D... dont go see it!!!! it was terrible, oh and hahahaha, just before the movie started a guy with a little trolley came into the cinema hall and said "hey there folks, Im a gonna be here during the movie, so you guys are more than welcome to come buy any snacks you might need" in a very happy and loud voice... it was great... obviuosly everything cost about 4 dollars extra... but for comfort its worth it huh!!!
oh and the squirrels!!!!! there are squirrels everywhere here, in boston, in new york, they are sooooo cute, and they arent scared, they come right up to you!!!!

im gonna stop now, im tired, and a bit bored, so my writing isnt exactly up to scratch, but i promise I will write again soon (we are leaving for new york again tomorrow). keep up the comments, and italians, read the english stuff too!!!!
love you all

Yvonne

Kitchen drummer, Boston

Diary

Lakeville, Massachussets, mezzanotte.

E dunque, si farà un po' così, a singhiozzo, mica ve ne avete a male, vero? E' che mi capite, è una cosa che prende tempo, unn'è che in un momento qualsiasi, tipo che ne so, sul vaso a far la grossa, uno può mettersi e dire "Vai, metto su un po' di foto e racconti". Eh no, devi essere 1.dotato di tempo libero 2.ispirato artisticamente. Tipo ora.
Le cose da raccontare sono molteplici, occomesifa? Allora gli ultimi giorni a NY ci siamo trasferiti a casa di Candice (v. foto sotto), che è stata super gentile con noi e ci ha addirittura lasciato il suo monolocale per due giorni, (Yvonne says: "per un po' di tempo da soli"). Consisteva di una stanza grande tipo la nostra camera in Pierozzi Square, ma nemmeno, con letto, soppalco con scrivania, collezione di dischi, cucina (no tavolo) e bagno minuscolino con la porta che si apriva in dentro e precludeva l'accesso al bagno stesso, se non trattenendo il fiato e appiattendosi contro il lavandino. Si diceva di riassumere, ed ecco perdersi in particolari. Ma tanto se non ci fossero i particolari, sarebbe tutto più palloso no? E allora vorrei aggiungere che nella collezione di dischi se n'è tirato fuori uno a caso ed era di Willy il principe di Bel Air (v. foto).
Abbiamo continuato per due giorni a sgroppare come muli in giro per le strade, (incontrando un sacco di cosa strane, tipo il quartiere ebreo Williamsburg, dove TUTTI gli uomini sono vestiti da rabbino, v. foto, e le scritte sui pulmini sono in aramaico) arrivando alla sera sempre distrutti distruttini.

Senonchè mercoledì mattina abbiamo ricostruito le nostre case viaggianti (ci stiamo già abituando ai 20 chili sulla schiena, per la cronaca-almeno per i primi 100 metri, ma....migliorerà) e ci siamo recati a comprare il bus pass che ci dà libero accesso a tutti i bus extraurbani fino al 21 gennaio, e siamo venuti qua, a casa di Dan, amico di gioventude della Linda.
(Scatta l'aneddoto)
Detto così sembra facile, ma in realtà era molto molto più difficoltoso: era da tipo tre giorni che non si andava su internet, e non ci si era nemmeno annotati come si chiamava il paese dove bisognava andare né il numero di telefono...ma tanto ci avevano detto che in america il bus arriva ovunque, sicchè si era tranquilli. Poi io con la mia buona memoria, mi ricordavo che bisognava andare a Providence, sicchè si era proprio bel belli come il sole, tutti fieri della nostra destinazione. Allora la cosa che non ci avevano detto era che il bus sì costa poco e va ovunque, però c'è da fare le vere code, e poi il giorno prima del thanksgiving tutta l'america torna a casa in bus per passarlo in famiglia (un po' come noi), e la stazione era jammed. Un'ora di fila e ci s'ha il pass e il biglietto, o come siamo felici ed efficienti! Ora ci manca l'indirizzo, ma tanto l'america è la terra del wireless, e noi ci s'ha il computer. Eh sì, bueno, se si vole andare su internet...potete vederci stampati da burgerking fuori stazione coi computer a gettoni. Paninozzo velenoso e cronometro, e che si scopre? Oh yeah, bisogna andare a Lakeville, non Providence. Hm. E rivedeteci per favore ritornare alla stazione coi 40 chili di roba sulle spalle, rifare la fila alla biglietteria imprecando in vari idiomi, per sentirci alfin dire che no, non ci sono bus per Lakeville. Anzi, per l'esattezza ci guardavano come se ce lo fossimo inventati. No problem, con il nostro non-cellulare (la gabina telefonica) si chiama Dan (che ci aspettava però non aveva nostre notizie tipo da Roma e era lì in paranoia col tacchino del Thanksgiving che un sapevano quando si sarebbe arrivati) che ci spiega che effettivamente no, non ci sono mezzi pubblici per il su paese.
L'aneddoto finisce così bene che sembra finto: per una strana coincidenza lui andava con la famiglia a vedere una rievocazione del villaggio coloniale del '700 proprio vicino a Providence, et voilà le cul c'est salv un vez mas (non ci posso far nulla, le lingue mi vengon bene così, di mio).

Cioè io ora dovrei raccontare com'è Lakeville e se c'è un lake lì, com'è andato il mega pasto (nè pranzo né cena, l'aperitivo era alle 3, le portate alle 7...) del thanksgiving con due vere famiglie americane, che coprivano addirittura tre generazioni americane (i nonni mi spezzavano, però tranquilla mamma mi sono trattenuto e mi sono comportato benissimo), e com'è andata oggi a Boston, dove rassegammo e sgroppammo un monte again, e come finimmo a vedere un film fantasy pacco al cinema 3D (mi sono lasciato convincere ragazzi, è che era 2 contro 1, c'era anche Austin, il figlio americano, a fiancheggiare l'Yv...). In realtà mi soffermerei soprattutto sulle dimensioni dei secchi di popcorn e dei pacchetti di caramelle che tutti avevano al cinema, oppure su particolari grotteschi come il free refill di burro fuso sui popcorn (vado vomito e torno), però mi sono pro-lungato anche troppo, e poi l'è tardi e l'yvana l'è belle ita a ninni (anzi sui pian di'ppenna, o madero) a spaccarsi di libri fantasu, sicchè lo sapete icchè fo? Metto du foto e do i bbona.

Yv e Dan sul lago, Yv-Peter-Grandma-Johanna-Austin in fase di aperitif

Ci s'ha sto problema delle foto verticali che vengono su cappottate, quindi vi perdete un sacco di foto ganze di palazzi vecchio stile accanto a grattacieli super fighi... too bad for you guys.
Boston è carina, il centro è piccino e in tre ore s'è fatto a tempo a girarlo tutto in su e in giù, e a freeze our butts out (leti non tradurglielo questo alla madre). Non so se mettervi su due foto di paesaggi, persone, o scoiattoli assassini, sicchè mi tolgo dall'imbarazzo mettendo un film di un kitchen drummer e via (tizio che suona le pentole).

FUCK it's not working! Ok nevermind, it's about half an hour I'm trying to upload it...I wanna go to sleep!

Notte a tutti (vabbè a questo punto i primi di voi si alzano, son le una qui, le sette di mattina lì...a no è sabato, vi faccio dormire ancora un po'. Ok sto iniziando a svarionare).
Enjoy Sancascieno, continuate a fare commenti stupidi, ci fate spezzare, e mamma tranquilla ci si cava bene a bestia, NON ELUCUBRARE!

Peter

P.s. Irene Jòna, could you please translate this to your fellow icelander? I'm not gonna translate it in english for sure...

New York pics

Vediamo... la difficile scelta delle 6-7 foto su 400 da pubblicare...direi che un ottimo blend di stereotipati paesaggi urbani e tradizionali minchiate potrebbe rendere l'idea di cosa significa quando piero e l'ivana vanno a spasso per manhattan.

Manhattan - close up and skyline


Vetrina (dedicata a Dade) e Poster


Negozi. Just in case you need boxes in New York...

cestino della stazione Grand Central, e pubblicità del futuro
(dice:"Un paradiso per i junkies dei trucchi. Smettila di fissare. Entra dentro. Siamo qui. E siamo aperti." junky=eroinomane)



Our wonderful hosts and information center...
Candice, Maine, and Sophia. Thanks a lot girls.

Sophia is the one whose home address is now in the database of the Immigration service as a possible terrorist contact, Candice stores coffee and glasses in the freezer, Maine was very disappointed we didn't invade her house too, when I told her I pissed sitting and took a shower in the light of a candle in Sophia's bathroom.

Pietro aka P

P.S. we had a small technical problem, and all the vertical pictures, which are the best ones, come out on their side...we'll work on it

FOTO FOTO FOTO

OK, finally we have enough time to put some photo's on the blog, much to your pleasure im sure!!!!!
we have done so many (I think we are up to about 400 already) that obviuosly we will not put them all, just the select few we have filtered especially for you!!!!!
Yvonne


I think you have to check your spelling skills
Pietro

New YORK!!!!!!! 11:45am

Sophia's house, clinton ave, brooklyn
pietro went out for a bit, nut im lazy today, and decided to stay here and relax

hmmm, a lot of things have happened in what, three days i think, so lets see where to begin!?!?!?!?!
ok, well, after I dont know how many hours on the plain (nice plane... loads of movies, but not so much space to sleep!!!) we arrive at the JFK airport. this being at around 11pm U.S time, that is about 5am europe time (we are very tired!!!) and we go through all that stupid immigration thingy (endless cues!!!!) and pietro goes through before me, ok i wait a bit then its my turn, meanwhile pietro has been sent somewhere else, anyway, i show the guy my declaration (name, amount of money, purpose in US, where i come from ecc) and he looks at me funny and asks me where im staying... " ummmm, kinda nowhere... we are travelling around a lot, will be staying at a friends house, but we have to call her to get the address" so the guy starts laughing (protect and serve my ass!!!!!!) and tells me to get it sorted and sends me back... now pietro is in america, but they wont let me through, and pietro has sophia's (the girl we were staying at) number and i dont... little moment of panic!!!! but i get over it and calmly ask some guy to go find pietro for me and call sophia. he leaves... and doesnt come back for about 30min (another little moment of panic!!!) but then comes back saying that sophia doesnt answer the phone (third most violent moment of panic!!! not only can I not get into US but even if I could... where the fuck am I supposed to go????!!!!) ok, deep breath, so i decide its no biggy and write some stupid hotel (from the phonebook) on the declaration and they let me in. I luckily meet pietro straight away and we get out. we try calling sophia about 4 times, doesnt work, so we ask some tourist info how much a hotel costs in N.Y.............he says the cheapest is $290+tax!!! hmmmmm, (small moment in which me and pietro quietly think about sleeping under a bridge), but due to pietro's amazing internet skills, combined with my none to bad telephone skills, we find a hostel on the other side of the city (upper manhatten) for only $80 per night. well, i needent say we finally got there and passed out (it being around 8am european time!!!!).
Day after we look at the map (which by the way I have taken a photo of, but pietro went out for a bit and i dont know how to work these technical things!!!!! so you will have to wait) and think, " huh, its not that far from where we are (103rd street manhatten) and the center (2nd street)...... lets walk down there!!!!!!!" biggest error of my life, we spent about 5 hours walking (saw central park as well!!!!! very pretty) and ended up at times square (42nd street), and we were knackared. So for future info, N.Y. is HUGE!!!!!!!! manhatten is like the smallest bit of it and it probably takes about 10 hours non stop walking to go from the top to the bottom!!!!! do not attempt it!!!!
ummmmm, im getting lost here now. ok, gonna go a bit faster, and just tell you big things. We have a camera (Takk amma!!!!) its beautiful, we spent a whole 30min choosing it. After asking all the sales people which one was better (I ask "why is cannon so much more expensive??? is it a lot better???" answer: "well, if you like cannon, then yes, it is much better!" AHHHHHHHHHHH, ok, that explains so much. or this one. " so what is the difference between this camera at $145 and the one that costs $245??" well, it depends, but look, with the more expensive one I took this picture last year" (shows me a piture of a flower) "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" that makes everything so much clearer... thank you!!!! DICKHEAD!!!!!!!
anyway the point was that when pietro teaches me to put them on the net it will be a lot more fun writing, coz you will see things as well.
only other very important thing to tell you guys is...... YESTERDAY WE WENT TO SEE ANI DI FRANCO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she is soooooooo amazing, i love her soooooooo much. i will put the pics on and tell you about her later.
Anyway, take care all, keep writing those comments


Italiani... imparate l'inglese che vi fa tanto bene!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yvonne

1 2 3, check, check, sa, sa, sa 1 2 1 2

Rome, 13:14 (local time)

We finally left, now no more people passing by that ask us "you still here? weren't you in Australia or something?". The packing business was tough, but it's finally over. It sounds easy but I'd like to see you trying to stuff both clothes for the freezing winter of Chicago and the sunny beaches of the Pacific in one bag that has to be both light and well organised. By the way, we failed.
Well we haven't gone too far yet, we're still in Rome, waiting for the time to leave and go to the airport to wait for the plane, where we can sit and wait until we arrive. The real merda ai cculo (excitment) isn't here yet, we're expecting it to come around tonight, when we will be arriving in the apple town.
Eh sí, in inglese, come vi mette?? cosí per la prima volta noi si viaggia nei paesi anglofoni e VOI imparate l'inglese! no scherzo, é perché cosí lo possono leggere molte piú persone...you're welcome to post comments...
le foto arriveranno quando avremo una macchina fotografica, ovvero quando si compra, ovvero forse tra un pao di mesi.(yvonne dice... ma ven via, fra due giorni si avra!!!!! state tranquilli, lo convincero, con le buone o le cattive!!!!!)

piero

We arrived at rome (4 hours late as we missed the first train... the one we woke up at 6am to catch!!!!!!!) very refreshed and happy with our super light backpackes on our backs and headed towards our friends house on lungotevere, where we found great hospitality and an amazing view over the whole of rome.

Beng the great tursts that we are we only stayed indoors long enough to say hello, then we left for a look at the vatican... leaving the house without an umbrella ("oh, it probably wont rain")... 5 minutes and it was pouring down, with millions of guys offering us umbrellas for 5 euros (we were very tempted, but there really isnt any more space in our luggage... unless we throw away our shoes or something)... anyway, the vatican was nice... we saw it very quickly from outside.

That evening we left the house planning to go see another roman friend (renato) at work (restaurant) and then go see a great reggae concert (alborosei)... we got on the bus and realised that we had forgotten to get money... so now we had 30 euros between us to: 1 pay for the bus and trains. 2. pay for dinner 3. go see this great concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what idots!!!! obviously we didnt get to go to the concert (I guess hunger comes first huh!!!) and in the end our great friend renato payed for most of our splendid meal, leaving us with enough money to get home.

Yvonne