Multiple Personality Disorder-The City

I’ve been eating only Vanilla ice cream for the past 2 years, and it’s been nice to finally indulge in all the different flavors that NY has to offer.  Hanging out with our eclectic group of friends has made me appreciative of the diverse upbringing we have been afforded.  The momentum here is unstoppable, and the creative energy oozes from every dark corner and neglected alley.

One of the first people we saw when we got to NY is our good friend, Asher, whom Frank grew up with.  With Asher, you never know where the night is going to take you and whom you will end up meeting.  You could be at a dive in the middle of Chinatown, at Fort Tilden beach night swimming, or dancing the night away with Bulgarians in military uniform in Midtown Manhattan.  His energy is consuming, and you find yourself having the time of your life in places that you never even knew existed.  He taught himself how to fluently speak French, Spanish, Italian, as well as some Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic at a young age.  I often find myself at a bodega listening to him have a full on conversation with the clerk in Arabic while he’s buying a pack of cigarettes.  Or in a cab, listening to him converse in Creole with the driver.  When asked how he learns languages so easily, he answers with a simple, “I just talk to myself in the shower in the language I want to learn…”  Hmmm…ok. 

Asher

We  later hung out with our friend Zack at his 5000 sq ft fabrication shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn called BKCstudio.  The collective group of people working out of this space, have a combined talent that is truly remarkable.  A couple of years ago, Zack was involved in a project dubbed, Floating Cities, where they created “boatercycles” (Pontoon boats powered by Royal Engfield motorcycles) shipped them to India and went on an art fueled spirtual journey down the Ganges River.  They raised the money for this by throwing underground parties in industrial spaces around Brooklyn and managed to make TimeOut NY’s best underground party.  We went to a couple of these, and they were dazzling, with an array of themes from Hobo’s paradise, complete with Whiskey Fountains and Cigarette Trees to a party set on a triple decker ferry boat in the Gowanus Canal, each level sporting different themes and music.   The sheer number of people they had working with them for the cause was inspirational.

BKCstudio

Zack & Alex

We have also barbequed on the rooftops of Brooklyn with Frank’s childhood friends, an activity a lot of New Yorkers do, as there isn’t a lot outdoor space.  Listening to the sounds of the city below, the subways, the honking, the children laughing, a cacophony of all things once so familiar, while laughing and reminiscing about “the good ol’ days.”  

Rooftop in Brooklyn

Kaleb & Jeremy

My BFF, Sandra 

Is Frank the only one not making a silly face?