December 18, 2004 [Saturday]......Unsilent Night in The Village
This evening was the annual Unsilent Night (the Christmas Piece) event in New York. This is described as an outdoor ambient music piece which takes place by a large amount of people playing the piece on their boomboxes. Hundreds of people turned out for the 45 minute walk from Washington Square Park over to Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.

The effect of walking amongst a group of people with over 100 separate boomboxes playing a christmas themed music piece largely with chime style sounds was a true New York City experience. Passers by looked on with bewildered looks as the music playing didn't seem to be coming from any one place in particular, but moreso just everywhere. As we crossed 2nd Avenue, then 1st Avenue, our parade of people stopped traffic much to the frustration of cars beeping their horns with typical New York impatience.

With perfect timing, the group had all arrived and congregated in Tompkins Square Park as the music on the boomboxes started to gently fade and the event wound up. The crowd then all started to applaud both the Unsilent Night event and its creator, Phil Kline.

WWE's Triple H appearance at Virgin Megastore [nyc] 

December 16, 2004 [Thursday]......The Game
One of the top WWE wrestlers, Triple H (also known as The Game) made an appearance this evening at Virgin Megastore at Union Square. We checked it out but decided not to get in line to get his new book signed as the line literally went out the store and around the entire block. Instead we stayed in the coffee shop area right in front of the signing area where it was easier to get some photos.

Later in the evening it was up to Lasker Rink for my ice hockey game. This time we actually ended in a 6-6 draw which at least broke our run of loses. By this time of the season, we are playing in freezing temperatures outside given the rink is outdoor, yet you don't feel the cold at all once you start playing.

December 15, 2004 [Wednesday]......Stealing Christmas
Another Reverend Billy event tonight over in the East Village. It was "The Please Steal Christmas Revival and Parade" held at St. Mark's-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue. This even featured a Gospel Choir and Rev Billy's inspired Stop Shopping / anti-Bush / anti-Corporations taking over the East Village themed sermon. One highlight was Rev Billy recounting a recent trip to Canada where he performed exorcisms of Coke vending machines at a college. Rev Billy's favourite targets are corporations such as Coke, Starbucks, Walmart for their poor treatment of workers in foreign countries.

Following that, there was a parade over to the building where a design firm is located that Billy chose to excorcise due to their involvement in the plans to demolish a local East Village public school and build high rise developments.

December 12, 2004 [Sunday]......Carmelo & The Ghetto
Went to the Knicks v Denver Nuggets game today. Nuggets had Carmelo Anthony who played a great game and also Kenyon Martin for the New York crowd to boo. For the Knicks, Alan Houston was back in the line-up, but he had a low-key game. Knicks took it 107 -96 while the celebs courtside included Chris Rock, Samuel L Jackson and Adam Sandler.

Afterwards, I walked over to The Skyloft on the westside to see "Ghetto Fab - The Photo Graf Collection", part of an Emerging Arts exhibition which is photography of street graffiti art.

Willis Reed, me and George Kalinsky [nyc] 

December 7, 2004 [Tuesday]......Willis Reed circa 1970
Today I went to pick up a copy of the book "Garden of Dreams" which has photos showing the 125 year history of Madison Square Garden. A large part is photos taken by George Kalinsky who was present today to sign copies. In addition to having George sign the book, the legendary Knicks captain from the championship 1970 team, Willis Reed was on hand.

Willis was part of the 1st championship that the Knicks won and his effort in the deciding 7th game against the Lakers is now part of folklore. Willis was one of the key strengths of the team and went down in game 5 with an injury. He didn't play in game 6 and wasn't on court during game 7 warm-ups. Many thought the Knicks hopes were lost. Then, moments before the start, Willis walked out on-court to the delight of the MSG crowd. Barely able to move up and down the court, Willis hit the first 2 shots of the game and gave the spark to the team who went on to win the game and championship. It was great to meet Willis today, who says that not a day goes by that someone doesn't remind him of that game.

NBA basketball at Madison Square Garden [nyc] 

Opening tip-off, Knicks vs Magic [nyc] 

Knicks Dancers also lookin' good [nyc] 

Supermodel Heidi Klum lookin' good [nyc] 

December 3, 2004 [Friday]......Knicks Night 2 / Supermodel
During the day I went to see supermodel Heidi Klum who was appearing at Borders Books in the Wall Street area. We have seen a few actor / actresses now but this was the first time I have met a supermodel. I can't complain.

Tonight's basketball game was Knicks v Orlando Magic. This was a close game with only a point in it with under a minute to go until the Magic pulled away 104-98. The Magic are a rejuvinated team this season with the return of Grant Hill, in addition to the acquisitions of Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato from Houston. It was great to see Grant Hill play finally, he showed a lot of his talent tonight.

December 2, 2004 [Thursday]......Walking into a Movie Set
As I walked out the front foyer of my apartment building this morning, there were movie set trailers parked right there. I recognised the names on the trailers as being from The Honeymooners movie that I also saw being filmed in midtown a week or two ago. Didn't have enough time to look around for where the shooting was taking place, and by the time I got home in the evening, it was all gone.

December 1, 2004 [Wednesday]......Knicks Night 1
This evenings game was Knicks v Memphis Grizzlies. Not a real close one, Knicks were too strong, winning 90-82 as they are off to a good start this season.

November 30, 2004 [Tuesday]......Hockey Night
Tonight was another of my hockey games up at Central Park. We're off to a slow start this season, losing this one also by a wide margin.

Eagles defence ready to pounce on Eli Manning [nyc] 

Donovan McNabb drops back in the pocket to make a pass [nyc] 

Philadelphia Eagles v New York Giants [nyc] 

November 28, 2004 [Sunday]......Eagles Fly High
The big NFL game each year for me is when the Philadelphia Eagles come into town to play the New York Giants. There had been torrential rain since early morning but that wasn't going to deter me. For this game I get hold of a seat on the 45 yard line, only 2 rows from the field - this is about as good as you can get.

Magically by kickoff time, the rain had subsided and the afternoon was fairly decent considering. This game had also come under a lot of attention in New York as it was only the second start by the Giants highly paid rookie quarterback Eli Manning. After a tight first half the score was a close 7 - 6 in the Eagles favour. The second half was a different story with the Eagles proving why they are one of the league's best as they scored 20 unanswered points, eventually winning 27 - 6.

It was great to see Donovan McNabb have a solid game and making some plays, plus it was the first I had seen of Terrell Owens the new Eagles receiver who riled up the Giants stadium crowd more than once. The Philly D was dominant in the second half, sacking Eli and making his game miserable. It kept the Giants fans out of the game, they don't go quiet per se, they just start yelling at their own players instead of the opposition. With this win, the Eagles become the first team to clinch a playoff berth and on of the fastest teams to achieve it this early in the season in NFL history.

Reverend Billy deep in the moment, rousing up the masses in Times Square [nyc] 

November 26, 2004 [Friday]......Reverend Billy Gets Busted
The day after Thanksgiving is when all the stores have big sales and people go crazy rushing to get to the shops early. On the other hand, Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping holds an annual "No Shopping Day" which they celebrate by holding exorcisms of cash registers in local stores like McDonalds and Starbucks.

While Anh headed off for sales at places like J Crew and Macy's, I went to Times Square to see Reverend Billy as they launched a reformation in Times Square against corporate tyranny. Passers-by were confounded by what exactly was going on as Rev Billy delivered his speech and 9 Theses Against Corporate rule. There were around 150 people present in what was the only protest I have seen where they hand around homemade cornbread to those present.

The climax would be the cash register exorcism and that was what the hordes of NYPD were waiting for. Rev Billy made the exorcism at the Starbucks around 48th street at which point the NYPD rushed him, put him in cuffs and into the police truck, soon to be joined by 2 of his other disciples. I was metres from Rev Billy as he made the exorcism and got some close pictures of the arrest. They charged him under the bogus claim of resisting arrest, but as I was there first hand I can say the NYPD was just looking for a reason to get violent, they had no clue.

Later that night, the NYPD would arrest 15 bike riders as part of the monthly Critical Mass bike ride where riders take over the streets of New York each month in a mass-ride where they change the traffic of the city.

Kermit checks out the Upper West Side [nyc] 

Mr Monopoly weighed down by sandbags [nyc] 

Slinky Dog and Pikachu Balloons [nyc] 

November 24, 2004 [Wednesday]......SpongeBob Arrives
Each year the night before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, all the balloons are on display as they are inflated. Many people view the balloons this way instead of during the crazy crowds on the parade route. Since I saw the parade last year, this time I wanted to see the balloons being inflated. The evening was drizzly and cool but I made it up to Central Park West where the balloons occupy 2 blocks either side of the Musuem of Natural History over to Columbus Avenue.

Each year it seems there is a new balloon and this year it was SpongeBob SquarePants making his debut. There were also plenty of news crews on-site doing their live reports from the area and previewing the parade.

The Dutchess of York, Sarah Ferguson [nyc] 

November 23, 2004 [Tuesday]......Royalty & Other Types
Early this evening I went over to Toys R Us at Times Square for a book signing. This time it was the Dutchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, signing copies of her 2 kids books. Now, there isn't many chances to meet people like this so I didn't pass it up. After a 1.5 hour wait, I was in the area where she was sitting. She cheerfully posed for photos and whenever kids were in front of her she certainly was enjoying that, often hamming it up in the pictures.

Once that was done, it was off to the 92nd Street Y with Anh where we went to another of the Speaker Series, this time with the New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg. He talked for an hour about what it was like being Mayor, his future plans and what his tope priorities for the city were. He addressed questions about the controversial proposal for the west side stadium and then talked about how being in politics different from his previous career in the corporate world.

Before getting on the subway back home, we had to stop in at the Old fashioned donut shoppe on Lexington Avenue at 86th street which I always do when in the Upper East Side.

November 22, 2004 [Monday]......Heading to Ohio
Took a work trip out to Dayton, Ohio today. Dayton is a 1.5 hour flight from New York, but not a trip I'd recommend for sightseeing purposes.

November 21, 2004 [Sunday]......LeBron Returns
LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavalier team returned to the Garden tonight to take on the Knicks. This was the 3rd time I have seen him play, although tonight he started reasonable quiet in the first half and only ended with 13 points in the game that the Knicks won 98 - 88.

Meeting Tanya Roberts [nyc] 

November 20, 2004 [Saturday]......The Bond Girl
Despite a rainy day, I went to the National Comic Book, Art, & Sci-Fi Expo which was being held in midtown. Amongst the appearances, I had a chat with Jake Lloyd who played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars I movie. Jake talked about the filming he did in Tunisia and how they shot the pod race sequences. Next I stopped in to see Tanya Roberts who is most recently from That 70's Show, but was the bond girl in A View To Kill. She was a laugh and had some good stories from the set of That 70's Show plus was pretty open in her thoughts on the cast. Tanya also talked about what she will do now that the show has wrapped up for good.
At another table was David Prowse (played the original Darth Vader) and Peter Mayhew (played Chewbacca) who I saw but didn't bother getting their autographs.
Elsewhere in the venue were a bunch of other minor actor types, models, and if you are into comic books, very well-known comic book artists who will draw pieces for you in person.

In the evening Anh & I went to Webster Hall to check out The Hives in concert. The Hives are an alternative rock group from Sweden who could just as well be from New York, ala The Strokes style. We were very close to the stage at this show and it was a great one. The singer and guitarist especially were hugely entertaining and their music boomed in Webster Hall. After the show, Anh even got one of the bass player's (Dr Matt Destruction) picks which is now added to our guitar pick collection. I went and bought a copy of their new record on vinyl so it can be played at volume on the turntable back in the apartment.

Afterwards, we stopped at Johnny Rockets for some old-style burgers and shakes before walking through Union Square to get home.

Alicia Keys in person at the Hue-Man bookstore in Harlem [nyc] 

November 16, 2004 [Tuesday]......Lasker Hockey
Different sort of hockey tonight...back to the amateur type. My team I play on up in Central Park is at the start of our winter season, judging by tonight's score, it could be a long season.

November 15, 2004 [Monday]......Skating Center Ice
With the NHL Ice Hockey season still in lock-out mode, the NY Rangers held another event for season ticket holders to hear the coaches talk. The beauty of tonight was that afterwards, they opened the Madison Square Garden ice up for us to go and skate on. This was one of the coolest things I've done here yet, being out on center ice where the Rangers play in MSG. We had a full hour out there and people loved it. Many took photos of each other kissing center ice where the Rangers logo is. Fantastic night.

On my skates in Madison Square Garden, seriously [nyc] 

November 13, 2004 [Saturday]......Last Comic Standing
Final show I saw today as part of the NY Comedy Festival was John Heffron at Carolines. John was the winner of the 2nd series of the original Last Comic Standing tv show recently. He has some great material, but the NY crowd was tough tonight with a couple of hecklers present.

November 12, 2004 [Friday]......Knicks
Took a break from the comedy tonight to go to the Knicks v LA Clippers basketball game at The Garden.

November 11, 2004 [Thursday]......Steven Wright
The second comedy show tonight, this one was the deadpan comedian, Steven Wright at the Town Hall. The Town Hall is a great venue, I was front row in the balcony which felt pretty close.

November 10, 2004 [Wednesday]......Denis Leary Kicks It Off
Tonight marks the first of 3 events this week I'll be at as part of the New York Comedy Festival on around town this week. We went to Carnegie Hall this evening for Denis Leary and guests. There was 7 or 8 total comedians on tonight, the best of which was Dane Cook who was hilarious. Can't wait to see his act next time he is in town.

Movie set on Broadway for "The Honeymooners" in Midtown [nyc] 

November 9, 2004 [Tuesday]......Keys and a Mouse
Straight after work I shot up to Harlem to the Hue Man bookstore where Alicia Keys was doing an in-store book signing. The night was very cold and the 2 plus hour wait on the street outside the store was extremely trying. However by the time it came to meet Alicia Keys, it seemed worth it, she was very sweet and friendly in person.

Next I sped down to Radio City Music Hall just in time for the Modest Mouse concert. Even though they have some great songs on their latest album, some of the extended versions they played tonight were a bit overboard.

Walking home I pasted by a movie set shooting on 7th Avenue at 52nd street. It was for a new remake of "The Honeymooners" involving a scene where a taxi heads down Broadway. For these street shots you literally can stand metres away from the action. I was around 10 metres from the 2 cameras they were shooting with. 4 New York taxicabs were involved in the scene, but people from the nextdoor hotel would come out and approach them to get inside thinking it was for hire. They then couldn't understand why they were being turned away, whilst others would be laughing at them for not realizing that it was part of the movie, the drivers could speak english and they were sitting idle in the middle of the street in New York.....hello!

November 8, 2004 [Monday]......A Simple Plan
One of the cooler bands around, Simple Plan was at Irving Plaza tonight, one of my favourite venues. Great punk-pop style rock band with lots of attitude, they were highly entertaining.

November 7, 2004 [Sunday]......The Amazon
The New York City Marathon was held today, alas it was too early in the day before I was up to think about it. A warm one for the runners this year.

In the evening I met up with Marty to go to the 92nd Street Y to hear one of the Speaker Series events. This was with the CEO of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos, who talked about how Amazon got started, the challenges he faces and where the industry is headed. It was interesting to hear someone like this first hand talk reasonably candidly.

Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, as viewed from Harlem in Manhattan [nyc] 

9/11 Tribute on the side of a building in Harlem next to the East River [nyc] 

LOVE sculpture at John Finley Walk, Upper East Side [nyc] 

The 100 year old Brooklyn Bridge [nyc] 

South Street Seaport, East River [nyc] 

The bike trek begins at a pier on the Hudson River [nyc] 

November 6, 2004 [Saturday]......Biking Around Manhattan
I have been planning today for sometime now. I embarked on a bike ride around the entire island of Manhattan. After renting a bike on 6th Avenue I rode to the pier at 15th street on the Hudson River. The route was to start south down the Westside bike track along the Hudson down to Bowling Green at the southern tip of Manhattan, then ride north up the east side. The bike path doesn't continuously run along the east side so you ride back in the traffic for quite a few blocks - I had several buses chasing me down more than once.
Beyond the United Nations the bike track continued along the East River, past several dog runs and small out of the way parks I hadn't seen before. One area was popular for photoshoots as there was 3 of them going on at once.

Up at Harlem the path got sketchy along the river so I headed across town, stopping briefly to watch some local peewee football, then riding through some deserted warehouse areas. It got tough on an uphill section which I still can't place on the map but eventually I was cruising back to the Upper West Side. From there it was back to the extended bike track along the Hudson. Problem was, the wind had picked up and I was riding directly into it blowing off the Hudson. The next 30 minutes was an exhausting ride until I arrived back at 15th street pier, a mere 4 hours later. Admittedly I took my time stopping off for many photo ops and exploring some new territory.

Once the bike was returned I walked past Barnes & Noble where there was a new photography book signing I stopped in to see.

Later, we went for dinner at the new Nooch restaurant down on 8th Avenue. Next, while strolling back on 23rd we bumped into the Fox 5 weatherman, out walking his dog. A crazy man was trying to get him to speak on the payphone nearby to his wife, with no luck. The next destination was La Crepe Maison, on 3rd Avenue. This is a tiny cafe that serves a mean crepe and is highly recommended.

The night wasn't over yet, we walked all the way back to 26th street but this time stopped in at Muse, an underground karaoke bar down the street from us. We hired a karaoke room there for the next 3 hours until the wee hours.

November 5, 2004 [Friday]......REM & Yellowcard
Last night I went to The Garden to see REM in concert. They played all the standard favourites plus a few off the new album. Highlight was definitely "It's the end of the world", which they opened the show with.

Tonight was a slightly smaller venue and newer band, Yellowcard at the Roseland Ballroom. Younger crowd at this one, but they are a high energy group with some good songs.

WWE wrestler, Edge at his book signing [nyc]