Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog

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  • A Taste of India at Newport Centre

    Taste of India, Authentic Indian Cuisine at Newport Centre Mall.

    I went up to the food court at the Newport Centre Mall for the first time last weekend.  I saw some old favorites that I hadn’t been to since before I left the US for Kuwait in 2007 and I was pretty sure I was going to wind up eating at Sarku Japan.  It’s not real Japanese food, but it tastes pretty good.  Then I saw a place called A Taste of India: Authentic Indian Cuisine.  I went over and they were handing out free samples of chicken.  It tasted pretty good, but I wasn’t really convinced.  Then I saw that they had chicken biryani, and I wondered if it was anything like the nasi briyani I’d had in Singapore.  I asked for a sample and while it wasn’t exactly the same, it was really close and really good.  It was really spicy too!

    Chicken biryani from A Taste of India at Newport Centre Mall.

    I wound up getting a bowl of it, with spicy curry on top.  It doesn’t look too appealing in this photo, but most of the foods I ate in Asia tasted better than they looked anyway.

    Something about the restaurant was kind of jarring.  They all seemed to be first generation immigrants, judging by their accents, possibly from the same family.  The way they were working the crowd and cajoling people into taking samples and then buying food from them reminded me of street vendors in the Asian countries I’d visited.  They could have just as easily been on a street in Kuala Lumpur or a food court in Singapore.  The weird part is that they were all wearing cheesy looking, brightly colored, standard uniforms.  I guess it was something about the authentic taste of the food and the authentic behavior of the employees clashing with the American franchise store and uniform designs that threw me off.  I suppose it doesn’t matter though.  I paid for good food and that’s what I got.

  • New York City Graffiti and Wall Murals–Part 3

    You may remember this guy.  He was in the last graffiti and wall murals post.  I only post it again because I wanted to mention that it was a good thing I took a photo of it when I did, during the winter when that tree had no leaves on it.  It’s going to be pretty well hidden until Fall comes around.

    Wall mural at Cooper Square, Manhattan.

    I found the next mural on the opposite side of the building.  I’m not sure why I never noticed it before.  Maybe there was a building or something there the last time I walked through the area.

    Wall mural at Cooper Square.

    These last few are graffiti from a public restroom.

    Public restroom graffiti.

    I’m not sure about this one.  I’m still trying to figure out how they get from Sharpie to Sandwich, or what it has to do with staining.

    Public restroom graffiti.

    Pretty deep, right?  I mean, for toilet art anyway.

  • Please, Put Crappy Writing Here

    Please, put crappy writing here.

    This sign, above this trashcan, is located in the Compton-Goethals hall at City College of New York.  I’m not sure who put it up, but it’s a good reminder that if you’re not going to write well, you shouldn’t even bother to turn your paper in.  With the end of the semester upon us, and many papers due, this sign has a lot more meaning than usual.  I’m doing pretty good.  I only have one more to write and then I can completely focus on studying for finals.

    My wife tells me all the time that I write well.  I figure she’s biased, but I did always get good grades on writing assignments in high school and in the college level courses I took online.  Now that I’m physically attending classes, I thought maybe the ‘truth’ about my writing ability would come out.  I guess I just underestimate myself, because the papers I turn in always come back with good grades.

    I’ll try to not let my ego blow up too big, but I’ve even had people come to me for help with their papers, and after guiding them through revisions I’ve been thanked profusely.  I was even told I should be a teacher.  That’s kind of funny, because another guy at the school mistook me for a teacher.  That could just be because I’m older than most students and have a beard though.  Ha!  If you’re wondering, I was in the Army for nearly a decade and now I’m using the Post 9/11 GI Bill to complete my tertiary education.  That bill is a godsend.  I’m really enjoying the whole college experience, and it’s only possible because of that bill.

    Anyhow, summer’s coming.  I thought about taking a break, but I just don’t think I want one, so I signed up for summer courses.  For the first session, I’m just going  to fill a graduation requirement, Speech Foundations.  I hear it’s a fun and worthwhile class, though.  For the second session I’m going to take World Civilizations: Pre-History to 1500 AD.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to wind up majoring in History, so that should help me out.  I haven’t officially matriculated yet, so I don’t know exactly what the degree requirements are.  I’ll find out when Fall semester starts.

  • Fight Spills Into 14th Street, Causes Traffic Jam

    Yesterday, I was coming back into the city from New Jersey on the PATH train and got off at 14th street.  My plan was to hop on the bus and then go back into the subway at Union Square to head uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I wound up having to get back off the bus and walk, though, because punks don’t know how to behave in public.  One kid jumped another kid and the result was a big traffic disaster on 14th street between 6th and 5th avenues.

    Cops on the street after a fight broke out on 14th street between 5th and 6th Ave.

    As soon as I got seated on the bus I started seeing flashing lights and the bus just sat there, so I took a look out the window and saw that the street was jammed with police cars.  There was a tour bus going the opposite way, but stopped in the road with all the tourists on the open upper deck leaning over the rail and gawking.  I saw a black guy being led away in cuffs.  I waited a while and then got off the bus to take a few pictures and then walk to Union Square.

    Cops on the street after a fight broke out on 14th street between 5th and 6th Ave.

    While I was standing there taking photos, I heard what happened from a woman that had been handing out sales fliers.  Apparently, a bunch of kids from a nearby school had just left class and one kid jumped on another kid and busted the side of his face up.  The kid that got attacked took off into the subway station I had just left. The guy I saw being handcuffed was the one that did the attacking.  While she was telling me this, the police were yelling at the crowd of kids, which I assume were classmates of the kids that were fighting, telling them to go home or at least leave the area.

    Girl crying because her boyfriend was arrested for fighting on his birthday.

    When I was walking away, a girl (brown coat in the above picture, surrounded by friends) started crying, saying it was “[her] man’s birthday.”  I can only assume that the guy that got arrested is, or was, her “man”, and they weren’t going to be doing much partying that night.  He must not have wanted to celebrate his birthday anyway or he wouldn’t have done something illegal in the middle of a crowded street.  People just don’t think anymore, do they?

    Cops on the street after a fight broke out on 14th street between 5th and 6th Ave.

    On the left, you can see the M14A Crosstown I got on, then got off, stuck on the side of the road because of all the police vehicles.

    Foremost taxi is an undercover New York City police car. Cool, right?

    The only redeeming factor in this whole fiasco, besides giving me something to blog about, is that I got to see an undercover NYC police car that looks like a taxi cab.  In the photo above, the foremost taxi (facing right, just behind the cop car) is an undercover vehicle.  You can see the red strobe light in the center of the dashboard.

  • Boka: Bon Chon on St. Mark’s

    Last Sunday was Mother’s Day.  It’s been years since I’ve lived near my mom on Mother’s Day, so I wanted to take her somewhere to get a nice lunch.  My mom has lived in the city for years, so I wasn’t sure what would be appropriate (some place she hasn’t eaten at quite a bit already), but I settled on a place called Boka: Bon Chon.  It turned out to be a good thing too.  Boka is a Korean food place and my mom had never had Korean food before, so besides lunch she got the gift of a new experience for Mother’s Day this year.

    Boka: Bon Chon on St. Mark's

    As for the restaurant itself, I was a little skeptical at first, because when you first walk up to it, it looks more like a bar than a place you’d go for a good meal.  From the outside, it’s pretty unassuming.  You would hardly know it’s there.  There’s no large sign or store front to speak of.  It occupies just the bottom level of the building seen above.  There’s a karaoke bar above it, a Japanese noodle place to the right and another restaurant that I didn’t really pay much attention to on the left.

    Interior of Boka: Bon Chon on St. Mark's

    The interior was a surprise.  It’s really nice and really clean and the décor was classy, if not something I’d think of when I think ‘Korean’.  The place gives more of an English pub impression, to me at least.

    We got there at around 2 PM, between lunch and dinner, so the place was empty.  By the time we left, it was starting to fill up.  It looked like the crowd was mostly younger people, which makes sense since NYU has dorms in the area.

    Pork bibimbap from Boka: Bon Chon on St. Mark's

    I chose the pork bibimbap.

    Beef bulgogi from Boka: Bon Chon on St. Mark's

    I helped my mom pick something from the menu, since she wasn’t familiar with the food choices.  She got beef bulgogi, which is pretty tame and a good first taste of Korean.  I think that’s what I had, the first time I ate at a Korean place.

    The lady that served us seemed to be the only server working at the time, but it wasn’t busy.  She seemed a little unsure of herself and I got the impression that English was still a bit of a struggle for her, but she was very friendly.  Our food and drinks came to the table quickly, though she seemed a bit surprised that we just wanted water and Coke, rather than soju, sake, or beer.

    Overall, the place is pretty cool.  The atmosphere is comfortable, the food is good, the prices are reasonable and the service was good.  I’m looking forward to visiting again.  I think next time I’ll try the Korean style fried chicken.  I saw a tip on Foursquare, after we’d ordered of course, that the Korean style fried chicken there kicks ass.

  • A Celebration of Buddha and Asian Culture

    Last Sunday, on my way to the Barnes & Noble by Union Square, I was passing through the park and saw an event celebrating Buddhism called The Lotus Lantern Festival.

    Lotus Lantern Festiva, Union Square, 2011.

    A Buddha statue at the Lotus Lantern Festival, Union Square, 2011.

    Buddhist statue with an elephant and Buddha.

    I’m not really clear on the significance of the above statue, but people would step up to it, bow, and then use the dipper (you can just see the handle protruding from the bowl above the elephant) to scoop water from the bowl and pour it over the head of what I assume, by the lotus he’s standing on and the extended earlobes, to be a representation of Buddha.

    A woman singing at the Lotus Lantern Festival, Union Square, 2011.

    When I first walked up, a woman was singing. I don’t know what it was, or what it was about, because I missed the intro, but it sounded interesting, so I hung around for a while to see what else might happen.  After she sang, there was a demonstration of a traditional Korean dance.  I forget exactly what was said about it, but it was a celebratory dance related to successful agriculture, I think.

    After I watched that, I walked through the park and just as I was getting to the other side, I started to hear Japanese pop music.  When I turned the corner, I saw there was a stage, with a live performance by a girl named Reni.

    Reni onstage at the Annual Asian Culture celebration at Union Square, 2011.

    On one side of the park was the solemnity of Buddhism, and on the other side of the park was Japanese pop culture, complete with cosplay and peace signs.  Weird combination.  Anyhow, I recorded one of her songs…

    And then moved on past her booth…

    Annual Asian Culture celebration at Union Square, 2011.

    The Reni booth at the Annual Asian Culture celebration at Union Square, 2011.

    …and happened to catch the tail end of a Chinese dragon dance and a martial arts display.

     

    A martial arts display at Union Square Park during the Annual Asian Culture celebration, 2011.

    I think it was called Wishun but I could be mistaken.

    Japanese flag hanging in Union Square Park during the Annual Asian Culture Celebration, 2011.

    I’m already looking forward to what I might see at the park this coming weekend.

  • Broadway Street Fair, 14th Street to 8th Street

    A street fair on Broadway near Union Square Park.

    Today, Broadway was closed down from 14th Street, where Union Square is, down to 8th Street for a street fair.  The road was lined on both sides with stalls selling everything from costume jewelry to barbecue pulled pork.  There were even stalls set up by The New York Times, trying to get people to buy subscriptions, and a booth promoting Islam.  This is a story best told with pictures:

    Costume jewelry for sale at a street fair in New York City.

    This costume jewelry was laid out in a huge pile across a few tables.  It was on sale.  A closeout sale in fact.  Only $3.00 apiece.  Doesn’t seem like much of a sale to me.  I’m sure if you looked hard enough you could find this stuff for a dollar apiece.  It’s pretty to look at though, especially when it’s laid out together like it was.

    Kettle Corn NYC.

    Some $9.00 bags of kettle corn.  If you’ve never had kettle corn, it’s sweet.  It tastes awesome and smells great.

    Shirts for sale at a street fair on Broadway in New York City.

    Japanese balls. Yum!

    I stopped by this booth to look at what they had to offer.  The sign on the front of the table says that everything on the table is free.  The guy in the blue jacket on the right spoke fluent English and Spanish, and the Korans he’s putting down are translated into Spanish.  The Lower East Side has a lot of Hispanic families, so maybe that’s the demographic they were mostly prepared for.  I took a few of the flyers.  I’m sure they’ll make great reading material for the train.  The guy in the blue jacket seemed encouraged by my interest in the flyers and asked me what I know about Islam, so I started talking about dates, like Mohammad’s birth, death, the first revelation, etc.  I know these things, since I just learned about it in an Art History course and I’m taking a test over it tomorrow.  He asked me if I wanted to spend a few minutes learning about the basics of the Islamic faith.  I thanked him, but said no.  It’s not that it wouldn’t be interesting, but given recent events, I don’t want to hang around anything promoting Islam.  Some nutball might show up and do something violent.  Besides, I have a feeling he was going to tell me about the 5 pillars of the Islamic faith: Attestation (“There is no god but God, and Mohammad is his prophet.”), Alms, Prayer (5 times a day), the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), and fasting during Ramadan.

    Marrakesh: Moroccan Bazaar and Decor booth at a street fair on Broadway.

    There were even Moroccan rugs!

    Funnel cake stand.

    And funnel cakes!  I love funnel cakes.  I didn’t get one though, because I was on my way to meet my mom for lunch.  It was Mother’s Day, and I didn’t want to spoil my appetite.

    I saw a LOT more than just this street fair today, including some Asian cultural festivities, but I’ll save that for a post tomorrow, or the day after.  I hope you enjoyed the photos!

  • Man Jumps Over Six Women in Union Square, Manhattan

    Crowd at Union Square, Manhattan, New York City.

    I went up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art again today.  I’ll blog about that later.  For now, I want to show you what was going on at Union Square that cost me some of my museum time.  Like I keep saying, there’s always something going on there and when I was passing through, I saw a huge crowd gathered by the entrance to the subway, so I stopped to check it out.

    Man in a leopard outfit jumping over a girl in Union Square.

    This colorfully dressed guy had just jumped over the girl that’s standing behind him there, in the center of the open area.  I took this photo right as he was landing, though I meant for it to be him in the air over her.  This wasn’t impressive enough, so he decided to give us an even bigger show, which I recorded:

    I was impressed.  I half expected him to land on the last girl, turning this otherwise exciting performance into a tragedy.  There are very few places in New York City that you can go without seeing some sort of live performance by a regular person looking to make some extra cash.  Some are bad, but some, like this one, are pretty damn good and worth the time to watch.  I try to keep some change in my pocket for when I see stuff like this, or when someone is playing music (on an instrument, not from a boombox) in the subway and it sounds good.

  • Union Square Park (Photos)

    Union Square Park, facing south along University Place.

    I haven’t tried to keep up with what days each market is held on, but there was an art market yesterday.  This is a photo of the cobbled area along the west side of the park where the stalls were set up, with people selling homemade artwork including oil on canvass, photography, sketches, etc. in various styles.  One day I might even buy something from here to decorate my apartment wall.  Maybe.  I remember hearing people haggling over a price for something that looked like it was about a foot square.  The starting price was 500.  Ouch.

    Two men being interviewed on camera in Union Square.

    I’m not sure what the interview was about, but the guy to the right in the photo was pretty animated while speaking.  Maybe this was part of a project being done by students at the New York Film Academy, which borders Union Square.

    People sitting on a fountain in Union Square.

    A group of interesting looking folks, sitting on the edge of a fountain in the southwest corner of Union Square.  On warm days, Union Square is packed with people who are just hanging out and enjoying the good weather, at least so far.  I wonder if that will change when the weather turns from warm and pleasant to hot and scorching, and the cement gets hot enough to sear your ass like a burger on a grill.

    A group of people doing a large painting in Union Square.

    There was a group of people working on this painting.  I think it had something to do with a project sponsored by Keds shoes.  The old man there was taking a photo, like I was doing, and then went right into the middle of things to ask what it was all about, or at least I assume that’s what he was doing.  That’s one of the good things about being old.  People are more forgiving when you do stuff like that.

    Union Square Park, facing the Beth Israel Phillips Ambulatory Care Center.

    Union Square Park, facing the Beth Israel Phillips Ambulatory Care Center.

    Union Square is even more crowded on weekends.  This was a Thursday afternoon, around 5 PM.

  • Do You Have Your Life Vests And Boats Ready For May 21st?

    Lady in Union Square train station with a sign stating the world will end on May 21, 2011.

    This lady, or someone like her, has been in the Union Square train station fairly regularly over the last week or so.  When I first tried to take her picture, she was leaning against the side of the pole to the right.  She moved,  so I moved too.  I wonder if it’s because she has some doubts about what she’s promoting and is concerned about potential embarrassment when she wakes up on the morning of the 22nd to see clear skies and just another Sunday?

    I say clear skies because the reasoning behind this theory that the world will end on May 21st, 2011 is that God said that “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made” (Genesis 7:4) and He also said “that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).  Apparently, May 21st, 2011 is the day God was talking about, and never mind that whole story that follows Genesis 7:4 about Noah in the ark.  That was just a prequel for the real event.  Or so they would have us believe, I guess.  There’s also some special numerology that they’re using to explain why they fixed on exactly May 21st that involves numbers with traditional symbolism and the number of days between the Crucifixion and that day.

    Sign saying the world will end on May 21st, 2011.

    I’m not going to hold my breath.  Like every other end-of-the-world theory that’s come before this one, this will end in disappointment and tears, and maybe even some embarrassment.  But, on the off chance that the world actually is flooded on the 21st, at least I won’t have to do finals for this semester.