new york city

welcome to brooklyn

The Big Apple. The apex of our tour. Brace yourself this is kind of massive. I could give you a short version, in which we play the dreamy farmers who cashed in all we had out in the country to hit the bigtime on Broadway. But really we came to see these guys, in Queens…

and they showed us everything

From Queens we explored the neighbourhood and beyond: checking the Kaufman studios where Sesame Street is (now) filmed in hope of getting a glimpse of Big Bird, we watched Broadway singers in Bryant Park, saw the original Winnie the Pooh and friends all tattered and well-loved in the Manhattan library, checked out the driveway where John Lennon was shot, sampled Roti Boti in Jackson Heights (purely because Jake and I got a little lost in this neighbourhood when we first arrived and got a full waft of its deliciousness), watched eccentric people dance, roller blade, hula hoop and be melodramatic in Central Park, ate bucket loads of ice cream, strolled Columbia campus, hiked through Harlem, walked across bridges, wished we were the kids who were surviving the summer heat in front of cracked fire hydrants, and rode the subway, everywhere.

if it wasn't for the N train

Jake busked at Central Park for gas (and toll!) money and got to play “Knockin on Heaven’s Door” for a teenager on her birthday. We also hit up Washington Square Park but an unexpected Sufi Convention botched plans by staging an interval indie rock show. We met Lafleur in NoHo for bubble tea and cruised the strip at St. Marks. Ann actually read our myspace bulletin and surprised us at Jake’s show (see below). Other surprises included getting to see Love as Laughter play in Brooklyn and not only hear the live version of our favourite song, “Coconut Flakes,” but witness the opening band Cheeseburger get showered in full cups of beer by adoring fans. That was something new. And I kept wondering how to go about catching one of those people before they flung their beer and scolding them, being someone who couldn’t dare waste four bucks on a pabst (especially if I wasn’t going to drink it!) after already dipping into our emergency funds to see a band play just because I thought it somewhat fate to be in the same place at the same time. Huhhhh. Anyway, Love as Laughter gave us a free CD just as they promised months previously via correspondence, and we were more than satisfied.

When we were babysitting Max one day we took him to the east village to seek out a photo exhibit of wild horses from Sable Island, a remote island off Nova Scotia known by sailors for being the site of some 350 shipwrecks. The horses are the castaways or, as I like to think of them, the ultimate pirate survivors. Or as Roberto Dutesco the New York fashion photographer might have thought of them, the ultimate beautiful models. He was so smitten with Max and the fact that we’d come to see his photos that he gave us video footage of the island and the horses and again, we were more than satisfied.

After our first lunch date with Rachel, who took breaks from the Oxford University Press building to meet Jake, Ben, Max and I at any number of Manhattan’s parks, we checked out the Eminent Domain exhibit (“contemporary photography and the city”) at the NY public library. I loved photos of the subway by this guy, Ethan Levitas, check them out. And now, finally, some of our photos!

reading room at manhattan library

central park

hoola

this guy's a regular

round and round

(eloise) at the plaza

waiting for the subway above ground

decapitated crow

decapitated larcenist

bow daba bow bow bow ba bada

notice garbage in ny

sunday subway sermon

butts

jeff koons on the roof

self portrait

these boots

these feet were tired

uncle jake makes for good lounging

Jake and Ben played at the open mic at the Sidewalk Cafe in the east village, where the likes of Regina Spektor and The Moldy Peaches gave the place it’s title as the home of “Anti-Folk.” It was the most eclectic open mic ever, with beat boxing, song and dance (booty dancers), and a whole range of quirky songwriters. Because Jake was playing a show there the next night, he got to play early in the set, known to last often till 3 am. It was great. The Sidewalk also wins an award for having the best sound of any other venue on the tour. Kudos to the sound man. It was great to hear Ben too. In my unbiased opinion Jake and Ben were the stars of the show. Which reminds me, Ben Sadock has a new album, “You Are The Beneficiary of Us,” it’s tops. Jake got to play a nice long set at his official Jacob Perkins & The Nobody show the next night. Rachel and Ben rallied their troops for the occasion, Max hooted and hollered, it was just lovely.

blown up booya