We spent much of our time in Peru this time around  learning about  Incan history, ruins, and culture–and exploring the sites of the the Sacred Valley at Chincero, Moray, Pisaq, Sacsayhuaman, and Machu Picchu (where we spent two days).  We also spent some times in Lima, Cusco, and Aquas Caliente (the town neighboring Machu Picchu). I have decided to share one of the highlights of the trip–  an unexpected hike to meditate on the top of mountain called Putucusi.

I had never heard of Putucusi before this trip (which means “Happy Mountain” in Quechua).  Putucusi is the lush, green mountain right next to Waynapicchu mountain–directly across from the Machu Piccchu site. It overlooks the Machu Picchu ruins from a high vantage point, and tops out at about 2500 meters (7500 ft). The trek should was supposed to take a couple of hours, and  we would (or should I say “thought we would”) be hiking up through dense jungle on a switchback trail (a zigzag path that progresses up a steep incline). The 12 of us navigated the first part of the trek at the base of the mountain without any problem. We were all carrying day packs and planned to scale the mountain with the end goal of doing a sunset mediation overlooking the Machu Picchu site.

Everything was going really well until we rounded a turn and ran smack into a sheer cliff wall. This kicked off a series of “oh shit” moments.  I am not exactly sure how high the first part of this cliff face was, but lets just say it was at least 40 yards,  and close to a full football field straight up between all 5 parts of the cliff face (which included a series of ladders after the initial ascent pictured below).  The collective sense was, “Oh shit,  how in the hell are we going to get up this thing!” We didn’t have ropes–and there was a cable that ran the course of the first part of the cliff face . I have summited Kilimanjaro, hiked the Inca Trail and  Torres del Paine (the W loop) in Patagonia, trounced through rivers in the Colombian jungle, and spent time slipping and sliding down trails in the Bolivian Amazon. All were far from easy, and fairly extreme in one sense or another–but mostly in regards to dealing with high altitude (Kili, Inca Trail) or extreme weather (Lost City Trek, Amazon).  In all of my days, I have never attempted anything quite like this.

Somehow I drew the short straw (or maybe it was the long straw as I got to get it over with) and I got to go up first. That is your truly pictured above on the bottom of the cliff face. Our guides were staggered along the ascent, talking us through where to put our feet, instructing us how to navigate the slope. They said over and over again to not let go of the cable. While about 30 feet up on the cliff face, there came a spot where there were absolutely no foot-holes– and the instructions came swiftly (they neglected to inform us of this at the bottom) that we needed to lean straight back and go flat footed at this part. Leaning back and trusting was the only way to navigate this part of the wall- which brought on thoughts of, “Oh shit, I’m suspended 30 feet in the air over rocks!”, “Oh shit, I’m not strapped in”,  followed by “oh shit, I’m doing it”, “oh shit, I just slipped”, and “oh shit, I made it”. The experience was a leap of faith and equal parts terrifying, and exhilarating by all accounts. Now I had the pleasure of watching my other 12 friends do the exact same thing from above–which was nerve racking–and in many cases much more scary then doing it myself. Some of us had a much easier time than others.

The next part of the hike involved a series of ladders–4 in total– that continued to go straight up the “happy mountain”.  Climbing these ladders brought out more than a few cries of, “Oh shit this rung is broken”, “Oh shit that rung is broken too”, and “Oh shit, you cannot even call this a ladder anymore because there are so many broken rungs”.  In many places where the rungs were washed out we needed to put our feet on nails that were put in there place.  Apparently, the bottom part (that we climbed with the cables) used to have ladders as well but were long ago washed away by   floods.

Once we got to the top of the ladders the switchbacks actually started and we continued our slow ascent rising above the jungle into open areas with high grasses and wild purple orchids. The key was not to step off the stone path as the grasses released onto steep inclines (which I actually learned on the way back down where I nearly bit it)–and to chew a lot of coca leaves for the altitude. Coca chewing, is highly encouraged (and very much legal)  throughout Peru for its medicinal properties in relation to altitude sickness. It is a sacred treasure of the people here–and really does make the altitude bearable.

The quickest of us got to the top in about 2 1/2 hours or so, while the slowest took closer to four hours. We all made it in one piece, with the exception of one sprained knee and one bump on the head  from a fallen rock.  The exhaustion at the summit was widespread–but the satisfaction vibrated much higher than any pain we were feeling. We had no idea what we were in for when we started–but the fact that everyone made it (largely unscathed) was a powerful statement from the universe.

That evening during the meditation, sitting high in front of Machu Picchu ruins, from a perspective and vantage point that very few people get to see– an extreme feeling of gratitude overtook me. The day-hike was the single toughest (technically)  I have attempted and completed. At that moment I felt (and still hold this feeling) such an extreme, overwhelming gratefulness for my family, my friends, my job, and my life back in New York City.  Moreover, I felt extremely grateful for having the good fortune to be able to continually experience moments like this. I was sitting on top of a mountain back in Peru–overlooking one of the wonders of the world, with amazing people to share the experience with all around me.  It began to sink in, “Holy shit, I am really back in South America again–in the middle of one of of the most beautiful experiences of my entire life”.  While, meditating on that mountaintop, overlooking one of the most beautiful ancient sites in all of the world, everything came crystal clear.  I am back doing what I am supposed to be doing, learning what I am supposed to be learning,  living the way I am supposed to be living.   Now that I am traveling again, the only question is, ” where next?”

My Burning Man strategy–that has developed over the course of 3 Burns (2008,2009,2011) and 20 or so days I have spent on the playa (the playa is the actual desert/dust bowl that Black Rock sits on) is pretty straight forward. At night, I go out and explore the energy–party, dance, and hang with amazing people into the wee hours. During the day, I go to lectures, guided meditations, and spend a great deal of time exploring the spiritual side of things. At Burning Man, you can truly create your own experience–and much of it happens by happenstance and random encounters with great people and teachers. They give you a guide book when you enter that details the workshops and events of the week.

On the Saturday of this year, I was at a guided meditation at one of the spiritually focused camps (Red Lightning)–and ran into a new friend (her name is Uma and lives in Olympia, Washington). Neither of us had any plans, but had both had intentions to spend time in the Burning Man temple (called the “Temple of Transition” this year). So we set off on our bikes across the playa towards the temple (which sits at 12:00 on the Burning Man clock grid).

There are three big burns (celebrations upon which massive pieces of art are set on fire) at Burning Man. On Friday night this year, they burned a gigantic Trojan Horse, on Saturday “the Man” burned to cheers and music blasting, and on Sunday night the Temple burned in complete silence.  People are drawn to Burning Man for the counterculture, the party, and the universal love that flows through the experience. But,  it is my sense that the connection with the Temple is what brings people back year after year– and truly differentiates the experience from any other “Festival”.

The Temple, in structure, is an ornate, gigantic art piece. This year, for the first time that I know of, the temple was significantly bigger than “the Man”. Throughout the week, many burners journey out to the temple with specific, personal intentions–and many others might figure out their intentions when they get there. Many people hang up pictures of loved ones that they have lost. The temple is decorated with pictures of husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters,parents, dogs, cats, best friends, and lovers that have passed away in the previous year(s). Many people write in black sharpie on the temple about ex-girlfriends/boyfriends that they want to emotionally leave behind–or write specific intentions about how they want to grow as people. Others, share inspirational or motivational quotes or sayings.

Click to View (if you can’t see image below):Video of the Temple from a hot air balloon:

You can physically feel the energy in the space. It is a mix of sadness, strength, suffering, and hope. The idea–is that when the temple burns on Sunday–these feelings of heaviness, sorrow, and loss are released–while the intentions to better ones self, and breakthrough the tough times are crystalized and/or memorialized through the ritual.

When we first got out to the temple, which is the furthest point away from everything, we explored and took in the experience, then decided to sit in the middle of it all. There had to be at least 100 people sitting with us–while another 100-200 walking around the perimeter. It was very quiet–but there were chimes playing in synchrony at all times.  I borrowed a pen and paper from Uma and I wrote down what I wanted to personally wanted to work on–and my intentions for the next year.

While sitting there, in a deep meditative state, I experienced this profound, universal connection with all of the other people we were with. The feeling hit me physically, and I became deeply connected with the individual pain and suffering of the group surrounding us–and of the Burning Man community as a whole. I began to think deeper about this feeling–and expanded my thinking to my friends and family back home, other people that have been in my life, and then to all of humanity. I was physically  feeling this universal suffering (certainly not a new idea, the Buddha outlined it in great detail 4000 years ag0, and Jesus certainly had his head around it 2100 years ago). It is truly the one thing that we all have in common. At some time or another, we all suffer. We all love and lose at some point, we all lose people very close to us, and we all eventually die. Steve Jobs has suffered…. So has, The Dalai Lama…. As has Oprah….. along with that homeless guy I saw the other day on the subway.  We suffer as individuals, as families, and countries, and now as a global society (you can pick up any newspaper and realize this immediately). We all have this thread in common. It is part of the human experience.

I write about this not to convey the obvious, or to come from this heavy place–but merely to convey this breakthrough and understanding that I personally experienced during this mediation in the temple. When something is so unbelievably universal—then there is no need to fear it or hide from it.  In society at large, as individuals- we do not deal with this suffering. We are terrified in day to day life of it happening. Then, when it does, we sweep it under the rug, repress it, ignore it, or medicate it. Burning Man provides an outlet to become present with, and work through the hard and heavy stuff that we all deal with at one time or another.

Personally, I came into the 2011 burn in a very solid and beautiful state of being. This year has been one of the best I can remember. I have been working a new job for the last 6 months that I truly love, I just got a great apartment in the West Village, I have been traveling quite a bit, and meeting incredible, incredible people along the journey. My family is also doing very well–as are the large majority of my friends. Moreover, I have been working hard to develop myself from the inside out– and growing and learning exponentially.

As I sat in the temple, I was not feeling my own personal suffering. I somehow tapped into the suffering of everyone else–and it literally knocked me over. I was intermittently brought to tears through this meditation. I was certainly releasing something –but I do not feel like it had anything to do with me personally. According to what I know about Astrology, this is a very Piscean quality (and I just happen to be a full blow Pisces). Incidentally, I went to a lot of lectures on psychology and astrology this year at Burning Man and became much more present about my personal astrological chart.

In retrospect, what I find really cool and special about this experience in the Temple–is that I figured out something really important about the essence of Burning Man. At its core, and most profound state, Burning Man is a powerful ritual and vehicle to heal. It is a place to let the pain, suffering, stress and sorrow go. It is a place to make peace with oneself and release what is not wanted or holding us back. When the temple burns on Sunday night–so do many negative memories, addictions, and attachments. As the Burning Man community sits together around the temple in silence–a very heavy weight is lifted.

Most people are initially drawn to Burning Man for the idea of a wild and crazy party (and it certainly delivers in this department)–but I truly believe that most people come back year after year to let go of what is holding them back from the past, to connect deeply with the present, and to help manifest what they want for the future. This integration of the past, present, and future IS the actual party.

A week of Burning Man is like a car wash for the soul. You go in with all this gunky black stuff constraining and blocking the light. You come out all shiny, bright, and in many cases glowing.

In my first two experiences at Burning Man, I was able to work through some really tough things in my life–and come home a better and stronger person. This year, I went into the Burn in a very solid place–and have come back with a deeper understanding of what really happens in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere, at a made up place called Black Rock City—and its magically transformational.

Click to View (if you can’t see image below): Video of the Temple Burn on Sunday Night:

Hello friends, relatives, Facebook friends, random people on Twitter and even more random people that found this site through some sort of Google search. This post is a recap of my journey these last 7 months. I had a great time writing it. I had an amazing time living it.

The following thoughts are the breakdown of the lifestyle experiment that I launched earlier this year–and its recent conclusion. I dubbed the experiment back in January, the Sublet Hop ( I am pretty sure that  I invented the term Sublet Hop–but I’m not 100% positive). The idea of any “experiment”, is that you learn from it–and wow, I have learned a lot in these last seven months.

On January 3rd I started sublet hopping in New York City–where I jumped around from place to place to explore different neighborhoods and living situations. I had a full on experience: 7 amazing months living in a very unique, non traditional way. The purpose of the sublet hop to begin with was to see if some of the same inner magic I experienced traveling the world a few years ago (visiting South America, North America, Africa, Antarctica)–could be recreated in the city I lived and worked in. In the process it was my intent or end goal to figure out what NYC neighborhood I wanted to live in, on a permanent basis.

I lived in 5 places this year, including my current permanent apartment (I signed a 12 month lease in the West Village not long ago)

Hop Number 1 (Jan-Feb): Gisuela’s Place in Clinton Hill

I decided to start subletting right before New Years. I was at home with my family at the time, and made the decision that it was time to shake things up, and started to search on Craigslist for a place to stay (I made a pact with myself to get studios/or one bedrooms the entire time….there would be no roommates). The first place I visited was Gisuela’s apartment in Clinton Hill. She was an artist, and had a small one bedroom with a cozy, South American feel.  I spent 8 months in South American and connected with the energy of Gisuela’s place instantly–she had Incan windpipes all over the place–and many of the same books that I had read on her bookshelf. I promptly took the apartment and lived there for two months in freezing cold and uber snowy January and February. I was introduced to Clinton Hill, an eclectic, afro-centric neighborhood that I didn’t know a thing about before I moved there.  It took my less than 24 hours to secure the place. At this point I started shedding what I owned.  My friends absorbed a few pieces of furniture, and I got rid of a ton of stuff–getting rid of anything cluttering, and minimizing my possessions down to what was truly necessary.

Hop Number 2 (March): Lilly’s Place in the middle of Park Slope/Gowanus/Atlantic Yards/Boerum Hill

When I needed to get a new place in March, I put out my own message on Craigslist broadcasting that I was looking for “an interesting place to live” and the first place I checked out was Lilly’s place . It turned out to be a bizarre tiny little place that felt like living in a camper. And I’m not joking when I say camper! It actually had a camping stove and a mini-fridge. I hit my head on things constantly.  I had a friend to share the tiny space with in the form of  a cat named Leo. Luckily, Leo and I got along famously. Within 5 minutes of meeting Lilly I realized that we were both regular attendees of Burning Man.  Lilly was leaving to go on a mission for a van. This said van was going to provide her with transportation to, take a guess… that’s right….. Burning Man!!!  So, it seemed fitting that my staying in her place helped her achieve that mission. I have been to Burning Man twice (headed out for my third trip this year)– and it has been one of the best things I have ever been a part of.

So… hmmm, the first sublet hop had all of this South American Energy (I spent 8 months in SA in 2007)….. and the second one had all this Burning Man energy…

Hop Number 3(April, May, June): Brit’s Place in the West Village

I didn’t even have to search for my next place in the West Village on Bleecker Street–a friend of a friend that I went out to dinner with two years ago read about the sublet hop on Facebook on one of my blog posts. Her good friend Brit (who happened to be Australian) was moving to England for a consulting job. Things fell inline immediately and I stayed for three months in a beautiful co-op building with one of the best rooftops I have ever experienced in New York. It was an ornate roofgarden with a view of the uptown skyline, from the Union Square clock to the Empire State building. Many a rooftop get-together was orchestrated in my time on Bleecker Street!  It was living here that I fell in love with the West Village–and its cozy, historic, cosmopolitan charm. Within 5 minutes of my first visit with her, Brit and I discovered that we had both climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

So after three hops we have : South America + Burning Man + Kilimanjaro….

Hop Number 4 (July): Geoffrey’s Place in the West Village

When it came to move to my next place in early July,  the first Craigslist Ad I clicked on was created by Geoffrey . He was leaving on an overland adventure through Turkey–and was going to be gone for most of the month of July. The historic building he lives in was built in the 1870′s right on the West Side Highway–with a beautiful unobstructed rooftop view of the Hudson River. Geoffrey is a really chill, spiritually connected dude with the “travel spirit” radiating out of him. In real life, he works as a clinical social worker and also gives massage in his spare time.  Geoffrey also worked closely with an energy healer that happened to randomly live on the same floor as a friend of mine in the area. Geoffrey and I were definitely on the same wavelength in many ways. Plus, I helped enable him to embark on a travel adventure to Turkey (which has to be good karma, right?). I also find it wild and fantastic that his Craigslist ad was literally  the first one I responded to on Craigslist–three days before I needed to move out of Brit’s place.

After Hop number 4 we have: South America + Burning Man + Kilimanjaro + Travel Spirit

The Final Hop (Aug-?) : Helen’s Place in the West Village

After living at Geoffrey’s place for  a week or so, I came home and (randomly of course) found a printout taped on the front door of Geoffrey’s apartment indicating that an apartment had become available in the building. The lease started in August, which co-in-sided perfectly as I would have to be out of Geoffrey’s by the 28th of July.  The apartment, a studio, happened to be the perfect size for me (probably about 500 square feet)–complete with a fireplace from the time the building was built in the 1870′s. Two hours later I had put a deposit down on a truly unique, funky studio apartment on the 2nd floor of the building. The owner of my current apartment, has a fairly sensational story as well. Helen lives in Mozambique in East Africa and dives with and studies Whale sharks. Interestingly, one of my travel goals is to dive with Whale Sharks. I’ve heard its one of the most amazing diving experiences in the world.

My advanced Mathematic Equation to explain the magic that happened these last 7 months…

So, if Einstein or Stephen Hawking took a deep look at the somewhat abstract, somewhat magical coincidences involving the commonalities I had with the owners of the individual places that I sublet hopped between these last few months, they would probably come up with something along the lines of this:

I would express in layman’s terms a little bit more like this:

The Common coincidences ( South America + Burning Man + Kilimanjaro + backpacking travel spirit dude + person living one of my travel goals )   =    Trippy, awesome, unplanned, random, beautiful goodness to the 1000th degree.

Anyway you look at it,  Einstein and Stephen Hawking would both agree that the universe was directly involved with my hopping from place to place this year. And at least for the last 7 months, the Universe was without a doubt happy with me.

The common threads with each of these people correlate back directly to shared experiences and  life mantras that have not only significantly impacted my life over the last 5 years, but completely changed it’s course. My experiences in South America, Burning Man, climbing mountains, backpacking, and pursuing travel goals has completely changed who I am as a human being.  And to be honest with you (for me), the fact that this recent experience brought all of this to light again, just made the whole thing so much cooler.

Sidenote: When you type in “Complicated Mathematic Equations” into Google things like the above equation show up. Google is still bad-ass… Just admit it already!

4 Lessons I learned through the experiment/experience

1) Go with the flow and surrender to the power of the Universe every once in a while- This past 7 months, at least with my living situation, I completely and totally went with the flow. It was a beautiful feeling, almost surrendering to the idea that “everything is going to be alright“. It was also amazing to be able to go through the time with extremely little stress about the constant moving around (and by nature, moving is stressful). Whenever I needed a place, the universe provided. It was really, really easy.

2) Talk to Random people at bars- I met a lot of super cool, super chill  people at restaurants, coffee shops, and  bars eating dinner by myself this past year– and many have turned into friends. I met a ton of artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, a doctor, and an individual that owned 4 luggage shops in town (and sold me some amazing luggage to help with the journey) This is most definitely a synergy with traveling abroad. You go out by yourself, and you come home with friends. The people I have met and gotten close with this year through this experience have been nothing short of outstanding human beings–each and everyone of them.

3) Get rid of a bunch of crap you don’t need- Less stuff and less clutter is completely the way to go. Just get rid of it! I can’t explain how much shit I accumulated over the years. I realized that I had developed into some sort of bizarro eclectic hoarder, but only when my possessions came in the form of instruction manuals to appliances I hardly use at all, pounds and pounds of spare change, and business suits that I haven’t worn for 6 years. Life is easier with less!

Oh, and Coinstar is badass by the way… 15 pounds of spare change adds up!

4) Grounding is really nice as well

It is a new and very powerful feeling to be grounded in my new space–knowing that I am going to be building my life here for the next few years feels really solid. Now that I have had a chance to experience this external journey, and bounce around for a bit again, its seems natural and fitting to plant some roots. I have been thinking a great deal about the “next experiment” now that the sublet hop is complete. I gained so much out of the last 7 months, and only a fraction of which involved the actual living situation that I have been writing about on the blog. I am thinking its time to write a bit more about the other things I have been learning (and living)–much of which, happens to be on the spiritual tip. I am definitely going to be thinking about this more at Burning Man next week. This much is for certain!

Have a really fantastic day doing whatever it is you are doing , at this exact moment in time, when you are reading this sentence!

And stay tuned…

I can honestly say that this idea has been one of the best things I have ever done. Its been such a fantastic six months. I’ve learned and grown so much–and this way of living has been at the center of it all. That being said, I don’t exactly know where this is all going and am not setting any rules or constraints moving forward. This hopping around will go on as long as it goes on–and will end when it is supposed to.

I tried to extend at my current location–but in the end it was not meant to be. So, as of July 1st, I’ll be in a new space. I am throwing it out there to the universe that my next  hop is going to be even better than the last one. I am focusing my energy on the West Village, Soho, Greenwich Village, and Tribeca. All of the fore-mentioned neighborhoods are distinctly different–but on this side of town. If I end up in the West Village again–that would be just fine with me. I really like walking to work  (my office is in Union Square). At one point in time I though I’d end up in Red Hook this summer–but it is just too far away from the rest of my life.

The place I am currently staying in originated from a friend that read about the sublet hop on a blog post I posted on Facebook. I am not exactly sure where the next place is going to come from. I have three really strong references from this year alone– and people leave New York City in mass during the summer–so my feeling is that where ever I end up is going to be good times.

The roofdeck at my current place has been completely amazing. I have had the opportunity to entertain up there quite a bit–and a solid roofdeck is most definitely high on the priority list for the next hop.

Let the search begin!  Getting excited just thinking about it!

In present times, Mark and Natalia are traveling around the world. They just spent the last two months barefoot in southern Costa Rica–exploring the people and nature and a different way of living. They have friends in Portland subletting their house–and have plans to stay on the road for “as long as they can”. The stop in New York City for 5 days, was driven more than anything to hang with old friends, before launching into southern Spain and beyond. They have ideas to visit France, India, South East Asia, and maybe Australia as well and are working as they go. But their plans are loose and free. I found when I was traveling that having loose plans is the way to go–as you never know who you are going to meet tomorrow–and what direction you might set off as a result of a random encounter.

It has been a great couple of days being able to hang with with Mark, Natalia and our crew here in New York. In a word, I feel supercharged just being in the presence of their energy–and their freeness. Some things have been crystalizing for me on my own journey through New York. I am truly traveling as well this year (and that has been sinking in as of late). My experience in the West Village; The wine bars, the bakeries, my rooftop view, and my ability to bring my friends (like Mark and Natalia) into this unique experience is exactly why I choose to do embark on this sublet hop to begin with.

Mark, Natalia, and I spent Friday night w/ our friends Bryce and Britney on the roof of my building overlooking the West Village, the Empire State Building and the lights of the city. Its definitely spring time–this much is confirmed. It was a beautiful night–and an experience that we all are all going to remember.

This year has been completely amazing both personally and professionally. My new gig at Sharethrough has been completely inspiring–and in general I am finding that I am vibrating in the same way I was when I was traveling the world–while excelling in my professional life.  The yin and yang of this experience are in balance.  Hanging out with Mark and Natalia, and realizing that I am vibing and living freely in the same way that they are– is just another confirmation of all of this.

Just to update. I have one more month in the West Village–and on June 1st I will be living somewhere completely new.  Where that actually will be–remains to be seen. I LOVE where I am living now–but I am very exciting to see what happens on my 4th sublet hop of 2011. It’s going to be good times–this much I know. I am still thinking it will be Red Hook in Brooklyn–but we’ll see what unfolds.

When people come into town to visit—I am instantly thrown into a combined role of tour guide and tourist –as most of the time I find myself trying new things and new places and searching for activities that I normally wouldn’t do in a run of the mill NYC weekend.

I tried to keep track of all of our stops—although I am sure I missed a few.

The day began in the West Village and we steadily worked ourselves East, through Greenwich Village and the East Village.

1) We started out eating brunch at Westville—a West Village staple–which is tiny and full of flavorful organic food and delicious frozen brunch drinks. The menu changes daily and it is located right across the street from my place. We enjoyed Huevos Rancheros and perseco lemonades.

2) We then moseyed down Bleecker street and hit up Artful Posters–a store with hundreds of photos and drawings of New York City. There has been so much energy exerted into telling the story of this city through art, photography, movies, and writing.

3) Next I stumbled into the West Village Tibetan Store—which happen to sell at least 30 different Buddha and Ganesh statues. That is an interesting business model to say the least….

4) We then turned onto Thompson Street which is full of vintage and specialty shops and went to The Little Leboswski, which sells nothing but Big Lebowski merchandise. Mike bought a Shakespearean rendition of the movie. “The Dude art commeth”! They have plenty of “Don’t F w/ Jesus” t-shirts and the owner always wears a bathrobe in homage of the Dude! And yes, Jeff Bridges has been there.

5) We then hit up the Chess Forum –where they sell themed chess sets ranging from King Arthur to Homer Simpson to Al Bundy to Julius Caesar. In the back there are about 20 chess boards set up for playing.

6) Next was Washington Square Park and we found ourselves in the middle of a 20 person street performer jam session. Mike is a musician and dove right into the mix. Highlights included a prolonged jam of Steven Still’s “Listen to the Music”

7) We then moseyed into the East Village and hit up Mud Coffee—which in my opinion brews the best coffee in all of NYC. They have orange Mud trucks that drive around all day caffeinating the populous. I get excited just thinking about Mud.

8) We made a quick Stop at Flower Power, where Stephanie and Mara got some sort of flower juice that can be used medicinally. I am not sure I quite understand the magical powers of flowers—but I am into the idea nonetheless. Not many places that I know of other than New York, can support such a store.

9) We then hit up Sultana, one of the cities finest Hookah establishments and enjoyed a bottle of wine and a cantaloupe flavored Hookah and had quite an amazing conversation about our brothers and sisters and Burning Man.

10) After a bit of wander we settled on Tappas at Yucca Bar on Avenue A for dinner, which was outstanding. I Highly recommend their Ceviche and Flank Steak over a Negra Modelo Draft.

We then all wandered back together to the West Village and took in the full moon from the roof deck at my new place.

What a nice little Sunday it turned out to be. The interesting point about the whole experience is that although we walked East—we could walked North or West or zigzagged and had just as a completely unique little stroll.

Days like this remind me of how much I love New York!

I posted about this yesterday on Facebook and a full blown debate ensued between many people that don’t know each other. So I figured, I’d expand on the story a bit.

My friend Camilla and I were walking down W.11th Street in West Village yesterday–enjoying the first day it has actually felt like spring in NYC–when we were overtaken by nothing short of a Paparazzi horror movie. One of the guys was on a motorized scooter, a few guys were frantically running to position and there were a few other cameramen on bikes. These were just the guys trying to get out ahead of the shot. The only question on my mind at the time was, “what celebrity is in the vicinity” ? We waited for a second, looked across the street and saw Sarah Jessica Parker, walking with a friend, pushing a double-stroller with her two babies (I later found out that the babies are twins—and were carried by a surrogate). She was completely surrounded, although, they were giving her at least 15 yards of space on all sides–so I assume that there must be some sort of code to stalking celebrities. In total, the scumbags numbered at about 30–maybe more. All of them angling, snapping 100 pictures a second. I found this entire experience to be extremely disturbing. It made it much worse that she was with a female friend–and two young children. There didn’t seem to be any security at all around.

Camilla and I proceeded to get a cup of coffee and talk over what just happened. I suppose this might be a part of the West Village that I have never experienced before. This sort of thing certainly doesn’t happen in Clinton Hill, or in Park Slope, or in the East Village. I lived in the East Village for years and ran into celebrities all the time. There was never any commotion like this and never any paparazzi. When comparing New York to L.A, I always thought in New York there was this unspoken rule that “people are people,” and to just let them be. I learned this weekend that this is not exactly the case.

There is no denying that there is something poetic in nature about Sarah Jessica Parker in the West Village (not that this excuses the scene we found ourselves in the middle of). They actually have Sex in the City walking tours that walk by my my current apartment. Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw and the West Village are synonymous with one another ( I know that and I’ve never seen a single episode). I also think its great that people love this show and it’s characters so much.

Nonetheless, I cannot help but feel deep in my gut that all of this celebrity worship proves that there is something is seriously out of whack with our culture. Maybe I am being idealistic, but I don’t care who you are–—I think you should be able to take your kids to the park in New York without having to endure a 3-ring scumbag circus.

I wonder how much cash US weekly paid for the cover pictures that were taken that day? I’m sure the pix will be in issues this week. However, what might be the bigger, more important question, is how many copies of US weekly (and other tabloids) will be sold with Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover this week? Because in the end, the people who are responsible for all of this, are the people that are spending their money consuming these magazines.

P.S. I sound incredibly out of breath in this video which is fairly amusing.. I filmed this right after a five mile run.

Sublet Hop Numero dos

Regarding my last stay on the sublet hop, I ended up living in Lilly’s studio apartment in Atlantic Yards for less than a month. But, it was a memorable one for sure. I’ll be posting a video in the next couple of days. This place was wild to say the least. I’ll miss my new friend Leo the fat cat. The neighborhood was pretty interesting and up and coming–with great bars and restaurants. But, I heard from my new friend and  Pakastani/Saudi Arabian deli owner Usman, that crime has been rising in the area and that a cop was murdered not far from where I lived. This is both interesting and not cool. I felt very safe the entire time.

In April and May I am staying at a fantastic place in the heart of the West Village. Ironically, this blog enabled my new place. My friend Laurea (who I haven’t seen in 2 years) read one of my blog posts that magically appeared on her Facebook stream–and quickly shot me a note about her friend Brit (A wonderful Australian) who took a consulting gig in London and needed someone to stay in her place for a couple of months. I have always wanted to explore the West Village and I am really excited to live smack dab in the heart of it. The roof of this place is just plain silly. Its a co-op and there are tight rules about how many people can come over. Otherwise, I’d be planning quite the rooftop get together.

It is also very cool that this situation appeared out of thin air! So, In accordance with this new trajectory, I am throwing it out to the universe that I want to live in Red Hook in Brooklyn in June and July. If anyone knows anyone that knows anyone let me know!

So far, three months into this experiment, I have hung out in the “art belt” in Clinton Hill, lived in a bizarro-land (with a nice fat cat named Leo) in the middle 4 neighborhoods in Brooklyn by the Atlantic-Pacific subway stop, and have now found myself on one of  the nicest blocks in the West Village in a beautiful doorman-ed apartment. I have also managed to further condense “my stuff”–which feels really great. I am getting close to having only what I really need: business clothes, regular clothes, computer, and a few books (but I am buying a kindle this week).

I like the way this experiment is going and energy levels are high.

The most exciting thing about living in different neighborhoods is definitely meeting new people–and getting their unique perspective on living in NYC. I am also finding that meeting all of these new people is leading to new and different experiences. This all seems to be happening at an accelerated pace. I am not exactly sure why–but I am digging it and just going to go with it. In the last couple of weeks I have had four notable random encounters (or events that led from a random encounter) that have been collectively pretty awesome–so I figured I would write a bit about them.

Random Encounter Example 1: Last week, I think it was on Tuesday night I was eating dinner at the Sheep’s Station–my favorite bar in Atlantic Yards so far– and another woman had a conversation going with the waitress about how she was getting ready to go to “class”. I was curious as to what type of class this 50 year old woman was going too–so I introduced myself and inquired. Flash forward two hours later and I had just completed a two hour djembe (African drum) class a the Gowanus Arts Center taught by  Gabriella Dennery from Grace Drums. I was the only dude in the class–with 7 other females–and Gabriella is seriously talented. We learned a flurry of complicated West African rhythms– and literally banged on drums for two hours with little time for breaks. One of the golden rules of djembe playing is that you are not supposed to let your thumbs hit the drum. Well, this proved to be the toughest challenge for me as my thumbs are friggin gigantic. As a sidenote, this experience lit up my”inner hippie” as I have always dreamed of playing in a drum circle–and I am pretty sure this counts–even though it did not quite go down the way I pictured it in a park with Rastafarians.

Random Encounter Example 2: I wrote a month ago about Octavio and Sara — a super cool couple (He owns a cafe, she is a photog) that I met while living in Clinton Hill. We initially struck up a conversation while at the Pillow Cafe–my coffee shop over there at the time and had probably a 20 minute conversation. Quickly thereafter, they headed to India for a two week vacation. But, we connected and stayed in touch on Facebook. Last night, I got an invite to Octavio and Sara’s “Daylight Saving Party” and met their extremely cool group of friends and had a unique experience with a group of people heavily integrated into the New York City art and music scene. They had a bonfire in their backyard–and who knew was it was actually possible in New York City to have ability to light a bonfire to begin with. I am pretty sure that this is the first of many hangs with this crew.

Random Encounter Example 3: Last night while having dinner I struck up a conversation with Corey and Alex. Corey is in the music biz–while his wife Alex works in the publishing business for a wine magazine. This was a pretty interesting story as the waiter forgot to put in Corey and Alex’s dinner order–and if the food would have come out on time we would have never met. I used to work in the music business, and Corey and I immediately hit it off and I am sure we know some of the same people.  I also am heading out to San Francisco next week and Alex was giving me tips about Napa and Sonoma–places I want to explore. I think Corey and I are going to reconvene next month and see if there is any business synergies in the mix.

Random Encounter Example 4: A few weeks ago I met Tanya while eating dinner at a bar before one of my basketball games on the Upper West Side. She was with a friend and we all hit it off instantly. I quickly found out that Tanya, a writer by choice, also owns a chain of luggage stores in midtown—and guess who happens to need luggage. Today I went and met Tanya at one of her shops and will be lugging around whats left of my stuff in style. Tanya seems to have a cool group of friends as well–and I was also informed that Tanya has quite a few cute single girlfriends–which is always a good thing!

I suppose the moral of this paragraph is that the only reason I had the opportunity to meet all these people and participate in these eclectic and memorable experiences, is because I have been going out of my way to strike up conversations with completely random strangers on a regular basis. Anyway, I am really happy to the opportunity to have all of these new people in my life and that is all I have to say about that. Creating encounters like this are really what this whole idea of moving around in New York has been all about. I do not anticipate it slowing down.

In other news, it looks like I am moving to the heart of the West Village for April and May–which I am extremely excited about! The place is totally awesome.

More to come on the place I am staying in now in Atlantic Yards and perhaps even a video.

P.S. The dude in the video below is just a little bit better than me

If you can’t see the video click here