44 images slideshow
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44 images slideshow
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miami resolution.
20/30 daily miles on my bike.
here it is easy to ride a long time without stopping - there are some
climbs on the causeways
and the sweat on the back dries fast rather than turning into chilly
dampness like in nyc now.
yesterday there were too many jellies in the water to swim carefree.
i did touch a couple and i think i got stung on once on my foot.
last night rode to 77NW at the end of little haiti - looking for more
places to shoot - what has changed.
they opened and independent/hipster record store next to churchill's pub
http://churchillspub.com/
on NE 2nd av.
i get some Malta drink at the bodega -
there is a mass on the lot outside -
a young preacher talking in the PA about Jesus Christ's suffering to
save humanity.
---
today after a swim -
craving for larger waves i rode to Key Biscayne -
south of Miami Beach.
about 15 miles away.
such a different scene,
sailboats, kayaks
people riding nice road bikes,
in south beach i see mostly heavy and slow beach cruisers with rusty chains.
--
crandon park on
http://www.key-biscayne.com/kb/beaches/crandonbeach/beach1.shtml
http://www.key-biscayne.com/about/light.html
thick vegetation mangroves sailboats and quiet beaches.
ran into a curious raccoon and some turkey sized vultures.
some elder guys with telescopes -
they let me look at the sun.
just a fuzzy red dot in the telescope.
--
found that dive bar Jimbos on Virginia Key
had a Bud Lite and some smoked fish for 2 bucks -
they told me to come back sunday -
they have music and people start drinking in the morning.
it is on the waterfront surrounded by ficus trees
--
my odometer says 39.5 miles - gmaps says 37.88...
i think the odometer might be more accurate.
it was nice to get off the bike seat...
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1515903
2007-12-29
cape florida-jimbos
2007-11-27
brighton beach - russian snack/turkish coffee
47 images slideshow
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----
i biked on a rainy night and drove on a sunny day
i wanted to see the ocean and buy cheap fruit in Brighton beach
under the elevated train there is always a dim shade -
and intermittent noise
tin Brighton beach
mostly Russian and Caucasian [from the Caucasus] people
Turkish-like food
kosher yogurts
a lot of fruit and vegetable stores.
one starbucks
and no bars at all in sight,
--
from a food stand on the street
for 2 dollars
i buy a baked bun
filled with ground lamb meat and spices.
it tastes amazing but i eat it too fast.
i wonder if it is Russian or Turkish food -
it might as well be just from Uzbekistan,
--
i get an apple pastry and Turkish coffee at some old bakery.
one woman is wearing bright fuchsia lipstick and flashy watch and jewelry.
she speaks little English and she lets me take her picture...
another woman translates for me her question "do you like Russian girls?".
it is hard to give diplomatic answers to blunt questions sometimes.
---
on the boardwalk
it feels way windier and colder -
i wish i had a warmer sweater and gloves.
2 old Russian guys are playing chess on a bench
they speak almost no English
the larger guy seems to be going to win easily -
but he loses his queen -
i cant understand why he did that move-
and his game is over in a few minutes.
---
prospect park a few days earlier -
Chinatown markets
Baxter street bail bonds -
the usual intimidating angry signs you always see in nyc
2007-11-01
hurricane noel / swim
33 images
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hurricane noel off the florida coast
40 mph winds
the weather changes every 15 minutes sunny and windy then gloomy cloudy rainy downpour.
on the beach red flag and no one allowed in the water flag.
the only few people are surfers and bums.
the homeless of miami beach don't want to send their nights in the shelters in downtown miami.
"full with crazy crackheads"
i drive from the beach to the city -
some streets are flooded -
i help my friend download her travel photos to her iMac G5.
so slow - just because Apple for years sold computer with insufficient RAM to do anything but write letters and emails.
60 dollars in memory would compensate for years of slowness and frustration -
the view from the high rise is stunning - the bay and the fog moving in fast.
at 6 30 i go to the beach
some very big waves - but the whole ocean is tumbling and rolling.
it is hard to swim - the wind just pushes me south.
very few surfers try hard - but too many waves one after another -
there are no lifeguards -
this time
it is too much of a challenge and too little fun.
i could stay longer and try harder -
but the blisters on my toes turned into woulds -
the fins rub on those.
2007-10-30
hurricane swells/miami beach
50 something images
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2.5 days
50 something images
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Tuesday morning
there is an hurricane not far from here - somewhere near the island of
Hispaniola.
i went to the beach in the morning -
big or huge waves one after another -
not many surfers in the water.
too windy.
it looked more scary today -
like no gap no peace between the swells
the current felt strong and violent
like a river
if i stopped swimming i would find myself 100 yards south just in a few
instants
i saw a small Portuguese man of war -
i decided to swim back
the wind was very strong
a couple of big waves crashed on me violently -
and i knew i just have to let go
and wait until i can see and feel where the bubbles go
---
Sunday/before
life guards bugged me
wouldn't let me swim past the surf
so i swam in the surf
sand and salt in my eyes
cool couple with kids
i am sure they don't watch TV
the kids are happy
the mama wears a ramones cap
many women with silicon in their chest
just laying on the beach
i don't know how looking so artificial can be attractive.
24 block swim in the riptide
the lifeguards threatened me not to go past the surf
dehydrated salty mouth and face and bloodshot eyes and blisters on my toes
too much sand in the water.
past the breaking point is so much easier and nicer to swim.
my eyes burn for 2 days - i need drops
and iodine tincture on my toes.
--
in the park by the beach
some bums
collect ripe coconuts with a pole and a bin
it will pay for the cheap
beers they drink out of cans
morning day evening
2007-10-10
1333 miles - nyc->miami drive 1
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80 images
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80 images
brooklyn to miami
1340 miles door to door
gas station in NJ.
toilet is broken -
attendant tells me to “pee pee” on the corner.
motel on exit 97 Goldsboro NC.
40 bucks incl tax discounted sat nite price.
got a coupon booklet at some gas station
VA MD NC SC
and sleep at half price.
no starbuckses on I95 anywhere south of Virginia.
only energy drinks
found a gonji berry one that tastes good
florida oranges sold at gas station -
a bag of fruit advertised for a dollar is just 3 oranges in a plastic bag.
i try a sample - too many seeds.
NY miami 19 hours actual drive - just some stops to fill the tank - pee
- and coffee.
by driving i saw a lot more - places i considered to visit -
and all without having to rush to the airport with the stress of missing
the plane.
no need to book a ticket find a place to park the car -
get a cab or get the subway to the airport
security
cab from destination airport
--
on the beach
surfers waiting for swells that come not very often -
just choppy waves - just strong wind waves.
in miami
went swimming
it was very warm -
you do not have to think it twice to jump in the water -
i went to the boat-limit buoy
it was very windy -
many waves and currents - high tide as well
a couple of ecuadorenans had to be rescued by the life guard -
she told me 15 people had to be rescued -
---
spencer tunick shot a bunch of naked people at the sagamore hotel.
he left my name at the door - but i did not make it on time
i needed beach massage swim rest my back from the 19 hour drive.
italian restaurant - authentic upscale food.
some friends took me to the sagamore hotel
spencer tunick shoot after party -
i asked my friends if the fake blondes with short dresses were hotel
hookers -
but it was just the miami style - apparently.
there was free champagne -
it was nice to drink.
but after 2 days swimming and under the strong sun -
at night i feel like observing and being quiet.
at the sagamore there is so much cool art.
a wall of elliot erwitts - another wall of winogrands -
old school photographers printed smaller size than today -
i saw a tony oursler piece as well.
i wonder who is the clientele -
the music from the PA is very boring and generic
across the street an old store with handwritten prices.
uniforms and other outfits
2007-08-02
body works - free medical
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44 images
flushing ave between Broadway and Kent
for so many years a stretch of bumps, cracks , potholes
narrow lanes.
the most direct way from Williamsburg to downtown Brooklyn
i should call someone at the dept of transportation
and ask how any years it will take to get it fixed.
---
Sara Roosevelt park on Chrystie and grand.
free health check up
weight / height / waist
blood pressure sugar cholesterol.
every year in Chinatown different non profit organizations
provide these free screenings and offer support.
when i register for the tests
the person filling my chart ask me if I am 34
I tell him I am 40 and not a citizen.
they draw my blood from my middle finger -
the total cholesterol is very low
just 150 -
the omega 3 fish oil i have been taking seems to work wonders -
and the blood pressure is good too -
especially after a brisk bike ride in the sun and a coffee+milk+sugar.
to qualify for free health insurance in nyc
you must make no more than 851 dollars a month - gross income.
strange that they do not offer something sliding scale -
something in between the everything free
and the 300 dollars a month of healthy ny.
---
I miss living in Chinatown / Lower East side -
there is a strong sense of community.
chinese families leaving their doors open and the kids playing in the hallway.
they would often cook but nothing smelling heavy and fried.
the nights were quiet -
no music blasting from the streets or the hallway.
on every block
more vegetable and tropical fruit available for less
and 700 ml. bottles of cold green tea
with low or no sugar for just a dollar
--
3 guys on bikes
they wear the same jersey and boy scout faces
they are from Minnesota
and biked to Manhattan all the way from buffalo.
fund raising money for Ukrainian orphans.
---
i am happy of the new wireless odometer/speedometer i got from nashbar.com
no more guessing game on how fast or how many miles.
i can climb the Williamsburg bridge at 17 mph uphill.
with my heavy backpack, camera and chain around my waist.
----
looking for used cars -
old cheap
toyotas or hondas -
there is some auto bodywork in greenpoint.
this guy takes old beat up cars and put them together from scratch.
he is going to put together for himself an old mercedes that looks like scrap for the junkyard.
2007-07-21
nyc bike ridin mid july
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50 images
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50 images
july
riding around the city
cleaned and lubed the chain
the L train does not run on the weekends -
people rush to get on the shuttle bus
packed like a sardines can
steam explosion in midtown
there is mud
con ed is fixing the pipes around grand central station
lisa levine store party -
mariachis and free mojitos on the street
someone has a funny looking dog -
like from an old star wars movie -
half a pug and half something else
cat power at mccarren park -
my friend leesaw bought a usps truck and converted it into a mobile juice shop
old and new buildings -
soho looks more and more as a tourist trap -
too many people on weekends -
2007-06-17
miami rainstorms
slideshow
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40 images
riding the bike to the city of Miami
to take photos
after the rain
some sun -
but then rain again -
puring rain - soaked wet -
i should have been wearing my swim trunks -
it is actually fun.
then the sun is out again and then rain -
you can see blue sky above bal harbor to the north and dark stormy sky
over south beach maybe 7 miles away.
many streets are flooded -
i see an old coppertone ad - wonder if they still make those,
in the hot weather it does not seem to matter that much.
i noticed there are some green small parrots -
feral or originally from here?
s
2007-06-14
pix rainstorm - vodou temple
70 images or so
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lost my cell phone at 8 a on the beach
went to walk the dog and swim.
some puertorican woman found it and she will wait for me.
\need to get to her place before 1 30.
it was just 12.35 when i realized my phone was not wit me.
she lives in little Haiti NW 51st street.
strange coincidence.
there are 5 kids living in her house.
i give her 20 bucks to buy some ice cream for them.
---
a botanica on 54th st has a vodou temple in the back.
paintings on the wall -
knives - skulls - jars.
the girl tells me about the gods.
st lazarus is always by the entrance protecting the entrance.
mary is the goddess of love
and st patrick and st george i think - both represent the god of war.
i am surprised she shows me all this.
some photos on the wall showing some rites in haiti.
old women wearing colorful purple dresses.
---
i see a guy painting some words on the wall - he turns -
it is $erge
in the art gallery district.
i give him some prints - it makes him so happy/
“oh man you are good - these photos are so sharp“
i tell him he could paint on canvas or boards and try to sell his
paintings -
he only paints these walls
in a few years will chip away -
would be nice some of his art could travel to different people and places.
---
a guy sells produce from a van in the street
I buy a mango for a buck
i feel thirsty i get a coconut for another buck.
he cuts a hole with a machete -
i drink the water -then he cuts it into pieces -
i eat the pulp.
---
it is hot sunny and humid.
i see dark clouds drifting south.
the sky turns gray and i see lightning -
a huge rain / thunderstorm soaks everything -
i have to wait 45 minutes under a roofed shelter.
i eat the mango with my hands -
it is very juicy -
buy i can wash my hands and my mouth with the rain .
the storm halts for a few minutes
i ride to chef creole -
order a sea bass
10 bucks for a whole fish with a lot of rice beans sweet plantains.
it is still raining - 45 more minutes.
the streets are flooded.
if i did not have a camera and a cell phone on me -
would just be nice to ride a bike in my swim trunks
---
kids are styling their hair in the street -
i ask if i could take their photo - i am documenting little Haiti - i add
“we are not Haitians!“
they say no then they say yes.
---
cemeterycometary
i ride thru the downtown cemetary
some tombstone bears the name “Crist“
I get on the Venetian way -
fancy homes - bougainvilleas and jaguars.
but after all in Miami
bougainvilleas are everywhere
on the rich homes and on the poor homes -
some beautiful color
that can be afforded by everyone here
2007-06-11
pix girl boxer+sunday mass in the park/
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I got some 4x6 prints at Walgreen's -
to drop off to some people i encountered and let me take their picture.
the photos look quite good - very saturated colors and glossy paper -
I need to make the images a bit cooler.
so different from the labs in NYC that usually mute the colors.
the night before I was in the gallery district - openings - people were
dressed up.
the same area not at 3 pm of a Sunday is deserted like a ghost town -
just bums from around here and the mission and the church.
a guy from Georgia is carrying 50 pounds of corn starch in a bag on his
head.
he is 53 and has no fat at all - just skinny an d muscular.
he tells me to be careful around here - to not turn left -
i tell him i am going to little Haiti - so i will take a right turn.
he has no idea he has never been there,
--
I go to the restaurant Chez Anouse -
i give them the prints -
the owner is happy and thinks my photos are also funny.
he seems educated - he tells me some stuff about Haiti / Santo Domingo etc.
i take some photos of his young daughter
she puts on a nice elegant linen jacket
---
i run into a girl i shot a few days before -
she is hyper she is at her friend's and friend's mother place -
they are just sitting in the yard and chilling.
they are not Haitian - geechies [?] from Ohio.
the other girl used to be a boxer -
\she now has some missing front teeth -
knocked out a year ago at some game -
a dentist is taking care of that for cheap -
about to leave her mother asks me if i can bring her a Pepsi.
all the stores are closed -
i find willy's open -
i buy 3 cans and some bananas -
the guy asks me why i am taking pictures.
he has seen me around the hood.
bring back the sodas the mother tells me i am a gentleman.
take their picture and go -
it is very very hot and humid -
but now i am used to it -
just would like to swim off the heat tho.
i got the bike fixed - now it goes so much faster [the brake was too tight[
and although i like road bikes - i appreciate the basket for my bag and
having the brakes on the pedals makes shooting while riding [as i often
do] easier.
I find the Jamaican restaurant with the murals i shot the last time in
Miami -
they remember me
it is good to show them what i have photographed.
these guys are potheads and i smell the marijuana scent all around.
---
i go to the park where they have a huge outdoor mass -
it is the celebration of that wedding where jesus made the miracle when
they ran out of wine.
so all these people are also re enacting that episode as some sort of
impromptu play.
they are catholic - they say - nothing to do with botanica stores and
Voudou.
some think i am from the Miami herald
i can see some disappointment when i tell them i am doing this for myself -
independently
lil haiti/gallery openings in wynwood
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the ocean is dead calm -
on weekends there are way more people on the beach in south beach -
i miss the fun of the wave swells
swim quickly and i think - it is better i ride downtown and reshoot stuff i missed or that was at the wrong time of day with the wrong light
i go to the I95 junction over pass and shoot $erge's parrots.
a guy with a beard and dreads walks up to me with a smile and says "Hey I am $erge, the artist!"
i tell him i know he is not!
the light is great - still i haven't made it here in the morning when the sun light hits the west side of the avenues.
i need to meet some friends at wynwood - the gallery/design district-
but i am a bit hungry
i go to chef creole -
there are no prices on the menu - most people just order by sitting in their cars.
i get some crab creole-
it is good - but it is the worst thing to eat before going to some gallery opening -
it is such a mess to eat and that melted garlic butter makes the mess even worse -
i am checking some art
not great stuff after all -
nothing that i can really be able to appreciate a lot -
a few things here and there -
and there is no booze - almost nothing at all -
after hour on the bike i am thirsty - and i want something cool to drink -
water and beer -
i run into Ernesto with his friend - we cant seem to score any drinks -
they go to some bar and i go to this gallery complex -
i get some Bacardi soda too sweet fro my taste -
someone tells me to go and check KMan [as Kendall Man]
i kinda like his work
i walk to my bike to ride back to south beach -
i see the homeless people belongings in the streets -
there are police cars patrolling the streets for the art lover safety.
some people walk with alcohol containers in their hands from gallery to gallery street to street - but the police turns a blind eye.
6 miles to go
it is nice to ride on the venetian way - a long bridge over small residential areas -
the ocean breeze and all the trees around.
some girls are fishing on the bridge -
with gold jewelry on.
2007-06-08
little haiti/ocean drive
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overcast morning turns into sub tropical day -
a medium swim to the the far out buoy.
---
i gotta go meet $erge the painter at 3 in Little Haiti 9 miles away.
I ride down Ocean Drive -
tourist spots
loud music -
pilgrimages to the Versace Villa -
a man drinking beer from a Poland water bottle.
he got tattoos from prison -
2 and half years in prison for stealing a car.
“we all make mistakes”.
he has been out 90 days no jobs for him
“I eat out of garbage cans sometimes”
goes to the Labor Pool every day.
he likes the weather here he is from Chicago
---
midtown Miami -
the sky turns stormy again -
dark clouds down the horizon.
---
a guy at the deli calls me “paparazzi“
I tell him I ask people if I can take their picture.
he is an artist. he destroyed all his paintings.
“you can make new ones“ I tell him.
He asks me if I know Vincent Van Gogh.
he takes off his hat and shows me his ear he cut off himself.
---
I text serge I am running 15 minutes late -
he meets me at the car wash with his moped then he gets his old rusty car and takes me for a tour.
seen most of them -
I tell him I could have not done it without a bike.
“oh man - you have been around!”
he takes me to his home -
he seems very upbeat and outgoing -
when I ask him how old he is
he turns more somber.
his 2 kids are stuck in Haiti - can't get Visas to come to see him in the USA.
He was born in Haiti -
came to the USA as a kid - grew up in Corona Queens.
he did not like the cold weather.
never studied art or painting -
just made art since he was little.
Serge has a green card - but never applied for citizenship.
I suggest he could get his kids to the US if he just became a citizen.
Better and faster way to sponsor them for a Green Card
He has no idea of the process - has no internet no email.
I tell him I will help him - look for some non profit/pro bono immigration organization that could help him with the paperwork.
I know well how this kind of anxiety feels.
his art on all these walls sooner or later will disappear -
baked and dried by the sun of southern florida - e
roded by the frequent rainstorms.
the only way to see it is to come here -
he does not paint on canvas or wood -
he could not be farther from the glam of the art world
with the posh art galleries of midtown miami just a mile away.
---
I saw a glossy hip hop video on TV and $erge's painting on the background -
just come and go. nothing for him.
---
I walk into a bodega -
the woman in blue looks at me with a severe look -
I want to buy a black mary+baby jesus candle -
I like the voudou mix music she is playing.
I go to the ATM and get some cash
the music is only on tape -
i don't remember the last time i used a cassette player.
i buy the candle and i show her what I am doing.
she smiles at me and puts her hand by her heart.
but no pictures inside.
---
there are dogs roaming the streets and chickens and rooster.
a woman points at a dog and tells me “look she has 13 nipples”.
---
Serge had told me people here are afraid of cameras -
may it be because of religion or immigration issues.
a lot here came on rafts - illegally.
the police raids and deports.
---
I brought with me a small album with prints
not the best ones - just a few scattered ones from a few months ago.
if i show that and I speak to the people with the French i learned at school they open up more - sometimes they let me take the picture.
some kids - maybe dope dealers - don't like that at all .
---
I get a flat by the Toussaint Louverture statue.
no bike stores for miles -
a girl at the air pump tells me to buy a patch at the gas station.
then some auto mechanic guys have the tools to take off the wheel
I realize that a beach cruiser bike that brakes with the pedals is a pain for fixing a flat.
you need a wrench AND an allen key as well to take off the wheel.
---
Haitian Creole
looks like french spelled in a different phonetical way -
like “brudda” for brother or “dahzit” for thats it.
---
Chez Anouse restaurant
murals inside and outside painted by Dominique -
the owner says that guy is fast, he paints fast.
2-3 hours for the whole restaurant.
---
At the Car wash owned by $erge's brother - there are always people hanging out - playing fast games of domino.
I take the portraits of these 2 young sisters and a cousin -
they all look so different n their outfits.
the blue contact lenses look so amazing and real
---
riding back just 15 block away or less
the “design district”
looks like an hybrid between Soho and Beverly Hills.
but built all at once
new restaurants
and so many signs filled with real estate language and quotes -
security guards patrolling the streets
I keep on riding
and it all reminds me that movie Zabriskie Point.
The billboards the poor the rich the desert -
escaping.
2007-06-07
$erge the painter
slide show 22 photos [long shooting day]
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slide show 22 photos [long shooting day]
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I met $erge.
he came with his old car filled with cans of colorful house paint.
he said hello to everyone.
like a star of the block. he was happy and flattered someone wanted to get to know him -
positive energy.
but it was raining -
and hat is the point of shooting colorful walls on a day that colors are muted
and there is too much rain for my cameras.
so today he will take me for a tour.
---
I thought about shooting the contrasts of Miami
the reality of people that just shop buy stuff.
young girls with Gucci bags and big SUVs in Bal Harbor.
the fancy car people show off a luxurious life -
and pay valets 25 dollars
Haitian ghetto
they make it beautiful with what they have
colors - art - craft
ladies wearing awesome outfits and colors -
old beaten cars but beautifully painted yards
and having fun in the yard -
the art
the saints and the madonna
as gods and goddesses
i could shoot the contrast of opposing worlds
but it is harder to turn the camera onto those that try hard to impress.
but i don't want to just romanticize the poor -
as it is something exotic -
and i am taking a package tour in it,
somehow little Haiti is to Miami what Chinatown is to new york somehow -
in some way.
self contained worlds where it i hard to fit in
very different -
but a parallel urban
reality within a city
click here for related slideshow
2007-06-04
little haiti/ biking downtown miami/looking for storefronts
slide show 90 photos [long shooting day]
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 |
| Little Haiti Sunday |
hot semitropical day.
on Sunday
the beach is crowded
the ocean is flat.
it would be more fun with the waves and the riptide
or some snorkeling gear
just a quick swim
then
ride the cruiser bike over the venetian way bridges to downtown Miami.
looking for more storefronts to shoot -
little Haiti - the north side of town.
lots of places are closed -
wonder if it is because it is Sunday
or because it is past 6 pm.
not many people in the street.
the light changes a lot because of the clouds.
if the light is good on the east side of the street -
it makes it hard to shoot on the west side.
for some places i should come back in the morning.
thousands of little bugs swarming.
in some places it is hard to see and ride the bike.
i have coconut oil sun protection over my face and arms
and all these little motes get stuck on.
i see some chicken freely roaming the streets -
a crack head woman both friendly and hostile
“i am on crack - do you have a dollar? what if i took your camera? you
want to take my picture? what about if i suck you? do you want to see my
tits? you must be a terrorist, you have a camera! go back to south beach. “
i gave her a dollar then she gives back to me then she takes it again.
it is like talking to different people at once.
someone now evil then sweet and vulnerable.
just inconsistent - a roller coaster of thoughts and actions.
the ghetto in Miami looks poorer than anything i saw in new york.
so many people asking for a dollar -
a lot of alcoholics and toothless crack heads in the streets.
76th and 6th av. it is not really little Haiti anymore.
mostly auto mechanics and car body shops.
there are beautiful murals at hidden corners.
--
further down
st mary cathedral
from afar i thought it could be a mosque -
the blue and white tiles.
i see the coral bricks at the entrance.
services in english / creole / spanish.
--
i head back to the 50s
there are people bbqing in the backstreets
i hear priests delivering their sermons thru loud sound systems -
i look inside churches i see women kneeling and covering their faces.
i hear hip hop and i hear voodoo music.
and there is smoke and scent of grilled meat everywhere,
i stop at an auto mechanic.
3 young Haitian kids pose for me.
they tell me where to find more nice wall paintings.
the tell me i am covered by these little bugs.
--
there is a car store that sells music.
i smell pot being smoked inside.
--
a elder woman is dressed up.
a bum eating from a styrofoam plate on some bench outside .
i say hello and she smiles.
she has jewelry, broken shades, style.
--
not many Asian people in Miami.
i see just 2 Chinese restaurants
where the food is cooked and served by black Haitians.
---
it is hard to photograph people here.
even if friendly most they don't want to have their photo taken.
i see some women dressed up walking out of churches .
awesome colors and hats
but most of the times
they just say no.
--
i have to ride 10 miles back
stop at target
with a beach cruiser you cant go too fast and
after 6/7 miles the wide seat rubs on the inner thighs.
just not so comfortable for riding more than short distances.
--
inside Target
feels like a different world
and a wind chill from the AC.
-
i m riding the venetian way
it is 10 pm 78 degrees and 80 percent of humidity.
there is breeze from the ocean.
i stop at Walgreen's and buy a 12 pack of beer.
after 22 miles - i am tired.
2007-06-03
surf/sunset miami beach
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| Miami Beach - pre tropical storm |
after a day of continuous rain
the sun comes out -
some clouds and showers come and go.
in the morning the ocean is rough
there is a red flag
and waves one after another - not so good for surfing-
looks like when the Mediterranean is stormy.
i go for a swim - the rip currents feel like a river and
the sandy bottom is very uneven
shallow and deep a few steps apart
the lifeguard blows the whistle at me -
when i get out of the water
he tells me he does not want people to swim too far out -
even if you are a good swimmer.
---
i skip Mexican dinner
i just want to go in the water before the sun sets.
no more lifeguards after 5 and i bring my fins -
i swim past the surf and the surfers to the buoy.
it looks amazing
the waver are longer and taller -
some push me up and i feel 10 feet above the beach level -
i dive to see how long i can hold my breath.
i come out and i hear "Stefano"
and it is Paulo surfing
catching some good waves.
--
I should have bought one oft those 300 dollar underwater camera enclosures.
to take the pictures i wanted to take but i haven't ye taken.
-
I swim until before dusk -
just to catch some shots from the beach.
i wrap a plastic shopping bag around my camera - the lens sticking out.
wade in the water and shoot .
-
wait until dark
i hear the sound of the waves
loud and louder
and i realize it makes me happy
to hear that to be there
700 miles on I 75 - miamibound/tropical storm approaching
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| atlanta-mi |
3 am motel 8 somewhere in northern Florida.
70 bucks for the night she says
Motel 6 was forty I reply.
she goes down to 50.
all about coupons and haggling.
king size bed -
the window is sealed -
cant sleep until 5.30
hit the road at 11 am.
no starbucks strong coffee
breakfast at 7-11
caffeine shot creamer
high caffeine content.
if i had known
would have skipped the crappy coffee in the styrofoam cup
just drank 2 shots of caffeine creamer.
stay on I75 skip the turnpike -
90 extra miles
hit the west coast traffic -
Tampa/Ft Myers
black insects - flies or winged ants
hit my windshields like snowflakes in a snowstorm
it is cloudy
83 degrees outside.
Vasectomy ads
signs
hit Naples
turn left on the Alligator alley
the highway thru the everglades.
makes it worth the extra miles.
I see burned trees and green grass red leaves.
i wish i could stay
but hertz needs my car in 2 hours
in the middle of nowhere - i can't see a building down the horizon
always like it here.
i make a turn to everglades city - but it is too far away
maybe some other time.
in Miami it starts raining
and feels like an hurricane is approaching
no time for the beach
just rest
the past 2 nights
not much sleep
2007-05-31
slideshow
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| ride and fly and drive |
1000 miles in 24 hours- ride and fly and drive
glasshouse
dude alone on stage -
he would sing 10 sec melody in the mic - then it would loop
and sing on top
was kinda cool
chris johanson plays bass in a band
i remember when we listened to PiL's metal box at some art gallery
--
took photo of the pilot
asked first
she wondered and the flight assistant said - “i think it is ok, we let kids do it“
maybe i just had a better camera?
--
suburban area look like some toy miniature construction -
unreal curves and clone stamped houses
--
bbq in atlanta
the waitress was friendly when i told her i came from nyc.
“i live there too - in philly!“
i asked why she was working while on vacation.
maybe i should have asked if nyc and philly are kinda the same to people down here.
-
got on the I-75 south at 10.30 pm
dont need a map
could have driven to miami in 1 shot if i found a starbucks on the way.
the only one i saw was on the way to savannah - on a different highway.
if i drop off the car more than 29 minutes late
hertz will charge 250 dollars
makes it worth to buy rather than rent a car
2007-05-23
indo-pak / gehry
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| Indo-Pak Qns. 23-05-2007 04:08 |
69 images slideshow
http://picasaweb.google.com/stefpix/IndoPakQns230520070408/photo#s5067670822545597890
Tuesday photos
riding to jackson heights
shoot the indo-pak-bangla hood.
straight up greenpoint avenue
the truck route from brooklyn to queens.
irish-korean-Ecuadorean-indian
hoods
eat at kashmiri joint.
the cook is from nepal.
tibetan heritage.
family of sherpas -= sherpa is th last name
i was tired of frank gehry -
but his new building looks good at night.
big windows and color changing lights.
i found out my UPS guy does not put the name on the note- just the initials.
i forgot to put air in my tires
2007-05-12
back to NYC + a flashback
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| back to brooklyn/n |
williamsburg - around the corner from where I live
there is a school.
camouflage makes you stand out in the urban landscape.
I see these kids sitting on the steps -
they look so young, they are joining the air force.
one looks just like a boy.
i ask him how old is he
“I am 15! how old do I look?“
he says.
----
I get a slice of spinach / fresh tomato pizza at the Mexican joint down the street.
the guy that works there has a black eye.
I ask him if he is ok - how it had happened.
I just saw him delivering a pie to my building and i held the door for him the day before.
he looked fine.
he is reticent - he says it was someone he knew.
then he adds - this guy wanted 300 dollars from the register and punched him.
“did you call the police?“ I ask him.
“No I don't like the police. I know that guy he has been to prison - I don't want him to get into too much trouble“.
---
subway shots -
going home after errands - getting ready for the European week long tour
2007-05-10
Cat Power Tour/Thru Swiss tunnels to Italy then to NYC
 |
| thru switzerlan |
2007-05-08
cat power / end of tour in milan
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Europe4 Milan1 08-05-2007 02:54
i rearranged added new images
Milan is sunny after rainy Switzerland
May feels like May again.
the tour bus drove by the 3 apartments I lived at from 3 to 33 years old.
the driver had the wrong street name in the GPS - so I got a free tour of my past places.
pastries and coffee at sissi's after a few days of just instant coffee.
orange peels covered in dark dark chocolate.
--
dropped off my suitcase at my brother's apt
fabrizio gives me a ride with his girlfriends audi convertible.
outside the club -
the sun still shining at 8 pm
the catering is good
but the sound is not great.
there is peanut butter - " american nutty" brand.
i wonder if it makes sense.
---
after the show we end up at bar magenta
2 bottles of wine and parma ham -
i see old friends - there is not enough time to talk to all.
a local established popstar that makes good wine on the side - picks up the tab for all of us.
--
the tour bus leaves for bologna and rome
i stay in the city where i was born - the city i dont call home anymore.
I see things i was not able to see when i lived her -
that is the beauty of leaving - the beauty of traveling.
---
i do a medical -
just to check about the cough i had for a week
just pollen allergies and too much sudafed irritated my sinuses.
need hypertonic wash and cortisone spray.
no infections - no disease - everything is fine.
ekg and blood tests - all good
the doctor tells me "just eat a bit more meat!"
dont get enough B12 just by vitamin supplement pills.
---
parco sempione is so beautiful
dark burgundy colored leaves and all sort of trees -
people playing football and basketball"
this polish artist made an installation in the park -
a huge floating replica of his naked self.
children are amused -
just some old wino is complaining.
it looks amazing the way it floats and moves,
would they show something like this in central park nyc?
----
I have goodbye "aperitivo" at le colonne di san lorenzo with fabrizio and his friends -
i like this place - in the spring and summer you are just outside - no cars - just hanging out drinking wine / beer / mojitos by the oldest remains of the old city.
inside the bar this burly guy says :"still here!?"
he was the local promoter at the cat power show.
as
i walk outside this girl comes up to me with a smile
and says hello.
so unexpected -
I remember her!
so many years ago now
she used to work at this pub not far from where i used to live here.
attractive Brazilian from rio grande do sul.
a one way ticket to nyc knowing i was not coming back to live in milan.
she was going to travel around the world - live in london and in Brazil.
she was the last romance i had in italy. she was fun - i knew we were going to different adventures.
we crossed and life changed a lot just after that.
it was a fun good - goodbye
feels from a semi-different era
she just moved back to milan.
small world - many coincidences,
----
cocktails to go
young kids that on a park bench.
---
glad i left -
glad i dont live here anymore -
too many people i saw here just like getting caught in a trap
i can just appreciate being here for a while -
i walk around
i remember the good things of the past
i know i have moved on/elsewhere
2007-05-04
cat power tour 2 - heidelberg
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 |
| Europe 2 NL - D |
from eindhoven to heidelberg
night drive.
europe feels a lot smaller than the united states
drives between cities are usually 3 hours - sometimes 6.
you gotta wait to leave to not get too early to the destination
in heidelberg now
beautiful old german town - untouched by ww2 carpet bombings.
the first time I see in germany old cobblestones and old bricks.
churches that are not post war replicas.
everyone goes to sleep at the hotel
it is 10 30 am
I walk around -
I see dogs playing by the river.
I hike up one of the hills that surround the town
steep ascent - on Philosophensweg - the philosopher's way
it feels so peaceful and quiet.
an old man with crutches is walking up the hill - slowly but determined.
on top
I find myself in a forest -
just trees - breeze - birds.
the vegetation is different than the east coast of the USA.
I don't know how -
but it feels familiar. I have been in woods like this many times before.
I feel up here I need no computer - no mobile phone.
but I take my cell out of my pocket to look at the time.
I walk down and bump into the venue.
walk back to the hotel-
a couple is getting married.
I hear people speaking italian - german - english - korean.
Cat Power Tour: London - Brussels -Eindhoven
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 |
JFK to Heathrow
Took a Virgin Atlantic flight.
2 hours stuck on the tarmac - 3 lines of planes waiting to take off.
the person sitting next to me says with a smile "I hope we don't crash - it is always dangerous when planes take off one just after the other".
there is a baby crying. she says it is so hard to travel with babies. she gives a sleeping pill to her 3 and 5 years old when they travel.
European airlines give you unlimited beer and wine for free, and I don't ever need to say "no ice please" when I ask for water or tomato juice.
no ice by default!
London
haven't been there in so long.
I never really liked it back in the day -
I never felt a connection.
This time I see diversity and beauty.
in Kentish Town at the forum.
I run into people I know from new york.
Stuart touring with his bad Childballads -]
Wendy James that used to be in this band Transvision Vamp.
I take a walk to Camden Town to see how it has changed since I last was tehre maybe 15 years before.
A beautiful dog on some guys shoulders.
an Icelandic Sheperd.
A junkie couple owns it.
sucha beautiful fiery dog.
the girl praises his fur -
and his testicles so soft.
I videotape a bit
they thank me for the attention.
Camden town gentrified - many banks
I see the same restaurant I went to the last time I was there
---
Brussels
looks like France -
feels familiar. I have been in Belgium on a school trip when I was 15.
I can't remember much.
but it feels like Europe -
it feels familiar where I come from.
the buildings the cars.
I imagine myself living in a place like this - but it is only the memories.
not the present.
---
Eindhoven
feels like a small town.
everything looks new -
everyone is riding a bike.
heavy frames with fenders.
they don't seem to ride in a hardcore way as in London.
I don't see much.
we have to drive to Germany at 3 am
at the club café I feel bored.
I order a Leffe dark on draft -
2.5 euros
it tastes amazing.
beer that tastes fancy as a great wine.
2007-04-22
miami again / apr 2007
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| Miami2 17-04-2007 23:41 |
 |
| Miami 13-04-2007 14:16 |
shuttle bus to miami international airport.
i see his knee bleeding
his wife takes a napkin and cleanses it from the dripping blood
he looks like he is 69
she looks like she is 64 - maybe.
some would say that she used to be good looking -
but can't she be just good looking now -
they own a condo in key largo. a house and horses in west virginia.
splitting the time.
they got a scuba certification.
70 dives in the past year.
i look at them and think i wish i can be like that when i reach that age,
i ask how deep they go if they just use air or they dive with nitrox.
shipwrecks and stuff - nitrox certification.
too bad they are not on our same flight.
back to new york.
american airlines - bring your own food - crappy snacks - 3 dollars apop.
---
i ride a cruiser bike from south beach to criteria studios -
15 miles northwest on the mainland - 149 and w dixie -.
just after an hour swimming in the ocean. 7ft waves - no one allowed without fins or a board.
they told me in hawaii it is different, the lifeguard dont worry so much.
--
i ride up us 1 / biscayne -
to 2nd avenue -
i see a lot of stores painted by serge -
the haitian artist -
i stop and take a picture of the storefronts i like.
there is a strip of cheap motels with their signs damaged by the hurricane.
the sun is too low on the west side - the wrong side -
so i will have to do it some other time.
there is a restaurant with bob marley and haile selassie painted on the wall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie_I_of_Ethiopia
i get a gatorade and have to explain why i am taking the picture of their restaurant.
----
i spend many days in a recording studio
lots of ac and no windows - it could be anywhere -
the music is great
but i sometimes miss the nature outside.
--
when i go to the beach the waves are beautiful
i run into paulo -
hit on the brow by someone else's board.
no stitches - just bandage and krazy glue.
---
a marine
with a malt liquor can in his hand
a marine's always a marine -
so they say
i always see a marine with booze in his hand and faded tattooos on his arm
---
i swim to the buoy before sunset before driving to the airport to catch a plane to nyc.
a week before i was in montreal quebec
it was beautiful and it was freezing
miami and montreal
as far as you can get from the average united states east coast average city.