NY NY

hello everyone.

 

my second day in NY. arrived yesterday evening. i am staying in a area of manhattan called chelsea. and it seems to be the gay capitol of NY. so much more colour than LA and the vibe is really cool. sleep still a problem. had a couple of hours last night but woke up many times. had a shower and feel refreshed. i have a production meeting on monday and tuesday for the film which shall be interesting. i asked the lady at the desk where a good cafe with an outside area to sit nd chill is and she looked at me funny... this isent melbourne thats for sure. the people are friendly here unlike what many would have heard. but i can understand why. they are proud of their city as they should be and they are very helpfull. the flight from LA was good. technically as it was Qantas it was australia so i made use of it and had a few drinks, and they make them strong, 3 parts scotch to one part coke. met a really nice GP named michael on the flight and he was very nice. he offered to let me share a cab with him. and when we got to his hotel he wouldent let me pay my share, i dident feel too bad as he said it was a "work expense" and he would be reinburst. then i cought the subway to chelsea. so from the airport it cost me $2 to get to my hostel, beat that :) last night for dinner i had a huge slice of pizza, clare, reminded me of Italy and i wished you could have been there for the pizza as it was cool. hey dad, can you please help louis make a email so i can personally keep in contact with the little man. i hope everyone is well in oz!

Touch down in LA

Well, I made it. Landed in LAX after 15 long hours. Went straight to my Hostel. Made friends with a 22 year old Swiss guy called Andy with tats, we spent the day driving around looking at places. For fun we decided to go driving through Inglewood and Compton. haha it was interesting. I saw about 5 drug deals taking place and two car jackings. Then we went down this one particular street and there were a small number of harcore looking guys, staring at us. For a while we were lost in this neighbourhood not knowing if it was a dead end street or not. Had a drive down rodeo drive, sunset Blvd etc... The only thing I haven't seen in the Hollywood sign. My body has not had any sleep for three days, well I had about 1 hour sleep the night before I got on the plane, but I couldn't sleep on the plane, so I am a little scattered. LA is a strange place, not good not bad, it is simply... LA. it looks just like GTA San Andreas, it actually does. I have enjoyed my day here and am looking forward to landing in NY tomorrow. LA remind me a fair bit of Melbourne, just more extreme and 8x bigger etc... I miss everyone already and I am starting to realise the enormity of this trip. The diversity of people is incredible. One street, the jewelry district has store after store of EXPENSIVE jewelry and the next street across is like a slum, make shift tents pitched on the footpath and injured people chatting and congregating. I went to Hooters and felt sick from the greasy chips but am still very glad I went. The "ghetto" (Inglewood, Compton etc...) is really awful. Factories and highways surround these little curvy streets with crappy houses. The best part was driving around these areas. Much more interesting than the obvious tourist attractions like Universal Studios. There is a huge homeless element to this city, contrasted by the immensely elaborate and expensive houses in areas like Beverly hills and rodeo drive. Please spread this site around to our mates who don't know how to find this site, much appreciated.

Last night in Australia

Well, last night in Australia. a little nervous. I just realised how long one year is. I will be back in Australia, when I am 20 years old.... My lord, it doesn't sound right. Anyway, went out last night with some of my closest mates and had a few beers. Going to miss everyone terribly but hopefully will keep in contact with everyone. Clare gave me a lovely present. a personalised Zippo lighter. I will take a photo later and up load it.

Just off the phone

I called the UK consulate to confirm that they had cancelled my VISA application and would be sending it back to me today. She tells me that the application has actually been accepted and is being sent today. I couldn't believe it! So now it is definite. NY for three months then UK for a couple of months (not sure how long yet). the ticket I bought that is a return from NY just happens to be changeable year ticket, which means I can leave NY for home anytime within a year which I choose in case of a miracle job on the visa application.

Gizmo's galore.

I just bought:

Kodak easy share 2700, $177
1 GB memory card for the camera, $107
one USB key, $35
iRiver 5gb, $277
That look on the muggers face as he hits the jackpot, priceless..


I have never spent this much in one month- let alone one day- but I think I got it all up for a good price. The memory card seems a bit expensive but I cant do much about the economics of microchip technology. Now I just need to get music for my iRiver and I will be laughing all the way to NY.

No go to euro (cheesy I know)

After checking up on the progress of my visa I found out I could not get my application accepted in the time frame I needed. Since being in NY by the first of may for the shooting of the film is the priority, I cancelled my application and asked them to send back my passport. The quickest they can get it back to me is around 17 hours before my flight so, like many before me, I am cutting it very close.

I got a great price for my flight over there, but I had to stop over in LA for a day which is what I was originally going to do. $2,395 for a return trip to NY, including: one nights accommodation in LA near Venice beach including shuttle bus their and back to the airport. Youth card, two nights accommodation in NY, QBE life insurance and all the taxes and charges that come along with traveling. So after my day in LA I will be in NY, as it is getting warmer over there. Steve, Luke and koala jack will be in town and I haven't seen them for many years. It is going to be very interesting. First time I will arrive at an airport without anyone waiting for me there. Try and split a cab with someone else going into Manhattan or catch the subway. Kind of daunting, the prospect of being totally responsible for myself when travelling, but at the same time really looking forward to it.

Visa

Well, I guess I should start here. I have travelled before, thrice to Indonesia and once to Italy. These have been four of the top five best things I have ever done. Travelling is an amazing experience as it makes you take notice of all the little things you take for granted in your home town. The aroma, the faces, the heat, the tiny little differences all together that make a destination unique. And because you notice every little thing and it is new, you feel like you are really living.

Months ago, my uncle Steve spoke to me about his amazing experiences travelling through America and he suggested I come to LA to help him with his art exebition, I was immediately exited. However death and taxes are no longer the only truths, I have found out that the truth is travel plans never stay the same. From originally planning to go to LA I now find my self planning to go to NYC to be assistant art director on a film called Ashes by Ajay Naidu. (thanks to my uncle Steve who set my up with this magnificent opportunity) followed by a year of working in the UK.

The visa seems to be the hardest thing to obtain. Due to time of year, limited numbers and time till departure.

Disclaimer: for all or any NY visa/customs personnel reading this: I am not being paid for my "volunteering" on the film Ashes so I am not breaking your ridiculously strict visa rules.


I called the outline for the visa. And spoke to the operator. She said that it is 15 days once the postage is registered, however the registered post I sent is the slowest through their security, the best being express. I used registered on advice and that I was told at Australia post that express wouldn't have got it their any faster since it was a weekend. So she says that it should be registered on their computers (Canberra UK high Commish) in the next few days and then it is fifteen days once that happens. So I will call her in a couple of says and see if it is registered to give my self a better idea of when it will come back. Not great news by anymeans as I might be missing the start of the movie in NY.

welcome to jake's blog

Hi, I am Jake. My uncle Tom is helping me get this blog up and running. It's purpose is to update friends and family on what I am doing in NY and (hopefully) England.