Olives from Eatily

Shaheen's rooftop

Maison Priemere in Brooklyn

On the rooftop in Brooklyn

Olive Oil Tasting in Eatily

What T.V. show is this from?

Union Square

My favorite presidents quote in the Natural History Museum

Chilliin in the Upper West Side of Manhattan

Natural History Museum

A real T-Rex head!!!

Poison Dart Frogs

FUNGI @ The Natural History Museum

Finn!!!! Shaheen's cat

View from Shaheen's roof. Recognize anything?

Little Italy with The Empire State Building

Little Italy Donner

Food & Life

Hi everyone! Just wanted to give an update, the food here is indescribable. We have been eating our way through the different areas, thanks to our very knowledgeable host's Shaheen and roommates. They all work in the industry so they know what is up. Thanks guys. We ate at a famous pizzeria, Two boots pizza, Justin Timberlake's restaurant, Southern Hospitality, in Little Italy, at the famous market Eatily, and many more restaurants across Manhattan and Brooklyn. I will describe in more detail with the next post.

 So now for the life part, just wanted to tell our friend Beth that we are keeping her dad and family in our hearts and minds over the next couple of weeks. Her dad has cancer that is in its final stages and we just want everyone to keep them in our minds as his final days are here. We hope that is is quick and as painless as possible. Much love and thoughts for Bob.

So now a few final days in NYC, leaving Wednesday at 6am to Costa Rica. Keep checking back because in the next two days we will update the blog. This time we have decided to use the blog as our journal so we have to update it often to remember!!!

Peace and like Ellen says "take care of one another"

New York City

Top of The Rock!! Admiring the vast, urban landscape...

Wow! This city is not messing around, it seriously is legendary. Daniel was only here for a few days and we made the most of them. When we arrived after our Bonnaroo weekend we were beat, it was after ten, and we were really dirty even after bathing in the airport sinks - but it was Shaheen's birthday so we reunited with our bonnaroo crew plus Nicki, Sasha and Dave for drinks and appetizers at their apartment. Actually, it's a loft; a nice big open loft with tons of windows and little NY accents like brick and pipes running across the ceiling (courtesy of the fact that the building was once a factory). We love the neighborhood the girls live in, too, it is very comfortable and homey with delightful little bakeries on every corner and neighbors sitting on their front steps chatting and observing.  The subway is only a couple blocks away and their location makes it extremely easy to get around.

On Tuesday, our first whole day in NY, Shaheen took us to a little bakery called Variety (yummy choc. chip banana bread) where we got coffee and snacks. Then we took the subway downtown and walked around Ground Zero. It was eerie to see the 'footprints' of the buildings that used to be there and inspiring to witness the construction of the momentous new structures. A reporter for a New Jersey paper showed us his pictures from the 60th floor of the unfinished (not even half way done) building and you could see how close the towers were.  He has been photographing the progression of the construction by taking pictures from the same four or five points every month. After that we walked along the waterfront and through the renowned Battery Park - where we saw the statue that remained standing in front of the World Trade after 9/11 and was moved to the park as a memorial. Then we took the Staten Island Ferry which is free and takes about a half hour each way. We got to see the skyline of downtown NY and of Jersey, and the Statue of Liberty which looks huge up close but against the skyline seems to shrink immensely.  We grabbed some delicious deli sandwiches (super cheap, too) and rode the ferry back to downtown. Then we walked down Wall Street where we got to see the big gold Bull and the NY Stock Exchange, not to mention the beautiful old churches and other architecture. It was a fun-packed morning and in the afternoon, when Shaheen had to work, we went to Times Square and met up with Mason and his parents.  We spent the evening chatting and catching up, and of course Danny and Jill wine-and-dined us as usual (Thanks guys!) it was super fun.

On day two Shaheen took us to a bakery down the street called The Blue Stove that has amazing quiche and pastries and homemade chai tea. Then we took the subway to Central Park and met up with Danny and Jill for lunch, after which we hit the park. Central Park is so huge and unbelievable - we actually wandered around to the point where we saw hardly anyone else because there are so many trails! We rented boats in the lake and saw tons of turtles, ducks, geese and a huge fish jump right next to us. We also met an awesome girl in line (courtney) who had great suggestions and was very friendly. We got to see Strawberry Fields and the John Lennon memorial, and a huge fountain/popular spot where tons of movies have been filmed. After the park exhausted us, we walked to the Tangled Vine, a snazzy, adorable wine bar that Shaheen works at. We spent hours drinking fabulous wine and eating the most amazingly delicious and unique food, plus great service - thanks Shaheen!! Our next stop was McGees, the pub that Mclarens pub is based on in the show How I Met Your Mother, since the writers were regulars. It had some memorabilia and pictures/posters of the cast all over and we had a blast chatting with people and watching the Stanley Cup Finals. The only downfall to the day (and the entire trip so far) was that we "misplaced" our camera on the subway ride home, but there is a tiny chance we'll get it back from lost and found...maybe.

We got up early the next day because it was Daniel's last day and we went to Rockefeller Center. We got to see the huge Lego store (Connor would LOVE it), Radio City Music Hall, the rainbow room, NBC studios, and we went to the top of the Rock which has surreal sights of the surrounding city and especially Central Park. We spent at least an hour up there checking the 360 degree views and having photo shoots with Shaheen's camera, it was a perfect, clear, sunny day!! Before heading back so Dan could pack up, we got some hotdogs and gyros from the street vendors, so yummy and cheap! Amazingly, all the food in NY seems to be not only fantastic but relatively cheap. After cuz left we finally kicked back and relaxed for an evening to recover from our jam-packed week of fun. Jenna made us a ridiculously great dinner and a killer breakfast the next day - she can seriously cook.

Friday we hung around the loft during the day, then got lunch at a great Mexican food restaurant down the street on our way to Mason's, who lives about two and a half blocks from the center of Times Square. We went to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) which was SO awesome!!! We saw art from Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Pollock, Rivera, Warhol, Lichtenstein and so many more amazing artists, it was fantastic! We ate Thai food with Mason and stayed at his place, where we took our wine onto the roof  to check out all the views and flashing lights of Times Square. On Saturday Sean and I went to brunch in the Hell's Kitchen restaurant region (yummy) and then shopping around Times Square - H&M is awesome!! Making our way back to Brooklyn, we stopped by Whole Foods in Union Square to get some dinner stuff, which was an experience. So many people! The girl's at the loft invited a couple friends over and we were all extra pumped because our friend Elyse came from Jersey to hang out!! We chatted, laughed, ate empanadas and enchiladas and drank wine and strawberry jalapeno margaritas...it was a glorious evening. The first half of Sunday was a lazy day where we hung around the loft, cleaned, researched for Central America, stuff like that. Then we went to Little Italy for a delectable dinner and a nice walk and we tried to get into the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) comedy theatre but were about ten people away from making it (first come first serve). We might try again next Sunday because we heard Amy Poehler (co-founder of UCB) has been in town and the wait isn't bad.

That pretty much sums up the first week of New York City!! It is truly unreal that we have been doing and seeing so much we have only previously read or heard about and we feel so extremely lucky to experience this trip - especially with friends and with each other! Thank You!

Seamber getting romantic

Group shot overlooking Central Park

The view of Central Park from the top of the Rock

Beautiful old cathedral

A popular fountain in Central Park

On the lake in Central Park

Sunset after Mumford & Sons

Loving Life

Robert Plant!

Our New York friends

Tats and Hats

Our camp with the neighbors

Our Camp

bonnaroo at night

Bandana saved my life

Which Stage for Mumford & Son's

The Black Keys

GarZar Fades

Feelin' the Roo

The Entrance of Bonnaroo

Bonnaroo 2011

********THE ROO CREW 2011********

 So sorry the pictures are not coming as quickly as we would have liked. Lost the camera, 2nd time, damn it! No more drinking and using the camera. My fault. I don't remember where I put it. So the pictures will be uploaded as soon as we can get some of Shaheen's up on the computer. Now we decide, do we get another camera or are we just doomed. That will be the achieles heel of our trip, the camera. I guess this is just another lesson on materialism.

Other than that, this trip is already amazing. Amber and I arrived with Cuz at Bonnaroo on Thursday June 9th evening around seven o'clock. Just imagine arriving to a 750 acre flat farm, with 100,000 people, all in tents and RV's and the temp is about 80 degrees, not too humid but still more than California. The three of us walked with all of our luggage (Cuz carrying his 50 lbs. bag) about a mile and a half to our campground. There, we were so stoaked to meet up with Shaheen and her two friends Meghan and Jena, who already had the camp set up. They drove down so they set up a sweet EZ-up, and had an ice chest. Without both of these items the festival camping would have been impossible. We were never at camp besides in the morning and....well just the morning. We on average went to bed at 3am and woke up at 7am, to the glorious swelter of the Tennessee sun. But without that EZ-up and the ice chest we would have had no where to relocate for more sleeping, eating and drinking. Thanks to Shaheen, Jena and Meghan for making such a kick-ass camp!

Bonnaroo is probably one of the most amazing and postive places that Amber and I have ever been too (besides Reggae on the River/Reggae Rising). First, where in the world can you see such an ecletic variety of music? Robert Plant to Eminem to Florence & the Machiene to Mumford & Son's to String Cheese Incident? Then on top of that add 100,000 diverse fans who all want to let loose in their own hippy-in-2011 way! Craziness, yet in a weird way it seemed normal and ideal. Throughout the weekend I continuosly asked myself how I could live like this for the rest of my life. Thier is nothing better in the world than listening to live music with the one's you love in the sun. Also just seeing everyone else doing the exact same thing creates an energy that is mindboggling and really authentic.

The Centeroo is where all the music took place. It consisted of 5 main stages (What,Which, This, That, and The Other), a 40 foot waterslide, a sports bar, a mushroom water fountain (life saving), tons of food booths, artwork, a beer garden (also life saving), a carnival, and last but not least more dust than I can explain. The heat added another element, at least 90 degrees each day with 40% humidity. But the Centeroo is where we lived. Each day Amber and I would bring a change of clothes for the night and we would "concert jump" for 12-13 hours each day. Our camp was so far from the Centeroo, and it was so hot, we decided to make the trek as little as possible. So the days would start with some BBQing at the camp (and eating the bomb food Jena made), a little drinking with the neighbors, and then the trek into Centeroo. As soon as we got to Centeroo we took a rinse in the water mushroom.

The music was the best part, don't get me wrong!! When we arrived our energy shot through the roof as soon as we heard Anthony B on the first day. Here is a recap of who we saw in order. Friday: Anthony B, Matt& Kim, Atmosphere, Florence + the Machiene, My Morning Jacket, Lil Wayne and Pretty Lights. Saturday: Black Uhuru, Alison Krauss & The Union Station, Mumford & Son's, The Black Keys, Eminem, Girl Talk. Sunday: Iron &  Wine, Robert Plant & the Band of Joy, and then finished at the Sport's Bar for the NBA Finals game. I think that's right. Also waiting for other shows we saw/heard Bassnectar, Cold War Kids and String Cheese Incident. SO sad to have missed Buffalo Springfield, Wiz Kalifa andThe Strokes, but you have to make sacrifices for the music that you love. Cuz spent all day at the main What stage from 2 pm until 1am on Saturday, holding it down so that we could get a sweet spot for Eminem. Not to brag, but with all of the people and all of the shows that we saw we were suprisingly close to the stage for most of the acts. We had to stand for an hour and a half in one square foot, with hundreds of people surrounding us, through a small lightning and thunder storm - the only rain of the festival - to see Eminem. We were so close to the stage and his concert was the most incredible live rap show I have ever seen in my life, it was all worth it. He lit up the stage with his prescence. On Friday after My Morning Jacket ended at 11pm we had to wait until 1:30 for Lil' Wayne, so Amber and I found a comfy spot by the sound booth near the front of the stage and slept until about 1am as the crowd filled in around us. We woke up surrounded by people, just as the DJ started to jam. It was perfect a little nap before his 2 hour set and another one of our favorite acts, Pretty Lights. Pretty Lights is my favorite live DJ, picture 16 screens with the craziest lights and colors you have ever seen-CRAZY!!!! Our big suprises were Robert Plant and Atmosphere. They both put on such good quality shows with conscious and positive lyrics. Mumford & Sons and Florence + The Machiene were also a couple of our favorites. The music at this festival is so unique because of the variety of tempos, instruments, beats, and lyrics. I mean, there is some kind of music for every person at this festival. And four days of it, I think I have found my new idea of an afterlife.

We are going to Bonnaroo again, and next time we are bringing even a bigger crew. This festival changed our lives and we know we will be back. Thanks for all the people who put it on and for our awesome friends who came with us, you know who you are. Also I could not have been happier to spend it with my lady. For a festival with 100,000 people it really was not that overwhelming, next year though an air-conditioned RV sounds good, and I never thought that I would say that in my life.

So no word can really explain this place, you just have to go to Bonnaroo to experience it yourself. This was a great kick-off to our adventures. I will put up some more pictures soon. Take care and LIVE THE ROO!

the beginning

 So here we go! The trip to discover the Americas has commenced. We have started the second part of our trip in 2011 and are so greatful for all of the friends and family that have gotten us here. This year has been one of the best of our lives. We have seen all of our best friends from college this year (besides Jess, sorry, you are next year for Lollapalooza!) and our wonderful family. It is crazy for us to see the world and also see all of the people that are so important to us. What more can you ask for in life? Shout out to you all, we hope that we can see you again soon. Can all of our college friends please come to Bonnaroo next year??!?!?!?!?!

 The blog is going to be a little different this time, Amber and I are going to take turns writing so you get a little flavor from the both of us, Seamber Anderfin, our pen name. That's for you CJ! We are going to try and update as often as we can, but we are going to more remote places this time, with longer stays at each place and the internet is not as abundant as the tip of South America. We will try as often as we can to give you pictures and more info.

Bonnaroo was an epic concert....a lifetime experience in Tennessee!!!!! The next post will have pics, so stay tuned! We are in New York and having a great time staying with Shaheen in Brooklyn. We also got to see Mason and his family, sweet! He has a place right near Time Square.  We had a whirlwind of a time with Cuz here and are still recovering. But nonetheless New York is our new favorite city. We have seen so many parts and I have the Subway down, Winning! Stay tuned, I promise more. Happy Birthday Dad! I hope that you enjoy the next year of life to the fullest. Hope the house is going well. Talk to you soon.

Peace!

Headed Out Soon

So we are headed out soon on part II of the adventure. A few new updates, anyone can comment, its pretty easy, no gmail account needed. You can sign up your email so that you will get emailed when we put up a new post (it's on the right). Finally, try the fish game if you're bored. Alright here we come Bonnaroo.