Then T'was Off To...

On yet another











To eat, drink, hang out with friends, do pilates at the Y (I know, so Shoreditch even when I'm not in Shoreditch) and meet a few people.

Like him (ooh, was he mad. Check RWD TV for the interview soon):












And him:









(Saigon for the uninitiated. Fyi this was taken on the 'Beef Block.' Outside of Jigga's 40/40 and on the same block as Violater, who now manage the Yardfather as well as 50, Bus, Missy and co. You know there's been tonnes of drama and that street, right? Anyway, Si's album is done did. You got Just Blaze, Jay, Faith and maybe even Kanye on there (tho that's pending cos the label isn't too sure about the beat. True stories).


Of course, it wasn't all work. Me and photographer-extraordinaire Isabel Asha-Penzlien headed out to











real quick. Over at the end of Brooknam, the fairground is due for demolition this summer, so go while you can. There's lot to do. Like this:



(only in America could you shoot paintballs at some cracky-looking dude who's probably getting paid $1-an-hour, right?). For those not wanting to take part in some morally-incorrect
game, you can always eat cotton candy, or 'candy floss' as it's actually called, drink beer and, if you dare, ride the centuries-old crusty rides this this:


I nearly had a heart-attack on what looked like a mild-mannered, gentle ride, yet in fact was a terrifying, near-death type experience. As it comes over the top, well, all I can say is, it ain't for the faint-hearted!




Anyway, after a brief but blissful few days, it was time to head back. One thing I love about New York is the feeling of, for want of a better word, life that permeates the people there. So you have to work tomorrow? Who cares, we can still hang out, go for dinner, have some drinks, pop to a club, watch the guys playing a little midnight basketball, have discussions about Barak V Hillary, go for a run, eat breakfast out in a cafe, meet for a coffee... In New York, life revolves around you, you don't seem to have to fit it in. There's always enough time, yet time moves so fast there too. I don't know, maybe it was because I was 'on holiday', just being in another city seems to give you much more impetus to get off your arse. And what was I missing in London? Uh, Big Brother...

Anyway, my journey wasn't done yet. I still had one more place to go...