Day 15 - NYC



I don't know any good cabbie jokes



On January 25, my boy Pete Wong and I were about to begin our Brazil journey. I woke up around 5:30am for an 8:30 flight out of LAX. The American Airlines flight had a 5-hour layover at JFK in New York, landing there around 5p, and leaving there around 10:30. Seeing as how Pete had never visited the country's largest city, we felt 5 hours would be enough to catch a little of Yankeeland, at least enough so that Pete could notch another tally in his US city visitations. We didn't want to take any chances flying internationally, so we had to get back to the airport by 8:30 latest. Give 45-60 min for the cab - that puts us in the city around 6, leave by 7:30, we have an hour-and-a-half to burn in the Apple (that was an inadvertent marijuana reference). Yet time wasn't our only issue.

Those Chow kids! Such black hair.

My sister, Patti, who lives in NY, tells me that there's record cold temperatures out there. This creates a packing conundrum. You see, it's summertime in Brazil - temps around 90-100 degrees. NY's around 10 degrees. It would be most unfortunate to have to pack a big ass winter coat for a mere 1.5 hours. So we devise a plan to wear winter jackets in NY, meet with my sis for a little bit, drop our jackets off with her, and freeze for a few minutes before jumping in a cab back to the airport for our flight. As long as there's no snow or ice - we be golden.

Crazy Pete's goin' straight Asian on me

Once we landed, we quickly cabbed to Rockefeller Center, which is uptown Manhattan and somewhat close to where Patti works. We hit up 30 Rock, NBC, Radio City, grabbed a hot dog and gyro from the street, met up with my sister who leads us to Time Square, aka Touristpalooza. We pop some freestyles there. I'm really trying to take it to the next level with these freestyles, using the core to maximize time, height, and foot trajectory. I would like to write a book called "The Science of Freestyling by Dr. Cary Chow." But wait - I'm not a doctor!! OH SNAPALAFUGUS!!! I don't know where that came from. I think I've freestyled myself stupid.



Good thing this f'style wasn't in Bryce!

 My sister realizes she's got to catch a Broadway show at 7p, so she's got to split. We leave our jackets with her and briskly walk to the Empire State Building so Pete can take some pics. This entire little excursion is not for culture or really anything, it's just so Pete can take pics to say he's been to NYC. Mission accomplished. We hop on a cab and are back at the airport before 8p.

About 30 minutes before we board our flight to Rio, I discover I need to shoot a pair of video stand-ups (similar to the Denver erotic cakes bit from a few days earlier) for an incredible job. With Pete's help, we shoot something at JFK, as on-lookers look-on with bewilderment, and will shoot the second bit when we get to Rio.

Rio. Not to be confused with cartoon movie about birds.

As we board the plane, I exhale like Angela Bassett. Brazil is now a reality. Our in-flight movie is "Eat, Pray, Love" - which is how one of my friends described my recent moves. I can't lie, it is similar, just without the mid-life crisis. I try to stay up to watch the movie, but I'm out like the Steelers against the Pack. Unlike EPL, I'm pretty positive my adventures won't be a snoozer.