New York, I Love You (2009)

A Film by Camilo Herrera:

Oh Hey!

This trip to NY made me feel like a traveling food critic. I spent more time and money on the foods I ate than anything else and it was well worth it. 

Day One- May 9th, 2012. Mega Bus. 
Our schedule: Depart Durham, NC at 11am arrive DC 4pm; arrive NYC 9pm. The bus ride itself was quite pleasant actually. Impossible to sleep, unless you're the type that can sleep anywhere. This means of transportation ended up being the least expensive (compared to flying, train, driving and parking in a lot and renting a car).http://us.megabus.com/
Camilo's friend, Mark, what a sweetheart, met us at the Bus in NY and after a short walk to his apartment we had about enough energy to chat for a little then c.r.a.s.h. (But not after some birthday celebratory drinks.) This was our first time meeting Mark and it felt like we'd known him forever. He fell in right at home, farts and all. 
All in all a very great first night. 

An Empire State of Mind

Day Two- May 10th, 2012. Birthday! :) 
There's only one way to wake up on your 28th bday. With a vanilla iced latte from Starbucks and a walk in a park. I've got this little tacky tradition for my birthday when possible. Dating back to my 21st birthday: The Hard Rock Cafe. So we head to Time Square for lunch, what Mark, calls "A Visual Vomit." [It's the Twisted Mac n cheese I go for.] It's delicious and consistent no matter what country I get it in. 
http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=99&MIBEnumID=3
We got pretty pooped quickly from walking block after block. (and the guys didn't enjoy waiting for me to get through all four floors of Forever 21 in Times Square.) 
We decided to head back fairly early and order NY style pizza for delivery and watched Clue (1985). 

Goofing off in Toys r Us

Day Three- May 11th, 2012. Museums. 
Start the day with Starbucks again, a nice tradition. Then we make our way to the Museum of Sex. This museum is not for the frigid. http://www.museumofsex.com/ When you walk in (which you may or may not see in my collage video) you are allowed to mount a bicycle, that has a flesh colored, silicone you-know-what attached to the end. The bicycle acts as a motor if-you-know-what-I-mean. After passing many racy souvenir options you enter the actual museum. I have to say, it is pretty informative. A lot of history about sex in film and art. Believe it or not the only thing I had a hard time seeing was the reproduction of animals. It's just gross to me. I flew through it like a bat out of hell.

Showing off my new hat

"I can't emphasize enough how nice it is to be with my friends outside of school. Getting to see your raw personalities and not just as students"

"Um...Um.. AHAHAHHA... The world is an interesting place in the eyes of the big city. " 

Best cookies!

I visited Alice's Tea Cup on my last trip to NYC and had such a great time with my friend, Jen, having tea and pastries. This time around I bought a stationary set I've had my eye on and a monstrous sized chocolate chip cookie.
http://alicesteacup.com/ 
We get the brilliant idea to eat lunch in Central Park, on the menu: Halal. Which was our favorite word until we tried it. It was AMAZING! HALAL FTW! 

@ the MOMA

We visited the MOMA while there was a special no admission fee going on. We spent hours in there and I know I didn't get to see but about 70%. What I did get to see was Diego Rivera, Jackson Pollock, Claude Monet, and Frida's work. Along with many new artists I've never heard of. http://www.moma.org/
Exhausted we head 'home' to rest and talk of dinner plans.. Indian maybe? The only thing I looked up to say in Indian: " BATH-ROOM KID-HAR HAI " Which translates to "Where is the bathroom?"
Indian never actually worked out, instead Mark and his roommate, Lois, took us on a tour of St. Marks. 
We started off at Crift's Dogs, which is a dive bar that serves only hotdogs with any topping you want. I got the Chihuahua (sour cream and avocado) It was Amazingly tasty!
Next stop: Pomme Frits, Belgian fries, where you get any flavor mayo you want. We got garlic mayo and pesto mayo. By then I was pretty stuffed so I skipped out on fro-yo. Still a great night in the city.

Crift Dog in St. Marks

Pomme Frits on church steps

Day Four May 12th, 2012- Endless walking. 
We started the day off with brunch at Penelope's with Bella. Worth the hour and a half wait. http://www.penelopenyc.com/ It was great catching up on the theatre side of life, I've somehow avoided it for the last year at school (even with drama & D&P students all over the place).

Mimosas and Belinis

In honor of my 28th bday

Trying to get to the freedom tower was a nightmare. It was the weekend so the subway line wasn't running normally. We stood on a platform waiting to go to the Freedom Tower for close to an hour. We gave up and headed to The Theatre District to meet Bella and Chris to attempt to get Book of Mormon tickets. Didn't happen. So we visited the High Line instead. http://www.thehighline.org/ It was BEAUTIFUL!!! I had to fight not to see the whole thing through my lens. 

 

Sunset under the High Line

Craving Mac-n-cheese we walked for hours trying to find a couple of places that only serve it. We finally found Mac Bar in Soho. Delicioso! http://www.macbar.net/

Primavera Mac-n-cheese

I feel a little guilty that I somewhat, briefly forgot that pinkberry existed. We were crossing the street around Central Park and a bus passed like the parting of the Red Sea slowly revealing the pink and green polka dotted awning. I reached over and grabbed Camilo's collar in excitement. We needed food-food, so we skipped out on the pb for the moment, but went back later. :) Reunited and it feels so good..." http://www.pinkberry.com/ Please visit this site, it's fun and you can find one near you. You won't regret it!

Pink Berry

Day Five May 13th, 2012- Mother's Day

First of all let me wish my mom(s) a happy Mother's Day! Today started off with a nice (no wait) brunch in Long Island City with my dear friend, Brandon Whited! We walked around and went to his favorite jewelry store which were giving away free charm necklaces! (mine is below). 

We then took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to get a better look at the Statue of Liberty. Besides some crazy guy trying to start a conversation, the Ferry ride was really exhilarating!

Staten Island Ferry

We are on this kick to not eat the same thing so we decide on Sushi! At Nobi Japanese Restaurant. Everything was very tasty!

Day Six May 14th, 2012- Rain.
On our own today we decided to start the day with Pizza for breakfast. We are becoming naturals on the subway system. 

We made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a beautiful sight but I wish it didn't rain, I was worried about my camera but I still got some fun footage. 

Brooklyn Bridge

On the Brooklyn Bridge

Wall St. Bull

We finally made it to the Freedom Tower. There is a memorial with two pools in honor of the two towers. http://www.911memorial.org/ It is a pretty powerful memorial considering it happened in our lifetime. 

Freedom Tower

South Pool Memorial

Surviving Tree

Trinity Church

We took advantage of being on our own today to watch The Avengers (2012) in the city! It is definitely the best movie of 2012. It was exciting and adventurous and hilarious! What a treat to watch it take place in NYC while we were there. I haven't seen Thor (2011) or Hulk (2003) but I will soon. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/

Best Movie of 2012!!

To kill some time for Mark to get home we googled best cheesesteaks in NY and go to Shorty's which is conveniently located very close to where we were staying. The subs were to die for. We placed a togo order the sh*t was good. :)

http://shortysnyc.com/browsers/shortys/

There is roof access in Mark's building we didn't have access to during the beginning of our trip, but we finally got up tonight. It was really beautiful, even with a little rain. 

Rooftop 30th st.

Day Six May 15th, 2012. Austin's Birthday!

This morning at Starbucks the barista remembered my order! It was an awesome feeling! We took our tasty beverages to a Crepes place up the road. On the menu: Apple Crisp Crepes. 

Birthday Crepes!

It was a very rainy day but we hiked uptown to B&H, a massive photo/video supply store. I spent a little more than I needed to. But it was totally worth it and I only bought things I really needed. 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Take one on The Museum of the Moving Image. Brandon Whited told us about a museum of film in Long Island City. We decided to try and make it there around 4, the museum closes at 5. We didn't actually make it. :( 

So, Grand Central Station it is! It's a lot smaller than I remember. And it seems a lot smaller than movies make it seem. 

Magnolia Bakery is a bakery I've heard about and wanted to try so we knocked out two birds with one stone. We ordered the white chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake with a cup of coffee. It was tasty! http://www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php

Magnolia Bakery in Grand Central Station!

Now finally, dinner. I had the best meal I've had in New York tonight. Becco http://becco-nyc.com/ I googled "best pasta in NYC" and according to Yelp!, Becco was 2nd. It received 4/5 stars with a $$$ sign. It was worth every penny and then some. Around 7:45pm (which I would consider a dinner rush), on Restaurant Row in Hell's Kitchen, we walked right in and were sat immediately. The server quickly greeted us with glasses of water and a basket of bread. My friend ordered the Antipasto Misto appetizer which was a Smorgy's Borge of wonderfulness! Octopus, caprese, grilled zucchini and things I can't even identify! Once our salad plates were wiped clean the dinner plates were replaced and we were on to our entrees: Sinfonia di Paste (all-you-can-eat pasta). 

Becco All You Can Eat Pasta

3 different types of pasta (chef's special of the day) Tonight was Ziti marinara with basil; Fettuccine Bolognese, and 'Nude' Dumplings in a green sauce stuffed with spinach and ricotta. There was absolutely no room for dessert this night but....

Mark, Camilo, Alice and Lois made us a home made brownie cake for our b-days! Notice the little camera on the right?! How sweet!

Day Seven May 16th, 2012. Last Day. 

East River Ferry is our choice of transportation to get to Long Island City.

Me and Mark on the Ferry

LIC Boardwalk

We started our last day by going to the Museum of the Moving Image. http://www.movingimage.us/  Costumes, portraits, prosthetics and interactive sections made for such a fun afternoon. Below is a stop motion animation I created. I wish I knew I had access to more frames or this would have been longer. 

Sex and the City 2 (2010) Make up from set

Winona Ryder's prosthetic legs from The Black Swan (2010)

Star Wars figurines from the 60s, 70s, and 80s

Goofing off in the Egyptian style theatre 

We learned so much at this museum. If only we could just touch everything like the Mole lights and cameras. I was happy to know that I could take photos and shoot video just without a flash. 

On our way to Jackson Heights

Mark and Camilo found a Colombian burger joint in Jackson Heights that was mmm...mmm...mmm... delicious! I got a hot dog with crumbled potato chips that tasted like they were soaked in pineapple juice, with ham and cheese and some grilled peppers under melted provolone cheese. Yes, a heart attack ready to happen. 

Day Eight May 17th, 2012- Homeward Bound

In preparations to make the ride home less sad and unbearable we pick up Cheesesteaks from our favorite Sub joint, Shorty's. Then head to Pinkberry to get some gelatness heaven for the wait for the bus. This was a great idea. 

Mega Bus is not comfortable to try to sleep on, lemme be the first to say. Our ride to DC was at 1:15 am this morning. If it weren't for the Au Bon Pain at the Bus station I may have punched a baby. Instead I watched the finale to Smash as a farewell to the Big Apple. 

This was a great trip that ended too soon it feels. I made some great new friends, saw places I've never seen before, ate food I've never eaten before and made memories I'll never forget. What more can you ask for out of a trip? 

One of the nights we realized we were in the city. 

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more summer adventures, maybe not as entertaining as NY but I'll try not to disappoint. 

Mommie Dearest (1981)

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."  ~Tenneva Jordan

This completely describes my mom. She always makes sure everyone else is taken care of before herself. And I have to thank her for always letting me taste the food and pick at it while she cooks, half the time I doubt she knows I do it. 

My wedding

"Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My mother."
~Ann Taylor

I found this quote years ago and wrote it on a page of a scrapbook I made about high school. (When 'blogging' was more hands on)

There's something about my mom, she can tell that something is wrong without me saying a word but trying hard to force a smile. She has that effect that makes me cry when something is wrong and I don't want to deal with it. 

The three generations

Puerto Rico, 2010

Hanging out with my mom and grandma have proven to be some very entertaining times. It's really interesting imagining her growing up as I did, only completely different. Mom & Mama are polar opposites. 

 "As is the mother, so is her daughter." Ezekiel 16:4
I can honestly say my mom is someone I'm very proud of. I can only hope that I continue to make her proud despite some of the choices I've made. My mom sets a great example of what a woman should be like.  

Mom and Eric

I'm very grateful that my mom met Eric. In the case of both of my parent's "the second time is the charm." And they are both very happy, which makes me very happy for them. 

 If it weren't for my parent's enormous VHS collection, I don't think I would be as interested in film. We were always going to the theatre and drive-in so I was pretty updated of the most recent movies. It's still the case, anytime I visit her collection of DVDs have doubled. Let's hope she's buying my movies in a few years. (I'll try to keep the profanity low). 

We know how to get down.

You wanna talk about the Queen of the Electric Slide? That would be my mom. 

"He's Been Faithful" is a very nostalgic song for us. It was performed at our church and then we were obsessed and really thought we were opera singers. We were out and about one day, mom is driving, and we are singing to the top of our lungs. Eyes closed we reach the bridge (of the song) next thing we knew (and it was too late) We pop onto the curb of the road and pop the tire on the car, all because of this song. 

It's one of those "youhadabethere's"

But! If my mom and I had a song it would be "I wanna singa."

Waiting (2005)

Preparations for New York have commenced. The transportation tickets are purchased. You better believe I will be documenting this entire trip to my hearts content. I will not be updating Facebook as frequently, if at all, so I can try to get the most of my trip but as I whine down at night, I'll write my thoughts down to share with you all. 

I'm so excited I could flagellate! 

I'm fortunate that anytime I come back home I have a job. 

I've worked in this restaurant since April of 2003. I walked in the lobby in a ball gown fit for a 3 year old playing princess and left with an interview. It was Brandon's senior prom. The food was great, the atmosphere was romantic and the service was great! So, in short, I get an application then I get a job. 

I worked consistently for 5 years until I moved to CA for a bit. But every time I came back [to perform in West Side Story 2009]  I still had a job. 

The uniforms may change. The faces may change. But the owners are always the same, warm hearted great people. I've made friends and family here that proximity can't even affect. 

Luigis Italian Restaurant

Thanks to my brother and a girlfriend at work I have been introduced to Smash the tv show. It's so wonderful! Full of energy and good feelings! It's the grown up Glee in my opinion and that's not a bad thing. I've only gotten through the Pilot episode so it may be too early to tell how much I do like this show, but so far. I'm hooked. 

My trip to NY is approaching fast. I'm SO excited! I'm waiting to see Avengers (2012) until I get there, I think that would be a good experience. Speaking of Avengers:

Newest movie I saw in a theatre was Cabin in the Woods (2012) and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. More so when I found out it was co-written by Joss Whedon. For those uninformed, Joss Whedon wrote both Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) film and series (1996-2003). He wrote Angel the Spin off series and Firefly followed with the film, Serenity (2005). He gained a little notoriety for his webisode series Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog (2008). And most recently, which I forget because somehow it's a little hard to believe, he wrote the screenplay for The Avengers (2012)! Which I plan to see very soon. 

The Artist (2011)

I finally saw The Artist (2011) and loved it. Lately I've been off the grid with newer movies (focusing on the classics in school) Aside from the occasional mention of a "need-to-see" film this year in school. Drive (2011); 21 Jump Street (2012); Hugo (2011) and of course... Smurfs (2011) :D


Back to The Artist. I knew about the film, what I assume the masses knew: it's silent and black and white. I spent the entire first semester in American Cinema studying and screening silent films. After a while I was a little burned out so you can forgive me for waiting to see the Artist. 

It was charming, whimsical and very traditional and in my opinion well done. There is nothing I feel like complaining about. Then again, if you haven't' already figured out, I'm easy to please. I have a feeling a silent film now could have gone very wrong; been over done. Jean Dujardin was perfectly cast as a bit of a modern day Gene Kelley and Berenice Bejo could not have been cuter. Both French, and I would never have known if it weren't for the last minute of the film. Then I found out this film is considered a French film! I don't know why that excited me! The film is nothing like Singing in the Rain (1952), but somehow I was constantly reminded of it, it could be the striking resemblance of Jean and Gene. (tee hee) (and I read on imdb that Jean & Berenice practiced in the same studio Debbie & Gene did for the final dance number.)


The very first thing I noticed watching the version I had on my computer was the aspect ratio. This may get a little confusing, but I will try to explain it. The film was shot in 1.33:1 which is called "Academy ratio" (silent films were shot this way). Here are a few examples of the difference:

Today, the average ratio for move theaters are 1.85:1 and 2.35:1(anamorphic). It was an obvious switch when you are watching films as much as I've had to lately. Small detail in such a great film. 


Another fun fact: the first spoken word in the film is "cut" while the final word of the film is "action."

It's official. School is over. My car is packed and I can't help but feel the anxiety of the unknown. Summer. Transitioning from the constant feeling of needing to be somewhere. Being surrounded by a certain type of people. The accessibility of doing whatever I want. Traveling by foot anywhere I need to go.
With the knowledge I've gained all I want to do is work on a film, but on paper my biggest experience is in a restaurant, so what do I do? I call said restaurant and pick up shifts for the next 3 days straight.
Money is what I need from this summer. And I didn't really make any money in school except until the very end working at Tech Ops with some really cool cats. I'm really looking forward to working there next year pending work study approval.
Seeing my friends off was painful but I have a very exciting trip coming up, NEW YORK!!
Of course I'll be documenting my whole trip with pics and videos. And since I'll be making the trip with two fellow filmmakers, there will be triple the coverage. There's so many places I want to go, and this trip will last until our last dollars.
I've taken a break from social networking lately. It's loosely based on a great conversation I had with a friend about disconnecting, or unplugging. It's felt really amazing. Like I've gained a little more control on my own life. It's silly, I know but it works for me.
Ciao mon chérie ;)

Annie Hall (1977)

Christene Hurley

ARH 1101-3
Final Art Project

Annie Leibovitz, Self Portrait, California, 1990

Christene Hurley, Self Portrait, Winston Salem, 2012

   Annie Leibovitz is interested in various forms of art. She 
attended the San Francisco Art Institute where she studied 
painting and developed her photography skills while working 
various jobs. She first worked for Rolling Stones when it was a small magazine about Rock & Roll. As a military brat, she traveled from base to base. Leibovitz bought her first camera in 1967 in Japan. A Minolta SR-T 101. First thing she did was climb up Mt. Fuji and took photos. She considered the hike up the mountain a religious experience and took her first experience on the road with a camera on the road, or path as a lesson in determination and moderation. The following summer she took a photography workshop. Photography was a faster medium than painting. Henri Cartier-Bresson & Robbert Frank were her heroes. 

Annie Leibovitz, Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol, and Fred Hughes, Montauk, New York, 1975 

Christene Hurley, Kazuya Kida and Blake Engel, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2012

In 1969 Leibovitz went to Israel and studied Hebrew during the height of the Vietnam war. Her boyfriend persuaded her to take photos from Israel and antiwar rallies in San Francisco to Rolling Stone. One of her pictures of a demonstration at City Hall was used for the cover of a special issue of the magazine devoted to campus riots and protests. Annie was offered a job to go on tour with the Rolling Stones per Mick. 

Annie Leibovitz,  Andree Putnam, New York City, 1989

Christene Hurley, Austin Elliott, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2012

One of the most iconic photos I’ve ever seen is Leibovitz’s photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono on December 8, 1980. Take a look at the date, it’s the day John died. Annie photographed John nude in the fetal position kissing Yoko on their floor on the morning he was shot. 

Annie only shot in black and white until Rolling Stone started printing four-color covers in 1973. One of the first cover pictures she took was a backlit photograph of Marvin Gaye. She has a few portraits with celebrities that I can look at for long periods of time. Whoopi Goldberg in a bath of milk; Steve Martin in front of his Franz Kline painting. 

    Annie’s collaboration with Arnold Schwarzenegger is worth mentioning because it’s a long time relationship. They first met in 1975 in South Africa during the Mr. Olympia contest. 

“Dance can’t be photographed. Or even filmed, for that matter. It is an art that lives in the air.” Leibovitz feels this way about athletes as well. That they are very proud of their bodies and are comfortable in front of the camera. 

Annie Leibovitz, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Malibu, California, 1988

Christene Hurley, Bryan Sloyer, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2012

One of her earliest 35mm prints were taken in ’68 when she visited her family in the Philippines, in the middle of the Vietnam War. Soldiers wounded in Vietnam were sent to Clark Air base to be treated before they were shipped home. She didn’t officially photograph a military operation until ’82 when she visited Israel. Her photos from Sarajevo are almost palpable. The Blood on a mission-school wall, Rwanda, 1994, feels like a scene from Scarface. Annie needed to go back to her roots, no assistants and to work simply. Vanity Fair gave her the excuse to go by agreeing to publish her work. 

Annie Leibovitz, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Danny Seymour, and Roert Frank, New Orleans, 1972

Christene Hurley, Drama and Dance Students playing volleyball, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2012

Annie Leibovitz, Johnny Depp, New York City, 1994

Christene Hurley, Austin Elliott, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2012

Annie Leibovitz, Penelope Cruz and Woody Allen