So, here we go. Finally. But I also needed to get settled in Frankfurt again first.
Once we (meaning Olga, a good friend from our school days, and me) arrived at LAX, we took the “G” BUS, that took us directly to our final destination: Venice Beach Hostel.
Haha. I wish!!!!
Neither did this “A” BUS, so we had to take the “C” BUS, that took us on a looooooooong tour over the LAX parking lot! First sightseeing tour: check!!!
We had to get off at the “LAX City Bus Center“. What a name for this little stop, that you see in this picture.
To make a short story long: From there we took the Big Blue Bus, thinking that it would just be a big blue bus, but that was really the name of the bus company. We also had to transfer to another line, but the bus driver forgot about us, so we made a long way round! That way at least we already got to see Santa Monica Downtown and the Pacific Ocean on our way.
I don’t know how long all of these bus rides took us, because I didn’t have any sense for time left, but it sure felt like another flight after two flights.
The other good thing about it was, that we also gained some insights. I never took the bus in the US before, so I was amazed at the cordial atmosphere and the fact, that it seemed like some passengers and the bus driver knew each other by their name. Before being dropped off it was the norm to thank the bus driver. Do that in Germany and you’ll get the looks.
Going by bus is really something for old and poor people over there. Something we had to laugh hardly at was this statement on getting to Downtown L.A. by bus from the guy we would later on rent a car from: “Hhhmmm, there should be a bus, but I really don’t know. I’ve never taken the bus in my entire life.”
I have to admit that I was also surprised at this neat way to transport bikes on the bus. Oh, and have your 1 Dollar bills ready. You won’t get any change.
Then, the next day, we faced the problem, that the power socket in the bathroom wasn’t working. Ask a blogger and he’ll always have a solution. :)
So it was the beach, once we were ready to go.
I love these big ass signs. This one is from a closed down car wash.
Hassssssssssssssssss!!!
Naked. Wow, always thought the US is prude.
Later on we also made our way to Santa Monica, where I spotted this sign. Something that I gladly would have administered some players of Eintracht Frankfurt a few days later, but that’s another story!
And on the third day our adventures could finally begin, as we got ourselves this bum juice ride right here for 30$ a day LOL. I’m pretty sure, that the right front wheel fell off by now. But at least it still worked for us.
So, check back [UPDATE: maybe] tomorrow for the real adventures.
wuddup? I was really not able to write anything more than a bunch of tweets out of L.A., because there is so much stuff to do out here. I think I might stay 4 weeks and it won’t get boring. Anywayz, I also didn’t feel like filming, because I also wanted & needed to relax for a bit
But I got many pics and lot of things to write about. Here’s this little video though, so you can get a first impression on what is going on here 24/7.
We’ll leave here in a few hours, so see you at FRA then. Please no paparazzi!!!
in a few I will be flying to L.A., where my main purpose is to chilLAX, but of course I will be giving you guys some updates here and there & I’ll also post all the stuff, that I intended to post in the last few days alreadyyy, but couldn’t due to all the things I had to take care of first before going on vacation, from some beautiful beach somewhere at the Pacific Ocean. :)
Just recently Caro, who we met back at the Market 41 Flutschfinger party for the first time, spent her holidays in New York City and judging by the pics she sent us, she spent most of the time attaching RUN FFM stickers all over NYC. :)
Since we really like that, I didn’t wanna keep those beatiful pictures away from y’all, so here we go. :)
She even got other people to join the street team. :D
So if you are in NYC, keep your eyes open. Some goes for Tokyo, London, Berlin, Frankfurt of course and I’m sure also some other places, I can’t even think of right now. As usual, pics are always welcome.
Caro also goes by the name of C-Arrow and as YOSOY‘s 1st lady she is spinning tonight at Walden along with DJ Craze and Klever, DJ Passion & Mango Jack a.ka. Jack Sehn a.k.a. Jacksta a.k.a. Blacksta a.k.a. Jackmode a.k.a. 1 half of The Goooniez.
I know, I know, I know. 2010 is well under its way and that’s also the reason, why I didn’t get to do this post before. But it really needs to be done, because 2009 provided some great memories in three completely different cities on three continents, all along with some great friends – made possible by low air fares. For each one, I’ll have a video and 15 photos (I tried to cut it down, but it wasn’t possible, so you’ll get some more – click on them for bigger view). It all began in April, when I visited my homie Ben in Cairo.
CAIRO
I was there. I saw them. I went into one. From that point on I knew, that they really exist. Insane!!!
I loved walking along the Nile. And I loved those lions at both ends of the Tahrir Bridge.
One evening, Ben and me wanted to go to the Citadel and got into this annual fair along one well known street in the old islamic part of Cairo (many mosques). And yes, the carrousels are hand operated. The kids enjoy it anywayz.
Another evening, we ended up at a party on the 16th floor in Zamalek. There was also a pool on the roof. Yay!
We also went on a Feluka, a sailboat, and of course there was no wind at all!!! But on 360 evenings a year, I would recommend this ride to you.
Here, we were having something to drink after we got off the Feluka. Dope just to chill by the Nile at night.
Downtwn Cairo has many, many beautiful buildings as you can see.
The Tahrir, the busiest street junction in the city.
As I was walking along the Nile, I discovered this market garden.
You can’t go wrong with these type of pictures. Plus, you can see a highway bridge. There are many of them in the city – much to my surprise.
Sport connects. We became friends on the basketball court. And even though we didn’t speak the same language, it was laughter all the way home. Hope, they are doing good.
This picture was taken on my last evening in Cairo, when Ben took me to Hotel Windsor, where we had a great dinner. Ben must have been tired as hell, since I don’t remeber him having a good sleep during the two weeks I was there. But you can’t tell from the pic, right? Son ist looking good!
You’ll see these and many more photos in the following video. Some of them are blurred, so just take it with Egyptian ease. The feeling is essential. Also in this video you’ll see me climbing down into a pyramid, kids break-dancing and us crossing the street!!!
This was the most adventorous trip of them all and Cairo has so much energy, every second. Mother of all cities.
NEW YORK
In May it was time to travel to NYC along with Chris for a long weekend to check out some of them stores, the nightlife, and also to make a trip north to Boston to visit Simon.
That’s the first thing lots of the immigrants saw back then, so that’s the first thing you’ll see here.
The Manhattan skyline, photographed from Brooklyn.
This is probably my favorite pic from NYC: Chris and me at atmos NYC in Harlem. Chris from atmos took this photo.
This is dope. It’s not a sneaker store, it’s a warehouse up in Harlem.
This is a church in Harlem. I took this pic while we were driving, because I was astonished by the shops it also contained.
The board walk in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Everybody wants to take a pic of Chris at Times Square. Haha.
When I can’t sleep, I think about the meaning of those words, which leads to me losing even more sleep.
This is Chris in front of the DKNY sign on Hudson St. After being a fixture for years, it was taken down in the meantime, so we were lucky to just walk by it.
A store in SoHo. For obvious reasons.
Chris and me in Webster Hall.
These two photos above are just so NYC.
I took this photo in a bar in Cambridge, near Boston.
Simon and me on the Harvard campus. Yes, he’s a smart kid.
This leaves our short film titled It’s about to go dowwwwwwwwwwwwn (that was the official slogan for our long weekend in the US) for your viewing pleasure. It starts with our arrival at the airport, I was then in New Jersey, while Chris took photos in Manhattan, we then drove to Coney Island, the next day SoHo and Webster Hall and the last day we were in Boston, before our night at the airport began.
New York really derserves all those songs. There’s a special vibe there.
TOKYO
Finally, Chris went to Tokyo for his documentation, so I joined him for a few days there.
Shibuya crossing. You have to see the incredible amount of people with your own eyes.
In Akihabara, you’ll find everything video game and gadget related. I even got me some t-shirt there.
These two photos should just show you, how tall I felt at times. For every tall person visiting Tokyo: Don’t wear hats. Believe me, you want to see what’s in front of your forehead.
Chris won a limited urban vinyl figure at Secret Base, so they took a Polaroid shot of him. If you ever see us in the streets, we can also tell you a damn funny story on this one. Hehe.
On Cat Street you’ll find a lot of stores. I really like this shot because of the three different buildings.
This was the river next to our hostel, we had to pass every day.
This is the street of our hostel. Again can’t go wrong with a pic like this.
That’s me in a BAPE store. Psssscht.
This is a shot from Odabai, a large artificial island, that has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential and leisure area.
This was the spot I liked the most in Tokyo. You could take a walk without any cars or noise, but with this view of the city!!!
We made so many videos in Tokyo, but this one right here sums it up pretty well. You can find all the others here.
Tokyo is just another dimension. My first sight at the city was when I woke up on my ride from the airport and suddenly found myself as high as maybe the 10th floor of the buildings we passed, while two bridges under us crossed.
Let’s see what 2010 holds in font of us. Have a great year every day.
As we went for our short trip to the States, I had some kool stuff shipped to my friend in advance and I also ordered some styles from DURKL, after I found out about them in an interview with itsbongoboy.com.
I chose to order the Grab Bag, where you get 4 shirts in your chosen size. And as you can see, the people from DURKL sent me some nice shirts. The fourth one will stay undercover, because it’s going to be the perfect gift later this year. So I’ll even be able to make another person happy, too. Just perfect.
And of course, I had to add some hats to it as well.
This brand is from DC and you can get their styles in Germany, too:
Subway Bensheim / Van Liebling Berlin / Angels-Inn Munich
For more retailers and to see more of their styles, please go and check out DURKL’s site and this interview with itsbongoboy.com:
I really didn’t want to buy so much shoes, but once you are given the chance… Maaan…
These NIKE RT1 High from atmos are my most favorite shoes from this trip. That’s why I rocked them right away!!!
atmos Harlem, NYC 203 W 125th Street New York, NY 10027 – www.atmosnyc.com
Over the street at The House Of Hoops, I found these NIKE Dunk High Premium. I really like them, even though they kind of look like they are from Bavaria!!! lol
And I already ordered these NIKE Hyperdunks that perfectly fit my team colors online from footlocker.com to have them comfortably shipped to my friend. ;-)
That makes now three pairs of Hyperdunks for me bbbbbaaaalllllliiiiinnnngggggg!!!
As I showed and told everybody before, we got back to Germany with quite some more baggage than when we left. Today I want to start things off with some smaller items.
What I definitely wanted to buy were some new cases for my iPhone, so went to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue to get them. The entrance of the store is a big glass cube, then you walk down some stairs (or take the elevator…) to the sales room. I picked one case by Paul Frank featuring Julius and one by Hurley.
Yup did some touristy stuff in New York City too, when you there you gotta do some touristy things who knows if you ever get the chance to go again anyways so I chose to go up the Empire State building.
Actually I didnt go all the way up there they will charge you again only to go to the top of that needle antenna thing which is a rip off dont do it and also dont buy into that shitty green screen picture they try to sell you for 26 dollars haha.
We spent a day in Boston and Cambridge last week to visit Simon a friend of Andi (ballatician on runffm) who just graduated Harvard (congrats!) and to check out Boston a little bit. First stop was Karmaloop which I wrote about a little bit earlier, they got kicked out of their old location and moved to another place, we just stood in front of an emptied out closed store with no signs or notifications of the new location also the website didnt say anything about the new location so we went on.
We went on to Niketown and some other locations and also found the Johnny Cupcakes flagship store.
