London and NYC, love hearts and stats...

As if made just for this blog, the people at  expedia.co.uk have been gathering sources from all over the shop and have come up with a list comparing the two wonderful metropolises, suggesting you might 'heart' one of them more...humm, is it possible?

My NYC blog ebook is very close to being published, and will be free to all my blog readers, so join up to the blog- or drop me your email, meanwhile I thought it was worth examining the list...

• NYC has more people per sq mile and London being bigger than NYC, is able to spread more people out.

When you live on Manhattan Island it's clear you live on a little Island, and there will be pretty much no street that you're on alone any time of the day.

Then the obvious -

• NYC enjoys warmer temperatures in the Summer, but much colder winters, and wetter months.

• Public transport is cheaper in the Big Apple including Taxi's. NYC so much more affordable than London in this respect, and you can go much further on less money.

• Shopping if you're so inclined, is not surprisingly widely available in both cities, and with the pound not so strong, it's not so much a bargain anymore for UK shoppers. Besides there's so much more to do in both cities culturally, artistically and to eat and drink than shopping..just flick through this blog.

• London clearly has more green spaces and parks, easily taken for granted till you live in NY and see the kids playgrounds one called 'Diana Ross Park' inside Central Park near 84th West playing with a concrete floor, very unimaginative and a bit depressing in winter...
• Still I disagree with the list, it misses out my fave park in London- Primrose Hill, wonderful views and fab atmosphere chilling out in the summer sunshine, with Camden Lock Market just down the hill

In my opinion in NYC the best park by far, and I'm talking Manhattan here, is Central Park, no contest. See my posts. So many different areas to explore, a zoo, a theater, a boathouse lake with a restaurant and bar, any season and this place is amazing and accessible- they even sweep the paths in the snow. Then there's the absolutely amazing wildlife- raccoons, hawks, turtles, not to mention over a quarter of all the bird species found in the United States have been seen in Central Park and the squirrels have fearless attitude, one jumped down to press my open handed glove, searching me for food.

• As for pictures... I think skylines of both cities are much more snapped up, because they're ubiquitous. Especially in NYC because as a tourist or a resident, lets face it, you're going to be inside a tall building at some point in your day, and the view will probably be amazing...

Let me know which city you 'heart' more and why, or why you love them both and refuse to choose, comments below...

Freedom to Create, Empowering Women Art Exhibiton.

Favianna Rodriguez- 'Fight Patriarchy' The small print on the painting says 'of the 50 Million displaced from their homelands, 80% are women and children. Of the 1.3 Billion of people living on less than $1 per day 70% are women. SECOND PART- Sex trafficking is one of the highest grossing industries world wide. Among the hungriest people of the world 60% are women.

I was asked last minute, to go to a 'Freedom to Create' Forum and opening of the 'Freedom to Create exhibition in New York, at the Ana Tzarev Galley 24 W57th Street.
'Freedom to create' describe themselves as a vehicle to 'enable the world to realise it's potential', they consider Art as the 'universal language that has the power to create, communicate, inspire, comfort and counsel.'

It is through art- 'a non threatening and non-controversial interaction' that they focus, on societies that face political repression, intolerance, ignorance and religious extremism which inhibit creative expression, especially for women. And it is from these societies which exhibit in the gallery today.

All have a message, and something to inform us of, this is just a mere selection of some of the injustice faced today, facing both men, women and children. It is a moving exhibition, showing painful scenes which would never make the evening news, and sometimes not even the debate table.
The empowerment of the oppressed is something I believe strongly in, and this brave exhibition in this melting pot that is New York, is contributing to help breaking the barriers and championing creative, economic and political freedoms. Some of the artists were expelled from their homeland as a result of their art.

Hana Hajjar- Satire with Paul the predicting octopus.

 This is Hana Hajjar, from Saudi Arabia, whose cartoons often depict the difficult situations Saudi women find themselves,"I think men have put women in an unfavorable position in this part of the world. They've put women in an oppressive situation," said Hana, She works for a English language newspaper Arab news. Although women are not often outspoken in the Arab world Hana says she has faced no repercussions of her work.

Fernando Moleres- African Children in prison.

This is one of the photographs of a child in an African jail, though not sure where in Africa. There are Laws against the persecution of children, but despite this, they are placed in cells with adults. The pictures are painful and graphic. Many are orphaned and of course poor. One can only hope these photo's do what they are intended: to make the Government to review the laws, so that these children might lead better lives.

Abir Abdullah- Bangladesh "Shattered faces'

These two graphic images are of women were facially disfigured from acid attacks because they refused a mans sexual advances or marriage proposals.
This particular ladies face haunts me, as she still looks quite scared and afraid, still, with the love for her child in her arms, she holds it up to her face as if to heal.
The photographer hopes that these images raise awareness on the brutality against these women, and hope that the men involved see this and will  deter them from taking such a cruel and inhumane step.

Abir Abdullah- Bangladesh- "Shattered Faces'

There were also stinging things that I learned, Maureen Burdock- who makes graphic art called the 'F Word Project' had a comic strip which detailed 3 women wearing the Hijjab, one women said 'My husband thought I was staring at other men, so he hurt my eyes' and another said 'My husband thought other men were looking at me, so he cut off my nose' both women, were drawn with eyes gouged and nose missing respectively. Her art is designed to increase awareness of Women's struggles around the world. Dealing with female infanticide, honour killing and sexual abuse, she says 33% of girls have been molested before the age of 18 in the USA.

There are many more injustices detailed in this one floor art show, and such creative ways to portray them, music, dancing, performance art, theatre are only a few. I haven't even talked about the competition and the winners, because in fact all at the exhibition seem like winners and all such worthy issues and causes. If you get a chance, go check it out, it's Free and it will be in NYC until April 23rd, then it will move to Mumbai, India. It has already been to London, Hong Kong, Harare and Kabul.

Freedom to Create really does host the uncomfortable reality of so many lives but as the exhibition aims it also hosts the voices of courage, reconciliation, strength, unity, healing and hope, very inspiring and so much to be grateful for, and to speak up for!

A restaurant for all seasons!

So I discovered "Park Avenue -Winter' this week, but this restaurant is unusual in that it changes it's name, menu, and decor with the seasons. Good food and good service, even if the tables are a bit too tight together, I was amused and intrigued when our waiter told us about dessert even before we ordered drinks.
He told us that the restaurant this season had been a collaboration with Marina Abramovic- an artist, and that she had worked with the chef to create a dessert with a 'performance piece'. Now, who doesn't like to be entertained at dinner... I couldn't resist.. it sounded bizarre, and for someone who cant help but try new things, I decided to order it.
I had no idea that Abramovich was akin to the Tate Modern of artists and even has a biography entitled: When Marina Abramovic Dies: A Biography which was actually a prelude to this piece of her work/dessert.
The waiter presented me with my desert which looked like a meringue, with a noodley shaped sugar on top (apologies have no photo's- wasn't expecting to need the camera at dinner).
And a box with a set of headphones: my dessert was to be a volcano. And he informed me that she would ask me to 'look into the blue flame', as he wouldn't be able to hear that, he asked if I wouldn't mind if he lit it then and I could 'save the image in my mind...'

Of course I completely forgot about saving this image in my mind, as I was too close to diners either side of me intrigued by my desert who were too chicken, or too wise to be embarrassed to do this in a restaurant. I am English after all, it's not our way to be so flamboyant with desert!

So on the headphones she's telling me in a serious sombre voice to close my eyes and take deep breaths in and out.. I close my eyes because the waiter knows and he is watching but I'm red hot flushed, and way too conscious of all other diners watching.
She asks me to, finally open my eyes, and look at the blue flame... by now the sugary top is just melted on the meringue and I'm using imagination.
She tells me to take a taste, aah at least it tastes good, yummy meringue and a ice cream gooey center.

She goes on for a while asking me to taste this and feel that, I'm still too aware I am in the restaurant, being watched.

Smiling inanely, looking at my boyfriend, wondering what on earth I was thinking; ordering such a thing.
She then thanks me for 'tasting with awareness' phew.. it's over as I try to act confident and pass over the headset so he can do it! He does it with a lot less self-consciousness.. and we laugh..

Art and eating, in a restaurant that changes completely with each season, totally inspired NYC.
The girl on my right, came to ordering desert and asked me if the 'performance desert' was any good contemplating ordering it. I heard her English accent and felt relief,  I said something sarcastic, about it tasting nice and being very Tate Modern, she laughed and ordered two scoops of ice cream instead...I felt very brave as being the Londoner who left her inhibition to be inspired.. well sorta.. and all for $20!