Sunday Adventures Part 2: Bushwick Art Crazyness!

After I got back from the cemetery today I rode all around Bushwick to check out all the art galleries that were participating in the BETA Spaces Art Festival. It was a free festival where about 20+ galleries in Bushwick were open between 12 and 7 and you could go and see art and eat snacks. I love art and I love snacks so it seemed like the perfect afternoon! Roar!

Before I even got to the first gallery I came across this women singing classic love songs into a bucket of water. She sounded great and it was a really cool piece of performance art.

The actual gallery spaces got off the a slow start. This room was filled with all sorts of found objects, mostly childhood toys. In the other room a bunch of people sat in a blanket tent playing music and scratching on an old Fisherprice record player. I guess they have some childhood issues they're still trying to work through. Roar.

This book was OK. It had various inkblots juxtaposed with blurry faces. I'm not too sure what the artist was trying to say here.

These were bits of fabric woven in between a chain link fence as an installation. People were supposed to write a wish on a piece of paper then attach it to the wall. Mine is tied to the branch in the upper left corner. It says "Simplicity."

A lot of the gallery spaces looked like this on the outside. This place was especially shady looking. It got even weirder once you got inside.

"Follow the blue arrows, M. Quincampoix. Roar"

Once I got inside the actual gallery it was great. This is a weird wooden keyboard that plays extended sounds of a women reading poetry or ambient noises. I danced on top of it just like that scene in "Big" with Tom Hanks.

This book was really cool. It was a book of 1000 different dream interpretations. The artist blacked out all the words except a couple on each page. So when you read the book it was full of all sorts of surrealists poems. Very cool!

This place was so lame. I could hear performance art going on inside but no one would answer the door. I rang the bell, knocked real hard, I even roared real loud. Still no one would let me in. Lame.

This place had some really great art and great snacks. I love snacks!

Watch out miss there is a T-Rex behind you!


Check out this sweet Star Trek TNG fan-art someone made!

WOAH! Things are starting to get really crazy. TOO MUCH ART. Roar...

Roar! I better not go into the light! Can't resist... What's going to happen to me?! Where am I going?! RRROOOAAARRrrrr........

Sunday Adventures Part 1: Cemetery of the Evergreens

ROAR! Today was crazy. I did so many awesome things! First I rode over to the Cemetery of the Evergreens where they were supposed to be giving a free tour. Turns out the guy giving the tour never showed up so I just wandered around the cemetery having fun.

Here I am in front of an amazing sculpture of an angel. This was well over a hundred years old. It had sunken into the earth a bit and was standing all crooked.

I think this would make good material for an inspirational album cover. Check out T-Rex at the Shadowy Way, music to sooth your post-apocalyptic soul. Coming to a record store near you! Roar!

I just decided to stop and chill a bit on this sweet bench. I think it might actually be somebody's head stone.

I think this sign says it all.

Here I am on top of the hill at the highest point in the cemetery. You can't really see it in this photo but there is a nice view of the Empire State building and mid-town Manhattan.

Oh No! I better be careful it's the mausoleum of Charles BOO's! His ghost might come after me and scream his last name! That would be so scary! I better watch out.

I found this penny on the ground near the mausoleum. I took it in case Charles BOO's got me. I figured I could use it to pay Charon to ferry me across the river Styx. Let's hope that doesn't happen. Roar!

Double 9's!

Roar! Yesterday was double 9's, the 9th day of the 9th month on the Chinese calender and the most auspicious day of the year. On double 9's there is way too much Yin energy in the air so all the guys have to go out and drink smelly flower tea then climb to a high point and scream, spreading their chi out all over the land. I decided to ride to the top of the glacial moraine and hang out in Forest Park in Queens.

On my way over to Forest Park I rode past Forest Hills golf course. I had no idea there was a full golf course in NYC. Woah! Did that guy just get a hole in one?!

Here I am on top of the glacial moraine. It sure is pretty out! I love fall! Roar! I'm having some trail mix and drinking chrysanthemum tea. Yum. Then I went and ROARED real loud so all of New York could hear me! Did you?

Here is a really pretty pond over by Forest Park. I would like to come back here and paint this someday.

OH MY GOODNESS! Check out these sweet pine trees! I never knew we had trees like this in NYC. This is so amazing! All the pine needles were crunching under my feet as I stomped around! And the smell, oh my it was incredible. I love trees! Roar!

More Art Adventures!

Roar! Today I tried to sell some collage art I made over on Bedford Ave in Willamsburg. It didn't go so well. I only sold one piece. The collages were a personal interpretation of some scenes of old Brooklyn. I thought they came out looking pretty cool and they generated a lot of interest but it turns out no one was buying. I hope I didn't scare everyone away because I am a dinosaur! It was really fun making the collages. I went over to the New York Public Library and did some research in their picture collection. I made a bunch of photocopies of the stuff I thought was the coolest then I went home and cut up all the pictures with my claws. Paper went everywhere! Then I glued them together into these surrealist scenes.

Here I am on Bedford Ave trying to sell my art. It was a really nice day out. Even though I didn't sell any art at least I had fun outside.

Here is a picture of the old Fulton Street Rocket Train. Unfortunately it didn't last very long.

This is what Brooklyn Heights used to look like! Roar!

This is in Dumbo over on Barry Street. That pigeon is looking a little nervous. I don't think he realized this was an owl bar. Not to mention the eyes of the Lindbergh kidnapper are gathering overhead! Spooky!

Roar! This is the only picture I sold. It's a back alley somewhere in Bushwick. I bet the the only reason I sold this one is that girl has a fixed gear bicycle.

Here is an old picture of the Williamsburg Savings Bank.

Roar! Crown Heights sure was crazy in the eighties!

Another one from Crown Heights. Just look at what everyone is wearing!

Here is what McCarren Park Pool used to look like in the winter time. I love ice skating! I don't even need skates I can just use my claws! Roar!

Woah! Check out the sweet fixie that guy is riding!

Here is the Williamsburg Bridge back when the old trolley lines used to run.

This railway yard in Brooklyn is CRAZY! Watch out for all the jazz on the left Mr. Choo Choo train! You don't want to get swept up in it! Roar!

Here is a diptych I made of a cock fight between Williamsburg and DUMBO. There are lots of pretty ladies watching! Roar!

Sunnyside Up!

Roar! Today was so nice out! I rode over to Sunnyside to check out this famous garden I've heard so much about.

Queens is such a suburban borough. Check out this ridiculously nice street! Everyone has lawns and look at all the pretty trees! I bet they get really pretty once all the leaves start to change color. Then there will be piles of leaves to play in! That is so much fun!

Here I am in front of the entrance to the garden. Turns out the garden is private and you have to be on a committee to be allowed inside! What is this Gramercy Park?!

I decided not to let this set back ruin my day. I just rode around a whole bunch of Queens enjoying the nice weather then headed home. I guess sometime things don't always go as planned but it's always nice to go outside and get some exercise! Roar!

Superfund? More like SUPER FUN!

ROAR! So it turns out the EPA wants to declare Newtown Creek as a Superfund Site officially making it one of the most polluted places in the country. I read claims that there is now more oil in Newtown Creek than was spilled in the Exxon Valdez disaster! Apparently Brooklyn has been leaking my ancestors in the creek for the past 100 years. I decided I just had to check this place out. So I rode my bike through Greenpoint and over the Pulaski Bridge where they have a nice rest area right over Newtown Creek!

The NYC skyline is really pretty this time of day. Too bad that water down below is so polluted!

Look at that nasty water down there! There is trash floating around and you can see oil and chemicals floating on the surface! GROSS! I don't understand how people can even live around here!

Here you can see a bunch of the industrial factories along the creek. They've been leaking chemicals and sewage into the water. The EPA even says some of those could get into the air. I better hold my breath next time I cross the bridge!

I threw up a sticker on the bridge and decided it was time to head home.

While riding down Morgan Ave on my way home I passed this crazy fashion shoot by the L train stop.

I'm not sure what they were taking pictures for. I guess the industrial area of Bushwick is just all the rage for fashion shoots now.

Next I rode past the Boar's Head distribution center. Look at all those trucks full of tasty meat! Oh man, I'm so happy I live so close to this place! ROAR!

Columbus Day Art Adventure!

ROAR! Today I rode up to the PS1 MoMA gallery in Queens. It's really cool. The museum has lots of local artists on display and it's suggested donation unlike the MoMA in Manhattan. The PS1 is in a big old schoolhouse and it's really fun to wander around all the rooms. Unfortunately they were setting up new exhibits so there were only a few things to see.

They had this crazy indoor pool where you could see people hanging out below under the water. It was a neat trick! Here I am getting ready to go for a dip.

Now I am floating around under the water! Everybody was so surprised to see a T-Rex swimming around them.

Here I am hanging out on the railing. Sometimes it's cool to just chill under the water and take it all in.

Woah! Somebody lost a dollar in the pool! I tried to chase it down but it wasn't easy. T-Rex's aren't really made for swimming you know!

One other interesting exhibit in the museum was this room whose floor was completely covered in old records. It was really interesting to walk around and look at all the great music I was stomping on! Crush! Take that Bee Gees! Smash! Woah! Look out Bach, it's a T-Rex!

Next I headed over to the Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria Queens. It another cool little place where they showcase lots of student sculpture work. Here I am standing on top of a crushed car. Haha, silly art student, he had to use a machine to crush this! I could have done it all by myself! ROAR!

Check out this giant sculpture of a bisected whale! It looks so yummy! I wish I could eat it. Cool art though. Reminds me of that whale that beached itself over in Oregon decades ago. That sure was a disaster! Go look it up. Roar!

Check it out I found the missing I and U lines! I think this is a pretty great art piece but I think maybe the artist should have included the "O" line in there between the "I" and the "U" if they're trying to make some sort of comment about the MTA.

Open NYC was today!

ROAR! Today was Open NYC, the day where all these crazy places around NYC have open houses and you can sign up for tours. The problem is all the tours are at the same time so you can only go to one. I signed up for the tour of the Jackson Heights garden apartments. It was pretty fun to walk around the historic garden community in Queens but also a little ridiculous because now the apartments all cost upwards of a million dollars an apartment. It was crazy!

Here I am in front of the Chateau, one of the fancier apartment buildings in Jackson Heights. Check out that slate roof! What is this the stone age?!

This the Towers apartment complex, apparently it was a financial failure. Sure looks nice though!

Where would New York be with out its keep off the grass signs? They really aren't too welcoming in this neck of the woods. I guess when you have a million dollar apartment you don't want to share the space.

One of the great things about Jackson Heights is it has a really diverse ethnic community. That means all kinds of exotic MEAT! Here is some delicious chilly chicken! ROAR! I love meat!

ROAR! Giant kebabs! Jackson Heights is so great! MEAT! MEAT! MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!

After eating a ton a awesome meat I left my mark on a street pole then rode on to my next destination, Flushing.


Afterwards I rode this crazy ride! Overall it was a pretty excellent day! ROAR!