Tag Archives: New York City

Winter Sunset at the Hudson River Park

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It’s been far too long since I’ve posted anything on my blog.  Making the move to NYC has been fun and work has been a huge time commitment, but I’m loving it.  I get to do what I love, live in the city of my dreams, and in the end that makes the crazy hours and high stress lifestyle more than worth it.  But more on that in the next few weeks.

One of my favorite activities to do in the city is walk.  I put in my headphones, put on some music, and just walk.  Lately I’ve been taking Friday afternoon and walking from my office on 51st and Broadway down to the tip of Manhattan and the Financial District.  It’s a rather long walk, but it’s more than worth it.  For someone who spent a large portion of his college summers traveling, it’s a reminder that living in NYC is like living in hundred  different places while never moving more than 10 miles.  Three blocks and you can move from a Asian metropolis to a Russian enclave.  It’s seriously that diverse.

Last week before our quick snow, I was walking down the Hudson River Park on the west side of Manhattan.  Near the end of my walk, I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time to capture this spectacular winter sunset over New Jersey.  I keep forgetting my trusty Nikon D300, but luckily the iPhone 4 has a pretty amazing camera built into it…  Like the adage says, it’s not the camera, it’s the photographer and the moment.

http://www.briandavidjoyner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/NYC-Hudson-Park.jpeg

 

Hello New York City. Yes, You’re My New Home

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So yes, it is official.  I accepted a job offer and now live/work in the Big Apple.  So as a way to celebrate, I decided to take advantage of the amazing weather and walk from Central Park to Brooklyn via the Brooklyn Bridge.  I was even asked to take a couple’s picture as they started on the bridge.  Turns out 5 minutes later at the top, they got engaged.  I don’t have access to my iMac and Photoshop yet, so these are extremely raw.  Still, they came out excellent.  Enjoy.  Click on the photo below for the set.

Empire State Building

The Warren Buffet Concert Investment Theory Part 2

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The realization of an investment can be a wonderful experience or in the case of a loss, a feeling similar to putting a trusted horse out to paster.  Luckily for me, my investment not only resulted in a positive gain, but it was a large enough gain that I’m going to both the Cut Copy and LCD Soundsystem concerts for zero cost to me.  I’m sure I could of held out for more, but I achieved my goals and being greedy was an extra risk I didn’t feel was needed.  It’s kind of like going to Vegas: just because you won one round doesn’t mean you are going to win the next.  Know when to cut your losses, but more importantly, know when to take the money and run.

While I’m happy with my win, I’m not the only one who is playing the NYC concert market for what it’s worth.  Take for example the insanity surrounding LCD Soundsytem’s last ever show.  The rumor mill has been hard at work coming up with theories about what happened and to be honest, I’m inclined to believe they may have some truth behind them.  Withholding tickets and slowly selling them off for outrages gains thanks to the hype is a pretty crazy idea, but this is the music and entertainment industry.  Rules don’t really exist.  My experiences playing the market tells me something isn’t exactly black and white.  I can understand Terminal 5 selling out quickly for an indie band like Cut Copy or LCD Soundstystem, but Madison Square Garden?  Last time I checked, the Strokes concert at Madison Square Garden the night before LCD still has tickets available.  It’s hard to believe that LCD Soundsystem sold out the venue within seconds while the Strokes concert still has tickets left…  Just my thoughts.

 

The Warren Buffet Concert Ticket Investment Theory.

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I’m currently undergoing live music withdrawal.  Yes, it exist and it generally sucks.  There really isn’t any other way to put it.  But I’m proactive and I have a solution!

The Chapel Hill/Carrboro area of North Carolina used to be a live music hotspot.  It’s location between the Atlanta and the DC area made it an ideal location to stop for the night, play an extra gig, and hang out it in what can be argued as one of the top college towns in the United States (The picture is of people jumping fires on Franklin Street following UNC’s 2005 NCAA National Championship win).

Venues such as the Cat’s Cradle and The Local 506 were popular venues for artists that normally played much larger venues, but decided to play a smaller, more intimate show for the local music lovers.  Along with attracting groups from pretty much anywhere and everywhere, the local scene produced a lot of local bred talent in the 1980s and 1990s including such groups as Superchunk and Ben Folds Five.

Unfortunately, the mighty river of musical talent has experienced a major draught and is dare I say it, dried up to an almost wet-weather drainage stream.  I hate to say it, but since 2008, here is the list of groups I’ve seen in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area: Interpol, the Artic Monkeys, Of Montreal, and the Soft Pack.  And the first two were in Raleigh.  Needless to say, but I’m going to anyway… that’s sad for a metro area with over a million people in it.

Well, I’ve come up with a solution.  I travel to see bands and it’s awesome.  Over the same time span that I’ve seen 4 bands in the Triangle area, I’ve traveled to Atlanta to see the Kings of Leon, Portland to see Metric and K’naan, and New York to see Spoon and Vampire Weekend.

And it’s been worth every penny.  I make it a point to travel and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to do so.  And it doesn’t hurt to have friends and a sibling whom I can normally bribe with a ticket for a place to stay!

Well, I’ve got a new theory I’m going to try out… I’m going to try and make a concert pay for itself.  How you might ask?  I’m going to play the concert market and invest in tickets.

So how does this work?  It’s easy and my method of investment is based on Warren Buffet’s method of investment: buy undervalued, but solid equity.  In the case of concerts, buy tickets to concerts of quality artist that are undervalued in price.  In a city like New York, it’s tough to find a concert that is seriously undervalued, but I’ve found my concert: Cut Copy.  Other bands I’ve wanted to see have had their tickets triple in value on the secondary market, so let’s see if I win!

NYC: The Return

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It’s great to be back!  Like last time, it’s going to be way too short and crazy busy, but I’m at least going to visit some of the museums this time.  I’m in Brooklyn this time and it’s been great.  I ran around Prospect Park twice this morning with my iPod on Vampire Weekend (who I see Thursday!) and I was once again reminded why I love this city.  It’s a totally different experience than staying in Manhattan in a 10th floor Upper East Side apartment with a Central Park view, but I like the view here better.

Well, last night the September 11th lights were on.  We decided to fire up the grill, enjoy the early fall weather, and watch the lights until the wee hours of the morning.  It’s a hauntingly beautiful display.

All good things must come to an end… We will meet again NYC.

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I love cities… I haven’t always loved them, but as I get older, I find myself loving the idea of city dwelling more and more. There is just something about cities that does it for me. I’m not sure if I can pin it to one thing specifically, but I’ll put it on my list of things “not to rationalize.” Those of you who know me well know exactly what is on that list. It is pretty small. Of course some cities are just something else…

New York has always been a little different in my eyes. I’ve always known the second I set foot in the city, I would either hate the place totally or fall headfirst in love with the uniqueness of the city. I loved it.

My first experience in the city defies anything I could of expected. Like all my trips, I winged it. When I arrived, I expected to visit a few schools, see some museums, and just try and get a sense of the place. If I end up going to school in the city, I need to know I can survive. For me, there is no better test than just run around the city and see what happens. I visited the schools I had arranged to see, but other than that, I totally ran with the opportunities as they popped up.

I could not have asked for a better or more inspiring experience. Thanks to a friend, I got a very close look at the fashion world during the opening days of NYC’s famed Fashion Week. I can not say I know a huge amount about the industry, but I know I got to see something very special. I quickly realized I was surrounded by total class acts and that was an opportunity I was most definitely not going to pass. Even if you know absolutely nothing about an industry, it is awe inspiring to see creative minds at the top of their game. That is something very special to experience and I am very thankful to have been offered the chance to meet and hopefully befriend some very cool people. I may have been as slept deprived as I have been in a long time, but I would not trade my first experiences in New York City for anything.

Take a look at Cesar Galindo‘s work… pictures really don’t do his designs justice!

I’d also like to personally thank the show’s PR master, Gregory Triana of Blue Cashew Events.  I honestly think you have one of the most amazing jobs I have ever seen!