Spring and new beginnings

So obviously I'm back in New York and feeling so much better now. This new chapter is shaping up nicely. I'm excited. With this new job at the New York Historical Society I feel that I've really hit a milestone. While only a part time position, it's as a permanent member of staff (as opposed to a freelancer). In my current position I deliver programs to school groups. In this new position I have sole ownership of my program and will be tasked with researching, creating and delivering the program. Finishing off with updating a regular blog on my adventures.

Other improvements include this wonderful weather. With the warmer days I can get back to exploring the city and reporting back on all that I'm learning. This weekend for example we headed to Brooklyn to catch a flea market. I have no photos of it as it was so hot that I couldn't bare to hold a hot camera to my face. When it suddenly clouded over it was a great opportunity to capture the view of the city. As I get more used to the heat, hopefully I'll be able to get pictures of it for you.

The land of folly

Dubai, Dubai, Dubai. I seriously do not know what to say about this place. To be honest the only reason why we went was because it perfectly divided up the 26 hour flight from Australia. Also we have both always been a bit curious, so we thought 'why not?'. Well I'm curious no more, and to be honest didn't really get it. The image of this super fast-paced, vibrant skyline, rising up from the desert dust looked quite different in reality. To me it felt like two little hubs of rising skyscrapers miles apart with the 'Sail Hotel' standing lonely in the sprawling land between them. Most of your view was taken up by building sites, warehouses or desert. And what to do? Well shopping seems to be the recreation of choice, but not in the way we're used to. It was all about the Gucci, Prada, Marc, Dolce and Yves. We decided to experience Dubai's two most famous buildings instead. The 'Sail Hotel' otherwise known as the Burj Al Arab, having afternoon tea. And the world's tallest building otherwise known as that building that Tom Cruise jumps out of in the last Mission Impossible film. A stunt that he did for real! Crazy SOB. Or you know you could call it the Burj Khalifa. There we had cocktails on the 124th floor. While the views were breathtaking, it was scary as hell.

We were smart and decided to stay in the old town to get a bit of history and culture. Especially since Dubai is experiencing an art revival. Art is everywhere with galleries and boutiques opening up all over the place. We were also close to the old Souk's, or markets which sold everything from spices to gold. This was a real taste of old Dubai. We stayed at the gorgeous Art Hotel which had beautiful rooms, a cafe, boutique store and art dotted around the entire building. A walk to your room was like being in a modern art museum. That would be my tip if you ever find yourself in this part of the world. Stay in the old town, it's a lot more interesting with more culture and you see the real Dubai.

Giddy up!

The real reason why we went to Australia was to visit Hipster Dufus' family. And these are by far the best pictures of the trip. Here his adorable nieces and nephew have come up with two great games. First there was 1,2,3 jump on uncle hipster! And the second was that their uncle was a horse and needed to carry them through the house. Let's just say he got absolutely no rest. 

From Dusk to Night

Dusk and night time is yet another excuse to relax and chill out, and where else? The beach of course. After a full day's cooking we all headed out to the beach tables and chairs in tow. The best thing about this part of the world is that there is no light pollution so the night's sky is incredibly clear. It was my first time ever seeing a shooting star. The downside being that I became so obsessed that I spent the rest of the time with my head up desperate to see another.

The very next night it was off to another beach (yes, the whole place is just beaches). This time it was to watch the a Broome phenomenon of the 'Staircase to the Moon'. At certain times of the year the moon doesn't just appear in the sky it rises like the sun. You can literally see it coming up bit by bit. It then leaves a reflection on the water that looks like stairs, leading up to the moon. It's such a celebration that they had a night market in place for while you waited. I got the impression that it might be quite well known as all I could hear on the beach was german and spanish. It was amazing, and I've never seen anything like it before.

As you can see my picture is awful so I would advise you to look at these google images for an idea of how breathtaking it actually was.

Beach Bumming

Sun Pictures

Is this not just the cutest cinema you've ever seen? Sun Pictures in Broome is the world's oldest outdoor cinema still in operation. It's just the most gorgeous experience ever (completely rose tinted here as I'm ignoring the inevitable inclusion of mosquitos and bats). We went on a gorgeously warm night to watch the film 'I give it a year', which was actually hilarious. Outdoor cinemas always have this really magical quality to them, and this one even more so if only because of the history behind it. It's just such a shame that Broome is quite out of the way as it would definitely be a recommendation.