Girl Talk @ Terminal 5 (11/16/08)

I first heard about Pittsburgh mash-up DJ, Girl Talk, in Detroit last May and finally got to catch the live act at the All Points West Festival in August. I was so impressed with the energy of the performance at APW I vowed not to miss Girl Talk (aka Greg Gilles) again. Me and a crew hit up the 2nd of 3 sold out shows at Terminal 5 and had a ridiculous time. So many people have been hating on Girl Talk but I must say, I'm leaning toward the party-rocking-hipster DJs these days - they are bringing the FUN back to nightlife and I'm all for it. I can't tell you how many times I've been to electronic music parties recently and found myself utterly bored by the music and the vibe. And... I know I'm not alone despite what many so-called pundits will admit publicly. Where else are you going to get 2 Live Crew, Journey, Notorious B.I.G., Kelley Clarkson and others all in one sitting? Awesome.

Definitely check out the videos below and get on Girl Talk's website to download his mix (pay whatever you want) if you haven't already.



Montage of My Videos:


ON STAGE with Girl Talk:


Photo Credit: NY Times

Ambergris Caye, Belize (11/7/08)

As fate would have it, the very same day I gave notice to Unilever, Travel Zoo announced ridiculously low fares from NYC to Belize. Never one to pass up a chance to travel or soak the sun, I booked (for $200 RT!!) and decided to head down alone for 6 days for some r&r before starting my new job. It's a tiny country with only about 320,000 people but it has a rich history and diverse culture. Once part of the Mayan, and very briefly the Spanish Empire, it was most recently affiliated with the British Empire, prior to gaining its independence in 1981 (from Wiki). In 2007 I started my summer travel adventure in Caye Caulker so this time I opted for the other, more developed island, Ambergris Caye. You may not realize it but you've definitely heard of this island before... probably as early as 1987 when Madonna sung about it in "La Isla Bonita" or maybe more recently in 2001 when Fox aired the Temptation Island reality show. Either way, my blog will not be the first pop culture mention for the 25 square mile island.

I decided to do things a bit differently this time around. For your viewing pleasure I actually created a movie to entertain you and for your reading pleasure I'm going to forgo the day-by-day account and share some highlights by topic instead. Enjoy!



Average Time To Bed: 8:00 pm.

Average Time to Rise: 6:15 am (followed by a 4-mile run on the beach every morning!)

Best Meals: Lobster burrito at Waraguma; Puttanesca-style Cobia (fish) at Wild Mango's; Rice/Beans/Stew Chicken from a street vendor in Central Park; Calamari & Shrimp Salad in a light Peanut Sauce at Blue Water Grill; Creole Conch @ Lily's.

Best Drinks: Iced Mocha @ Island Perk; Michelada @ Cholo's Sports Bar (zinga!)

Biggest Disappointments: Getting a bad Magnum (which must have been melted and frozen many times in transit to the island); Not having a hammock at my hotel.

Biggest Surprise: Being treated to a snorkeling session by people I had met 20 minutes earlier.

Best Raining Morning Activity: 60 minute therapeutic massage.

Most Intense Moment: Having a sea version of a vulture swoop down above my head to try and steal the chum from the sharks I was swimming with!

Most Cathartic Moment: Sitting on my balcony listening to Dixon set thinking about myself, my goals and my purpose in life.

Best New Travel Friends: Patty & Todd from Boise; Yousef & Ahmed from Jordan; Mohamed from Lebanon; Andrew & Miguel from Ambergris Caye; Jennifer and Tenisha from Portland; Girls from San Antonio; Little Girl (name unknown) from Ambergris Caye; Roy Elvis from Ambergris Caye; Elliot and Samantha from NC.

Oddest New Travel Friend: B**** (name withheld) from Jersey City who within the course of a few hours told me everything about his: estranged daughter, crazy ex-wife, drug addictions, millions made, millions lost, views on free trade, thoughts on the bailout, food interests, sex life, rent, social security payments, etc.

Books Read: Water for Elephants, Tribes

Best Mini-Adventure: Renting a bike for the day and exploring all of north island.

Most Satisfying Travel Moment: Knowing many of the locals by name (and vice versa) after only a few days.

Most Annoying Travel Moment: Having to listen to the cat calls from all of the island men (but then again, that happens everywhere)

Circo Loco Halloween Party @ Supreme Trading (10/31/08)

The world's craziest party, Circo Loco, finally made it's way to New York City... and just in time for Halloween. You may remember hearing about this party from my two trips to DC-10 in Ibiza in 2006 - which still sit in my top 5 clubbing adventures ever [Trip #1, Trip #2].

I got out to Williamsburg via the L train which might as well have been the Greenwich Village Parade for all of the drunk, costumed freaks that were piled inside. The venue, Supreme Trading, was just a short walk from the Bedford subway station but it took me 45 minutes to get through the entrance and coat check lines. Admittedly I was somewhat annoyed to start the night but once I saw the 7,500 sq ft space with a main bar room, outdoor area and two large galleries, I knew we were in for a good night. It was gritty, raw, had a truly underground vibe and went LATE...a combination not found very often in NYC these days.

Andrew Grant, the only American resident at DC-10, was already rockin the main room when I got there. He played dirty tech for about two hours and then handed things off to Cirillo who kept things moving nicely. He and Tania (who only played sporadically) played until sometime around sunrise (6:45ish) and then handed things off to a mysterious DJ who I later found out was Tania's boyfriend, Tatto. I thought the music up until that point had been good but was hoping someone would send it to the next level with some BIG ROOM BANGERS. And Tania's bf was just the man to do it. He literally tore the room apart by cranking out one monster bass line after another. The last few hours were pure bliss - a big room full of crazy party people smiling and grinding it out to some wicked beats. It's not easy to replicate the Circo Loco vibe outside of DC-10 but the room had a sky light which allowed the sun to pour into the dirty a$$ room for the last few hours once again proving that daylight is not the enemy of 24-hr party people. When they finally ended the party at 9am everyone in the room was soaked with sweat and covered with gnarly party sludge having just endured the elements of an 11-hour Halloween marathon... yet everyone wanted more.

I have to give a lot of credit to ReSOLUTE and Sheik'n'Beik for throwing a monster bash. It was one of the best parties I've been to in NYC in a long time and not one I'm going to forget anytime soon. Word on the street is that Supreme Trading has been taken over by party-minded management... I can only hope they bring the ReSOLUTE and Sheik'n'Beik boys back for round two.