Greek In the Big Apple

New York Summer - A trip to the Beach Its my third summer in New York and now more than ever I'm finding my bearings in the little neighborhoods, beaches and distant gems of seaside New York.  It was the third weekend in June and as luck would have it we all had the day off to venture out for a small day trip.  The weather finally permitted, after many a rainy weekend, and my crazy group of friends and I decided to go to THE Hamptons for the first time in my three years in NY.  Yes THE Hamptons. I had many images of what that would be like and certainly none came close to the reality. Despite the fact that its considered the summer playground for who's who glitterati of the city for us simple explorers it was a chance to take an early and somewhat empty summer look at this part of Long Island. It was so beautifully quiet and the Atlantic water bitterly cold, at least for my taste. I'm used to the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean so the frigid waters ...

"A fine web of history stink and art." Entering the cavernous iron dungeon.  Millions of people take these trains from the early hours in the morning for work, till the next day after a long night in the city that never sleeps. It's where many fellow city dwellers find a home where they have none. It's a brutal heartless soulless beast. It connects the poorest to the richest by just a couple of stops, the Bronx with Park Avenue, and Queens with Central Park West and the Financial District with Coney Island.  A fine web of history stink and art. Music,dance, protest song, drag shows begging laughing sleeping everything happens in the subways and station platforms of the New York City subway system. The most interesting of stops along the way for me, is Union Square, one of the epicenters a of the strange and bizarre. When you come up from those steps anything and everything will amaze you. What usually always surprises me is the connections made unde...

Recently I boarded the train for work as I do every morning, and instead of burring my head in a book or listening to music, I made a point to observe  my fellow train riders, and made a pact. Instead closing my self off like I usually do I would look at the people around me, see what they are doing and reading and listening to. My discovery was not surprising but what I did realize was that New Yorkers use the subway as an extension of their private spaces. New Yorkers tune out, log out, and block out each other especially on the train. ( at times its really not an option) The train commute lends itself one of three things:  reading,  listening to music and catching up on much needed sleep, (yes I've done all three) yet what always surprises me is what New Yorkers use the trains for on a daily basis. This personal/private/public space has always fascinated me from the first time I lived here back in 1999. Its a microcosm of the world outside and intimate moments in t...

This post is long overdue.... and deserves to be written. New York can be an urban, frenetic mad house. It is in many ways not only the city that never sleeps but also the city that doesn't let you sleep! O ne of the places that makes it worthwhile, sane and at times calm, in comparison to the bustle of the concrete jungle,  is with out a doubt a certain urban oasis found at 430 Broome street as my yoga teacher so aptly put it the other day.... I came to New York as a nomad, a yogi traveler if you will, and on this journey found that there is a place I and many other yogis call home. There are countless yoga schools and yoga studios in New York…. in fact hundreds. One can find any type of yoga they want, need and desire. Anything from very spiritual practices to the most commercial state of the art latest yoga craze.  Yoga teachers of all traditions have their base here and anything from a very basic no frills yoga studio to a huge yoga palace chain offer tranquility, p...

Crossing the threshold into the New Year, I wanted to share more stories of some young, talented, and recently transplanted Greeks living, creating and thriving in New York. We all have a reason for being here, and we all have come from different backgrounds and situations. Some left because they had no choice,  some left to study and never went back, some left because their lives had come to a standstill in Greece, because of the financial crisis and they desperately needed a new vision.  We are here,  we've moved from our homes,  our comfort zone our familiar and our settled lives, and made new homes from the beginning. For those thinking that New York is the land of opportunity... well for some it may be for many not so much and its been a strange trip for all of us. We moved to this crazy glorious city, all of us have created a new chapter and a life here. This is our story. I will certainly start with mine soon as many don't know how I first came to New York...

The time came. I opened my eyes on the day of my two year mark in New York City, and I realized how much had changed how many things remained (thankfully) the same and how lovely it was be here. Its been a rough journey full of joy and laughter and tears and disappointment and wonderful surprises, but that is life itself in every morsel and taste. Dec 1st 2012 I woke up to a life yet unknown and Dec 1, 2014 I wake up to new possibilities, new friends, lovely experiences and more energy to keep going. I didn't have a plan, I didn't have a understanding of what I was going to do or what I was here for,  and two years later, here I still am and relieved!  I was a nomad suitcases, in hand some books and lots of music. Music was my partner, whenever I felt alone (which was pretty often),  I would turn to my favorite tunes. Soothe the loneliness with Ella, Sarah, Bob and Herbie, and the music made it all worth it. I walked the streets of NYC for the first year almost exclusi...

My top five.... like the line goes from one of my favorite books and movies about music and life... High Fidelity. I am listening to a lot of different and interesting music lately, like I used to. Music was and will always be a salvation, and an expression when no words come to mind. Music creates a moment when you can say everything through the notes of your favorite songs. And in thinking about music and how it represents the city that I now live in, its like a endless pentagram of sounds and cultures being represented. "Music was and will always be a salvation." As my love of this city grows I wanted to make a mix tape... and you know the art of making a mix tape is no simple task.There are so many things to consider when making a sound track for NYC. Its a city full of rich history in Latin Rhythms, Hip Hop, Jazz, Funk... all exceptional, all part of the fabric that envelops it, and its all part of how amazing the artists are, past and present who live, create and...