“Multigrain bagel with tofu” was just called in this deliberately rustic looking café in Queens. The staff wear fedoras and the customers wear Lulu Lemon while pushing little people cars or typing on MacBooks.  There are a lot more smiles, laughs and in jokes here then the cafés I found in Manhattan. This was the kind of cultural experience I wanted from my trip to NYC, I feel like I could become a local here. Plus they serve decent coffee including cold pressed! My indecisiveness pushed me further out of town as the cheap hostels booked up. It worked out really well and I ended up next door to a 50s style diner. I ate all kinds of awful foods which will help me appreciate American movies.

Pecan Pie was Trip Tucker’s (Star Trek Enterprise) favourite dish and I wanted to experience it.

TV lied to me about Manhattan and I didn’t realise it wasn’t finished yet. The streets were full of litter  and the buildings were run down or under construction. The people were interesting and it was easy to start a conversation, get a direction, or exchange a smile. By my second day exploring the island the tourist bus salesmen had stopped hassling me so I must have looked somewhat local.

I’m going to sit back and people watch, here are some pictures.