New York

I dearly miss New York.

I MISS New York really badly.

I haven't been back in about 2 years. So, last night I just had this plan to go. So, I planned with my boy Samer to go up in late October and/or late November. I should have some stacks by then, so I can readily splurge if need be haha.

Places to hit up:

-aunt and uncle's house
-Erickson's place
-SOHO
-Flight club
-Dragonfly
-Ground Zero
-DQM
-Supreme
-Clientele
-Goliath

I hate Google Maps. These really brought me back.


That's my home in the far right. My family occupied half of the second floor. We'd get black outs, or as my Filipino countrymen would say, brown outs, frequently. So, we had to go to the basement and reset the switches haha. The laundry was down there, too, so that was a trip. There's the church we went to in the middle. Then on the left is some school. I didn't go there, but I remember when I was a kid I kept reading a sign that said "Drug-Free Zone." As a kid, I thought that meant free drugs obviously. If you go down the street, that's Fulton Street. Another block down and you're at Atlantic Avenue. Man, I miss the subway being about a 5 minute walk from my house. If you go the other direction away from Fulton, you'll hit Jamaica Avenue.


When I used to come home from school, I would go down this street every single day. If you go toward the right of the picture, you'd hit Fulton Street and then after the intersection would be my house. The graffiti on this wall is bananas, and it extends for a good while.


This right here is John Adams High School. Both of my brothers went here for a couple of years. My mom and I used to wait on this curb to pick them up. One time, two of their boys needed rides, too. They were our now close friends Aldrin and Mike. Anyway, obviously, it was my two brothers, my mom, Aldrin, and Mike. The Camry only fits 5 people haha. So, my 9 year old self rode in the trunk. That was soooo scary, but cool at the same time. The drive home was only about 15 minutes anyway, so it wasn't too bad.


This is my uncle Richard and auntie Ching's house in Queens. Behind the garage was a little open space, and they nailed a basketball backboard and rim to the top of the garage. That's where I first got my practice at in shooting a basketball. Man, I love that house. So many memories. So much puto and croissant eaten in that kitchen. The attic was pretty great also because it was a finished attic. That's where the computer was located and we'd play Oregon Trail all of the time.


This right here is the corner Saint Thomas the Apostle church. It was the church for my school. My school is that lighter colored building behind the church towards the left. This is the church where I did my first reading. I miss this place so much. Back then, this place was so huge to me. Now it doesn't seem all that big.


Here's my school from the 1st to 5th grade. My two brothers graduated from here before they went to John Adams High School. The fence on the left is where we had our recess. Boy, back then this seemed so enormous. Now, I see that it's really narrow. I remember getting picked by my mom on this sidewalk all the time. Sometimes, it was my brother that picked me up, so I felt super cool because he'd be wearing the Jason Kidd shoes (Zoom Flight 95). My mom babysat these three kids for a couple of years after school, so we'd walk to their house everyday after school and played basketball in their driveway. Mannn, memories galore. Damn you, google maps!