紐約同性戀大遊行

七彩的彩虹旗, 五顏六色的氣球, 金光閃閃的亮粉,誇張的羽毛以及短到不能在短的小熱褲, 同性戀遊行是我最愛的遊行之一. 

2010年參加了在台北的同性戀大遊行, 除了對民眾對同性戀的支持感到欣慰, 參加後整個人都覺得被釋放了 (是說原本活的也沒有很被拘束啦!)

說歸說, 同性戀遊行不是只有彩虹, 亮片, 羽毛和drag queen(男扮女裝很誇張的反串), 本質的意義是一種用行動表現自我認同的遊行, 是慶祝誠實的自己, 不在乎旁人異樣眼光的勇氣, 讚揚愛和社群支持的大party. 

ＰＳ我個人超愛drag queen! 超誇張的打扮和超可愛的個性, 他們講話也超直接超幽默的.忍不住讓人像要跟他們一起三八的說話和大笑!!

而且我超誇張的, 太愛同性戀遊行太想要表現我個人對他們的支持, 前一晚還自己做個小牌子寫"You Are Beautiful"然後還買了七彩旗! 

紐約曼哈頓的同性戀大遊行在六月二十四號舉行,紐約州通過同性婚姻的一周年紀念日. 遊行從中午開始一直到五點半人潮才逐漸散去. 大群的人潮重遊行離開後前往五十七號碼頭的另一個叫"Dance On the Pier"碼頭起舞的party繼續慶祝同性戀遊行日. 遊行活動最後以在哈德遜河Hudson River絢爛的煙火畫下完美的句點.我雖然沒有全程參加, 但在Greenwich Village的公寓裡很幸運的看到美麗的煙火!

這場遊行吸引了超過兩百外名遊行民眾和觀看的人潮, 遊行隊宇循著地上的薰衣草路線從34街和第五大到街口一路往南到西村, 最後遊行在Stonewell Inn結束. Stonewell Inn是紐約最有名的gay bar, 1969年代因為一場在Stonewell Inn的暴動而開始了美國的同性戀人權運動. 整場遊行有超過兩百支隊伍, 著名的歌手Cindy Lauper和紐約第一隊同性戀婚姻Connie Kopelov和Phyllis Seigel都是遊行的特別嘉賓. 

我也在遊行好幾天前就規畫好哪裡是最好的觀看景點（要出去玩最會做功課了)! 八街和第五大道是遊行隊伍轉向西邊的路口也是評審指揮團的所在地(在Washington Square Park上一個街區的路口）, 所有的隊伍都會在那停留和表演, 是拍照的最佳地點!

除了LGBT (lesbain, gay, bisexual, transexual)成員, 支持者, 行動主義者, 遊行中也可以看到很多政治人物, 包括紐約市市長Bloomberg以及 美國參議員Schumer都用行動表示對同性戀者的支持, 同時也是對自己知名度的造勢. 這場遊行有很多讓人驚艷的隊伍, 也有很多不是很起眼有點lame(無聊,無趣的)的隊伍, 也有企業贊助來打廣告的隊伍. 在遊行中, 也可看到很多幾乎一絲不掛的人自在的在隊伍中行走和讓大家拍照. 有些人真的對自己的身材太太太有自信到讓我有點不舒服...但是, 我對他們的勇氣和自信感到讚許!

女女也能有高潮. 這好酷!

好有創意喔. 中國菜外帶餐盒

其實是Metlife保險公司的廣告車, 也超可愛的!

這是我在美國這十個月來看過最盛大最有趣的遊行, 整場遊行豐富, 瘋狂, 喧鬧又充滿了愛和平等. 我真的很高興看到同性戀能夠得到這樣的重視程度和人權自由.遊行才剛結束, 我已經在期待下已場同性戀遊行了!

Pride Parade

Rainbows, balloons, glitters, feathers and short shorts, one of my favorite days in a year: the Gay Pride parade. 

It is not just about the rainbows, the colors, the shining glitter, the dramatic feathers or the hoochie outfits; it's about being who you are and staying true to yourself. That's why I love the Gay Pride parade so much. It's a parade that celebrates love, any kind of love, partnership, community support and self-identity. 

The parade took place on June 24th, 2012 in Manhattan, a year since the day same-sex marriage was legalized in New York. The parade started at noon time and didn't end till 5:30ish. The party then moved to Pier 57 called "Dance On the Pier" with glowsticks, glowing beach balls and thousands of attendees and ended with beautiful fireworks on the Hudson River. 

The parade attracted more than 2 million marchers and attendees as the march followed the lavender line on the ground all the way from midtown 34th/Fifth ave all the way down to West Village ended in front of the Stonewall Inn, where the gay rights movement started back in 1969. This year, there were more than 200 floats in the parade. Famous singer Cindy Lauper was one of the grand marshals, so were Connie Kopelov and Phyllis Seigel, New York's first gay married couple.

Other than LGBT members, supporters and activists, there were several politicians in the parade, including New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg and US Senator Chuck Schumer. There were several groups that had outstanding floats and performance. There were also some commercial corporate floats that you know they were there for the publicity. There were also some people who are very very comfortable with their own skin that they needed to share every inch of it. 

   

I made that sign to show my support :)

Peruvian float with an alpaca!

She must really love Chinese takeouts.   

Two women can have a blissful life and get orgasms too 

The parade was exuberant, colorful, boisterous and full of the feeling of equality and love. I am so happy to see all the supports and authority recognition LGBT have got. This is the best parade I have ever attended in the US and I look forward to the Pride parade next year!

The Colbert Report taping

The greatest American to ever live -- Stephen Colbert!

I know there are a lot of other great Americans, but Colbert may be the funniest and smartest person on TV! 

The Colbert Report studio is located Hell's Kitchen on 54th street between 10th and 11th ave. The tickets are in such high demand that you have to submit your email address (http://www.colbertnation.com/tickets) and then just WAIT for them to tell you that when you can go...not to see the show, but to lineup and see if you can get in or not. Sounds like a lot of work? But it's "THE COLBERT REPORT"!!!! Totally worth it! They do this to make sure people are committed to going to the taping so they always have a full house. 

A friend of mine signed up for the ticket  a while back and finally got notified that he can go wait in line on June 20th. Best part is, he can bring friends! So on Thursday, he went to to the studio to wait in line at 4:30pm, he got number 81-84 for the four of us. The studio can only host 120 audiences. You just have to show up really early to line up. People usually start lining up around 3pm. However, they don't start letting you in the studio till 7pm...

Before they let you in, there would be a stage coordinator telling you what to do and what not to do. You are encouraged to ask questions (before The Colbert Report starts taping, Colbert would come out to say hi to the audience and take a couple questions), shout and laugh as hard and as loud as you would like! You can't take pictures once you get inside, and you can't leave the studio once it starts taping. If you leave, you can't come back in. 

Once you get in, you are signed seats according to your number. So the earlier you get there, the smaller number you get, the closer you sit to the front :)

It was my first time sitting in a show taping, it's actually REALLY COOL! Each episode is 30 minutes, and the total taping is about less than an hour. Before start taping the show opening, Colbert shoots out Colbert wrist bands and people just go crazy for that. I wish I got one!

I don't watch The Colbert Report everday, but the one we went to was really really funny. I especially love his dramatic spinning at the beginning. Here is the link to the June 20th episode: http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/wed-june-20-2012-daniel-klaidman Hope you enjoy it, nation! Look very very closely when they turn to the audience, you can see my tiny head for 0.0001 second!!!!!! Mom, I am on American national TV!!!!!!

Oh and I bet Colbert has a lot of botox or uses a lot of makeup!!! His skin looks flawless and a bit too tight for people his age...

After the show we went 9th ave around 50th St. There are a lot of cool restaurants in that area. We ended up eating in this Mexican restaurant called El Centro (http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-centro-new-york). It has really authentic Mexican food (approved by Mexican friend!) and it's very gay friendly. A lot of the servers are gay! Super cute :) 

Finding Pearls at Pearl River in New York

Pearl River ---477 Broadway, New York, NY 10013 (Near Grand St.)

There are a lot of stores on Broadway/SOHO area. It's got everything you can ever ask for, from Vera Wang, ZARA, Forever 21 to...Asian Inspired store, Pearl River, one of my favorite stores in this area. 

Asian/Chinese stores sometimes give me an impression of being very clutter and messy. 

However, Pearl River completely change my impression. Pearl River is located right on Broadway, it's got the ground floor and a huge basement (with a clean restroom!!!!). In Pearl River, you can find Chinese traditional clothes, lamps, lanterns, New York souvenir , Asian foods, Hello Kitty, dragons, painting, sword, china, kitchenware and all kinds of home decor. 

The entire place is well lid with well displayed Asian merchandise. 

This corner of the store really made me feel like I was back in Taiwan or Asia buying  souvenir for my non-Taiwanese/Chinese friends! I feel so much closer to HOME!

My favorite section of the store is the lanterns and lamps. Pearl River is a great place to pick up some home decors and a great place to buy decorations for Asian/Chinese theme parties, and even just any kind of parties. 

Sometimes I go to Pearl River not because I need to buy stuff, only because I like to look at colorful stuff!

If you need wanna decorate your patio or room for the summer, it's definitely worth it to come down to Pearl River to buy some lanterns and decors to pretty up your space. 

Pearl River also sells a lot of delicious CANDY. Next time you are on Broadway/SOHO, please don't forget to check out Pearl River to inspire your inner Asianess! 

Greenwich Village Walking Tour

A school friend who is doing an internship here in the city came over to the village to see me for a walking tour. We met at 8th-NYU station (N/R line) and started our village adventure (well, not so much an adventure for me since I live in this neighborhood, but everytime I go out, I can always find something new and exciting)


First stop, Washington Square Park. Only 1 minute away east to Broadway and 1 minute away from my apartment (Thank you, NYU housing!) 
There is always talented street performers, dog walkers, lovers, street stands, kids, hippies, homeless people...all kinds of people, just hanging out or making a living in the park. 
We came across this amazing band, my first time seeing them. Really awesome! If I had enough cash, I'd buy their CD. 

In the summer, the fountain is the best water park for kids in the city.

My daily routine is to have dinner and then come to the park to dog-watch with my boyfriend. We just stand outside of the dog park and looking at the pooches wishing they were ours...

At the SE end of Washington Square Park, in front of NYU law school, there are these chess tables for people to play chess. Pretty neat!

We then left the park just walked around the village. I just LOVE the village. It's got so much culture, so diverse, energetic and full of live. I feel blessed living in this neighborhood. 

We stumbled upon this weird shop, Kiosk (http://kioskkiosk.com/)(http://www.yelp.com/biz/kiosk-new-york) very weird stairs, to be honest, it didn't look very inviting...but it's pretty cool.

We kept walking towards SOHO. I love SOHO, I can barely afford anything in that area, but I just love the stores, the design, the display and the uniqueness of the arts and everything. It'd be nice to be shopping in that area, but even without spending a dime, Jess and I had a really good time walking around SOHO. We walked into a couple of cool stores. 


Free People. This is the only one I found in NYC, I am sure there are others, but this one is so cute.

This colorful home decor store caught my eyes. As soon as I walked in, I knew I had been in the same store in San Francisco before. It's Jonathan Adler (http://jonathanadler.com/) I love the colors and patterns this designer has. It's totally ME!!!! When I have money and my own apartment, (hopefully soon) I will come back here and get lots babies home!!!

A couple blocks south, we arrived in Little Italy. Little Italy is right next to China town, I feel China town kinda invaded Little Italy. Who would have thought China and Italy would be right next to each other. But hey, it's New York. Anything can happen in New York!

Jess and I met at 5:30, by the time we left Little Italy and headed to East Village was already 7pm. It was still sunny but it got COLD fast. We walked along Bowery and got on 2nd Ave. The streets are just full of characters and graffiti! I still can't figure out how do those people get up there on the wall to paint? 

2nd Ave is one of my favorite streets in the East Village. It's got tons of restaurants, Japanese, Mexican, French, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Thai...all kind of cuisines. We ended up having yummy yummy Mexican <3 Great friend, great neighborhood, great food,  a great night! I am a happy girl!

Here is our walking tour. Washington Square Park, NYU, Greenwich Village, SOHO, Little Italy, East Village, Little Tokyo (St. Mark's st). 4 hours of New York fun. I can do it everyday!

A start

I just wanna know what is is like when I post a new article. TEST!!!
Oh good, Blogspot is easier than I thought :))