Recently, whilst at the ECMO conference, I met some people who were interested in my thoughts on what to do in New York. Now, New York is a fantastic place, somewhere I've spent quite a bit of time, have family and friends, have worked (in various ways, although none of them paid), and generally enjoyed myself. I thought I'd be able to help them....

Well, first off, I'm listening to Heap, a rock 'n' roll band of some friends of mine. We often meet to drink in a bar called >Milanos, a cool little Irish number with a long thin room and a bar extending two thirds of the way, juke box and a few tables at the back, good beers and excellent shots - my experience being limited to Captain Morgan's, and buying rounds of Jamiesons for my friends. Next door, on one side, is Time's Up, a radical political gathering place, although there is a heavy emphasis on getting involved, do it yourself, cycle workshops and bicycling. There are frequently parties here, either after Critical Mass rides, or to raise money for the ongoing defense campaign necessitated by the ongoing City Police Department repression: a wonderful film was made and premiered just under a year ago, in May 2005, during the (city sponsored) "Bicycle Month" (culminating in the Critical Mass ride, heavily advertised by the festival!).

New York, New York, on the way to the ECMO conference in Colorado - an excuse to go skiing? Travel was proving difficult, so I ended up getting a stopover in NYC as I was able to catch up with family as well (oh, and buy some essentials that I'd kind of been putting off for a while in terms of clothing: underwear!), and see a friend or two...

Spent the afternoon at the International Center of Photography museum where there were a number of shows on, all due to end tomorrow. The one that I'd heard about was called ¡Che! Revolution and Commerce and was based upon the iconographic image that Alberto Korda had originally taken. Unfortunately, I'd misread it or misinterpreted or something, and thought that it would be an exhibit of other (Cuba) photos by Korda but instead it was a mish-mash of art work by various different people around the world, in different situations, that were based upon that same image. Examples including various Cuban souvenirs, an icon of Christ designed to replicate Che (as an attempt by the Church of England to entice young people back, or into, religion, and make it appear "cool" again), a construct of Che from the corporate emblems that have come to dominate the Western world (and most of elsewhere also) - and no doubt one day who will try to dominate Cuba too.

Castle Senior Living in New York is a residence specifically designed for elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease. In Manhattan, there are only two residences specifically designed for Alzheimer's patients; the other was a dreary, drab place situated only on the eighth floor of an assisted living facility which certainly did not have the amenities or the warm, friendly atmosphere of the Eightieth St residence. The follow are some photgraphs of some of the residents, relatives and staff at Eightieth St.