Monthly Archives: September 2012

The Grass is Green enough Here, wherever Here is

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 2 photos.

So this is it then. In two days time, I leave New York for good, and my nomadic life well and truly comes to an end.  I mean I will still continue with my Grand Tour of Southeast Asia, and … Continue reading →

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Colours of Old Town East, Surabaya

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 28 photos.

Across the Kali Mas (Mas River), East of the Jembatan Merah (or Red Bridge), sits a different world altogether from the one the Dutch lived and worked in. Here, there is a sort of dignified stillness and anonymity, associated with … Continue reading →

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The Colonial City, or Old Town West – Surabaya

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 25 photos.

The colonial is everywhere in Surabaya, even as it lies buried underneath a layer of outwardly nationalistic symbols and slogans. Behind the banners in Bahasa, and past the hordes of chugging motorcycles and cars, the Dutch East Indies still lurks, … Continue reading →

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Hotel Majapahit, Surabaya

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 11 photos.

Paradise on Earth If it weren’t for the Hotel Majapahit, I would have had trouble remembering that Surabaya even existed, so entirely overshadowed has the city been by the Indonesian capital Jakarta, and by other tourist hotspots like Bali, Lombok … Continue reading →

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The Grand Tour IV – Tempo Dulu… Surabaya, Indonesia

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 7 photos.

“ ‘What do you think of that?’ asked Rienkie’s mother, pointing at the painting. ‘A real Indies sky, don’t you think?’ And only a few people could reproduce an Indies sky, she went on to say. To do that you … Continue reading →

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11th St: The West Bank, or Paradise Regained (Hudson River Greenway)

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 3 photos.

Finally, after an epic journey through Hell and four circles of Purgatory, the Pilgrim has arrived at the West Bank: a quiet sanctuary at the edge of the water, plied by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike. Beyond the water, Paradise … Continue reading →

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11th St: Sodom and Gomorrah (Hudson St to West St)

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Past Hudson Street sits Far West Village, or Sodom and Gomorrah – the final circle of Purgatory. Along this short expanse of street reside homosexuals, Sufis, artists, Turks and Frenchmen, five races known for less than stalwart mores and blasphemous … Continue reading →

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11th St: A Jacobean Fantasy (Greenwich Ave to Hudson St)

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 14 photos.

Past Greenwich Avenue, 11th Street makes a 45-degree turn and veers off into what looks like a completely different city altogether. This is West Village, where the Goddess – Jane Jacobs – holds sway. It is a fantasy garden-world with … Continue reading →

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11th St: Limbo (5th to 7th Aves)

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Kennie Ting

This gallery contains 9 photos.

11th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues was described by Jane Jacobs as a “dignified and interesting street” to walk on, because of the diversity of uses and ages of the buildings here. Today, most of this block and its … Continue reading →

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11th St: Purgatorio Grandissimo (Broadway to 5th Ave)

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Kennie Ting
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This gallery contains 9 photos.

Between Broadway and 5th Avenue sits some of the grandest residential buildings on 11th Street, in a variety of opulent styles: cast-iron, mock Tudor, Beaux-Arts and somewhat more Contemporary. The intersections, in particular, stand out for the European cities they … Continue reading →

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