Jonny's Jams and Jabs: High stepping Rats, Rucker riots, and a Loudspeaker that caused Languishing

Grossest thing ever happened this week!

I'm running one morning (on garbage day) along 125th in Harlem and the sun is shining, I'm smiling it's great. Suddenly as my right foot lands instead of firm concrete I feel this soft, and crunchy sensation. At the same time I hear a crunch and a huge, "SQUEEEK!"

I had landed on a rat...

I immediately jumped up and started high stepping while yelping, "EW. EW. EW"

An old man setting up his illegal dvd stand saw the whole thing and just burst out laughing. I was mortified and went and cleaned my shoe off with disinfectant. No Rabies for me!

I almost puked that is how gross the sound, feel, and entire moment was. Ah nightmares!

Moving on though it's my last full week in NYC...it is so weird to say that. This place really has become home to me in so many ways from running every morning in central park, exotic food for the extreme foodie in me, beautiful skylines at night, to the myriad of people that come across my path each day I truly love it here. (Granted I was only here for the summer...I've decided winter would be just awful to the bone in the city especially with no skiing).

This week was great as usual moments to never forget.

On tuesday I happened to be walking in Bryant Park downtown after work and I noticed a bunch of video cameras and people. So naturally I went over there and it was CNN doing a story about public speaking and how fearful people are of it. Well this kid choose me to get to know and then give a toast to me in front of everyone in Bryant Park! Haha it was great he toasted all my experiences here in New York that they would live on forever with me and that I would go back to Utah and ski through the memories of New York. It was fantastic and then I got interviewed by CNN afterwards. I'll make sure to post the piece once it's up live! But what better way to end my time in New York than a toast in front of everyone in Bryant Park on CNN!

(Camera's Rollin For CNN)

Thursday I went to the world famous Rucker Park. If you don't know what park it is shame...haha jk it's famous for street ball. This is the park that the Harlem Globe Trotters started, and now it's home to the street ball league EBC. Every night they have games on a outdoor hardwood court, with special guests always there from Kobe Bryant, Stephan Marbury, to Andrew Wiggins. The game was sweet and we even got to see a bit of a fight break out!

(King Kobe at Rucker 2002)

(The court today amidst the high rises)

Friday I went to the north end of the island to the Coisters. It's this relatively unknown museum and gardens up on this huge hill overlooking harlem and the hudson river. The place is like a castle and it was super tucked away. So beautiful and so quiet. It's made of tons of stone and just greenery as far as you can see. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

(Even Male Models come to the Coisters)

Saturday my boy Riley Cooney came to visit! We went all over from the Met museum to see some fine art, to roaming manhattan and then off to my favorite place "Brooklyn!"

(My favorite Van Gogh at the Met)

We went to the famous pizza place called "Spamoni's" famous for their sicilian square pies. The place was so fun and so Brooklyn tons of New Yorkers being loud, eating pizza, and just having that great attitude about life. The place also had the world's loudest loudspeaker to call for orders. No joke it was a perfect set up for a Seinfeld episode, every time Riley or I tried to say something half way through our sentence we were interrupted by some obnoxious teenager on the loudspeaker. It went something like this:

Jon: "So I'm talking to my boss and he goes, you know Jon I think you should...."
****RAMANO PARTY OF FIVE RAMANO YOUR TABLE IS READY!!!***

Jon:"Ouch" (grabbing ear)..."So as I was saying my boss..."
****RAMANO YOUR TABLE IS READY!!!!! RAMANO***

Haha everyone was cursing the loudspeaker, and by the end of our meal Riley and I just laughed our heads off for how hysterical it was. No joke every 30 seconds or so the stupid thing would deathen everyone outside.

(Square Pies what? Sauce on top double what?)

After we went to the East River just in my favorite neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. The skyline of Manhattan was glowing and we just soaked in the city for probably an hour, it was beautiful! A little piece of my heart will always be in Brooklyn haha (so hipster right?).