New York arrival

Continuing the theme of firsts, this is my first visit to New York. In fact everywhere I go on this trip is somewhere I've never been before. I've been to USA before, but not Hawaii and NYC. I've been to Europe before but not Netherlands, Germany and Greece. And I've never been to Sth East Asia before. (Yeah I know, unheard of for an Aussie right LOL)

I'm going to be pretty open and honest here. As the plane flew into Newark airport, in New Jersey on the western side of the river that surrounds Manhattan Island, I took one look at the sheer size of the skyline and had a little panic. OMG, its enormous. No one can ever prepare you for it.

Catching a cab to my first accommodation was quite an experience. The driver was following the GPS, but not very well, he kept taking wrong turns an getting lost. No drama though as the price was pre-calculated and fixed before I left the airport. We drove past somewhere I thought was the address. I pointed it out and he said, "No, the GPS will get us there."

So we are on this road, on the edge of the river, looking straight across to the city skyline. There is a steep cliff down on one side an a steep cliff up the other side. Houses are way up the top. The GPS tells him to stop at an old cobbled laneway, really steep going up the hill. It looks like a strange place. But hey, look, there's an artist painting a big mural on the wall there, and guess what, I'm staying in an artist loft I found on Airbnb. So I pay the driver, jump out, and start lugging my suitcase up the steep hill over bumpy old cobblestones.

The artist gives me a quizzical look, but smiles and says hi. "Are you Eric?" I ask. "No." Oh dear. "I'm looking for a warehouse at 208". He points me up the hill and says that's up the top. So off I go clattering over cobblestones. At the top of a hill is an old building with a door in the wall. No number, but painted in the most amazing graffiti and colour. I knock on the door. And wait. No answer. I try again.

Hmmm, at this point I curse myself for not getting a local sim card at the airport. There is no wireless out here on the street. So I wander the local streets till I find a café that has wireless. Eric tells me the cab driver delivered me to the wrong part of the street. The studio is a mile back up the hill. Yep, the original spot I suggested to the driver was my destination. Sigh.

But hey, it was worth it. Look at this! Exactly what I hoped for. A real live working artist studio. Full of weird and wonderful stuff.

As Eric calls it, The Chocolate Factory is like a Willy Wonka warehouse

for creatives. If you wanna find out more about his work,

and the dream he has for this space, go here .