Easytoassemble: Part one

It was June and I had just returned from NYC. I was on the hunt for a car that I could use for the 30 day cherry season that was to start in a week or so.
My brother in law and I were having lunch on a dock overlooking the water in Fremont when I got a call from LA.
A year before this I had driven a couple of old Volvos to LA from Seattle and listed them For Rent for films, photo shoots etc.
I got a call from a Illeana Douglas who said she had a mock 70’s Swedish band and wanted to use them for a video. I was in. But the whole shoot fell through.
Now I was on the phone with Illeana again.
“Do you have any cool Volvo’s available?” She was looking for a car for Easytoassemble, a web based show sponsored by Ikea.
“I have a few to choose from.” At this point I didn’t even have a car, but I was looking.
Just the previous day I saw a filthy yellow wagon for sale at X-Ray Auto a Vintage Volvo shop owned by a friend of mine. “Was it for sale?” I asked.
“It will never be cheaper than now." he said, "$500”
I wanted a wagon.  For a few years now I have been helping a friend manage a cherry orchard and needed something I could use in the orchard and bring the cherries back to Pike Place Market. I sent her pictures of 4 cars. 
One, was a ’58 Volvo 444 that sat in the woods in Port Townsend, WA for many years.  I raised it from the dead.  Cut out the rusty floor and installed Maple hardwood flooring and  drove it to LA. Patina! Only time can make things look so good. I loved it the way it was.  It was eventually restored by a new happy owner in Malibu.

It's up to you...New York.

A year ago this May I decided to go to NYC for 30 days. I sold my car and boarded a plane for the Big Apple. 4 days later I moved into a postage stamp sized room in Brooklyn, me and my rucksack.

It was a tough neighborhood. I barely slept. A brownstone in "Bed-Stuy". New Yorker's who asked where I was staying wouldn't say a word. Looking down, they would just shake their head. The next question was always the same, "How far are you from the Subway station?"

"Four blocks"

Looking at each other, they would then nod their heads. "Well, you may be alright."

I loved Manhattan.

Hoping to dive into the art scene, I walked, ate good food till I was broke, and met some amazing people.

Many evenings, on my way back to Brooklyn, I would stop at Washington Square Park to watch. I became friends with one of the park rangers, Carlton, a short balding man who looked, spoke and had the mannerisms of George of Seinfeld. He became my advice giver on how to navigate the city.

Every night the music director of a neighborhood ballet school would come to the park with a baby grand piano. (www.thecrazypianoguy.com) He played, another man sang, and the park would become a circus of live music, dancing and singing. In all my travels I have become a follower of live theatre especially on the streets. Being a singer-songwriter, performer, I am inspired by this fearless and bold talent.

30 days later I returned to the tiny thriving metropolis of Seattle, thin as a rail and empty pockets. Seattle had never been so easy to live in. I felt like I was on vacation and everyone was trying to fatten me up again. Someday I hope to return to the Big Apple and join the "crazy" pool of talent.