Gallery Urban Exploration Santa Monica Pier

June 26, 2009 - 12:08 pm


At the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, the Santa Monica pier stretches into the ocean. Though open daily, on weekends it overflows with humans and their young – mesmerized by shiny arcades, slightly overpriced restaurants and hobos trying to escape kamikaze flocks of shit-shooting seagulls. Smells of cheeseburgers, sea and teenage love mingle with radiating smiles of green plastic lizards exhibiting themselves on the side, price tags on their tails. A roller-coaster full of children roars through the air. The first and only solar powered Ferris Wheel towers above it all. The sun dips its lower end into the ocean, street performers and fishermen smile into the pink rays enveloping the beach before the onset of night.

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Gallery Urban Exploration Urban Exploration: LA’s Little Tokyo

May 20, 2009 - 9:09 am

If you love Japanese food, books or karaoke and can’t make it to actual Tokyo, LA’s Little Tokyo district is the place to be. Though once upon a time this place was home to 30,000 Japanese Americans, these days I wouldn’t call it a neighborhood – too visitor-oriented for that. I’ll agree with the Wikipedia description  – it’s more of a cultural center, with temples, museums and a multitude of restaurants, aimed at LA residents and visitors from Japan. Though recent development and growing population of downtown have made for longer lines and a few strange additions to the area, between all the sushi, shabu-shabu and boba tea there’s little time to frown at the recently-erected Sanrio store and Starbuck’s. An abundance of shops, seasonal events, rock shows at The Cocaine and bars will keep entertainment-hungry visitors coming back for fun-filled adventures throughout the year.

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Gallery Urban Exploration London Wanderer

May 19, 2009 - 9:11 am


I was staying in Croydon – a neighborhood Id never heard of until being dropped off in its guts by my coach. All I can tell you about this place is it’s very far from London and Kate Moss lived there before she made it. Also, this is precisely why you should not book hotels through budget travel agencies. Fortunately, a train station was a short walk away, making escape somewhat convenient. So to London I went.

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Urban Exploration Getting Down in Camden Town

May 14, 2009 - 7:43 am

The Horse Tunnel in Camden

Camden Town has been London’s subculture mecca since the 60′s. The Roundhouse Theater made its name as the home to countless goth and punk shows back in the day. Open air markets, including famous Camden Lock, draw alternative fashion hunters and tourists alike. The World’s End Pub is now my favorite place to lose a few hours to cognac, and my new favorite place for people-watching, fresh mint tea-drinking and baklava-chewing is a tiny Moroccan tea house situated in front of Horse Tunnel Market. I can’t think of a better way to spend a cloudy Camden afternoon. Other than at Proud, that is.

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Urban Exploration Montmartre, We Meet Again!

May 6, 2009 - 10:22 am

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It was my last night in Paris. I spent the four days of my fifth visit to the City of Lights avoiding all things typical, proud of my rebellious attitude, enjoying the bar and coffee shop scene instead of the usual museums and churches. Still, it was the last night, the top of Montmartre is the highest point in town, has one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen, and my friend had never been there. It was time to go out.

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Urban Exploration Dunt Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh, $40 bits….

March 16, 2009 - 4:52 pm

This line of work sometimes has its perks. Example, this little ditty offered me the chance for a free hair cut and sparkly shoe shine. Saaaweet!, except for the matter of me being mostly bald and wearing flip flops the majority of the time. Let’s just say this anecdotist hasn’t been bought. But, I digress.

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Urban Exploration Guerilla in the ChinaShops

March 14, 2009 - 2:52 pm

The open-air “tchotchke emporiums” of New York City’s Chinatown have always been a great source of amusement in my life, though the only thing i’ve ever bought in Chinatown is food, fireworks and mixtapes.  I have always been a fan of their wares, and sensory-overload style  presentation.  Before the sun goes down, the streets become vacant, shady and smell like day old fish and week-old garbage – it’s a  free market mania and bargain-basement bonanza that make  Canal street into pedestrian-level eye candy at the very least.

Off-the-truck bargains; Recessionary Tactics…

Words and photos by Jamie Newman

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