Gunillocentrism – web diary of a freelance journalist

Of course I missed the plane. I always miss planes.

And I love the feeling when I all of a sudden get an extra day… Since the packing is already done*), the apartment has been cleaned, most of the errands have been executed etc (that’s partly why I miss planes) there is an ocean of bonus time to concentrate on indulgences when one has missed a plane.

So now I will be able to go down to Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s cool restaurant Spice Market and hang out with my friend Annika….then on to Fulton Fish Market again, this time with a tape recorder.
Of course, going to Spice Market is all about working! I need to talk to their pastry chef Pichet Ong about his academical background, for a Gourmet column.

Let’s see if I make it to the flight tomorrow. I’m on the waiting list!

/Gunilla

*) This is how the packing was done: I shoveled all of the red and black clothes, no matter what kind of garments they were nor if they were dry or not, directly from the drier and into a sack. I squeezed that sack inte one of my bags, and then filled the rest of the bag space up with binders, receipts and books (=my company)… Done! But of course, tomorrow I believe I will have an ocean of time to re-pack…

I spent this night listening to, writing about and doing a radio piece on George Bush’s speech on Iraq. Then, it was quite fun to go downtown in order to report on something completely different: the Fulton Fish Market.
It has been on the very same spot since the 1820’s (!) but will soon move to a modern facility in Bronx. The workers will get a cleaner work environment; the market place will be more efficient; the city will be able to build a fancy pleasure boat marina – but something will get lost on the way. New York is a city where you actually see people _working_, and at this market there is lots of magic spinning around between 00 and 08 AM. I talked to some of the fish mongers, amidst giant fishes and boxes with clams, and they are quite sad to leave. They were fun to interview: some of them were real characters: with tattoos, bandanas, and fat cigars in the mouth, chatting with each other while loading enormous tuna fishes and squid.
Pictures of Fulton Fish Market

Now I have to pack my life and company togheter in no time! I need to clean my flat, show it to a presumptive flat mate/sublettee, sort out all of my papers and receipts (tons of them), wash my clothes, pick up a portfolio, get a new passport from the consulate, pack my clothes, and ten thousands other things – in three hours. The plane leaves in seven hours from now. I tried to change my ticket so I could go tomorrow, but it would have cost me almost $2,000! Hilfe! I would need another week here!

/Gunilla