18. October 2008 by azarethroy.

So apparently this Kitchener Waterloo event is the biggest Oktoberfest outside of Germany. It was fun, but probably only if you’ve never been to the real thing (I have). We went up on Saturday morning and returned on Monday.

We hadn’t realised that all the beer tents closed on Sunday at 6pm. (But it’s Oktoberfest….)

Anyway Saturday was good. Beer was pricey but that was expected. You could only get Molson in the beer tents, however. For those who have never had Molson, it sort of tastes like urine. Only chilled.

At least it was chilled.

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4. October 2008 by azarethroy.

Was it just me or was Nuit Blanche kind of foo foo? I enjoyed walking around but a lot of the art was just….lame. Seriously.

Nice idea though. Next year I’ll be on the West side where apparently bars are open till 4am.

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14. September 2008 by azarethroy.

Prague is just a magical place. The CzechSurfing event was full of energy. The people were amazing, the weather was amazing and the beer was amazing And the highlight must have been the Free Hugs event we had in Old Town Square. The response was unbelievable and we all left so energized. Great memories, great hugs.

Posted in czech republic, prague, couchsurfing, free hugs | No Comments »

30. August 2008 by azarethroy.

So after the success in New York, we decided to try it again in Toronto. Surely, there are some people who like hugs here.

We chose Kensington Market. Someone I had randomly met on the bus back from New York (who was visiting her boyfriend she had met through eHarmony) had recommended it. Well, it turned out to be sunny weather, we got lots of people to volunteer and we got a great response!

Toronto :loves: Free Hugs.

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23. August 2008 by azarethroy.

I :heart: NY. I’ve been to New York a few times before, but I’ve never connected with CouchSurfers there. This time, I headed down especially to hang out with CouchSurfers. And I was not disappointed. New York is an amazing city and even more amazing when you have locals there to party with.

The NYC crew organized an outstanding event, right down to Seth having an open-home all week (a.k.a. The Living Room), Mike organizing couches for EVERYONE and Bastien getting sponsorship for free Red Bull, burgers, beer and vodka. It was a jam-packed week with little room for sleep in the city that never sleeps!

Sunday DAY 1: Arrived in the morning by bus. Hung out with Katryn and Birgit. In the evening, headed to the Pink Party. 3 hours of free vodka. Broke my sunglasses.
Monday DAY 2: Picnic and movie in Bryant Park - The Candidate. Kinda boring movie (Or as Michelle would say - worst movie she’s seen in her life) but it was fun to chill in the park. After that we headed to a bar where it was free PBR beer for 1 hour!
Tuesday DAY 3: Bought a new pair of sunglasses. Petr and I lazed around in The Living Room for most of the day. For dinner we joined the group for yummy Mexican. And then headed out to the Pub Crawl. Broke my new pair of sunglasses by the end of the night.
Wednesday DAY 4: I wanted to do the Bronx Zoo, but Coney Island was much closer. Lots of fun though. Bought yet another pair of sunglasses. In the evening Petr and I headed to McLaren (?) Park to meet my new host Misha. We had a picnic and hung out for a bit. Later, Brishen and I went to catch up with my old host, Dan, so I could get my things. We ended up at Richard’s after-party until 4 am, so by the time we got back to Misha’s with my things it was 7am! Fortunately my sunglasses survived.
Thursday DAY 5: Did the Statue of Liberty tour (by myself because I was late!). But it was nice to spend some quality time with Paddington bear. My sunglasses were still intact which was great too. After that was the Chelsea gallery tour which was very interesting. Especially the last gallery which was not so much about the art but more about the free vodka and helium (an excellent mix). That night was spent at the notorious Revival Bar. Great times.

Friday DAY 6: Friday afternoon was spent doing a fun session of Free Hugs in Union Square followed by a trip to MOMA. And then straight to MI-5 bar, which turned out to be a little overzealous. (Let’s just say that drinking on an empty stomach is bad). Yet I still got dragged to an after-party, apparently. A think a number of CouchSurfers saved my life there. Even my sunglasses somehow made it.

Saturday DAY 7: Quite worn out by this stage, we hung out with Misha for a bit. He graciously made us a yummy breakfast. After that I headed to The Living Room to help set up for Kenny’s Castaways. It was a good night, albeit sad to say goodbye to everyone.
Sunday DAY 8: Had all my stuff with me, but still managed to go to Shoko’s brunch which included all you can drink sangria (yum!) and onwards to Central Park for some Ultimate Frisbee. We headed to the Silent Rave after that, but was too exhausted to participate. So Petr and I chilled out until my bus (Greyhound Neon - NYC to Toronto) came. But of course, I finally dropped my sunglasses and it broke!

• Days: 8
• Hosts: 5
• Sunglasses: 3
• Awesomeness: Priceless

Amazing week. New York City rocks. New York CouchSurfers rock. I would live in New York in a heartbeat, if I could. Ah well, I shall be back.

current mission: Detox

Posted in usa, new york, couchsurfing, free hugs | No Comments »