New York City is easy to recognise thanks to its many taxis. They’re everywhere!
New York State
I have been to New York so many times and of course went past Central Park everytime but never really went inside to see what’s it’s all about.
It really is an oasis where one can take refuge from the craziness that makes this biggest North American city. This photograph was taken on my way to the summer stage where free concerts are presented to the public all summer long.
While walking around on Park Avenue in New York City, I stumbled upon these colourful giant sculptures and intrigued, I had a closer look to read what all this was all about.
According to the New York Press “The occasion—really the celebration—is the 10th anniversary of Saint Phalle’s death“.
On my way to New York City from Montréal by Greyhound, the bus took a 20 minute service break in Albany. With not much on my hand, I just walked around the block, stood in the middle of the street and just took a photo.
Jada is JaBig’s Big Journey’s 2008 Astro Black MINI Cooper S ready for an epic road trip adventure ALL OVER THE WORLD starting with North America (Canada, USA, Mexico).
As I wait for a few documents before the Big Journey, I have been taking some not-so-little road trips which are for pleasure and to put my 2008 MINI Cooper S that will take me all over North America (and the rest of the world if it can handle it!).
I don’t have a camera tripod yet to take self-portraits on my world tour by car but I guess taking automobile photographs is another way of saying “JaBig was here!”
From Saturday October 8th till Sunday October 16th, I road tripped like nobody’s business clocking over 2500 KMs (1600 Miles) in a week!
Here is a route map and some photographs of Jada’s (the Mini Cooper) weeklong adventure across 3 US states and 2 Canadian provinces and countless of cities highways and sometimes tricky back roads.
To find out all about Jada, the MINI Cooper S, check out its official website 
Feuille de Route
Meet Jada Coopers
Mont-Tremblant (Québec, Canada)
Lune de Jade & Jada in Mont-Tremblant
(because every car photograph needs a beautiful Asian model – Inside joke pro-politically-correctness-people, so relax!)
Jada & Friends in Mont-Tremblant
(Ready for the trip back as I had to attend my DJ gig and we were running late. I promise we did not race! )
Gansevoort, New York State
(A bathroom break stop on the way to Storrs, Connecticut. The only time I go to Mc Donald’s and other fast food joints is when I need to use their bathrooms. I also “borrow” some napkins and abuse of the free Wifi to really take advantage of the situation!)
Storrs, Connecticut
(I was visiting a good friend who’s also a DJ. Get this… she’s completing a PHD in Medieval Studies at University of Connecticut!)
On New York State Thruway Rest Area - Little Falls, New York State
(Had to take a Wifi pit stop along the highway from Storrs to Ottawa. I kinda needed to retrieve the exact addy of where I was going!)
Lowville, New York State
(I was flooring it along some backroads on my way to Ottawa – my sister was expecting for dinner and I hate being late for dinner – when in my rear view I saw a chopper. Yes, a helicopter! I slammed on the brakes, busted a crazy u-turn – the MINI’s low centre of gravity allows for some daredevil stunts, posed the car for a photo, snapped away, go back in the car, pulled another U and was on my way. Total time? Less than 3 minutes!)
Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lowville, New York
(I saw the windmills from 50 kilometres away and they just kept getting bigger and bigger. I had never seen a windmill up close and personal in my life so I decided to veer off the course and just drive towards them. I ended up in front of the farm. There was a sign saying “No trespassing”. I may have or may have not chosen to ignore this sign, only God knows, but I had my “stupid Canadian tourist who only speaks French and no word of English who did not see/read the sign” script rehearsed in my head just in case some sort of machine-gun yielding mercenaries appeared in the horizon!)
Copenhagen, New York State
(Don’t ask me why — I have no idea — why I love these silo thingies or whatever their proper name is. I drove by a gazillions and could not find one that was close enough to the road to take a photo next to. When I saw this, again I stood on my brakes and since I knew that no policeman — peace officer, sorry! — would be there as the town has like 600 people, I simply reversed carefully aligned Jada the MINI to these two rockets, crossed the street of cars racing by at 100 KM/H and took some photos.)
North Watertown Cemetery, Watertown, New York State
(Someone I have read about is resting there so since I was passing through, I decided to pay my respects)
Ottawa
(I was visited family and while I was in town did super secret shopping for the trip)
Fassett, Québec
(I like cathedrals and churches and on Quebec’s backroads — I was driving from Ottawa to Montreal through little streets as opposed to the faster yet boring highway — there are so many. This one was so cool that I pulled over and took some photos!)
Fassett, Québec
(This must be a store — Had other things to bother about than figure out what they were selling. I found it cool so I u-turned and took photos. It was Sunday so this was a DEAD town. Most of the little towns I crossed where empty. In this particular town, I saw not even a single soul! It felt creepy so in this photo, the engine is still running so that should have something weird jumped out, I would have jumped back in the car and got myself out of there in a hurry!)
Somewhere between Ottawa and Montreal
(In this photo, I almost got hit by a car as I was calmly in the middle of the street — this is a mini-highway, I should stress! — focused on getting the perfect shot that when I heard oncoming traffic, I thought I was off the road. What I found odd is that these people did not even hoot but waited for me to finish waved, smiled and drove along. Ô Canada! How you amaze me all the time!)
Saint-Lazare, Quebec
(Don’t ask me what I am doing in the middle of a real life forest!)
Sherbrooke, Quebec
(It’s my third time in this city and I have to admit that it’s pretty rare that I find nothing interesting to say about a particular destination. To be fair, it may perhaps due to the fact that all 3 times, the weather was whack and I was running on less than 3-hours of sleep. I shall return here on my tour and investigate the city further.)
So that was a week on the road. I really enjoyed myself and I cannot wait for this tour to kick-off at long last. It’s going to be epic and with this sports car, the driving will be divine as long as I stay on the roads. Anyway, the worst roads in North America are in Québec so if I fare well here, I will do great everywhere else!
By the way, like said earlier, Jada Coopers has its own blog. If you’re a Mini Cooper owner or enthusiast, check it out!
