One man. One journey. $30 for thirty days...
Follow filmmaker John Albrecht Jr. on a lonely journey throughout New York City. He'll begin his quest with just $30, and he'll have to live on the streets for thirty days. Not only that, he'll also have to film the whole ordeal by himself.
How will John's journey end? You'll have to wait and see.
December 4, 2007 - Day Four
Since I had nowhere to stay, I decided to stay up all night and try and get some footage for The Bad Boys.
I took the number 4 train from Fordham Road in the Bronx, down to 42nd Street in Manhattan. While waiting for the number 7 train, I met Adrian in the subway at Grand Central. She asked me a question about the number 7 train, but I told her that I had no idea, and that I was homeless, and that I had just gotten into town recently. I figured she'd give me a dirty look or something and then walk away, but she didn't. She asked me a few other questions, about my life, who I was, that sort of thing. So, we talked on the train ride to Times Square. She was pretty cool! She told me that she had just moved here too, and that she's going to school for nursing. I told her that that was a great career choice, and that she'll always have a job. When we got off the train, she gave me an apple. Damn, it was a fine apple, indeed. It was delicious. It was one of the only things that I had eaten that day.
By the way, thank you again for the apple, Adrian! I hope you know, that you're the only person that spoke to me while I was in NYC. The only other people that I conversed with were homeless or cops.
Adrian made my day! I was feeling so shitty before I met her. I was in a great mood when I got to Times Square. My luck soon changed though... It worsened.
Today was a horrible day, and probably the last. The reason that it could be the last, is because something that I never had expected to happen, happened. I'm pretty pissed off about it too. I probably said the F word about two hundred times after it had occured. Did I mention that I'm fuckin' pissed? Well, I am.
But anyway, here's what happened... I set up my video camera to shoot a segment in front of the NYPD precinct in Times Square, and the wind blows my tripod over. Crash! My thousand dollar camera takes one for the team. Mission failed. Game over. I guess it's back to the drawing board, or I should say, back to good ole Crooked Falls, Ohio.
But hey folks, I lasted four days, and that's three more days than what most people could probably last for. Being homeless in New York City sucks, but I think I could've accomplished this mission. I do intend to try it again.
Why don't I just go on without the video camera? Well, I want to document the experience, so others could see what it's like to be homeless. Plus, the Mini DV was a great tool to do that. There's not much that I can do with my digital photo camera. This blog would be boring if everything that I posted were pix.
So, I'm returning to Ohio...
However, I do plan to come back to complete the challenge eventually. I don't know when though. I'm hoping I can return on January 1st, and stay through February. Next time, I'll be better prepared. I will have two video cameras instead of one.
Keep checking this blog periodically. I plan to post the video footage up soon. Unfortunately, it'll be rough footage, and it won't be in a documentary format.
Thanks for reading!
-John
I did get a very rare photograph out of the ordeal though. It's hard to get a shot of the Times Square NYPD Police precinct without people standing around. I got it, and it only cost me my Mini DV camera.
December 3, 2007 - Day Three
Day three was a tough one. It was very windy and cold outside. It was so windy that one gust almost knocked me off my feet.
From 10 A.M. until 12 P.M., I hung out at the Bronx Library to kill some time. After that, I walked South on Grand Concourse to 146th Street to find a homeless shelter. I can't remember the name of the place off hand, but the address is 344 E. 146th Street. It was a pain in the ass to find. It's off of 3rd Avenue though, but I wish I would have known that in advance. It would have saved me a few hours of grief. It took me three hours to get there. The sisters didn't open the doors until 4 P.M., and when they did, they only let three guys in at a time. At about 5 P.M., a nun came out and told the remaining four of us that there weren't any beds left. She asked us if we wanted some chow, and she brought out two PB&J sandwiches for each of us to have.
While I was standing outside in the cold, I met Wayne. He's a 53 year old local who is also homeless. He helped me out quite a bit last night. He showed me places where I could hang out and kill time. I also found a place to grab a free shower and a haircut.
I'm suppose to meet up with Wayne again on Day Five at White Plains & Pelham Parkway. We're going down to 41st Street & 9th Avenue in Manhattan to scope out another shelter.
Wish us luck!
Money Total = $26.50
December 2, 2007- Day Two
Last night was rough. It rained most of it. Unfortunately, my shoes got a little wet too. That was a big pain in the ass for me. I hate having wet socks.
Right now, I'm in the Bronx Library writing this blog entry. After that, I'm going to use the hand dryers in the bathroom to dry my shoes. I'll also brush my teeth, wash my face, etcetera.
Rain, rain, and more fucking rain... Well, at least I don't need a shower now, do I? Hahaha... Speaking of showers, I haven't had one since November 30th. The closest thing that I have to a shower is a bag of baby wipes. This my friends, is a GFS, or GI Field Shower. It's a little term that I cooked up when I was in the Army. It's not the greatest means of cleaning yourself, but it'll do.
I didn't get too much footage last night with the rain and all. The footage that I did manage to get had to be erased, however. Two NYPD rookies made me delete it. They gave me an ultamatum. It was either I get a fine (or possibly go to jail) or I had to delete them from the footage. I opted to delete the footage. I was pissed.
I've got no idea what I'm going to do today. I'm thinking of getting a job, because I don't think the thirty bucks I've came with will last too much longer.
I've got 27 days left, and I fear that I won't be able to complete this challenge.
Money Total = $26.50
December 1, 2007 - Day One
Day one is probably going to be the hardest, but I'm glad that it's finally over.
It's cold - in fact, it's damn cold.
I aimlessly walked around Central Park for hours and hours. I started at 110th Street and walked to 42nd Street and then back. I already got reprimanded by the good ole NYPD boys in blue for being in the park after 1:00 A.M. I was filming a segment when it happened. It happened at about 12:45 A.M., so I don't know what the big deal was. I thanked the officer for telling me that though, because not knowing that in advance could have fucked me in the long run.
Right now, I'm in the Bronx at the library. Luckilly, the hours are 9 A.M. - 9 P.M. everyday, so I'll have somewhere to kill a majority of my time.
I couldn't sleep well last night. I tried catching some Zs in the subway somewhere on Lexington, but it was hard.
Anyways, I've got three minutes left on this public computer. I don't want the Librarian bitching me out, so I'm out.
Money Total = $30.00
Items
1 Army Issued Duffel Bag
1 Army Issued Sleeping Bag (Single Green Shell)
1 Small Backpack
1 Mini-DV Video Camera
1 Digital Camera
1 Tripod
1 Cell Phone
1 Flashlight
1 Toothbrush
1 Toothpaste
1 Bottle of Mouthwash
1 Deodorant
1 Mead Composition Book
1 Bag of Cough Drops
2 Ziplock Bags of Baby Wipes
1 Container of Allergy Meds
4 Boxes of Saltine Crackers
6 Mini-DV Tapes
10 Ink Pens
24 Bottles of Spring Water
Clothing
1 Coat
1 Pair of Jeans
1 Belt
1 Ballcap
1 Winter Hat
1 Pair of Adidas Shoes
2 Sets of Long Underwear
5 T-shirts
5 Boxer Shorts
10 Pairs of Socks
One man. One journey. $30 for thirty days...
Follow me on a lonely journey throughout New York City. I'll begin my quest with just $30, and I'll have to live on the streets for thirty days. Not only that, I'll also have to film the whole ordeal by myself.
How will will my journey end? You'll have to wait and see.
