During my regular browse through daily Drunken Tiger updates, I came across the latest photos on the official Sunzoo website that documented the group’s trip around the world. Being a native New Yorker, the NY photos struck up a slew of memories, and I could not let these photos go around the net without explaining where the group had been and the significance these places have in the Concrete Jungle. In an effort to better explain their trip, included in this post will be a few screen shots from Welcome To The Jungle, Episode 4.

Lodging: The Smyth (Tribeca)

Located on the intersection of West Broadway, Chambers St, and Hudson St, The Smyth is part of The Thompson Hotel chain, a highly rated group of hotels that are known for their trendy looking interior. Picture walking into a lobby filled with dimmed neon lights, lounge chairs, house music, and yes, a bustling bar connected to it. Sounds like a distraction to most people, but if you happen to stay in the upper suites like Sunzoo did, you find yourself far enough from the downstair distractions and possibly with a balcony overlooking one of NY’s busiest intersections. In the above photo, JK is commenting on how NY windows are strangely shaped.

The Smyth Interior

University Walk: NYU/Washington Square Park

Not entirely sure what prompted the crew to come here. Perhaps it’s because fellow Sunzoo member !llmind teaches at the university’s esteemed Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music. However, Waverly Place [above] serves as one of the four central streets that connect the gigantic NYU “campus.” Although not a real campus in theory, the main NYU campus spans 229 acres of NYC’s East Village, with dorms spanning all the way down to the tip of Manhattan on Water St.  If the location above looks slightly familiar, it’s been used in a number of movies, including “I Am Legend,” where one of the left houses served as the home to Will Smith’s character, Dr Robert Neville.

Underneath “The Arch,” the symbol of NYU and site of all their university wide graduations.

Home to Culture and Retail: Spring St & Wooster 

Given its close proximity to the NYU campus (10-15 minute walk), it’s no surprise that some of Welcome To The Jungle was shot in West Soho as well. Spring St connects both a slew of independent shops and high end brands (in fact, on the corner of this street is the Chanel Store). It’s here where JK talked about how he dreams of making Tasha a worldwide star.

The Transportation Hub: Grand Central Station

Being it was Tasha’s first trip to NY and JK hadn’t been back in nearly 11 years, it’s only natural to do some “touristy” things while in the city. Grand Central Station connects 5 subway lines in addition to providing express trains to Long Island and Connecticut. As a result, the station is filled with multiple floors that become a huge maze. Underground is a franchise of Junior’s Cheesecake, the infamous shop that Diddy sent “The Band” to via foot… across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Jhig & JK in Grand Central Station

A Real NY Experience: A Subway Ride

Anyone who has been to NY can tell you all about the subway lines. They smell like bathrooms, some lines run so slow you’d swear you aged another year just standing on the platform, and holy cow, $2.50 per ride? That burns a hole in your wallet. Despite its downfalls, real New Yorkers would opt to take the train over most forms of transport, often by default due to its 24-hour schedule, large span across all 5 boroughs, and its “cheap” form of transport. Rather than cab their way up from Tribeca, the crew took the train to Harlem to master The Sunzoo Project at Harlem’s StadiumRed Studios. I just wish I had pictures of the crazies that they might have ran into on the way.

Inside Stadium Red, artists like Usher and Jay-Z have recorded grammy winning songs.

Cool Down: Brooklyn Bowl

After a long day of shooting in Brooklyn, the crew chilled with Hot97 DJ and pop culture commentator, Miss Info, at Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Bowl.  The venue is a combination of a bowling alley and a music performance hall, spanning over 23,000 square ft.

There were a number of other photos from the trip, but I unfortunately cannot pinpoint where they were shot. I think its better that I just post them and hopefully they will speak for themselves. :]

-MissDrunkenCamp