Hey, I've been busy for the past week or so--my boyfriend's birthday was last week, i moved to a new apartment, I fell ill for a few days, and I was prepping for my vacation starting last Saturday.
There's always an excuse, but...yeah. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.
The bf and I went to The Melting Pot for dinner last week, which, if you haven't gone yet, Go. it is really fun and really yummy! Fondue is just so much fun...but it is expensive (think $65-75 per person with drinks, cheese, salad, entree, and dessert courses). Luckily, I still had a health and safety reward from my company--$100 for dinner at the place of my choice, so I ended up paying $50 for an awesome birthday dinner for him. I got him two tix to Avenue Q, which is supposed to be really funny. I hope he takes me...
Unfortunately, his mom is really ill right now and her breast cancer has spread to her liver and spine. They just discovered an air pocket in her intestines, and they can't operate due to her poor condition. This is bad...really bad. I don't know when I'm going to see him again, since I left for vacation on Saturday.
I've been in NYC since Saturday!! I visited my two best friends from college who are living there as a doctor and lawyer. Needless to say, they are used to spending money freely, so I ended up going to the ATM a couple of times to get more cash.
The first night, we went clubbin'. totally fun, totally great. Another girl who I went to school with is in NYC for the summer, so we hooked up with her and danced and drank the night away. Tribe on St. Marks Place has a great DJ who mashes like, Tom Petty's freefallin' with Kelis' Milkshake. It is the perfect place to go for dancing. We then ended up at some gay bar nearby playing video poker. Not sure how that happened.
The next day, I was jet-lagged, hungover and tired from my travel and busy work-week, so I ended up sleeping for half of the day. Which was all-as-well because the Puerto Rican Day Parade took over the city. Apparently, it's a pretty scary thing, as my friend described being stuck in it and being threatened and called nasty names because he was white. We went to Tomkins Sq. Park and ate a yummy italian dinner in the East Village with one of my friends' friends ($50). Afterward, I went to a friends' tiny apt. ($2200/mo for a 400 sq ft studio!!) and sang some amazing American Idol karaoke. After making it to the semi-finals but eventually being cut by Simon, I hightailed it home ($20 cab ride to the Upper East Side).
The next day, I did the Statue of Liberty ferry thing (verdict: not worth it unless you can get those timed passes into the monument)--I'd recommend just taking a ferry around Manhattan instead of doing the Ellis Island/Liberty Island thing. It's just too touristy, even on weekdays now, which is when I went. Too many lines, too hot, too much time...and not worth it once you get to the islands. I was going to look up my ancestors, but apparently you can only look them up if they emigrated 1892-1924 at Ellis Island. Before 1890, immigrants came through Castle Clinton on the southern tip of Manhattan. Why do they only have searchable records from 1892 and beyond? A-nnoying ($10 for a 6-ride subway pass, $6 for water and a hot dog from a cart--ew--i know, but I hadn't eaten that day at all and faced a 2 hour wait in line).
I guess it was good to see, but I'm not a history buff (even when relatives are involved, apparently), so I was more annoyed with the lines and people and heat/sun than impressed or awed by the monuments.
but, the ferry rides were fun--and good views of Manhattan.
We ate dinner that night after watching some Sunset Tan and Little Beauty Pageant special. WTF are parents doing putting make-up on their 4 year old?! Fascinating and disgusting. Dinner was $30 for me, as I was feeling the pinch of the previous night.
Amazingly, in New York you are not allowed to take leftovers home from a restaurant. I had half my plate left, and my waiter took it, plonked another plate on my food, and went about his business. I was offended, shocked, and insulted as I asked my friends, "Why didn't he ask me if I wanted to take that home??" My friend replied that in NYC, people eat out for dinner every night, so waiters don't even think to ask. I can't hang in NYC, obviously--that meal would have lasted me two more dinners at home!!!
The next day was amazing--I met my friend in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. If you want to see some awesome post-ironic hipsters (and really, really cute shops), take the L train to Brooklyn and get off on the second stop. It is really cute, and a great break from the city. We ate at Planet Thailand, which is supposedly an uber-trendy restaurant. Cheap, too ($22 for two people, including drinks). It had amazing food, but not much to offer as far as hipster-viewing at lunch. Go at dinner and you're sure to see better stuff. You can spot hipsters by their shoes.
After, we were caught in a rainstorm and headed over to CBGB's so I could get a souvenir of Punk Rock's origins. Very cool--and the rest of the East Village is trendy, too.
Then, on to the Museum of Natural History and a stroll through Central Park. Both of these are must-do's. MNH's admission is "suggested" which means you flash whatever available cash you have and hand that to the cashier, getting some attitude if you are under the suggested $14 price, but whatever. The ticket looks the same whether you paid full-price or not.
Central Park is awesome, a bastion of quiet and peace in the middle of the bustling city. It's huge, green, and beautiful.
Last night we were exhuasted so we ordered pizza in--one of the best things about the city. There's always something open and cheap.
And today I caught exhibitions at the Whitney and the Met before I headed to La Guardia for my trip to Virginia for a wedding. The psychedelic art exhibition at the Whitney is awesome.
I didn't get to do half the stuff I wanted to do there...hmmm. I'll have to go back. Guess I'll have to start saving up again! That crap is expensive!!!
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