New York City this weekend
If you've been following the blog the last few days, you'd notice I went to NYC this past weekend. My friend Alison was having a birthday, and I haven't seen Sheila in forever... so about a week ago, I made a plan, requested Friday afternoon off, and took off for the big city.
The drive down wasn't horrible, but it rained and there was a lot of construction. I think I sat in traffic along 83S for over an hour. But I had my music, my dew and my container of mixed nuts. I was golden.
I got there, and Sheila and I immediately went to a local bar lounge and talked for several hours. We shared a wonderful red wine shiraz and tiramisu and nutella crepes. We talked forever about life, love, jobs and stress. It was wonderful seeing her again and just being as open and honest with our lives as two can be. It was a great release from the day's travels, the month's stress, the increasing frustration I feel with Rochester, and so much more.
Saturday, we made our way to Jackson Height's for some Indian shopping and food. After getting a parking ticket, what should have been a ruined day was just the beginning of an amazing stretch. Food was awesome. Conversation was amazing. The people fantastic. Shopping wonderful... and it was still like 11am. But we wanted to head to Michael Jackson's birthday party in Brooklyn at Prospect Park, and the sky finally cleared up enough.
We spent several hours singing, dancing, swaying, talking, drinking.... all while joined with thousands of other people. The park kept filling up.. and celebrities kept coming up on stage. The speeches were heartfelt, the music amazing, and even Thriller started with people dancing all over the place. Everyone really got into the mood. We also bumped into some people that Sheila knew, and I got to talk to a great guy who works in Time's Square. With the threat of rain, the day could have been awful, but it just the right mix of coolness and sun. Was just amazing being with so many people.
But we headed back to Sheila's flat to get ready to go out to the 2nd of our Saturday parties. Sheila's friend Megan was having a birthday on a rooftop apartment building. See picture above, as you can see, it had an amazing view! That's the Empire State Building in the background. We were about 20 floors up, and the temperature was just ideal. With a vodka coke in hand, I had a great time talking to a varied group of people from all over the country. Each of them knew Megan in some way, and Megan had traveled the world (which is how she knew Sheila). But I had a great time. It was eye-opening to talk to people from a diverse set of backgrounds, and unique jobs and goals in life. I didn't want to leave!
But Sheila squealed that it was 10.. and we were late for our next party! It was funny, because before we got there, her and I had a signal in case we wanted to go... but it ended up being the opposite. I had a great time. But we made our way to Chinatown to this bar called Fontana's. A relatively large bar, Alison had reserved to back area for her group. Quite a few people had been there already, and we got going and dancing. Quite a few drinks later, lots of money gone, we danced for hours. I met Sheila's friend Joy, and had a great time just laughing, dancing and drinking. I think we left around 1 for another bar... but it turned into mostly a blur there on out.
Sheila's great. She's got my back. She took my cell phone and money away from me. I ended up hurting my hip (unknowingly) having a little fall, and we didn't stay at the second bar more than a few minutes, but the night was a blast (albeit I was a bit trashed). We ended up getting late night food on the corner, and taking a cab home after 2. Was a good night, was a great group of people.. and living it up in nyc was just the release I needed.
Sunday, Sheila and I were supposed to meet up with Alison for brunch, but Alison got home at 6am from her night, and as a starving group of 20-somethings, her and I headed for brunch at a little European bistro a couple blocks from the apartment. Having hardly ate a thing for a couple days, and drinking heavily the night before, I felt a bit off... and lunch didn't help much. But the day was sunny, the breeze was warm, and we headed out for a wonderful day on the High Line in Chelsea. Walking the park, taking pictures, enjoying fresh fruit drinks, and catching a bite to eat was a good way to ease into the realization that I had a 7 hour drive ahead of me.
After a late lunch at "The Diner" nearby, we headed to Central Park for a walk around, a long nap in the sun, and people watching. But alas, time flew, and we headed back to Astoria so I could make my journey home. Sheila's sister Dimple caught a ride with me back to Binghamton, and my drive back to Rochester was long, brutal, tiring.. but worth every second to spend a wonderful weekend in the city.
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