11.24.2007

I Heart New York

last weekend i made a short visit to new york city. it was pretty last minute but as i didn't see much in the future in terms of a "real" reason to go to the city, i figured i just go completely for "pleasure". and i am glad i did. new york is seriously a different world from houston, and not for better or worse... just different. people ask... so what did you do in nyc, as if going to nyc neccessitated something out of the ordinary. well, to be honest, i didn't do anything in new york that i would haven't had been able to do in houston .. in concept that is ... but the thing is ... well, i got to do those things in new york. the city itself is the experience.
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i think nothing makes this clearer than sunday afternoon, spending time just window shopping with ira after a delightful brunch in the financial district with robert and ira. something about the chilly november air of new york, the sound of car horns, and flash of metropolitan glitter. the feel of stylishly layered coast, scarves, sweaters ... the ritual of taking off them in too warm boutiques to putting them back on before stepping into the nippy outsides. there's something about going "in a direction" ... some destination in mind, but no certain route planned. academically we call this the "flaneur" .. a haughty french term that means .... city walking... just walking. that's what i did in new york city.
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you don't get that often in houston, land of the single family home on a quarter acre, miles and miles of concrete (horizontal and vertical), and the automobile, the automobile, the automobile.
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anyways, i started my little vacation actually with a littel event on friday evening, going out bowling with my gay bois but also meeting up with mei's friends a little bit... in order to share the cake that i baked for her... a gastronmical beauty of a rum-chocolate cake with a rum chocolate creme and a white chocolate raspberry creme. YUM! bowling was fun and i came in respectfully second to last haha. after that had a little bite to eat with the bois and then retired, well not really. messed around online since i figured i had six hours of flying ahead of me.
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those six hours of flying and sleeping obviously were not quality lets just say. i trudged finally into robert's place around 5 saturday afternoon and first thing i wante dto do was take a nap. of course, i wasn't so lucky as we immediately freshened up, went to get something to eat, saw a cute littel gay play, and then headed out to the bars and clubs. we eventually landed in this bar called the Ritz (being inspired by the play we saw that evening by the same name). now, not to say i've been to all the gay bars in nyc... but the ritz really was something out of the ordinary. a very cosmopolitan bar, even for nyc ... i felt for a moment i was in barcelona or something ... haha. anyways, it was a really fun place until it got more crowded than Times Square in rush hour. seriously! there comes a point where there really can be too many people.
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eventually left the Ritz while my impression of it wasn't completely sullied by the massive crowds... haha, and for a moment, i thought this might be a little known gem in Midtown ... nothing good in NYC is little known for long i guess. oh btw, i also should mentione we hung out with hunter, a "skethcy old man" to be... haha. no, i think hunter is fine and all, but he does have some sketch habits, which after the ritz, robert needed a therapy session over. all i can say robert ... not your business. ;-)
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sunday we woke up at a decent brunch hour, made our way via taxi to the financial district, got to the brunch place disasterously early so we hunkered down in starbucks and just chatted. after a goregfest at "ulysses", robert had to leave early so me and ira kept eatinga nd chatting. it was so nice to catch up with ira, probably a real high-light of my GSD career ... that seems like such a lifetime away now. after we finsihed brunch, we walked soho and saw shops that we had all seen before and put some perspective back into my life by looking at $6000 dresses and a $250 jacket is just loved but would probably have occasion to wear once or twice a year in houston (but i so loved it!). after a few hours of "flaneur" we parted ways and i headed back to the UES.
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a small accidental detour to the bronx delayed me somewhat but eventually got back to robert's place and took a nap before heading out for a simple dinner and then watching a movie. how "regular" is that? but nothing is so in nyc is it? my one and half days really of being in NYC were thoroughly enjoyable.
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i just wish the trip back home could have been as enjoyable. monday around noon i set out to JFK, then supposedly to Ohare and then back to IAH. everything in my own control was tip top shape but of course, my JFK flight got so delayed that my ohare flight would have been missed, stranding me in chicago ... fuck that. i headed back to new york, this time to brooklyn, for a surprise visit with yvonne who i wasn't able to hang out with originally as planned ... but hey, nothing is plannable in this city! but anyways, the trip back to brooklyn wasn't bad and before you know it i was hanging with my cornell peeps ... yvonen and rafa , still as fucked up as ever! it was nice to see them though.
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ok, tuesday's flights were really no better but somehow... 13 hours later, i got home to houston. i love being home! haha.
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