Bob Dylan and a naked guy walk into a bar...

Last night I went down the street to Rudy's with Driscoll for a few drinks and we spotted a guy talking with the police. Didn't think to much of it until we realized he wasn't wearing pants. After talking with the door guy at Rudy's we find out the guy has been walking around 9th avenue being friendly with other pedestrians. Driscoll has an iphone so he snapped this pic as they were loading the guy into the ambulance. I'm sure he was being taken to Bellevue to stay a few nights and receive a little help.

In a related story if you haven't heard: About a month ago a policewoman picked up an "eccentric old man acting suspiciously" in the Latin quarter. The man identified himself as Bob Dylan, however didn't have i.d. The police officer obviously didn't believe him so she ordered him to the back of the police car until she could determine who he was. The man asked if she would go by a hotel where he was staying after his concert with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. She still did not believe him but decided to stop by the hotel when she drove past and saw large tour buses out front. Turns out the "eccentric old man" was indeed Bob Dylan.

This isn't strange, this is New York.

ar

Good luck Vitris!

Saturday we awoke feeling great after devouring Galaxy diner a few hours prior. The weather quickly became the best weather we've had since moving to NYC so we made the most out of it by planning a trip to the High Line (discussed in detail on post titled High Line on June 29th, 2008) and lunch on the Frying Pan. During this planning a tragedy struck very close to us and where we were going when a private airplane struck a helicopter over the Hudson (read the "Sully" blog posted today for details). Nonetheless we embarked on our outing about 1pm and walked down to the Frying Pan.

The Frying Pan is a barge in the water located on 26th and Hudson that has become a restaurant and bar. On days like this with excellent weather it is a lively time with people soaking up the sun and enjoying a good burger and buckets of beer. We enjoyed both and then headed over to the High Line to continue our walk. The flowers here were captured on the H'Line.

Late Saturday afternoon we went over to Emily's place for a bbq in Vitris' honor (pictured above). There was a great group of people and great tasting food. Emily and Vitris were excellent hosts and we had a great time! Also, Vitris introduced me to Rhymefest whom I have been listening to a lot since then. Afterwards Paige, Christo, Greg and I headed back to Hell's Kitchen so I could introduce Christo to the neighborhood. Paige called it a night after the train ride and we hit up Deacon Brodie's, O'Flaherty's, and Rudy's. We also tried out the West Side Diner and I am going to stick to Galaxy from now on.

Sunday Christo headed out about 3pm and Paige and I lounged around the apartment. It was another very successful weekend in the books. Thanks for coming up Christo and good luck Vitris.

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Jenga can become an obsession

This past weekend was the busiest weekend in New York so far. I had a good buddy, Christo, in town for the weekend and also one of Paige's closest friend's from college, Vitris, was celebrating his last week in New York. Vitris went to the University of Texas at Austin with Paige and was accepted into Texas Law, however deferred for two years to participate in the Teach for America program here.

Friday afternoon I was meeting a guy, Robin, for happy hour that Sabrina Hu put me in contact with who moved to New York a few years ago after graduating from UGA. We met a a place called 123 Burger Shot Beer which is a place that will definitely be added to my list of local establishments. As the name states, burgers are $1, shots are $2, and beers are $3. Very affordable, very good, and a lively hangout on a Friday at 6pm.

Christo arrived about 7pm and after dropping his stuff off at the apartment met Robin and I at the bar for a bite and a few $3 Shock Top's. Paige joined about an hour later and after grabbing a bite we headed out to Williamsburg to meet up with Vitris and his girlfriend, Emily. Robin already had plans to go out so we parted ways here. Was a cool guy though so I'm sure we'll all hang out again.

In Williamsburg we met Vitris and Emily at a rooftop bar/restaurant Juliette. It had a very nice rooftop so we sat there for a beer and to catch up on the week. Afterwards we went to the South 4th bar just down the street where our buddy Gregg knows the owner. This proved to be my favorite spot as it combined my 2 loves, beer and games. We found ourselves playing Jenga for over an hour. According to Wikipedia "Jenga is a game of physical and mental skill" which obviously would explain why I excel at it! We made a brief stop at a German beer garden and then on to the Galaxy Dinner back in Hell's Kitchen for some much needed food before hitting the sack.

Video evidence is inconclusive of whether it was Paige or Greg "assisting" her that caused the tower implode. Sorry, it was dark in the bar so I had to adjust the brightness to see it good.  You can be the judge...

Have you been drinking?

As an earlier post stated David and Kristi were in town the weekend of July 25th for a going away visit before they head off to Zurich to live for a few years. They have a blog - http://fromatlantatozurich.blogspot.com/ - that is quite entertaining. We had a great weekend visiting and will definitely miss them, though the first trip over Christmas and New Years is already being planned. I can't wait!

Friday night we met up with a good friend of Kristi's from high school, Alvin, his wife, and their new son. They suggested Soba Totto for dinner and I am glad they did. Alvin took the reigns and ordered family style for everyone so we could try multiple things. Some of the highlights were the dumplings, shrimp stuffed mushrooms, and yakitori.

The headline comes in when we attempted to go to Zum Schneider (pictured above) which is a German beer garden in Alphabet City. Alvin spoke pretty highly of this place and I was excited to check it out. When we got out of the cab, I got out on the left which was in the street. A cab going the opposite direction waved me on so I told Kristi and Dave to come on across as Alvin had already done so. When I approached the bouncer he asked me, "Have you been drinking?" I thought he was joking. It was 1 a.m. on a Friday night in New York, of course I had been drinking. However, I was in no way drunk. I responded "somewhat" to which he then said I wasn't going to be allowed to drink here. I was flabbergasted. He said that they don't allow patrons to drink if they have been doing so prior. After I went in with the rest of the group planning to not drink the bouncer told the bartender I was cut off to which he replied just kick us out (in far less polite terms). We again asked what was going on and why I was singled out when I was clearly not intoxicated. He said he made a judgement call when he saw me jay walking, and while it may have been premature he had to stick to it now. It was a joke, but the night was not lost and we continued to have a good time. I plan on going back and just being careful to follow all pedestrian rules within eyesight of the bouncer.

We spent all of Saturday shopping for David and Kristi to help them prepare for their move and went to dinner with Jessica and Lance in our neighborhood. They left first thing Sunday morning and Paige and I focused on finishing up a few things still needed to do in our apartment.

ar

surprises, bull rides, and puppies

Last weekend was Paige's birthday. We have been so incredibly stressed with her long hours, finding a place to live, and me finding a job that we haven't had many opportunities to sit back and enjoy the fact that we made it here. I wanted to do everything I could to make the time enjoyable for her.

During our going away party our friend Priscilla decided she wanted to fly up and surprise Paige for her 25th birthday. They are really close and have celebrated their last few birthdays together seeing that they are only a week apart. The issue here is that she wanted to surprise Paige. I'm not good at surprises so Priscilla was on my ass to make sure I didn't blow this one. Somehow I didn't. She arrived Friday (17th) before Paige got home from work and hid in the bedroom. I gave Paige a card from Priscilla as if it had arrived in the mail, and as she finished reading it Pris came out and the surprise was complete. Paige gasped and then began crying, it was definitely a reward worthy of holding in the secret.

Priscilla with one of Paige's closest friends from high school, Limor

Friday night we went to a mexican restaurant near us, Arriba Arriba, which was quite tasty and the ladies found plenty of eye candy. We then went to a few bars around us in an effort to explore the neighborhood. Saturday night we went to a bar called Mason Dixon which is on the Lower East Side after a stop over at our downstairs neighbor's patio. They have a patio that is out of this world so it was a fun way of getting to know them and their friends. Sunday morning we got up a little haggard and made our way to brunch in the UWS at Good Enough to Eat. We had heard many positive reviews and upon seeing the line outside we had high hopes for what was to come. I was not impressed and don't feel the need to return. I don't believe they seasoned anything properly and each dish left you needing more flavor. Afterwards we went to my cousin's place to see their new golden retriever pup Jackson. He was adorable!

Successful weekend for the books.

ar