Charlotte came to visit, so to fulfill hosting obligations I showed her around the city. She had only been to New York once before and hadn't done much of the 'touristy' stuff. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time and didn't take many pictures. Here are some I did take ...
as you can see, we had different ideas for the bull picture
there hasn't been much progress in the construction that I can tell
'Bell of Hope' - St. Paul's Chapel presented this on the first-year anniversary of 9/11
It was fun pretending to be a tourist for a day and re-visiting these landmarks. I think I may propose we do 'touristy' things once every couple of months to refresh our appreciation of them. Whether it be a walking tour, museum, etc - when you live here you don't feel the urgency to visit them. I hear all to often from people who have lived here 5+ years expressing regret from not taking time to see the sights.
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.
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...
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!
I had dinner with David last night at Freeman's, which is a new restaurant sandwiched between the Lower East Side and NoLita. The restaurant brought life to an unused Freeman Alley off the Bowery and appears to be home to a mixed clientele comprising of hipsters and socialites. Oddly David saw, just prior to me arriving, Leslie Fram (a former 99x DJ) finishing up her meal.
Our meals were pretty good, with the highlight being an incredible Hot Artichoke Dip appetizer. It was extremely tasty. Also, David introduced me to what might become a great desire this year - Dry Rosé Vino. We shared a bottle of 2007 Country Line Rosé from Anderson Valley and I may be hooked. It was perfect for such a warm night.
The primary reason I'm blogging about this dinner however, is that it is another reminder that I live in New York City. David was in town for work and we met for dinner because I live here. It hasn't sunk in yet.
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.
