general rundown

SHOUT OUT TO GARY!!! thanks tons for you help and info before and during my trip to NYC. I wish I would have not slept in so late and met you at church on Sunday morning, next time definitely owe you a drink or meal! thanks again man.

Ok so I left Friday morning and got stuck in Houston for a couple hours due to our flight getting out of OKC late. But absolutely NO PROBLEM once I sat down on the later flight into LGA. my seat was right next to some hot younger tan guy with short gelled up hair and a tight fitting hollister shirt and gray slacks etc etc.mmmmmmm (I'll get a pic posted as soon as I can)he had an ipod on and we never spoke until the halfway meal time. before that I'd been staring into his face now and then while he slept with his head up against the window facing me ( I was in the middle seat). damn cute!! such lips, perfect nose, eyebrows....blah blah blah. anyway turned out he was a travel agent from France who had been visiting his gf in Mexico for a week in Cancun. His English was limited and I don't speak French, but we both spoke Spanish for most of the trip which was fun and cool. I tried to explain to him my suduko puzzle from the airline magazine. before landing he suggested that we share a taxi and save the money since he needed to go to a bank before going out to the island on east side. We were laughing it up and chatting away all the way into NYC in the back of the cab. so we went to my hotel, got out shook hands and said goodbye. I took a pic and have been kicking myself ever since for not saying, "here, write down your email address!" damn it!

I checked in my things, and went out and started walking up to 42nd street and taking a subway up to 76th? I think to find the Whitney Museum, spent a while there, and then subway back to my hotel to wash up and get out to Gym sports bar. studied the maps again, and headed out for the bar. Had a blast standing around in there drinking my budlight and acting pretty casual and relaxed as usual.(I'm not one for bar attitudes) had a few guys sort of catching eyes with me that I purposely quit looking at. this one Latino guy I could tell was interested, I got my second beer (in other words willing to get a bit more aggressive) and went over to stand next to him in the back where guys were sort of standing around watching the pool table. then next thing I know some drunk muscled up guy comes and stands with his back to wall right between us. weird, I turned to look toward the front of the club til he left, and then me and the hot Latino guy started smiling and talking about that guys. long story short, Brazilian guy named Enrique.FUN.
walked home much later that night from where i was in Chelsea very cold and confused about where the bus or subway was but once on 34th felt safe and fine and was sobering up.

Saturday morning, breakfast at "PAX" on the corner of 40th and 6th ave. then back down to 34thst, Macy's, H&M, other stores, north on Broadway shopping and taking pictures of stuff. picked up my tickets at the George Oneil theater for "spring Awakening". then back to the hotel to call CH, next went shopping down in Chelsea at some stores I'd seen the night before. by 2pm I was back at the theater for the show! was AWESOME as described below. we were on the 5th row back from the stage although left of center. CH left his cellphone at home and was not able to contact his friend Jim the casting guy so his plans to get me backstage didn't happen, but it's cool, I was happy enough to see some of the cast come outside after the show. CH biked off ( I'll see him this July 4th when Aus bud and I visit NYC again). I walked up to 55th and over to 12 ave to the ARmory for the International arts festival going on there. (tons of pics will be posted for a while from that) was there for hours, walked back towards time square at 8pm, more pics, eating, hotel to relax and clean up, then debated to just sleep and crash or go out to a bar. I decided to try Splash bar just south of my hotel, it pretty much sucked though, just a bunch of muscled up club guys and too dark to see anything or anyone in there, too loud music etc etc. stayed for about an hour the went home and crashed and packed and prepared for the next day.

Sunday, went to PAX again for breakfast, so nice, and then more shopping on 34th, and generally made my way down to greenwhich and then SOHO, pictures, shopping etc... subway over to Brooklyn at 2pm when the Steve Keene gallery opened up. First thing I noticed walking off the subway in Williamsburg was how quiet it was like normal outside, compared to NYC all weekend with traffic always. Was on a tight schedule, only in Brooklyn for about 15-20 minutes before I was walking back to L train, going to hotel for my luggage, and then walking up 5th avenue to 42nd and gran central station for the bus to the airport!! everything timed perfectly.

I stopped just south of the public library to take a picture, walked up north around the corner east a block to get to gran central, and noticed I was missing my lacoste sack. with my (by now) heavier carry-on, back pack and 2nd carry-on with other clothes purchased inside, I sort of walked and then ran back to the corner to look around, then turned back south to where I stopped to take the photo and low and behold, there is a lady with the sack at her feet and my new shirt taped up in the store paper in her hands. "hello" that's mine, thank you thank you.. .as I take it from her, pick up my sack and she was like... ok... luckily no tiff ensued. man I was glad, the two best shirts I bought $65 at lacoste and $30 H&m shirt, would have SUCKED to not make it back with them. ha.

that's it, trip over, I smiled all the way home from the OKC airport, couldn't believe I had just been to BIG BAD BUSY NYC and back in just one weekend, or maybe I was smiling to know there was a shower and my bed at home ready to jump right into.

so I survived. I can't say that I began any big love affair with New York City, but I definitely want to continue the romance. I'll be back and hopefully soon!