24 Hours In NYC

this DC summer has already gotten to me, has already gotten to my friends. it's probably a bad sign when we're already in need of a road trip the first week of june, but we've gone nonetheless.
we've soldiered on.

Megan, the Peaver and i dipped out to the only city which inspires salsa-related lynch mobs; New York City. and what a fantastic dipping-out it was.

our journey was blessed from the beginning, as is any decision made in a strip club late on a sunday night. the chinatown bus would be our mode of transport, and our itinerary would be flexible at best.
and so at 9:30 on monday morning we roared, triumphantly, out of this town. and a short four hours later, we were shoved out into the teeming, humid mess that is new york's chinatown (side note: authentic chinatowns have shops called things like Happy Time Wedding Love Center. no ruby tuesdays here.)

stop number one was for some 'za, natch. it was delicious. it was also a harbinger of the eating binge that was to come. in 24 hours i consumed three mr. softee cones, a lot of free cookies and cereal, more free cheese and red wine than can possibly be healthy (although i would have preferred shrimp and white wine), half my body weight in sushi, and a sizable amount of budweiser, PBR, and knob creek.

stop number two was to St. Mark's Ale House, where we downed frosty $2 buds and played Safari. we left home for a better-lit pharmacy bar. amazing.

and it was good to get in from the heat.

bellies full of beer, we headed to times square, as evan had never been. and here is where my impulses began to overpower my better judgements. you see, we were in need of lodging for the evening, and i was sweaty and had to pee and saw a hotel called the casablanca. done. we're staying here. i have a credit card, right?
well, it's a good thing my credit card has more than $400 on it. but it was totally worth it, if only for these two things:

this tiger guards the complimentary wine and cheese.


phone in the bathroom, y'all.

after loading up on the aforementioned wine and cheese, we head back to the east village and evan and i partake in that most sacred of our generation's rituals: the Brotoo.

hold steady fanboys.



my endorphins were high enough after the tattoos that much of the rest of the evening is a blur. i know we went to a few bars, where i played some Soul Asylum on the jukebox, and we played some more Safari whilst being served by a 40-year-old woman in a bikini.

soon enough i'll brave those efficient chinese, and this sweltering heat, and get back on up to NYC. stay tuned.

and next on my DC Summer Agenda: Jornado's King's Dominion Send-Off. get excited.