Our first night in town, we arrived at our hotel at 11:30 at night, WAY past my bedtime. But, there must be something in the air in the city, cause I was ready to get out and GO! So, we got in touch with Jason and headed down to his bar, COZ.
Jason is clearly in his element at his place. It was great to meet his partner, Sean, as well. He and Jason take turns presiding over the bar on weeknights. The bar is a nice size - this is the upstairs before it got crowded - which it did! There is also a downstairs lounge with a DJ booth and dance floor, though you have to have a special permit if you're going to allow folks to dance! (One of the weird things about New York: you have to have a permit for EVERYTHING! Even the candles on the bar required a special permit.) On weekends, there is DJ'd music both upstairs and downstairs. The first night we were there, the DJ was playing some amazing Brazilian funk. A few nights later, Dwayne, the DJ downstairs played disco and soul. We talked quite a bit with Dwayne, who used to spin at Studio 54, though he barely looks old enough to have even been around at that time. He had some amazing stories.
The next day we had lunch at the restaurant where Jason worked for years, and learned to bartend. The food was great, and the crew and owner clearly still consider Jason a part of their house "family" though he no longer works there.
After lunch, we did a little sightseeing. Here Jason and I pose atop the Empire State Building looking out over the Island. I *think* that the view is to the West.
The next day, Kearson and I struck out on our own during the day, taking in some of the museums that are unique treasures in the city. The Guggenheim had several floors closed due to an installation in progress, so we got in for only a few dollars. The most notable artwork being, of course, the building itself. With our time shortened at the Guggenheim, we were able to make it to the Met as well, where we were just in time for wine and classical music on the balcony. After taking in the atmosphere, we chose two exhibits to explore. I selected the Musical Instruments exhibit, Kearson wanted to see the Arms and Armour installation. Both were fascinating!
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That evening, Becky took the train down from her home upstate (where she is going to school) to meet us and we had a delicious meal at a very crowded French Bistro. It was Saturday night, so it was crowded everywhere. This picture is at a Mediterranean restaurant where we had a few drinks before deducing that we were never going to get a table. But, c'est la vie, at least they had entertainment!
The next day was spent exploring the East Village with Becky. There was an entire street with shop after shop filled with shoes. I was in heaven! I also found an amazing Chartruese wig. When I wore it later back in Austin, Sondra didn't even recognize me! Kearson was a good sport during the shopping. The people watching was great as well. I stopped shopping long enough to take a photo of the pigeons in this square on our way back to the hotel.
Later, we went back to COZ for drinks and conversation. One last photo of me before we turned in for the night - at 6:00 AM!! I thought Las Vegas was supposed to be the city that never sleeps!!
New York is such an amazing city, it would be difficult not to have a memorable experience there. But the best part of the trip by far had nothing to do with Manahattan, but rather with reconnecting with old friends. What could be better, regardless of the location, than spending time with dear friends?