Bicoasting

I spent 4th of July Weekend visiting my friends and family in New York. Thought I spent the majority of the weekend in the pristine suburbs of Rye in Westchester County, I did manage to escape to Manhattan and Brooklyn on my first night visiting. It's about a 45 minute train ride from the burbs to Grand Central station, so it's a pretty easy trek. Upon arriving at Grand Central, I hopped on the subway and made my way on two lines to get to Brooklyn. I have to admit, I definitely felt like a tourist when I couldn't figure out which direction was the right way. But I soon caught my bearings and got to my destination, sorority tote bag in hand, with the letters on the inside so no hipster Brooklynites would pass judgement. I began walking the streets of Brooklyn and caught sight of a Buffalo Exchange store, a popular thrift shop that also has a chain in San Francisco! This made me feel right at home.

As some of you may know, I'm not exactly fond of New York City. Maybe it's the competitive attitudes, or the lack of friendliness, or the sheer expense of living there - but something about living there is really unsettling for me. However, visiting for a night is the perfect taste of the city that never sleeps.

I started off the evening sharing some margaritas with my two friends who just moved into a loft in Brooklyn. Their view is spectacular, with panoramic 360 degree views of the entire city. Considering the incredible view from the back of my apartment in San Francisco, it really made me wish I had access to our roof top.

Following happy hour, I took the subway back into the East Village to meet one of my best friends from home for dinner. We ate at The Smith (some of you may recognize it from the hit MTV show The City) on Third Ave and 10th St. We dined on delicious Brooklyn style calamari (they pour spicy marinara sauce on top), Bipbimbap, and a steak salad, washed down with a delicious Martini and half a carafe of Rioja; coming to a grand total of $50 each. I was shocked. Only $50 for a two course meal in the city complete with drinks? I would definitely recommend this place to any small group, but it was a bit too noisy for a crowd of more than four.

After snapping some pics in the old-fashioned photo booth downstairs, my friend and I said our adieus and I headed off to my next destination: my friends apartment in Astor place for a few cocktails before heading out to the bars. This is where it gets a little blurry. I know we went to a bar, where I met up with another friend in the city, exchanged some text messages with another friend I was trying to catch up with, and had quite a few vodka sodas. Suddenly the black out faded and the next thing I knew we were hopping on a Latino party bus to Times Square. After a few teases on the stripper pole and a couple of lap dances, we said our goodbyes to our new friends and began our hunt for 3am New York pizza (I couldn't possibly leave without it).

By the time we get back to Brooklyn, it's nearly 5:30 and we're watching the sun rise on my friends beautiful rooftop. I come to the conclusion that I might as well take the early train back to the burbs and sleep in my own bed, rather than tossing and turning on their couch for an hour. So after scarfing down a New York bagel with cream cheese (also something I couldn't leave without having), I make my way back to Grand Central and board a train for Harrison. Naturally, I fall asleep on the train and end up in Greenwich, where I have to wait another 40 minutes to catch a local train in the opposite direction that will bring me to my car, which is parked at the Harrison train station. At least I've sobered up enough to drive at this point. What a night.

The rest of the weekend was filled with BBQs, boat rides, family, friends, and fireworks; every thing I expected in a weekend in the suburbs. But my all night rendez-vous in Manhattan was certainly a delightful surprise, and I would do it all over again in a second if I could.

Some things Manhattan does better than SF: pizza, bagels, late night bars.
Some things SF does better than NYC: recycling, smiling, and bedtime.

Thanks to everyone for a great trip!