Gorgeous wedding gown: Check.
Stroller with dyed poodle: Check.
Gold slippers: Check.
Dyed beard: Check.
Parrot on head: Check.
Fuzzy ankle accessory: Check.
While the stroller counts as having something "roller", I don't see any disco.
One of the benefits of living in Brooklyn is the possibility of great views of Manhattan. I suppose this applies to NJ as well, but the bridges light up so beautifully at night. The tunnels are less photogenic. Note to self: bring your big boy camera to George's rooftop around sunset one day.
Yes, Facebook is killing blogging. With one stupid meme after another, apparently. I do find the status updates are easy and it's nice to have all my peeps centralized. We'll see what becomes of this place once the eventual redesign takes place. *VIRTUAL POKE* (you know who you are)
Busy in the lab. Busy having fun. Busy with family. I've been to North Carolina and San Francisco this month - and even Brooklyn!! Photos from recent Blowoffs are online. San Francisco. Southpaw in Brooklyn.
I'm one of the lucky people (sorta) who doesn't have to choose President's day or Columbus day - I don't get holidays per se - every day is the same. Friday night was super busy with 2 birthday parties and an engagement party at which to make appearances. Saturday we dined in celebration of Joe's Birthday. Sunday rolls around and all the peeps with Monday off from work are excited to be around. It was great to see my friends who always work Saturday night out and about. Dugout. Eagle. Missed Truck Stop.
Blowoff started up right at 11:59 PM and it was a fantastic night. Bob and Rich spun great sets and Nick's video just keep getting more amazing. The crowd was extra sexy with many new faces. One of the best yet! As per usual - Photos Photos Photos!
Today is Joe.My.God.'s Birthday. Go wish him a happy 104th!
Love you Joey. Mean it. Now stop $!@#%ing!
New York City this summer has the brilliant idea to close down Park Ave from 72nd street all the way down to the Brooklyn Bridge and allow only pedestrians and cyclists access to the street. It's called Summer Streets, and it's BRILLIANT! Joe and Father Tony have already posted their reviews and photos. The bright blue skies of early morning slowly filled with fluffy white clouds by the time we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. I waved at America's Next Top Model Cycle 8 winner, Jaslene who was filming something on the bridge. Starving, we ate lunch at 5 Front with the slowest, greenest waiter in the history of New York service employees. Bouncing along the cobblestone streets was a bit of a challenge, but we were rewarded by excellent views of Manhattan, quaint high-end shops and the sad beauty of urban decay and renewal. Our trip took us near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which has long been allowed to decay behind the US Navy's brick-and-iron walls. Haunted houses are easy to imagine, even though some of the formerly beautiful Victorian homes have large trees growing out of their second floor windows.
We huffed and puffed our way through the Orthodox Jewish area of Williamsburg. I don't think our shorts or exposed arms were appreciated by the black-coated residents but on we went to Long Island City and eventually back across the Queensboro Bridge. Mercifully there was no line at the bike shop when I returned and dropped off my wheels. Home for a quick shower and 5 minute nap - not long enough - before meeting Roadhead and Heather for dinner. I managed to flirt my way from a 45 minute wait down to a 3 minute wait (thanks Jennifer! love you!) at Momofuku Noodle Bar and then drop into Pinkberry with no line. At this point Heather pretty much demanded to be taken to a gay bar, so off we went to Nowhere. Then Beauty Bar. Then BACK to Nowhere!!! What a fun night - but now my wallet is empty.
This is a shot from April, after a talk at the NYAS in one of the new World Trade Center buildings. The views from the 40th floor are gorgeous, allowing unobstructed views of NJ, uptown, and the Woolworth Building (my fav). Some security guard came outside while I was snapping away and said I wasn't allowed to take photos there. I kept on walking and snapping photos - I'm on a public sidewalk and I don't see any reason it'd be against the law. If anyone can point out the law I was breaking I'd be amused.
P.S. -- I also jaywalk all the time.
Friday afternoon I took the LIRR to Sayville, paid some mafia guy $5 for a shuttle to the ferry terminal, and got myself out of town for the weekend. Thanks to George and Scott for inviting me out. Food, Friends, Sand, Beer, Rose Kennedys, etc...
So, while the rest of the world was struggling to activate a 3G iPhone, I was being pummeled by the waves. And what waves they were! 6-8 feet high at times I'd estimate which is perfect for being tossed about and riding a few up onto the beach. I wish I had a boogie board, because my hands, back, knees, and elbows are all cut up from being blasted into the sand. Totally worth it. Probably not worth it so much for George, who got knocked down 30 seconds after standing in the surf, and lost his prescription eyeglasses. Bye bye VersaceBear. :)
Luckily Foxy had a spare pair of glasses that were workable for the time being. So, we skipped all the afternoon Tea dances and cooked at home and relaxed. Saw some drag queens at the Ice Palace, and some people went to Cherry's when the Ice Palace turned into an underwear party. The town uses boardwalks in place of roads since no cars are allowed. This makes it difficult to navigate home in the dark with wobbly walkways, especially after a few beers.
Saturday was spent at the beach. I probably spent 3+ full hours in the ocean being tossed around. The waves were rough and some people thought we were crazy. When not in the water, we oogled the naked sunbathers and those doing photo shoots for their online profiles.
After getting showered, we walked through the Meatrack to the Pines to enjoy the sunset and get a beer at Low/Middle/High/Whatever Tea in the multi-room Pavillion area. I still don't think I found the Blue Whale, but masses of people just moved like schools of fish from one building to another at the prescribed time. We got a few drinks around, but eventually braved our way in the early evening back through the forest. Grilling was needed - burgers and dogs and yummy sides. Then back out for the evening.
Sunday we were "just going to the beach for 2 hours" before leaving early. That turned into a 6 hour swim-a-thon for Scott and I. All exposed flesh in the top photo is now burnt to a crisp. I'm spritzing myself with Vinegar to mask the heat, taking Aleve, and applying Aloe & Lotion heavily. Prepare for the peeling.
And big thanks to Brian for taking the top photo. :)
June is the beginning of summertime, and Pride season. I've been extremely busy living life, going to the beach, working in the lab, and running about in DC and NYC. I've got thousands of photos I have yet to sort through and post, but it's just not happening yet. Simma!
This weekend is NYC Pride - and a NYC Blowoff promises to be a killer time. Tom's in town, the sun is shining, and good things are happening. I'm a happy man.
Oh! And it's Wimbledon time, too. Seeded players are dropping like flies. No American men are left. :(
Eventually, if you're lucky enough, the big birthdays roll around and force you to reflect back on your life. At least if you're like me. Luckily, Tom and George planned me enough distractions to occupy my attention for the weekend. I had a busy workday on Friday, mediated by the presence of bacon cake from the fabulous Foxy (who used to be a blogger). Mmm.... Bacon. I thought it was delicious and orgasmic - other people not-so-much.
I opened up a bottle of my favorite scotch I received two years ago as a birthday present from George. Running late as always, we hopped in a cab and arrived at Saka Gura for a delicious Japanese dinner. And plenty of sake. Afterward, we joined the party at Snaxx partied like rock stars - with rock stars!
Saturday, my actual birthday, I spent on the phone with family and then lots of lazing about the house. Chillaxin'. Prepping for my "surprise" party later that night at Nowhere Bar... bringing along bacon cake number two! Was I surprised? I was surprised that so many people showed up before I did! We cracked open several boxes of my favorite cupcakes [Red Velvet with cream cheese icing from Billy's Bakery] and lit up candles. They sang. I cried a little. We partied all night long as friends kept appearing to celebrate.
I feel very loved. Thank you to everyone!
Waking up at the crack of noon on Sunday, brunch was required. I rounded up my grad school peeps and we hit the UES Vynl. Bloody Mary, how I love thee. Battling the grey day, we watched dogs play in the puppy gymnasium and sampled some of the pubs in the 'hood. Smooth transition to the Dugout where even MORE friends came out of the woodwork! Instead of the standard Sunday itinerary, we detoured to Truck Stop where I had a remarkably good time. Guess it's always fun to sample something new. A quick stop by the Eagle and street meat and then home to recover.
I'm getting to old for this. Father Tony says such sweet things. I might have some reflecting to do later.
Photos from last weeks Blowoff NYC are online.
We hit Snaxx on Friday night after eating delicious sushi at Sakura Hana. Saturday was a major sleep-in day, but Tom, George and I made it to Jackson Heights to wander around and look at Indian and South American culture.
Saturday night, we launched from Matt's place downtown and then into a mega-crazy line outside Blowoff. Buy your tickets ahead of time and arrive early, kids! Everyone stayed in good spirits, and once we were ushered inside the party was rocking! Off - The - Chain (or hook, or plane, or geranium, or whatever). A LOT of people danced all the way until 4 am when the lights came up.
When we finally woke up on Sunday, we had to fight off mega-strollers for a seat at the Barking Dog cafe. Later on we met up with the crew downtown for typical Sunday night extravaganza and a lot of recapping of the previous night's activities. I love Sunday night, and as the weather gets better they can only get more fun!~
Bring on this weekend!
Yeah, I went to the Black Party – the annual springtime celebration of rebirth. I danced and danced and had loads of fun. I didn’t get home until after the sun had been up for hours. If you really wanna know the dirty details, hit the jump!
Good News, Everyone! I passed my qualifying exam without too much of an issue. Sure I've got some minor revisions to make, but overall it's a great relief. Now back to doing research. To celebrate, I got the heck outta town and visited Tom in DC for a long St. Patrick's Day weekend. I got to see Bob Mould play live with his band followed by an immensely fun Blowoff.
Riding the Subway last Sunday I entered the shuttle between Grand Central and Times Square. Something was odd... the subway cars were paneled with wood. At first I thought these were some crazy fun old antique cars they brought out for a special event. Then I realized that it was just a vinyl sticker custom fit to every possible surface, including the ceiling.
What a slick re-design, I thought. Until I noticed that the whole thing was a Swiffer ad. Feh.
This covered bridge reminded me of the opening of Beetlejuice so I had my classmate John take the photo as I prepared to drive through it. Everyone in the minivan appreciate the fact that I didn't try to shoot and drive. We had enough drama with accidents on the trip.
We drove up in 3 minivans at different times for scheduling convenience. Due the snowstorm and traffic, our arrivals were out of order. To kill some time, one of the vans went to buy groceries. A frozen parking lot plus several inches of fresh powder equals super-duper slippery surfaces. One step out of the minivan and one girl was rendered screaming and grabbing her foot. Her heel was 90° to the left of where it should be. If it were the NBA they'd be showing the instant replay in slo-mo to see the gore.
After 5 pm on Friday the EMT service in rural Vermont is volunteer. The 18 year-old police office assured us that they would arrive in about 45 minutes. Since they're volunteer, they can administer an IV, but no pain meds, which made their attempt to set the ankle in the ambulance quite remarkable. Oh the screaming.
Hospital.
Morphine.
A very late night.
The next day, the local orthopedic surgeon arrives to announce her tibia is broken in 2 places, her foot in one place and she will require metal plates and screws to hook it all back together. Meanwhile, her ankle is as big as a football. Since we live so close to many hospitals the decision was made to take her back to the Hospital for Special Surgery. Except when they arrive they learn that since the referring hospital was capable of performing the surgery they would not be able to call in an emergency surgeon until Monday. Switch to ER at NY Presbyterian Hospital, which also refuses to admit her because she's been already seen by a different ER for the same problem. So they kind of begin to panic. Eventually we think to advise them to call the Insurance company (we have great insurance really) who works something out where they can get into NYP.
The major surgery had to wait until Monday anyway because they had to do something earlier to reduce the swelling. She'll be in the hospital for a few more days but will eventually recover fully. All this makes me consider what I'd think to do in such a crisis. I'll definitely be talking to my doctor about how to contact him should an emergency like this arise. Second, it makes me wish for Universal Healthcare. Badly.
I should have been writing, I know. Instead I took Saturday night off and went to BLOWOFF! It was worth it. The night was incredibly from start to finish. Great tunes, sexy crowd, and all around a good vibe from smiling happy people. Even while the club was trying to shut down people wanted to dance.
The Highline Ballroom really is a great space with an excellent sound system. With a few notable exceptions, nearly everyone I know in the greater New York City area was in attendance, which made it extra special. Big thanks to Bob and Rich for bringing a great DC party to NYC.
Best. Blowoff. Ever!
Blowoff in NYC was a killer time!!! Rami (from Project Runway) showed up, too. Such a sweet guy, but I was glad to get away without having my chest hair draped.
Hey it snowed! I took a break from writing my thesis to go for a walk in the park with Tom. It was magical.
Thesis Proposal is still due on the 29th. 10 Days to go, and I'm not even close to being done. Hopefully it'll be streamlined and good enough that I can use it for an actual grant submission and get a few extra bucks i my wallet to go with the moths and tumbleweeds.
I did manage to find a swank corner office in which to work. Small things.
I celebrated the Year of the Rat with some of my lab mates. The Chinese guy in the lab organized a big dinner at New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe Restaurant. Inside was a tropical theme married to exposed brick. Somehow it worked. Here's what we had for dinner:
1. steamed crab meat and pork juicy bun
2. eight delicious: smoked fish/aromatic beef/ preserved duck/ jelly fish/shanghai dough/aster indicus/ spicy cabbage/ little bamboo shoot with brown sauce
3. jumbo shrimp with ginger and scallion
4. sauteed fish fillet with chinese yam and lily ball in wine sauce
5. sea cucumber with shrimp eggs
6. pork shoulder in honey sauce
7. steam whole fish
8. house crisp duck
9. vegetable in season
10. seafood soup
11. house style fried rice
12. sweet eight jewel taio
13. fruit
The dumplings and the pork shoulder were my favorites. Also of note, the seafood soup had sea sponges in it, which was interesting. I felt like I was eating a loofah. Chinatown was in such disarray after the previous night's festivities. Confetti and streamers of mylar and paper littered the gutters and covered cars. As we left dinner a cleanup crew was outside assisting street-sweepers. Oh, and the NYPD's paddywagon drove by, too!
I didn't really mention it before, but I got a new camera for Christmas. It's a Canon 40D. Right now all I have is a 50mm f1.4 lens and and the awesome Speedlite 580EX II. Review here if you're interested. This might put me ahead in the technology arms race with my Iowa Peeps. Or maybe it bumps me into a different class. I still have my trusty Canon SB800 IS pocket digicam to keep it real.
Anyway, I'm still reading the manual.
My big exam is coming up to let me stay in grad school. Advancement to Candidacy Exam / Qualifying Exam / Thesis Proposal Exam - call it whatever. Written part is due on Feb 29. I have zero words on a page. I can start stressing anytime now.
Superbowl was cool. I have no strong opinion on either team, so it was a quality game where the underdog won - fun for me! Plus we had chili and guacamole and cheese and cannoli and cookies. And dark chocolate m&ms. Mmmmmmm
I almost never post YouTube videos, but I saw a really great video for a Snoop Dogg's song Sensual Seduction. It's pretty much how music videos would be if I were an art director. I would love to find a tutorial for Photoshop to figure out how to do that crazy Fat Albert-esque effect toward the end. No, not the part where he's flying through space on a round bed. The OTHER awesome part.
Aaaaaanndd... Star-Wipe to black.
I learned at the Natural History Museum that frogs sometimes need a hug, too.
Yesterday's BLOWOFF here in New York was outstanding. More to come!
(Yes, that's Tom and I hanging out with Cyndi Lauper)
The reading at the Rapture Cafe turned into a surprise Transgender wedding!
Only in New York!!!
The price of fresh frogs keeps climbing year after year. Where are our strategic frog reserves?!
Why not try a General Tso's Burrito or a Kung Pao Enchilada ?!
This weekend I'll be rendezvousing with Tom and our friend Rich in San Francisco. It's been a few years since I was last on the west coast for the Cell Biology meeting. This trip is purely a getaway, with few solid plans. I'm getting a head shave / beard trim from Joe the Barber in the afternoon, followed by happy hour on Friday. As for the rest of the weekend, only time will tell. I'm sure we'll manage to fill up the hours with some sort of mischief.
Hopefully we run into some friendly faces while we're there!
Last year for Halloween I was trapped inside my graduate school student center, going quite insane trying to write up answers to exam questions. This year a clear crisp night found me at the parade. I love the huge dramatic costumes and puppets and organized parts, but kind of lose interest after the first hour when random drunken revelers wander by. George, Matt and I grabbed a bite to eat and drink at a Cuban place on 8th Ave.
Then I went out on my own. Merciful heavens... I bore witness to demons and wolves and all such manner of wickedness. It was awesome. What was meant to be a one-stop excursion turned into night out at Avalon - a dance club in an old church. I was taken aback by the spectacle of costumed dancers everywhere. It was virtually impossible to tell who was a paid go-go dancer and who wasn't. Not that it mattered. At the prescribed point in the evening (morning) there was a 20 minute stage show with full choreography. The energy of the performers on stage left the audience slack-jawed and wanting more.
I love Halloween.
Last Wednesday at the Rapture Cafe, a reading was held titled Reading for Filth. Miss Understood was reading a biography of Charles Pierce when a small child scooted right up to the edge of the stage. The filthiest part of the reading continued, as the crowd began chuckling and slowly ramped up to raucous laughter. Upon the realization that she wasn't "killing" as they say, and we were laughing at the child, she exclaimed, "Shoo! Get outta here!" Sympathetic, the crowd let out a sincere 'awww' as the child's head dropped and his caretaker came to fetch him. Gotta love New York parenting!
To celebrate the entry into this world Mr. Neil, six fellows gathered at Juniors in Brooklyn for brunch. Sadly, no one ordered the cheesecake. Bryce organize the whole glorious outing, which later included a trip to Queens for the Amazing Corn Maze. Not everyone made it, as Taylin and his BF had better things to do on a sunny Saturday. Damian, Neil, Bryce and I set off then on the A-train to the LIRR to Otto's taxi to the Queens County Farm Museum. It's just barely still in Queens. I think Nassau county is just across the road.
Being from Iowa, I kind of felt ashamed that I was not a corn maze pro. The truth is that until last Saturday I'd never even thought of going to one. Probably because most self-respecting Iowa farmers would rather sell their crop instead of ruining a few acres to create a maze. Every year the maze has a theme, and this year it was the Wizard of Oz. During our "intro to the maze" discussion, the chemically-enhanced woman called me Dorothy. Haaaaaay! *snap*
We wandered. We were silly. We dodged strollers. We found all the puzzle pieces. We filled in the entire crossword puzzle. Best of all, we totally blew-off the Wizard after he chided us for our slow time. I made a video of some movie clips of the outing which is below. The photos I took can be found in the usual place. There are some other updated galleries as well.
Corn Maze Photos.
BLOWOFF NYC Photos.
Iowa Homecoming 2007 Photos.
My first full summertime in New York as been filled with activity and fun. So much so that I'm behind in documenting all my wheelings and dealings. Forgive me if spending time playing, singing, dancing, working, traveling, and loving all trump blogging. Oh yeah, and grad school. Pesky that.
The previously mentioned Yankee game, which was a scorching 95 degrees(!) was a splendid affair because of terrific box seats! I guess my complaining from last year paid off. It was a high scoring game, and everyone drank plenty of $9 beers in the shade. I think I'm still more of a Mets fan though. Following the game we hung out with other geeky scientists at a fancy terrace BBQ party called "Beers of the World". Note, that the Chili beer is a crime against humanity. To quote Ralph Wiggum, "This tastes like BURNING!" The Wagyu Beef burgers were scrumptious, and made up for it. Such a happy day.
The next day, I noticed my 17" MacBookPro battery had swelled up out of its case, and was severely bulging. A trip to the Apple Store fixed it but this is a serious problem that's affected 4 people I know - including Tom. The wonderful Aaron had acquired tickets to see Erasure at McCarren Park Pool and invited me along. It was my first time seeing Erasure, and despite being a tiny bit late we all had a great time. I'm not such a fan that I can name every song, but I sure did sing along with the crowd. Later that night I ended up running into Andy Bell at Nowhere and grabbed a photo. Check out the rest o the Photos!
That Saturday I spent at a BBQ with our new first year students in upstate NY (okay fine, it was Westchester). Chill, standard, bus driver from hell - thank goodness for Google Maps on my phone. Sunday was a housewarming party all the way out in Brooklyn for David. He's got a beautiful view of the Verrazano Bridge.
Next up, my friend Adam from high school was visiting NYC from Amsterdam and we got together for a dinner and drinks. Super-great to catch up with him. I think we really weirded out his friend (from Luxembourg!) a few times.
And then? And THEN I went to see Daft Punk. Robots. Lasers. Lights. Dancing. Awesome. Getting to Coney Island was awful, but it was all worth it. Check out the photos. I have some videos up on YouTube as well... link to come. Nothing can really convey the energy and flow of such a show, but maybe you can get a taste of it.
The next day, I hopped a train to DC for a weekend with Tom. NY and Philly peeps were in attendance, so we had a little pre-party at Tom's place to watch the 130 Cats Video from CNN (really, this one is better than the YouTube one) and drink Watermelon frozen drinks. Yum! Then off to Woof! at Titan. Much fun was had. Much dinner was also had at Thai Tannic.
Saturday after a workout, Tom and I went to Taberna del Alabardero for Restaurant Week. It was delicious, but the cream based potato, leek & shrimp soup did not end up agreeing with me. Costume change followed by a stop at the Chateau Deux Sean, featuring Jimbo to warm yet another house. Great space, semi-sketchy neighborhood. Great to see those peeps, as I don't always when I'm in DC. We stayed long enough to drink a vodka or two, then it was time to bounce over to Nellies Sports Bar. Good space, fun people but it was crowded trying to get a drink.
On our way to the 9:30 Club for BLOWOFF we had to walk past a bus stop on U Street with about 15-20 black men and women. A smile and a nod and no big whoop, until we all get past each other and then one guy shouts to us, "Ya'll look like Martians!!!" and begins to jump up and down pumping his fists. So I turn around and jump back shouting, "Wooooooooooooh!" One love. :)
BLOWOFF rocked, as usual. Great music, great friends, sexy crowd. Unfortunately I didn't make it the entire night this time, as the cream soup caught up with me. Mixed with the aforementioned vodka, my stomach was doing flip-flops but I managed to keep my dinner down. Photos from the entire weekend are here.
Sunday, Jim and Don were gracious enough to host an impromptu BBQ and Pool Party. It was one of those amazingly sunny, perfect gatherings of friends where you just lounge and float and have a coke or a beer, eat a burger, jump off the diving board 50 or so times. Yeah... bliss.
I played the bonus round and stayed in DC through Monday, reading and working from the couch. And then Tuesday morning back to the lab and experiments and science. Hang on to me, before I fly off this crazy spinning world.
Remember that bananas are worth 5,000 points. Very important!
Looking back through some photos on my computer I realize I've been up to a lot lately. My camera odometer rolled over! Sat in the park watching roller disco (again). Went to Blowoff in July. Photos finally online! Holy crap it's August already. Lab work is going well, when I'm actually there. Summer has sucked away any productivity I might have had. It's just too hot. I'm supposed to go to a Yankee game today at 1pm. The high is predicted to be 93+, which means the plastic seats will be approximately 138°F. Yowch! Sunscreen, much sunscreen.
More stuff: Big Lug BBQ at Cattyshack a few weeks ago was a blast - too bad they killed the Big Lug Bar and all BBQ events. Hopefully they resurrect the BBQ and maybe a weekly event in the future. Been hanging in Williamsburg more than usual, checking out the interesting hipster indie hotspots. And the strollers. Saw the Simpsons Movie (cartoon nudity!). Played grillmaster for the lab BBQ - in Manhattan! It was great to once again smell like a grill. The bonus was the boss is British and made Pimm's cocktail.
I've been hitting the gym again after I got over a period of 9 weeks where I was sick or dizzy or a headachey mess. Progress after 4 weeks is approaching where I was at before. I got a new bed and it's helping a LOT. All that sickness actually involved me getting a head and sinus CT scan. Because I'm such a nerd, they gave me the digital files on CD-ROM and I can analyze my own skull. And reconstruct it in 3D. It's pretty sweet. I hope to post it when I figure out how to remove the personal information from the images.
Oh, and Ms. Pac Man has some hot shoes.
I met Chris at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last Friday to check out the new Greek and Roman galleries. Statues of famous ancients littered the floor. Hercules. Caligula. Voldemort. He was creepy. Sometimes I'm glad I'm a muggle.
Even in the shiny baby-proof New York City of 2007? Really? What will s/he be wearing?
Happy 4th of July, ya'll. May you, too, get to play in some fire hydrant sprinkler fun!
Where were we? Oh yes... coming down from my 3 Minute Hero high and an obnoxious flight back to JFK (seriously, get your ATC issues worked out. k. tx.) The following weekend it was time for another trip to DC and Baltimore Pride. Friday the Baltimore and Nebraska peeps took Woof! by storm. We jumped in the Land Rover and jetted to B'more on Saturday. We wandered by the parade setup an arrived at our home base: the non-secret party behind the stage. The parade crept by at a NYC parade pace and was excruciatingly boring, so we spent most of our time at the party. No way I was getting in that redneck swimming pool. No chlorine = no thanks. We bounced around from the party to the Hippo and the festival. Definitely a fun trip!
Fast Forward (or rewind) to NY Pride weekend. Again, Tom came up for the festivities. After a few drinks with the Dean, we joined George and Matt for private sushi at Sakura Hana. Cupcakes followed. Ty's followed. Sleep followed.
Saturday we slept in, had brunch, wandered through Central Park, met up with Commandrew for drinks at Therapy and then hopped a Bus (Priority Seating!) to George's party. Had an awesome time at the party, chillin' and chattin' with the guys. Afterwards, nearly everyone appeared at Nowhere bar for one of the bests nights out there I've ever had. Freaks and Geeks were dancing around crazy and the vibe was terrific. Late nights out lead to sleeping in late.
Sunday we missed a large chunk of the parade, but witnessed a few hours of it until our crowd-tolerance circuit breakers tripped and we headed to Florent for dinner. It was good, but way too greasy. We thought it a great idea to follow dinner with another cupcake. Billy's kicks Magnolia's ass, for the record. Mmmm... Red Velvet. Then we found ourselves at the Eagle on the roofdeck while the sun was still up. Miraculously we snagged a perch on raised planter and watched the crowd swell while friends grabbed us beers. We barely made it to midnight. Monday it was time to sleep in again and nurse ourselves back to health.
Baltimore Pride Photos
New York Pride Photos
Oh... and 3 Minute Hero Photos are Posted too!
Super cute, or super evil?
I feel like this party colored pomeranian puppy wants to set me on fire.
[ed. - and feed me to Brandt Payne (sorry, inside joke)].
Top of the Rock, last Sunday. The weather was perfect for a trip to the top of Rockefeller Center for the best view of Central Park from pretty much anywhere. It's so much better when the trees have leaves.
I should have some time later this week to post the backlog of photos I have from Spring Break, my sister's wedding in Nashville, baseball games, and Kosher Coke taste tests. At least for some of it. Class is nearly over, and the real fun of lab work begins again.
Beware citizens. Frog Baby has descended upon New York. None are safe.
RIBBIT!
Thanks Chris!
Tuesday was a beautiful day. I struggled with a problem set for a week, and finally turned it in with enough daylight left to stroll through the park. And stroll I did (More photos to come). Mostly I just hung out with a few friends near the newly renovated Bethesda Fountain underpass. Then I had to go home and do laundry. Le Sigh.
In other exciting news, my credit cards are missing. I went to the gym, then to the grocery store, and when I tried to pay I noticed that AmEx was gone, then my forlorn MBNA card which must now be reissued with a (probably tacky) Bank of America logo. Ugh! Did they fall out? Who goes through a wallet and takes JUST the credit cards - no cash, and no ATM cards? So odd. Anyway, I canceled Bank of America with their evil automated system. There was no option to even speak to a human. American Express on the other hand was terribly friendly. They are even sending me a new card by UPS overnight! That is customer service as it should be.
Waking up on a Saturday morning after 9.5 hours of amazing sleep and getting an everything bagel in the park is a wonderful way to start a day. Realizing that the Mr. Softee truck is back, and thus Spring is really here is truly decadent. Pretty soon we'll be sitting on a hill in the park all afternoon watching the roller skaters. I hope to participate this year. Anyone got a pair of skates, size 11, or know where I can get one? Preferably black with red wheels, like I had when I was 10.
He. Puts out.
FIRES!!!
And [allegedly] so did all the other firemen I saw stumbling around the Upper East Side last Saturday. Go take a look at all the delicious evidence.
I had a blast at a party in a friend-of-a-friend's pad right near all the action. We had cornbeef and cabbage, johnny cakes, green chocolate chip cookies, and plenty of booze. I refused to swallow any Jager on this most holy of days, and chose Jameson like any civilized person. Also like civilized New Yorkers, we watched a parade on TV that was literally only 3 (avenue) blocks from our party. We did go for a stroll during the party to gawk and ogle the sidewalk eye candy. Later, the party moved to a crowded Irish Pub near my place called TJ's Pub where the barman knows most of the patrons. Much fun was had. I crashed early with a slice from Pizza Park (mmm.... whole wheat crust).
[Note: please excuse the poorly photoshopped green wall above. It's just not appropriate to see a red wall for a St. Pats post]
Mark has a magic finger, mostly for battling away monsters at the Dugout trying to massacre the jukebox. Someone like Jimbo might say he's casting 'Burning Hands'. Stay back, boys, he'll burn ya!
The last two weeks were a grumbling mess, what with a huge pile of work to deal with for school. Luckily I had last Friday off, and Tom came to visit on Thursday night. Much fun was had at Big Lug, including some crazy lady who thought her corset was a girdle, and then proceeded to remove it. I've now seen the definition of a hot mess. Except not hot.
No photos from that night, since I forgot the camera. The rest of the weekend is online now.
Friday we started at Happy Hour at Ty's, followed by a subway near-mishap en route to Sushi. And what best follows sushi, you ask? But cupcakes from Billy's of course! I loves me some red velvet. Then we ran into Glenn at Gym Bar while waiting for Snaxx. Our newly augmented group (which was about 8 people at this point, even sans Glenn) arrived at Snaxx, descended into the basement, and rocked the party. Our DC peeps showed up and the music was great, so we stayed until about 1 am - then shot to Nowhere for Cruisin', where we ran into some Farmboyz, Chris, and a few other peeps. Pizza followed, at a crap-tacular place nearby that can't hold a candle to my Pizza Park (oh, how I love your whole wheat crust).
Saturday I cooked up a pork and egg based breakfast, and we ran a few errands in the afternoon. The evening started off with a birthday party at the Eagle, where it was actually bright enough to see people while speaking with them. Met some fun guys, ate some delicious Argentinian cake-like desert, and watched Michael Jackson appear at the World Music Awards (still scary, ya'll!). Then it was off to Penn Station where we were forced to ride a 5 train on the 2 line up to Harlem. A 5 train! On the 2 line! Inconceivable!!!
The rain in Harlem didn't stop the group of teenage girls from getting loud and saucy on the stairs, and after we deftly navigated their weave-politics we got to Damian's pad for his birthday party. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Damian's wonderful roommate, awesome friends, and spacious pre-war apartment. The moldings! The parquet wood floors! The BOOZE! Then the early daylight savings time kicked in and we cabbed it back south.
Morning (okay... afternoon) came too early on Sunday, and we ventured to Chelsea for brunch at Elmo with a couple from DC. I once again proved that I cannot be trusted with stemware, as I splashed a mimosa around before finishing even half of it. Switching to pear bellinis was the smart move, despite remaining in a champagne glass. The room was full of gays, lesbians, and families with kids - how metropolitan! We strolled through the Chelsea Market and tasted a buttery cookie delight while sipping coffee. Before the guys jetted back to DC, Tom and I joined them for a drink at the Dugout. We ended up waiting on the rest of the standard Sunday crew to arrive - then they all left to go party at XXL. Tom and I made the "smart" choice to go visit Glenn at Barrage for another drink - or 3.
Thus, spawning the comment, "Ok, no more Glenn after 5pm on Sundays".
A semi-drunken stumble home through midtown brought us an encounter with an SUV that drove on the sidewalk to chase me. Honest, I only slam people's hoods for a good reason. Then we tried to ice skate at the Rockefeller Center Rink, but with only 10 minutes left of open time, we'd opt for another time. Instead, a quick trip to the Temple and home.
Totally Random. Totally Fun. Totally Awesome Weekend!
Saturday night I attended something called a "Blarg Hop" - a blogger bar hop from gay bar to gay bar on the lower east side. I remember the whole night, despite a bevy of beers and even a few shots along the way. I had a great time meeting a bunch of new friends and hanging with my buds. Three of the bars we visited were new to me, and I had a blast!
Yeah, I forgot a lot of names. I screwed up the ones I could remember. Alert me and I'll make amends. Now, on to what everyone really wants:
MY PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF!
also note: new Blowoff photos are up from a couple weeks ago
In addition, here are more pics from others.
Went to George's to hang and eat chili and watch the big game on Sunday after a very low-key weekend at home. Everything was going well until, while washing a 7-inch Santoku knife I hacked into my index finger very deeply. There was blood. I think I swore a time or two (I know, shocking). Damian accompanied me to the drugstore to get a splint and first aid supplies, which I managed to leave at George's last night.. D'oh! My real doctor friends say I'll live and all is well. I do hope that pesky numbness goes away though.
In other news, the icy winter weather has settled into NYC. It sucks to walk 15 blocks in 8 degree weather! All the Con-Ed stacks were working today as well, making steam and electricity. Wish some of it got to my apartment.
Damn it's difficult to type.
I wonder if these things accepted wooden nickels. Probably not, as they'd be too easy to counterfeit back in the days when whittling was a necessary skill.
Last weekend Tom joined me on a low-key weekend of eating, drinking, and wandering. Friday we had Upper East Side sushi, followed by Lower East Side drinks with George and Matt at Big Lug, where we were served drinks by the two handsome fellas pictured here.
Saturday involved brunch with Mr. and Mr. -ilicious Morningside Heights at Toast. Yay Toast! Then downtown for a wander through SoHo and the Apple Store, followed by some light shopping on Broadway. Unfortunately that was a Bust, but we headed over to Tom & Jerry's for a drink before dinner at Cafe Habana.
While at dinner, crammed between two other tables-for-two, I managed to touch my eye with hot-sauce on my finger. The flames! Inside of my eye! It buuuurns!!! Miraculously, the girl sitting next to me conjured a bottle of saline solution from her purse and I shamelessly hosed myself down mid-restaurant. Whatcha gonna do when you're trapped at a table? She saved me, and I should have bought her dinner, but I'm poor so a thank-you would have to suffice. Then off to hang with the peeps at Nowhere for Double-Headed Disco, followed by bar hopping around neighborhood.
Sunday, Tom and I met Ed for brunch, then joined the Farmboyz at the Brooklyn Transit Museum. Tom headed back to DC in the afternoon, Ed disappeared, and I strolled Brooklyn Heights with the Farmboyz, had dinner at 5 Front in DUMBO (fantastic, go there!). Afterward I re-met all my peeps at the Dugout for a couple of drinks, and was home fairly early.
One more week of lab rotation..... then back to class.
Today I rejoin the ranks of the living, after spending the last 4 days in bed with the worst cold I can remember (since childhood anyway). Wednesday morning I got up with a tickle in the back of my throat, and by 5 PM I was running a fever of 102 °F and had alternating shivers/sweats. Friday I strongarmed my way into a doctors office and got some heavy duty meds, including the good cough syrup with codeine. Really, it's the only stuff that works. NyQuill is so tamed down these days. I spent the weekend watching DVDs from Netflix (Animaniacs, Pinky & The Brain, and In Living Color) along with as much Austrialian Open as ESPN would show me. I did finally venture out and join a couple buddies for the 4th quarter of last night's Colts v. Pats game. What a finish!
In other news, while waiting for my prescriptions at the drug store I was surprised to see these sponges are back on the market. How knew sponges had an interesting history.
Bit of a line to get in and check coats, but we were on the dance floor by 8 PM. I've not seen a more interesting mix of people to date. Funky hipsters, tourists, Brits, Aussies, bears, saucy latin ladies, saucy black dreadlock queens, and wacky Asians all mixed together in a feel-good party vibe I've not experienced before in NYC. The shining star in a terrific night was the hour-long James Brown tribute set. To quote Joe:
We got up offa that thing,
we were sex machines,
we were black,
we were proud.
And now I have to learn to write Perl scrips. Eeep!
Oh yeah, of course there are pictures!!!
I'm in DC for over Christmas. Back in NYC for New Years Eve, and then skiing with the posse the first week in January. Now, back to the bevy of holiday parties.
A month ago or so, Tom and I had dinner at a sushi place called Lan, where we sampled this delicious appetizer. Mar-vel-ous! I think scallops must be my favorite seafood. That's mostly because they taste even better when wrapped in bacon. Then again, don't most things?
Sleeping in is harder than usual for me due to the proximity of a bus stop, and angry drivers who overuse horns. It goes with the territory, and I'm becoming immune to it slowly but surely. This morning, though, snoozy bliss was mine and I didn't know why. Why no horns? No busses? There's music in place, and cheering... and... what's that? Helicopters?
Yeah, marathon. Here's' me - paying attention in my own neighborhood. We watched the runners for maybe 30 seconds before Lance Armstron and his camera crew ran by. The bagel place across the street taunted us since there was no way to cross. Instead we took off downtown in the crowd to find another. Luckily, ZagatToGo was installed on my Treo and it's come in super-handy lately. (That, and Google Maps for Palm.) Bagels acquired.
It's beautiful fall days like this I wish I was a professional photographer. New York is fantastic right now. The trees are starting to change colors, there a bite in the air, and I'm hitting my stride here at school again. I'm so immersed I'm completely losing my mind sometimes. I got home from the gym and grocery store and didn't have my keys yesterday, so I walked all the way back to the grocery store, thinking I left them there. No luck - but the cashier insisted I check in EVERY pocket. My keys were in my back pocket with my wallet the entire time. I'm losing my shit people, seriously. I think this is the real reason behind grad school - to turn me into a crazy professor.
Yeah, we were just going to eat brunch, I swear. Tom and I ate at the Great Jones Cafe, on Great Jones Street (which is only 2 blocks long, incidentally). Cajun food in a tiny restaurant was never better. Plus they have Bloody Marys with a bit of kick! Following that, we strolled through NoLita and window shopped, balking at $30 t-shirts. The neighborhood is cool and trendy. Much cooler and trendier than me. To wash away my lameness, we stopped into a seemingly random bar for another Bloody Mary. Hey, it's Sunday! The bar is pretty empty, but we get our drinks and grab a seat in the corner window. Five minutes later, this huge dog walks into the bar. Ten minutes later, we're people watching and notice 2 trendy kids wander by. Hey, I know one of those kids!
Of course they joined us for one drink. There may or may not have been some popycock talk of "sharing" a beer because they were 23 ounces. ....4 drinks later we were shopping for old vintage flannel and boots. You don't want to know. We hit another bar. And another. I was home by 9:30 pm, but must I learn this lesson again every few years: EAT FOOD, or you'll pay for it later.
I woke up at 6:30 to prepare for class at 9:00. It was totally worth it.
A small plane has crashed into an apartment high rise on 72nd and York Ave. I was there about 15 minutes after it happened, before the cops closed off the street. Gossip on the street says a small 4 person Cessna crashed into it. There's no gaping hole, so the plane must have bounced off. The firefighters have the flames under control as of the moment I got kicked off the street.
I'm fine. I'm glad I'm not in traffic right now on 1st Ave. It's a disaster!
UPDATE: Here's a short video clip of the flames which should work soon.
Another Upper East Side blogger has photos too. Daily Blague.
Another shot from the cathedral this past weekend.
Walking to the gym most days I head down York Avenue, and depending on the sequence of lights and traffic eventually bang a right and weave my way to 2nd Ave. About half the time, for whatever reason, I get to the Queensboro Bridge and am forced to turn right and stroll past Scores. Today was one of those days. Just at the corner, an attractive young couple stops me:
Tourist Guy: Excuse me. Do you know the vay into zis gym?Me: What gym are you looking for?
TG: This one, here. *points up at Scores Awning*
Me: Well, the door is just down the block, but that's not a gym. It's a strip club.
TG: Strip Club? What is?
Me: Girls. Boobies. Dancing. You know?
Tourist Girl: *gasps*
Me: But I'm on my way to a real gym, if that's what you want you can follow me.
And then we all went to the gym. En route I learned that they are Dutch and are here in NY for only a few days before heading to Miami and then Los Angeles. I hope Uli designed their wardrobes.
Fast Forward to this afternoon. I'm walking from one meeting to another - all of 2 blocks. The intersection I need to cross is completely jammed with cars, vans, busses, and an ambulance (luckly the sirens were not going). Some blond bitch in a BMW 7 Series (and with a handsfree cellphone microphone in her ear) inches her way into the pedestrian crosswalk completely blocking my path, but getting exactly nowhere due to the traffic situation. No one can move, yet she leans on her horn for a solid 5 seconds.
I notice that her windows are down, and I snap. I leaned INTO her window and yelled out, "HOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNKKKKKK!!!!!" inches from her face. She recoils, dropping her pen and releasing the horn. Then I calmly say, "pretty obnoxious huh?" and walk around the jam up the sidewalk.
I think I heard someone start clapping as I walked away.
This past Sunday Tom and I went to eat delicious Bagels with Glenn and George. Afterwards, we plalyed tourist and snapped photos of the Seinfeld Diner. In our search for a donut on the UWS we walked by the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine where it was the Feast of St. Francis (of Asisi maybe?). There was a large sign outside saying something to the effect of "Animals will be blessed around back".
Hrm... Guess that explains why we saw a lady walk by with 2 llamas. And the guy with the gecko in an aquarium. And the creepy cat with no eyeballs. Yeah, you better get blessed quick! I wanted to go inside and see the stained glass, but the place has been undergoing renovations since 2001 and essentially the whole place is boarded up. Didn't stop them from accepting my "donation" upon entry, however.
Today during class we had a photographer annoy the hell out of us for 3 hours. Then they wanted more shots of us in the study area to pimp the grad school. It felt like America's Next Top Grad Student, and I half-expected to hear Tyra telling me to elongate my neck. Of course, I forgot that was happening today, and haven't shaved in a week so I'm totally rockin' the grungy grad-student in a hoody look. The photographers assistant assured me they'd use Photoshop's Gillette filter to freshen me up. If I get the proofs perhaps I'll share.
It's true, there used to be places here that packaged meat. I could go for a nice butterfly chop right about now. Someone set one aside for me next weekend when I'm back in Iowa City.
Walking purebred dogs is hard work. See all that pee on the sidewalk? For sure she needs a cigarette.
One last little gem from Coney Island to share is video proof that I rode the Cyclone, screamed and laughed, enjoying myself thoroughly.
I don't quite make it to the end of the ride before I drop my camera. Thank goodness for the wrist strap and solid Canon build quality. (I use an SD500).
Update: Photos are online! Hopefully I'll get caught up in posting pictures again.
One other famous historical spot at Coney Island is Nathan's Hot Dogs*. So greasy, and extra yummy with chili and cheese and a big lemonade. My blood cheese levels were spiking after this meal. I love eating from the congealed group.
* I think I still prefer Hebrew National to Nathan's. After all, they answer to a higher power.
After 3 days of rain, it's no shocker that the first sunny day at the US Open was sold out. I tried, but could not get tickets. :( Instead, Tom and I went to Coney Island and rode the Cyclone.
Before Joe gets around to posting photos of each and every building in Manhattan, I wanted to share this building I saw walking home from the Daily Show Studios last week. It sits on the north side of 57th street, across from CBS Broadcast Center. I kinda dig it despite it being a giant glass box. It redeems itself with a pleasing regular pattern of squares, interrupted interestingly by circles. Hrm... Circles inside Squares.... I think I know someone like that.
The map above is from Wikimapia, a site which Tom stumbled onto a few months ago. It pretty much integrates the "add note" functionality of Flickr onto Google Maps. Yes, the maps are a bit out of date. They're still building the Time Warner Center according to the map - when in fact it's very much complete. Hey, it's free.
I went through and tagged a few buildings in various places around the country, it's a functional way to waste time. I also tend to clean up those annoying tags like "Kevin's house" or "Don't buy weed here". But that's just me.
Another Saturday afternoon was well spent lounging in Central Park watching the skaters skate and the gawkers gawk. Tom hopped a train and spent the weekend with me, getting acquainted with the UES. To be honest, first we went downtown for sushi and cupcakes. Delightfully, it's becoming a regular pattern. Red Velvet cupcakes rule. Just though you'd like to know.
The most interesting spectacle in the park this week was Roller Granny. Let's take a look at why she's hot stuff:
• White Stretch Pants
• Bedazzled halter top with fringe
• Elbow socks
• Yellow Oakley's (probably fake)
• Neon Green wrist pouch circa 1993.
• Sophisticated upswept and perfectly dyed hair.
• She can balance on 2 wheels.
• The guy in the black shirt totally wants her.
• So does the other girl in black.
Last Saturday I should have been reading papers and studying. Hell, I should be doing that right now. Perfect summer weather has put a bit of a damper on the studying, and I was lured into Central Park with promises of some sort of rollerskating and music. With limited details, I meandered across town, meeting up with previously mentioned compatriots. We perched ourselves on a shady hill overlooking the makeshift roller-rink in the middle of a street in Central Park. A DJ booth was set up with wireless speakers and the joint was bumpin'.
There were some extremely colorful characters skating about. Several people in spandex who clearly shouldn't have been. One guy skated around doing balancing tricks with a bottle of water on his head, hence his nickname: "Bottle Head".
This guy rolled in on his gold-plated souped-up bicycle, took a lap, parked his bike, strapped on some skates, and boogied down. Not that I noticed much of that, after all the wine and wrestling and frisbee. It was one of the best days I've spent in New York so far.
Baseball. It's our nation's official pastime, but hardly mine. After being forced to watch endless hours of Braves games as a kid, I'm kind of put off by baseball on TV. I do find it tolerable and sometimes even enjoyable if I'm at a game, and I have beer and hot dogs, and I'm with people I enjoy. And if there's eye candy. This year I've been to TWO MLB games. I went to a National's game with Tom and saw the Cubs lose horribly, and last week during orientation our class was treated to nosebleed seats at a Yankee game. On the hottest day of the year!
It was almost unbearable, and part of our group left at the top of the 4th inning, but D and I stuck things out until the bottom of the 8th when it was clearly a blowout. The stadium seats were scorching hot, but thankfully we brought frozen water bottles to cool things down. It BURNS US!
I toughed it out mostly because the tourist in me wanted to see Yankee Stadium finally. Check that off the list of things to do, along with sweating through every stitch of clothing I was wearing. And not in a fun way. Thank goodnes for Gold Bond. At least I wasn't as foolish as this guy, who decided only halfway through the game to beg some random chick for sunscreen. I guess he was drunk enough that he didn't notice his skin peeling off. Eye candy indeed.
I'm settling into my new digs in Manhattan this week. I've exhausted most of my travel desires for the summer, so it's NYC for me for a while now. Today's project was shopping around for a new bank, since my old credit union from L.I. doesn't have any branches here.
First stop: Citibank. Upon entry I was greeted quickly enough and ushered over to the New Accounts manager. She was very nice, but she was a super fast-talker. Apparently the hospital where I work (known forevermore as "The Hospital" or "The Instutute") has some relationship with that branch so they know what's up. The situation, however, was a bit too high-pressure for me. She wanted me to fill out the paperwork right then and there, and promise to return before 5:30 with a letter proving my residence in the area and it was all a bit much. I left with a few pieces of information and an application. While she got up to get said application I noticed she had the most enormous butt I've ever seen in my whole life. I suspected for a moment that someone had stuffed 2 x 60 cm exercise balls down into her stretch pants. LAWD! Sir Mix-a-Lot would have been happy.
Second Stop: Chase. A middle-aged blond woman greeted me, and I requested information on checking accounts. She turns around and asks another woman sitting at a desk (who was assisting a couple who were carrying a awful lot of black binders) if they had any info on checking accounts. "Oh, no, you have to go to the Chase website and click on International Investor Relations." I blink profusely. "Do you not have a basic free checking account? I'm not international." It's at this moment I realize that the woman helping me is either handicapped or heavily medicated. Someone slipped this chick a roofie, methinks. Eventually I leave with a pamphlet geared for company benefits managers. She has carefully stapled her card to the pamphlet, indicating that her title is (for real y'all) Vice President.
Third Stop: Washington Mutual. Best experience of the lot. I was greeted initially by a young woman standing at a podium who immediately directly me to a table where I was handed a pamphlet by a nice woman who basically explained that their accounts were free. Period. And their main feature is that they offer free outgoing wire transfers, which I guess would be awesome if I were wiring money home to another country, probably in South American. Don't hate - I'm just using that as an example.
Fourth Stop: Commerce Bank. The nice black woman at the counter greets me right away, and as I approach her I hear her speaking to someone else, "oh, HELL no she d'int! ... oh! Sorry 'bout that." I reply, "go right ahead, take care of bid'ness". She smiles and sends me to the nice woman with the carribean accent who gives me 4 (!!) pamphlets all about their various services. She explains that the main feature of their particular branch is a machine called "Penny Arcade" which is a coin counter that customers there can use for free. At least it had a main feature other than drugged out blonds.
Fifth Stop: North Fork Bank. It was completely empty, and the woman at the table seemed surprised to see me. She indicated that she could help me find a checking account, as they had many. From a drawer she extracted a large stack of papers inside sheet protectors, all hilighted in various columns and rows. I never got to see what was on the paper, she just kept asking me questions and running her finger around the page, eventually stating, "yes, we can get you a checking account." Two more pamphlets and I'm out the door.
I get back home and hijack another wireless connection and check all the websites, quickly eliminating North Fork, HSBC, and Bank of America because of poor branch location. So, it's either Citi, Chase, or WaMu. I see the main advantage of Chase being that they have the most ATM's in NYC, and will refund other banks charges up to 3 foreign withdrawls per month. Citi reimburses 5, but has less ATM's. WaMu... I dunno. Everything seemed free there. A little too free...
I'm still up in the air. Any of you New Yorkers want to voice an opinion? Have a bad/good experience with any particular bank? I'm not doing anything just yet, but I'm glad I went shopping.
Oh, and I got groceries tonight. A box of Cheerios was $6.99!!! I'm gonna need a student loan in no time.
