Days 19-21: Concrete Jungle Wet Dream Tomato

That’s what Alicia Keys is singing in “Empire State of Mind” and none of you can tell me otherwise.

Day 19 – July 28

Andrew and I bid Cristina farewell as she headed for the airport. Since Andrew was headed for work, I figured it would be a wise decision to move my car over to Brandyn’s where I could leave it for the remainder of my stay in town.

West New York’s parking rules are unkind to outsiders. You’re not allowed to park on any of the streets until after 11 a.m. and if you do find a pay lot, they seem to only allowed for four hour parking, which wouldn’t help me when I headed into the city. I took a chance and headed down to the NY Waterway ferry parking garage and, while it was a tad pricey, it would be an easy way back into the city and I wouldn’t have to move my car midday. A win-win, if you will.

I took the ferry across to Midtown (’cause I’m all about ferries now, obviously) and walked on over to the worst place in NY I could think of: Times Square.

I think have a love-hate relationship with Times Square. It’s an incredible clusterf**k of commerce, tourism, far too many people in one area, odd people in costumes, and a Guy Fieri dining establishment. At the same time, it’s an amazing social experiment and people-watching experience.

When I visit NYC, I’m usually through in the fall. I haven’t experienced a New York summer since 2007 when Brandyn, our friend Jon, and myself all drove from Savannah, GA to NYC. So, I wasn’t quite prepared for the muggy, overwhelming mess that is summer within this daunting concrete jungle. Instead of dealing with the heat all afternoon, I figured that I should check out the new “Ghostbusters.” I unknowingly bought a ticket for a 3D version (the Times Square AMC didn’t quite label everything right) and chilled out in the empty theater.

Okay, so three other people showed up during the credits, but at least everyone stayed quiet during the show. The flick was enjoyable, I had an ICEE, and I was the only person to stay through the credits (I don’t understand why you wouldn’t nowadays).

Afterwards, I headed over to Rockefeller Center (“30 Rock” nerds unite!) to visit the LEGO Store (where the new “Ghostbusters” set was sold out; sad day), the NBC Store, and the Nintendo Store.

I then strolled around the Rock, looking for the places where some of my favorite scenes from “30 Rock” took place. After finding out all the show tapings for the day were full, I began my trip back westward toward the ferry.

You know I had to pass by the Rodgers Theater to simply look at all the “Hamilton” regalia. I also found a cool little wine and beer shop that also happened to be a deli, celebrating the old-as-time tradition of combining literally any sort of shop with a deli. Bodega? Gotta have a deli. Chinese restaurant? Slap on a deli. Taqueria? Just call it a deli.

I also came across the USS Intrepid, which is now an amazing museum, located conveniently close to the NY Waterway stop, if that’s your jam.

I headed back to the Jersey side of town (no one calls it that), met up with Brandyn, and we decided to call it an “inside kid” kind of night. We ordered some sushi (peanut and avocado roll is my new jam), threw on the latest season of “BoJack Horseman,” and caught up. Without even truly realizing it, I burned through the whole season that night. I am not proud and I probably should not have done that. Still, here I am, enjoying life.

*Day 19 Stats: 

Miles traveled: — 10 miles

Miles traveled so far: 4,172

States visited:

1. New York
2. New Jersey

*This was the only day I drove, so I won’t be having this style update for the rest of this post.

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Day 20 – July 29

Since my buds still had work, I headed out on another hot day to explore the city. Brandyn told me that we would be hitting up an 80’s & 90’s Throwback Night at the House of YES with his friend, Evi. I sure as hell didn’t have any retro shirts on my person and neither did Brandyn, so I told him I would venture into East Village and obtain some vintage shirts for the evening. No problem.

Oh, sweet naive, Rhys. How foolish you are.

I hopped on the ferry once more and, once across, headed south along the west bank of Manhattan, walking past Chelsea Piers and playing Pokemon GO on my way to 14th St.

As I made my way across Manhattan, I started getting worn out and hungry. The first appealing thing I came across was Whole Foods. At lunch time. I was a madman.

After waiting in a line system straight out of an amusement park, I acquired my sustenance, ate upstairs overlooking Union Square, and continued on my way.

I finally found the retro shop I was looking for and their selection was superb. The problem? $60 per shirt. SIXTY. Now I’m sure someone is buying these in order to keep this place running, but good grief, they wouldn’t be getting any sales through me. Check out Mr. Throwback if you’re interested in laughing at price tags, though.

A tad beaten and far too warm from walking almost 3.5 miles, I dropped into the charming Big Gay Ice Cream Shop and procured a Bea Arthur (vanilla soft serve, dulce de leche, and crushed Nilla Wafers). It was absolutely delightful and I cannot emphasize how much I loved the apparatus on the cone that saved the melting treat from falling on my delicate hands.

Feeling rejuvenated, I hit up a few other shops, but just couldn’t find shirts that were calling out to Brandyn or myself’s tastes. Boo. I hit up Bua, a charming wood-laden bar with a decent beer selection and great appetizers. Heck, they even had a cider from Austin. Fancy!

Andrew had agreed to meet up with me after work, so I started heading back to a central location for us to meet. I came across Strand Book Store, which boasts “18 Miles of Books.” I’m sure they have 18 miles of books in there, but I don’t know how they’re stacking or positioning them to get that measurement. Eh, who am I to judge? They had these great “actual size” Trump hands for sale that kept me smiling even in the miserable heat.

Andrew and I met up at Bunga’s Den with our friend, SQ, who was also visiting NYC to help live stream “Smoothie Tunes,” an electronic music showcase, at the Babycastles art space.

Before heading to the show, Andrew and I grabbed “sushi burritos” which is a sly term for “slightly large and not cut up sushi.” It was okay, but it was definitely a unique experience.

Babycastles is a pretty cool blacklight laden space complete with independent game cabinets, cool wall art, and a lot of nerdy folks. Andrew and I stuck around for three sets, which is pretty good considering we didn’t bring earplugs.

Not ready to call it a night, Andrew suggested we go to a nearby bar, but didn’t have anything specific in mind. I came across Highlands, a Scottish bar, on my phone. It turned out to be the right place. There was a binder of scotch selections and the cocktail list was superb, consisting of classics and some cool innovations. Andrew had a Blood & Sand (single malt scotch, cherry heering, orange juice, Dolin sweet vermouth) while I imbibed a Scotch & Wry (Speyburn Bradan Orach, sugar, Angostura, orange bitters, orange twist). Content with our decisions, Andrew headed for home while I made my way to Brooklyn for the shindig at the House of YES.

Since I still haven’t seen the latest season of “Orange Is The New Black,” I did not realize that the House of YES is actually featured/mentioned in the newest episodes. The place was bumping since it was now 11 p.m. and the party was in full swing. Brandyn and Evi were already there. Friends, this was three large rooms, each with their own bar and DJ, filled to the brim with partygoers. It’s noisy, dark, and hot. I was a bit cautious at first, but as soon as I found my friends and started dancing, life was amazing.

We danced, had a few drinks, and danced some more. From “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” uniting an entire room in dance to drag queens doing sky acrobatics over the largest bar, the party was incredible. Everyone was in a great mood, the music was phenomenal, and the venue was fantastic. To the House of YES: never stop being you.

Side note: Folks, this is your friendly reminder to hydrate often!

After dropping off Evi at her home around 2 a.m., Brandyn and I trekked across Brooklyn to catch a late night train back to Manhattan and then to the Port Authority Bus Terminal to get back to Jersey. The subway ride was uneventful, but the bus ride. Oh goodness. Take every negative Jersey stereotype, apply them into thirty young people, and drunkenly shove them onto a bus that is filled to the brim with people who just want to go home. Fun times, my friends.

We survived the annoying bus trip and arrived safely in West New York. Upon arriving back at Brandyn’s place, we crashed. Hard.

By the end of the day, I’m certain I had walked between 6.5-7 miles, plus dancing. I was spent, for sure. I was so happy to have a bed.

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Day 21 – July 30

What’s the best way to start your day on a Saturday in New York? You obviously have to grab a pizza with your bud. Quick, easy, convenient, and tasty. Also, the only pie I had in NYC. I am full of shame (and pizza).

Brandyn had work to do, so I headed into eastern Manhattan to meet up with Andrew, our mutual friend Chris, and several of their friends (Mark, Tara, Cole, and Phil) for sweet crooning times at Karaoke Duet 48. In addition to only costing $14 per person to sing from 2 until 8 p.m. in a private room, it was happy hour until 7:30, which meant half price drinks. We. Had. Fun.

From Japanese songs I’ve never heard before to Pixies to eighties divas, we hardly stopped for anything. Okay, maybe we stopped to grab drinks and snacks, but my throat was sore after the fantastic afternoon.

When our time ran out, we paid our incredibly inexpensive bar tabs and walked over to Yakitori Totto, a phenomenal teppanyaki restaurant. We shared soshito peppers, amakara-age (sweet-spicy fried chicken), dashi maki tamago (soft rolled omelette), bacon-wrapped asparagus, chicken skin, chicken heart, pork with mustard, short ribs, and smelt. We were so hungry that we started devouring the small skewers of food as they came to our table as they were ready from the chef. Because of this, I didn’t get to take any good photos. Shame on me. The food was fantastic and even though the space was a bit cramped, I really enjoyed myself there. The company of good friends new and old, as wells as good eats, goes a long way in any situation. This was shaping up to be an amazing closing night for New York.

We all parted ways and I set off for Brandyn’s place for one final night’s rest before hitting the road for DC the next morning.

To New York and my dear friends (especially Andrew, Cristina, and Brandyn), thank you so so much. There’s many reasons I adore coming back to the Big Apple, but seeing y’all always makes it an incredible time. Until next time, my friends, cheers.

Next time: I venture to our nation’s capitol!