Let’s just start here.

BBSSLLW!!!!

This is the new sign-off to all my messages to Queenie, Goddess and FM. If you don’t know what it means, I HIGHLY suggest that you get a ticket for The Toxic Avenger!! OMG, I haven’t laughed that much at a show in years!! Of course I knew going in that I was going to love it because not only is the music by my beloved David but when I walked in the lobby to see a shirt for sale that said “EVIL IS HOT”, I just knew I had found my place in the world (at least for that night). After a crazy time trying to get me to IN WHY SEE, FM & I headed straight for the bar at the theatre and got ourselves some wine. We asked the very nice (and adorable) bartender if we could each have 2 glasses since they were quite small, so he pulled out two large tumbler glasses and filled them up for us! LOL!

After the show we went to a nearby restaurant called Talia’s for a late night supper and undenyably the very best polenta I have ever tasted in my life. It was kizmit that we were there and that we had TARA as our server, since our beloved TaraLeigh had to cancel her plans to come in at the last minute. You were there in spirit honey and we missed you terribly! Everyone had something different and it was all good! Queenie and I forced ourselves to share a decadent chocolate desert that was exactly that, some of the other girls had 4 homemade ice creams as a sampler. I think we finally left there at about 12:45pm and headed back to the hotel.
Friday was HOT HOT HOT in Gotham City. We started the day with breakfast, the first round of which ended up all over the floor of the elevator when the door hit Queenie as she was carrying a plate up to the rest of the girls. She has a lovely bruise as a battle scar. FM had to work in the morning so Goddess, Queenie and I headed to a great little bead shop that had a large Asian influence (Tibetan, Buddhist mostly) and had a great time looking at everything. We briefly considered the idea of henna tattoos on the way back but decided this was not the best use of what little time we had together. Next time Goddess… seriously!

We got lunch at Whole Foods (yummy salads and some Hawaiian pizza) and walked across to CP to eat it. Lunch in the park was awesome and in spite of the heat we found a semi-cool, shady place under a tree. FM was able to extract herself from work for a little while to join in the fun before having to go to another meeting and then the rest of us headed to the zoo. See Goddesses post about the ‘guin house… it was awesome. By the way, do you know why a polar bear will never eat a penguin??? And no, it’s not because polar bears are vegetarians!!

Friday night started with wine & cheese at the hotel and then we went to Dos Caminos for dinner. The girls were mean to me… they sat on my lap and forced me to drink tequila!! Really, that is exactly the way it went down! I swear! Like Queenie, it was a weekend of firsts for me… tequila, guacamole and molai sauce (sp?) all that were outstanding, and scallops that, while I am sure they were very good, I didn’t really care for. Let’s just be thankful that the hotel was only 2 doors away. We all hit the pillows pretty early that night (if 1am is considered early) since we were exausted from the heat and FM had to work in the morning.

Saturday’s window shopping extravaganza was so fun. We saw (and smelled) so many things and bought a few little chachkies but nothing really major. As Queenie said, everything that day was CUTE. We ended up at Finelli’s Bar which is across the street on the corner from HRH’s place in SOHO (what does SOHO stand for, girls?)and RutPop met us for lunch and a little “sightseeing”. We then headed back to the hotel to meet up with the now finished with work FM and BAJJ. We relaxed, had some wine and got all dolled up to head back down to SOHO. FM wanted “a really good burger” so BAJJ got on the Google (no phone books in the room, sorry Queenie) and we found a place called “Lure” that it turns out is a seafood restaurant but does indeed serve one freakin amazing burger. We first walked around and went back to 158 Mercer - I fell in love the with sculpture in the lobby of The New Museum Building and I want to know why the building is called that. Is there actually a museum in there? Did there used to be? After another fantastic meal, another round of “over-under” and a special treat of a wine tasting and desert thanks to the Sommelier & Abby the server, we headed out to Times Square (well, some of us anyhow).

Who doesn’t know all the words to “Don’t Stop Believin”??? Queenie, RutPop and I absolutely do! And I got to dance with Michael Jackson, and he looked great for a dead guy! And this was all within the first 5 minutes of getting out of the taxi!! We walked, talked, laughed, took pictures, tried to buy chocolate (epic fail. both the Hershey’s and M&M stores were closed) and then headed to Hard Rock where I pledged my undying love to a man whose name I cant remember if he could get me one of the JBJ posters. Well, he asked but ultimately it didn’t happen, but we had a good time anyhow.

And then it was Sunday and we all had to go our separate ways back to our real lives. But for a few brief moments it was just fun to be silly girls in a great city with great friends. Thank you all for the privilege of knowing you.

BBSSLLW!

Queenie made it home in one piece Sunday afternoon only slightly nauseous. There was turbulence, a lot of turbulence on my flight home, but I stayed buckled in and survived. At least there wasn't any other mishaps. Unlike my flight to NYC. The girls know what happened. I'm still mad about it, and I will only say that the next time I fly alone, I will be taking my purse with me if I go to the bathroom.

I had a great time with the girls. Sorry it took me so long to sit here and give you my thoughts. I needed some time to process everything. So many memories were made, how could I ever recount them all?

I tried sushi on Thursday at lunch. The California Roll was really quite good. Had a bit more Saturday night at dinner, the raw stuff this time. No making faces, it was really good too. The girls made me learn how to use the chopsticks too. So many new experiences for me. It was a good trip.

We finally met up with Willow outside the theater for Toxic Avenger Thursday night. She pulled up in her cab just as Hath, FM and I walked up to the theater. I've never laughed so much at a show in my life. It was just fantastic.

Lunch in the park and the Zoo on Friday were a lot of fun. Nowhere else that I know of can you be in a zoo in the midst of a metropolis like NYC and forget you are in a bustling city.

Shopping on Saturday was an experience. Willow and I made our way on the subway (the platform, HOT and LOUD) to Canal Street. We got accosted on every corner with someone trying to sell us a hand bag (Coach, Gucci, Prada...) We did find some very cute items as we wandered. That was our word of the day Saturday. Cute. Everything was cute!

Can I just tell you, Willow and I have a terrible sense of direction. We asked several times how to get to the Pearl River Mart and we still managed to go the wrong way! We finally did find it and managed to spend a fair amount of time in that fascinating store.

We traveled a bit further on Broadway and, lo and behold, we ended up in SoHo! Cobbled streets, fancy shops, and yes, the building of one yummy Rock Star.

Rutpop took the train in Saturday and met up with us. We ate at Fanelli's Cafe before heading out to scope out HRH's digs. We got as far as the door. It's a glass door with the address imprinted in white. There is a fancy sculpture in the lobby. And, sadly, he wasn't home...

We went back that night for dinner at Lure so that the ever lovely Fiction Mistress could check out the digs. We had a fabulous time. After parting ways with BigAppleJovi and FM, Willow Rutpop and I headed to Times Square. Come on, you can't go to NYC and NOT hit Times Square. That place is always hopping!

We got our picture taken (it looks like a Wanted poster!) Sang with some street musicians outside of Planet Hollywood (how could you not join in when they were singing Don't Stop Believin') and just wandered and took pictures. I picked up a couple things for my little man. We stopped in the Hard Rock, had our picture taken with Jon and I got the T-Shirt. All in all, a very successful stop in Times Square.

So, now I'm home. Went back to work this morning, caught up with everything I missed there and had time to catch up with my e-mails too.

Girls, I miss you all.

When's the next meeting and where are we going?

... wait, the song is "Saturday, in the park", but I'm not gonna be here tommorrow, so we went to Central Park today.

Actually, Q, Willow, and I hoofed it up to 17th Street to check out a bead shop Willow found online. Fm had to work, and we were going to pick her up for lunch. The shop was cute, with lots of great finds, but nothing I wanted to raid the college fund for. We stopped in at Sephora (how could we resist) and the pouncer tried to convince us we needed makeovers.

I remarked that whatever makeup they applied would melt right off in the 95+ heat out on the street, and she assured us they had a pot of something that would keep that from happening. I was scared (not sure about the others) and we took a pass.

We cabbed over to Columbus Circle to Whole Foods to grab lunch and went across the street to Central Park to picnic under the trees. We had a lovely lunch, managed not to sweat too much, then FM had to go for another work meeting. The rest of us?

We went to the zoo.

CP Zoo is amazing. There, in the middle of arguably the busiest city the planet, was a little oasis of wildlife. The rainforest exhibit, with the gorgeous birds, was humid and steamy, but well worth the view. The snow leopard was smart and dug herself a trench in the mud to lie in, and was taking a nap. The monkeys were frolicking in the water.

The best part, hands down, was the Guin House. Penguins, if that wasn't clear. It had to be at least 40 degrees cooler in there. I swear, cute little guins aside, it was the happenin' place. We sat in there a good long while to cool down and watch the little guys frolick and swim.

After a stop at the Zootique, it was off to find another cab.

Since the skies were now a lovely shade of pewter, bordering on midnight, it was not as easy as we would have liked. Still, we managed, and had JUST gotten into the cab when the heavens opened. Back to the hotel we went, where we were meeting up with FM. The others were going to be getting ready for dinner, I was getting ready to leave.

*snif*

Well, it's off to Penn Station and the LIRR to take me out to the Hamptons.

While I wish I could stay longer, I miss my Hathlet (oh yeah, and I guess Mr. Hath).

Maybe next time I can do a longer stay with the girls. Or maybe the girls can come up to Boston. Or maybe we can go invade New Orleans. Could you just imagine us at Mardi Gras? We'd amass enough beads to sink a steamboat.

Ah, something to look forward to....

... it must be NYC!

We had a heck of a time today!

FM and Queenie made it in around 12:30, and we were told that due to late checkouts, that rooms were being made available right at check-in time, which was 3pm. So, we left our bags, and headed up Park Avenue to Houston's for lunch.

We split a delicious spinach and artichoke dip and had a round of drinks...We Had Arrived! FM had a sushi plate, and the waitress, bless her soul, after asking where we were all from, gushed, "Do they even have sushi in Louisiana?" To which FM replied, quite politely, I might add, "Yes. Most of the fish you eat in the US comes from Louisiana." Queenie and I just sorta looked at each other and chuckled.

Q tried the sushi (a California roll, if you must know) and I abstained. Not that I have anything against fist, per se (I've been known to eat a tuna or salmon steak, and don't forget Gorton's FishSticks at lent) but raw fish is where I have to draw the line. Where I come from, that's bait, and I just can't get behind eating that.

Oh I know, it's very tasty, etc., etc., and the Cali roll was cooked, but to each her own, I always say, and I expect to have my own in return :)

Q had a luscious looking salad, and me, being the carnivore I am, had the best $16 burger I've ever eaten.

We headed back to the hotel close to 3pm only to find that we STILL had to wait for rooms to be cleared. We were in good company though, two other sets of guests were likewise waiting for rooms. FM told the clerk at the desk that she had a meeting across town at 5:00 for which she had to get changed (which was completely true), and the clerk cheerfully replied, "good luck!"

What?

Yeah, that's what we said.

Eventually the rooms were cleared, we were all checked in and changed, and headed off for the first of a zillion cab rides over the weekend. One could get spoiled riding around in cabs instead of hoofing it in 95 degree heat.

Anyway, we met one of FM's colleagues at the Essex House for drinks. This colleague was the nicest guy, and we had a lovely chat. He had a friend join us, a travel writer who's been all aroudn the world (literally, from Southeast Asia to Africa to Antarctica) and had great stories. He's someone I wouldn't mind sitting down to a long dinner with. He was easy on the eyes too ;)

After Essex House, we met another of FM's colleagues, a food critic, at a place called "City Lobster" where Q and I shared a delicious platter of popcorn shrimp, fries, and yep, more drinks. The woman was lots of fun (as promised by FM) and gave the girls a personal recommendation for good eats for Friday night.

We finished our appetizers with about 1/2 hour to spare until Toxie "curtain". I put "curtain" in quotes for a reason. If you haven't seen the show, there isn't a curtain. The stage set is right out there in the open. New World Stages is an intimate theater (about 15 rows, I'd say) and there isn't a bad seat. We met Willow out front, and went in with a scant few minutes for the girls to grab a glass of wine. Though "glass" is being generous. It was a huge plastic tumbler.

Anyway, the show was fantastic.

We laughed our asses off the whole time.

To the point that the guys sitting next to FM/Willow asked them to "keep it down". Uh, hello? The musical has a frickin rock band in it. Seriously. (and as an aside, in keeping with tradition of adoring guitarists, the lead axe was played by a lovely long-haired, dark rocker who I wouldn't have minded getting to meet after the show...)

The show was beyond fun, and the fact it was a small theater made it moreso, in my opinion.

After the show, we met up with BAJG for dinner at Thalia, where FM put our waitress, Tara, through the paces, getting recommendations for everything from appetizers to the main course to wine to dessert. She did a fantastic job! Our table steward, Christoff, was adorable in a dark, foreign, yummy sort of way, and I wanted to tug on his little gold earring with my teeth but refrained -- only because by that time I had switched to water.

We ordered dessert around midnight and made it back to the hotel somewhere around 1:30am.

My first day in the city was everything I had hoped it would be. Good food, good drinks, good fun, all shared with good friends.

I have high hopes for Friday!



** Goddess' Note: I had this ready to go, but forgot to publish :) Bad, bad Goddess :P

Well, Goddess is at the hotel, FM & Queenie are on their way there now from the airport... but where is Willow???

Sitting at her desk at her office in NJ.... so close, and yet...not close enough.

Why don't I have a time machine that would fast forward me to lobby of the New World Stages theatre for our outing to TOXIE!!! (Hey Davey, you meeting us for dinner afterwards, right?). But alas I have to bide my time, do my job and wait for the clock to hit 5pm before my 1/4 of the adventure to IN WHY SEE begins.

See you all soon!

... not literally, but I just got off the phone with her. She's sitting at Steph's terminal, waiting on her plane to land. It should land in another 5 minutes or so, and 15-20 after that, they should be in a cab on the way here!

I can't wait!

Tara, honey, I'm so sorry the bank f'd up your weekend. You will be missed my dear!

Later, 'gaters!

... and NYC didn't even notice! SMITE YOU ALL! Well, except for BAJG, who gave me a nice warm welcome text :)

I detrained at Penn Station, and made my way through the hot, sweaty, did I mention hot? corridors and concourses until I found the LIRR -- a Goddess likes to be prepared, and now I know if I get to Penn at the 31st Street entrance, I only have to walk 1/4 mile instead of 3/4 to get to the train tomorrow night to take me out to the Hamptons.

Being the good doobie I am, and believing you should EXPERIENCE a city when you're in it, I found my way to the subway map, hoping to find what train would get me somewhere near Park Avenue (where our hotel is). I figured, if I could handle the MBTA in Boston, I should be able to handle the NY Transit system, right?

WRONG!

Turns out, there are lots of ways to get heyah from theyah, and these include going uptown to 42nd Street and transferring, or downtown to somewhere else and transferring, or taking several busses....

For a city that's laid out like a grid, unlike my beloved Bahstin with it's damned wagon-wheel layout, the subways are tres confusing. Plus I was sweaty and hot. Did I say that already? So, I take the train and [probably] end up in Brooklyn...

or....

I could pay a lovely Polish man $12 ($7 fare plus tip) and he'd bring me door to door.

Guess which one I opted for?

So I arrived about half an hour ago, availed myself of the complimentary continental breakfast, found an outlet for my laptop, discovered they meant it when they said COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI, and viola! Here I am!

SO, I'm not sure what we're doing for lunch, but we're meeting FM and a co-worker of hers for drinks proir to...

drumroll please....

TOXIE!

That's right, we're going to see the Toxic Avenger tonight. Stephanie scored us seats in the 11th row, pretty cheap, and I can't wait! Then we've got late dinner reservations, I forget where, but oh who cares! I'm in NYC!!!

Now, if the damned planes would land already and their own lovely Polish man would hurry up and deliver some of the other Fictionistas here already, I'd be a happy pappy!

... that's right!

We're planning a meet in NYC at the end of the month.

Watch this space for details!!

~ Hath