Somewhat Tropical

WIth my live music fix satiated via a double dose of Matt F’s CMJ band performances, Mahogany on Wednesday and Monocle on Friday, I was free to experience a non-musical supplement to the remaining few days of the weekend.  Following my friday trip to catch the concert at Rehab in the East Village, I hopped a cab to catch up with a few of my friends who were sharing a few drinks at Bar Sepia in Prospect Heights.  I had one of the quickest cab rides ever from Manhattan to my locale in Brooklyn, and it was a good deal cheaper than usual.  It made me feel as though fares went down although I know that’s most certainly not true.  Upon my arrival I entered into a situation with lively conversation at the table occupied by Andy, Jayvalyn, Kishore, Andrea, and Enisha (and probably someone I’m forgetting…Jeff?)

Kishore and Andy Enjoy A Leisurely Evening On The Town

I noticed Kishore having a drink that I originally equated to somewhat of a lady drink in the form of a Hot Toddy, but when I got to thinking about it, a steaming cup of tasty whiskey infused toddy seemed like a good option to keep my insides all nice and toasty.  I bit and went up to the bar and ordered one.  It was quite enjoyable.  I probably had only one or two more drinks and was feeling pleasantly buzzed but none too drunk when I later headed towards home.

I had a nice sleep and woke up at a reasonable time on Saturday morning and felt none too motivated at first.  I called Andrew Morton to see if he wanted to get lunch and was just on the verge of giving up and getting a bagel when he called me back.  With that it was off to meet Andrew outside his apartment and to the diner in the surprisingly warm fall air.  We settled on the diner on 5th and 9th for a splendid brunch type situation as I ate up  some delicious banana walnut pancakes with a side of bacon as we discussed current events such as the election and our own creative musings.  There was also the usual difficulties in resolving a relatively simple check thanks to our lack of expertise with money math, but it worked out.

The rest of the afternoon was spent indoors, as it had began to rain and I had little desire to confront the foul weather.  Instead, I remained nestled in the comfort of my bedroom where I caught up on one my netflix, watching Hitchcock’s classic North By Northwest.  That ended some time around 7pm, but I wasn’t very motivated initially after to do anything.  I did, however, have evening plans and soon got mobilized.

Fifteen minutes after 9pm I was out the door and headed towards Manhattan for my friend Deb’s birthday.  Unfortunately, this also coincided with the time that the gods were most angry.  I thought I could make it to the subway without getting very wet, but the torrential nature of the precipitation begged to differ. It was as if I were in the tropical rainforest during rainy season. I texted my friend Jess and told her to have a blow dryer ready for when I arrived at her apartment because my jeans and demeanor were already soaked.

It was a long wait for the train, but eventually I made it into downtown Manhattan.  It was a relief to see the rain had let up a great deal upon my exit from the Canal Street Q stop.  Before stopping at Deb, Jess, and Londa’s apartment I labored slightly to find a wine store to add to the pre-bar festivities.  Unfortunately , it seemed as I wasn’t near one and the rain was beginning to pick up again.  Rather than risk any further soaking I made straight for the warm and dry confines of their apartment.  Upon entry, I saw a slew of familiar faces, our three lovely hosts as well as Deb’s boyfriend John, Jess’s boyfriend Ari, Summer and fellow former VH1ers Anna, and Rizzo amongst others.

Good Times '08: Emily with The Birthday Girl

Jess and Summer Exude A Happy Mood

After a few drinks the party was moved to nearby Tropical 128, a bar in the sort of in the in between of Chinatown and Little Italy with a semi-cabana, semi-pirate ship sort of feel.  The back portion of the bar also is a pool hall with a rather plentiful amount of tables for your billiards enjoyment.  Our party stayed in the front room getting along famously, snapping photos, enjoying drinks.  Even more familiar faces from the olden days flooded in, Dave C, Emily A, Saimon, Sierra.  It was good to see some of those people and see what they were up to.  I also spent a bit of time talking to Londa and her sisters Layla and Lori.  It was a good ol’ fashion celebration worthy of the folks that were there.  We ended up at the end back at Deb’s place for a bit before the party split up, but all in all it was an excellent Saturday night.

My lack of solid edible nourishment accounted for my mostly hungover state on Sunday.  I wasn’t in terrible shape, but I had a bit of a lingering headache most of the day that lasted even as I enjoyed brunch with my family at Sette on 7th Avenue.  The rest of my afternoon was spent watching football on my couch as the Giants pulled out a huge win over the Stelers and hydrating the pain away.  So it goes…or it went anyway.