Biting the Apple

I'm at Dave's apartment in Manhattan right now. It's ben pretty surreal getting here: first I hung out with my old friends Tommy and Farmer in Baltimore for St. Patty's, then I thought I missed my bus, then the bus smelled like urine and I had to sit all the way in the back.

Once I got off the bus, it immediately struck me how much more welcoming New York seemed compared to when I lived here. I guess life in Johannesburg kinda put my old feelings for New york in a different perspective.

Friday night, I saw Tom Kim (now 6 months married), Ashley, Joyce and of course Dave, Paolo and Chris. We ate at Saigon Grill, then naturall went to Red Rock West Saloon, where the bartenders are hot, sassy, dance on the bar, breathe fire and confiscate bras of patrons who join in (that last part happens only occasionally). It was fun, but it just wasn't the same. I truly fear that I am getting old.

Saturday was Daina's birthday party, so I accompanied Noah and Maya out to Daina and Andrew's new house in New Jersey. Needless to say, we were all very happy to see each other. Andrew pulled the funniest joke of the night -- when we got off the train, he greeted Noah and Maya warmly (two people he sees pretty regularly), then he just ignored me and walked back to the car. We hadn't seeen each other in over a year! Hilarious.

Later that night, I went with Chirs and Adler to a fancypants club on the lower east side (I don't remember the name). Due to the fact that Adler is a promoter and very well-connected, it was like a scene out of Swingers: we were led past the line, through several winding back corridors, and into the VIP room where Adler ordered a bottle of premium vodka and a bottle of champagne. This isn't something I spent much (if any) time doing when I lived here, since I was in grad school and didn't really have the money to bling like this.

One moment did mar the evening briefly: After leaving the VIP room to check out the dance floor, the bouncer was not going to let me back into the room. He said it was because I didn't have a bracelet, but neither did Chris -- who was let in no problem, even though we were together at the time and we both had VIP stamps on our hands. It took a word from Adler for the bouncer to change his pig-headed (and possibly racist) mind. There was no other reason I could think of that he wouldn't let me back in; I wasn't dressed like a bum or anything. When I returned to our booth, I just had to laugh; it was just so American for me to have that happen, particularly in New York. Despite that, the crowd was surprisingly diverse, and I had an excellent time.

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