YOU CAN TAKE THE BOY OUT OF THE CITY...

...but you can't take the city out of the boy.

I spent the past few days traipsing along in NYC and in DC, and I reclaimed a sense of clarity that I had been seeking in the last few months. That's all I'm going to say on the subject while I continue to map-out my life in the next few days, weeks, months, and year. All I ask is that you wish me luck!
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NYC

My mini-trip to NYC was nothing less than GREAT. I flew into JFK not having any expectations but to have a fun time with friends, and I ended up leaving with so much more. Again, I'll have to expound on that later. For now, I'll tell you about the little nooks that I found myself in while galavanting around.

Friday: I checked-in to my hotel room, and then walked to Century 21. Lots of neat stuff, but I was too sleepy to try to search for the "perfect buy." I gave up too easily, left to pick-up a toasted bagel across the way, then went back to my room to shower and wait for my friend, Aydee, to arrive. Once she got in, we took a walk down to South Street Seaport and shopped around. We grabbed a bite at The Blarney Stone, which thus started the weekend obsession with Irish pubs. (More details to come, along with pictures. I left my USB chord in L.A. like an idiot.) I will say this: $5 Yeager Bombs. Enough said. Afterward, we walked to The Brooklyn Bridge, and walked the distance toward the first part of the bridge that jutted out across the river. Surreal. Then we turned around to head back to the hotel to drop our stuff off.

We grabbed a cab, and headed towards The Village, and ended up at a bar called The Skinny. We were the happy hour winners of the night (and there's a great story to be told; again, I'll re-cap once I'm back in L.A.). After being there 3.5 hours, we cabbed it back to the hotel, where we met Carrie and Gina, who had just arrived from DC. After they got situated, we headed over to St. Mark's Sq. to meet our friend, Laya, at a lounge/restaurant called Simone. Before calling the night, we stopped in at Ray's Pizza NOT for pizza, but to pick-up some YUM-looking desserts: cheesecake slice, a brioche bun, and bread pudding.

Saturday: We grabbed a cup of Starbucks, then walked to Chinatown from the hotel. We followed someone quietly calling to us: "Gucci-Gucci, Prada-Prada." Next thing you know, we were being led into a basement area to find gazillions of fake designer handbags. It was hilarious and scary at the same time. Carrie and Gina each got away with some good buys, then we grabbed eats at a corner hole-in-the-wall spot. The name escapes me, but it was good... lots of cooked ducks hanging in the window. Gotta love NYC's Chinatown!

We then took the train uptown, and got off near Central Park. We walked thru, and got to see some interesting sights, including a side-show in front of Bethesda Fountain. When we were done, we walked to Buttercup Bake Shop to partake in their famous cupcakes. All I can say is "YUM." Honestly, they blow the likes of Sprinkles out of the water. Then we stopped in at a pub just a few doors away called P.D. O'Hurley's, where Laya was already seated with a brew. This started day two of drinking.

We took a quick detour to stop at Levain Bakery where they serve these amazingly FAT slobs of COOKIES. Di-freakin'-vine. Then we walked back to O'Hurley's to use the bathroom, and grab a shot.

We started to make our descent towards Midtown on foot, and along the way I stopped in at a random shoe store, and came out with a new pair of boots. It was a drunk purchase done under 5 minutes; a true self-talent (and in record time!) if I say so myself. We finally jumped on a train, and got to 42nd St. We walked over to our friend Donn's hotel lobby for another bathroom break, and then we headed to a spot called Say Cheese; they specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches. Half of the gang ate, while the other half (aka "The Drunk Half") walked next door to Mercury Bar to have more drinks. And did they flow.

We finally made it back to the hotel to prep for Carrie's b'day dinner, and some of us headed to the hotel bar to keep the buzz going. We finally hopped on the train, and headed to NoLita. Our original restaurant wouldn't seat our large party, so we ended up at La Cave Des Fondus - fondue spot (I will have to expound on this experience later as well). Then we headed back up to Midtown to peep The Cellar Bar at the Bryant Park Hotel. After being in that crowded mess for a good half hour, we walked back to Mercury Bar, and the night went on: libations and laughs to last us well into the next week.

Sunday: By this time, we were all hurting... bad. We checked-out, and walked back to Chinatown to meet Laya and her BF, Bernard, for dim sum. Then we went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and took the train back to Port Authority, and made our way home to DC.

DC

Monday: Like an idiot, I figured it would be a great idea to do DC on-foot since it had been a while. I took the train into the city, and got out at Foggy Bottom. I felt like a college student walking the streets of GWU with my messenger bag, and jeans/t-shirt on. I met up with Carrie, and we grabbed a bite at The Front Page, just off DuPont. After leaving her, I hopped on the train, and got off at Federal Triangle. I walked the length of The National Mall all the way to the National Museum of the Native American. It's such a great place, with awesome exhibits. You definitely have to check it out if you haven't already. After checking out the museum, I headed to the Penn Quarter, and met my friend, Leah, at Red Velvet cupcakes. I picked-up a dozen to bring to my brother's place. Then we walked over to the Hotel Monaco, and had a couple of drinks at Poste, one of my favorite restaurants in DC.

Tuesday: I spent the day with my nephew, and at night, I was able to head over to Old Town Alexandria (VA), and grabbed some sangria and Spanish tapas at La Tasca, one of my favorite tapas restaurants in the DC area. YUM.

Now it's mid-week. I have another dinner with friends tonight, and a few more days to enjoy before heading back to L.A.

More to come!