i recall, central park in fall...

Sorry I've been so MIA lately. No, I do not have a new fantastic job that's taking up all of my time, or even a spicy romance to keep me occupied. Nope, I just haven't gotten around to writing lately. I've been semi-filing all of these great blog ideas in my head and then they escape soon after. I need to start keeping a journal. That sounds crazy, though. A journal for my online "journal." Not gonna happen.

Anyway, I guess I can recap my fantabulous trip to NYC this past weekend. I decided to take the train up on Friday afternoon to meet the madre and padre in the city. They were there for a business thang and staying at my dad's BFF's crib in Midtown. Schmancy. This was my first time taking a train outside of Europe or the shuttle to BWI, so I was pretty excited. I just LOVE train stations. Union Station is one of my most favorite places in the city, I could spend hours there. Maybe it's because I went to my first black tie "big girl" party there when my sister graduated from college. It was incredible, they had the ENTIRE thing rented out with circus performers and the like. But I digress. I grabbed an aisle seat next to some chick, said a quick hello, fished a crossword and my iPod out, and settled in. Over the course of the trip, and I'll note this was AFTER I bought her a beer, I realized this chick could not have been older than 15. Oops. I should have known when she pulled out her obviously library-version of The Joy Luck Club, but hey, I re-read Catcher in the Rye last year, so I justified it. Towards the end of the trip, after I had apparently made the wee one a bit tipsy, she busted out a black and white splatter-covered notebook (y'all know the kind I'm talking about) and frantically started writing in it. Disclaimer: I am a snoop. A big one. I can't help it. Anyway, after a bit, I couldn't help myself and I peered over to see what she was writing about. Well folks, she was writing about ME. It was so bizarre. I couldn't read the whole thing without being super obvious, but I did read "older cool girl," "my first beer ever," and "I'm so excited to tell Stef!" So yay, go me. I corrupted a little girl before I even got to NYC. This trip was going to be a good one.

I arrived at Penn Station and immediately received an appropriate NYC welcome: about 9 of NYPD's Finest manhandling some guy who was screaming at them for being racist. I'll note here that all parties involved were white. It was a great night, brisk but not terribly cold, so I decided to walk to the apartment rather than hop in a cab. There's no better way to see the city and I immediately felt the rush of being there. I made it to the apartment around 10:30 and met up with my cousin to head down to the Village. We proceeded to get some tapas and caipirinhas and then went to the Pyramid, and fantasmical gay club that plays 80's music. After the price shock wore off, I had a great time. Also met up with one of my boys from college and partied, quite literally, all night long.

Saturday's hangover made shopping a bit more difficult, but I still had a great time walking along 5th Avenue and SoHo. Bergdorf's really is divine, especially that $800,000 necklace and bracelet set that I saw. No, I'm not kidding, that's not a typo. $800,000 for a blue calcydon bauble. Insanity. I wasn't able to find a single thing worth purchasing and was a bit upset to see so many chains around, but I guess that's just what's happening everywhere. I'm so sick of Banana Republic. Ugh.