i'm in a new york state of mind

So I finally got Jill up to New York this weekend. It was her first time in the city ever and the first time she'd ever been north of New Jersey (I think). I've spent the last six years trying to convince her to visit so I count this as a major victory.

Just hearing Jill's southern accent on city streets was surreal in itself, but it was fun having her there and showing her around. She said the city was actually a lot less intimidating than she expected which was funny, because as long as I've known her I've never seen her intimidated by anything.

She flew in on Thursday night and we hung out on the Upper West Side Thursday night. I played tour guide on Friday as we did a walking tour around the upper West Side, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, Times Square, Greenwich Village/Soho, Chinatown, Canal Street, the Financial District/World Trade Center area, and Tribecca with just two subway rides in the mix. I'm getting exhausted again just looking at all, but we saw a ton of stuff and I think Jill had fun. If not I should be arrested for cruelty to guests or something cause we walked our asses off.

Jason arrived Friday night. He had originally told us that he wasn't going to be able to afford the trip, but ultimately decided that he was going to be late with his rent anyway and it wouldn't hurt to be a little later…not how I would manage my money, but I wasn't about to argue with him.

The plan was to go to Ellis Island on Saturday, but we woke up late and weren't able to squeeze it in. We did get to the top of the Empire State Building on Saturday. I might have been up there as a kid, but it's certainly nothing I can remember. It's stunning. I had to laugh at myself a bit because it was so much more fun than I expected.

We capped off the night with a trip to McSorley's Ale House. Andru came by the apartment a few hours before and we had a few beers before hitting the road, stopping at the Great Burrito on the way. We met up with Jesse, Tyghe, and one of Tyghe's friends at the bar.

A word about McSorley's. On any given night it's total chaos. Not sports bar, meat market, see and be seen type chaos, but singing, carousing, toasting with strangers type chaos, sawdust on the floor type chaos. It's the kind of place that can somehow surprise you every time you go with just how depraved it can get. Highlights included full throated whole bar renditions of "God Bless America," all around applause and outright mockery of girls who accidentally tried to use the Men's room, Tyghe pounding two full glasses of beer at once, and a fully unhinged Tyghe running around the room with a ripp in the ass of his jeans that was lost on no one in the establishment. Andru tells me he jumped out of a cab on the way home that night. No word yet on whether the cab had stopped moving at the time or whether Tyghe made it home that night.

Check back soon for pictures of the craziness. Jesse and Jill both took pictures, but haven't sent them to me yet (clears throat).

PS Jesse now has a blog - one pick from McSorley's on there, but it's of strangers.

PPS Pictures from Jill to be posted tonight.