Whenever I relay a visit to NYC, I feel like a disappointment. I never see anything of note, I never really do anything, I just kind of soak in the city…I sleep, I eat, I walk. I always take a camera but rarely take photos. I prefer the subway to cabs but I am usually too lazy to walk to a subway station. I really only care about seeing my friends.
Thursday – The $17 Glass Of Wine
- We flew the red eye on Virgin to JFK. Todd slept at the airport and on the plane. I mostly slept on the cab ride in.
- We stayed at the Intercontinental in Midtown East. They would not check us in before 3pm, which we were not expecting. We waited until 11am and then headed to the hotel bar. I paid $17 for a glass of Sonoma Cutrer Chard. Granted, it’s around a $25 bottle of wine here in California, but still…fuck.
- A long walk was in order, so we he headed down to the East River. I always forget how ugly Roosevelt Island is. We then hunted down a greasy spoon and ate some bacon and eggs. There are lots of dogs in Midtown East.
- Todd and I are a sucker for a red pub front so we headed to Parnell’s for a few more drinks. A nice, dark, neighborhood spot with a moderately cranky proprieter. Who I loved.
- Picked up some wine and Pellegrino and walked back to the hotel.
- I took a long, hot bath and chatted with my friend Hana. We arranged to meet up later that night.
- In the evening, Todd and I walked to Pescatore, sat at the bar, watched the Yankees/Angels game and had some calamari. Hana picked us up and we drove to Stonehome Wine Bar in Greenpoint, where her boyfriend Jonathan works. I had been before and forgot how yummy the food is, I highly recommend it. Their simple green salad with pumpkin seeds is the best house salad I’ve ever had, it’s smoky and perfect. Hana and I also shared their roasted chicken with wilted kale.
- Jonathan makes fun of me for drinking chardonnay. A lot.
- At Stonehome I briefly met a coworker of Jonathan’s, Blair, who recently released a documentary called The Fire This Time, about the New Jersey Seven. When she handed me her card and spoke of the film, I immediately remembered hearing about the case on Jezebel (of course, I can’t find anything on the site because their search function sucks). I won’t dive into specifics here, because Blair provides a lot of information her site, but I have provided the trailer and her director’s note below.
I was immediately drawn to the case of the New Jersey Seven by the initial outrageous media coverage. The first thing that caught my attention was the likening of these young women to animals. Numerous media reports branded them as a gang and compared them to a wolf pack. It is my contention that neither the media nor prosecutors would ever condemn in those same terms either white women or straight women caught in similar circumstances.
An article written by two female reporters that appeared in the New York Times on August 19, 2006, particularly struck me. The headline referred to Dwayne Buckle, the alleged victim, as an “admirer” of the very same young women that he ultimately accused of assaulting him. Yet I doubt that there is any woman today who has not at some point in her life been sexually harassed or “cat-called” while walking down a street or standing in a public place. I think it needs to be stated that there is a massive difference between “admiration” and sexual harassment, between freedom of speech and threats of rape or sexual assault, between “no” and “yes.” The difference is respect. I believe that the women who wrote the Times article displayed racism, homophobia, gender bias, and classism because they could not identify with the possibility that the New Jersey Seven were victims of sexual harassment. I believe that articles such as theirs contribute to a dangerous environment for all women and for all gender non-conforming people.
Dangerous and intolerable environments are exactly why people seek out safe spaces. Such spaces offer an encouraging and reliable place where people who are otherwise marginalized or oppressed, people who daily experience social prejudice, can confidently expect to be safe and comfortable. They are havens that welcome and accept, places in which to share common struggles, experiences, and ideas, but, most important, places in which people can just be themselves. This is what had drawn the New Jersey Seven to West Village. For such individuals who are subject to higher incidences of violence and alienation, it is both a rare privilege and a relief simply to be in a place to feel comfortable, supported, and safe.
Currently, same-sex marriage is the LGBTQ issue that gets the most media attention. Unfortunately, it is primarily an adult concern. The immediate day-to-day need of many LGBTQ youth, particularly youth of color, for safe spaces and personal safety gets little coverage. I believe that the case of the New Jersey Seven (eventually, the New Jersey Four) represents a grave miscarriage of justice and reveals many of the ways that society punishes lesbian women of color for challenging the gender status quo.
Friday – Maurice Meeting, Batali Sighting
- Todd was sent out on his own so I could spend some time with my Hana. We slept in and he took off to explore. I went back to the hotel bar and had two more glasses of that Cutrer. Don’t tell Todd. The bartender, Jose, offered me a margarita. I never drink them, but once he confirmed it was on the house, I accepted. BEST MARGARITA EVER. From what I recall, he used Blue Agave tequila, Grand Marnier, lots of lime juice, and maybe something else. I have his card so I might email him and ask, because it was deeeeeelish.
- Hana swung by to pick me up and we went to the Ace Hotel for a Stumptown coffee. They were closed! Assholes. I’ve never seen so many hipsters in my life, I thought I was in Williamsburg. I am going to Portland in a few weeks so I will send her a few pounds.
- She and I headed to Rivington to eat at Inoteca and Todd joined us. The white bean bruschette was incredible. Our waitress was rad.
- We took off for a little walk and popped into Bag, where I bought a Tano bag (the mona lethal in oasis) and we met Maurice, the cutest dog ever. He’s an Italian greyhound and he loved Todd.
- Sugar Sweet Sunshine for cupcakes. I forget which ones we ordered, but they were good.
- Hana dropped us off at the hotel where Todd and I relaxed for a bit. He and I had a date scheduled with Hana and Jonathan but had not landed on a place.
- We headed to Babbo and asked about a table for 4. Two hours. We’ll wait! We got a bottle of wine at the incredibly crowded bar and when Hana and Jonathan showed up, he pointed out that Batali was at the bar, in the corner. It took a lot of discipline to not run over and ask him for his autograph. The maitre d’ approached us and confessed that there was “no way” we’d get a table. So we went to Boqueria. It was good. I can’t remember what we ate. Although I do remember sitting down with a friend of Jonathan’s and drinking some wine from the 80′s that had a lot of sediment. Jonathan is a wine snob, but I like wine snobs.
- I took Jonathan outside for a friendly “you’re dating my friend” grilling, and we smoked some of his hand-rolled cigarettes. This ended up being a big mistake. But I suppose you could have guessed that.
- We then went for a drink at the Flatiron Lounge.
- Then I thought it would be a great idea to have some falafel.
Saturday – And It Rained All Night
- I was incredibly hungover. And I smelled like garlic. My friend Carly arrived in town from Boston and met me at our hotel. She and I had a reservation at Perry Street.
- Todd dropped us at the restaurant and then headed out on his own. The food was great, but the service was only so-so for a place that puts on such airs.
- I’ll say one thing, the lunch prix fixe is a deal, $26 for two courses and a dessert. I ordered the sauteed shrimp with fennel, tarragon and chorizo sauce (it was green and tasted like sausage…how do they do that??) and calamari with yuzu dipping sauce. I had a hard time with the food, to be honest. Not because it wasn’t good, but because I was sick. I focused more on eating bread and butter to settle my stomach.
- We met up with Todd at Brass Monkey and then went for a walk about the MP district, including High Line Park, which was totally amazing. It was crowded, even though it was raining. I will definitely go back.
- Ended up at Diesel. I bought two pairs of jeans. My ass looks goooood in them.
- At this point it was raining. Hard.
- They wouldn’t let Todd pee at Diesel. Or Topshop. He was pissed. As you tend to get when you need to pee. He landed at L’ecole while Carly and I finished up at Diesel.
- We joined him for a drink and then sent Carly to the UWS, where she was staying with our friend Sunni.
- Todd ran out to get me some water and wine. He came back looking as though he had jumped into a pool with his clothes on.
- Otto‘s for dinner! My very favorite place for a casual, alcohol-soaked Italian meal. We ate A LOT of food. Todd ordered ALL of the seafood and pasta. Hana brought me a bottle of wine and a slice of red velvet cake from Cake Man Raven. Horray!
Sunday -Whatever, Yankees
- I went to the UWS to meet up with Carly and Sunni for coffee. Sunni had to run as she is in med school hell. Todd met Carly and I at The Mermaid Inn for brunch. I’ve never seen so many kids in my life. The food was just okay. Carly and Todd had fish tacos, I had a spinach salad. They don’t serve oysters at brunch. Boooooo…
- Carly and I had a shopping mission, so we headed to Topshop. What a clusterfuck. Seriously. I powered through, though, ending up with a few items and hunting for shoes on the third floor. Carly had left for Pearl Market across the street, and just as I had found a worker to get me my shoes, Carly called. She was about to miss her bus!
- I dropped all of my shit and ran out to meet her so she could make it back to Boston.
- Todd and I walked from Penn Station to Jack’s for a drink, and Hana and Jonathan met up with us as they headed into Philly.
- Todd and I kept it very casual for my birthday, as we were both tired and kind of food-ed out. We went back to Pescatore, sat at the bar, and watched the game.
Monday – United, The Unfriendly Skies
- Todd and I packed up and headed off to La Guardia for our flight home. I had wanted to take another direct flight on Virgin from JFK to SFO, but Todd wanted to fly back into Sacramento, so I had booked a Continental flight on Orbiz.
- All flights into Houston (their hub) were delayed. After a half hour or so, they rebooked us on a United flight. The lady sent us to the wrong terminal.
- The United flight was into Denver, and Todd and I were put at the back of the plane in separate middle seats. It was a full flight.
- The flight was delayed, twice. The pilot rejected the plane. We changed gates. Twice.
- I carried my sad looking piece of red velvet cake with me all the way home. It was sooooofuckinggoooood.
- After finally getting onto the plane, they started drinks service. And you KNOW I needed a drink because…ta da! La Guardia does not have a bar beyond security. They start at the front of the plane and move to the back. By the time they got to me, they were out of wine, and just about everything else.
- Fuckers.
- The flight from Denver to Sacramento was better, although we barely made it to the plane because we had a 20 minute layover and we were at the back of our other plane. We had been upgraded to business class on the second leg, so I was much more comfortable. And they had wine.
- But, we sat next to a guy who was sick, and now I am sick as well!
- My parents picked us up at the airport and I handed them the 1/3 piece of mangled red velvet cake I had left.
I had a great time, as always. I am looking forward to Hana and Jonathan coming out for a wine week in February, and I am planning on heading back to the city in the spring. My week back was stressful. I had my first photo shoot on my own, work was insane. And, as I said, I have been sick. Now, it’s the weekend and I plan on resting up, doing laundry and watching movies!
xo
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like all in all a fun trip – and you deserved some fun! Happy belated birthday and let me know the dates you will be in Portland. Birthday drinks on me – you name the place. :-)
Sounds like you had a nice trip. Batali sightting is a score! I completely agree about the hipsters at Ace and Stumptown. The place is the new Starbucks.
Get well soon!
But the coffee is 5 thousand times better!
I’m exhausted just reading that but it sounds like you had fun! Planes always make me sick.
Fuckers most definitely deserves its own bullet.
If Stumptown becomes the new Starbucks – I’ll die. I’ll just die.
That happened to me on my last vacation. Rode the plane back and the guy next to me had a cold. THE NEXT DAY I was sick. Booo!!!!
Hi! Thanks for the in-detail NYC account, I felt almost cool again just hearing about it. You should read HEAT by Bill Buford former NYT columnist who interned at Babbo, very fun read & lots of dirt on Mario. Happy belated bday I can’t believe I managed to miss it (OK I can) , BUT I’m taking you out. Email me to sked. Love you. K.
Happy (belated) birthday, Penny! Sounds like you had a great time. And OMG! you saw Batali! I love that. You certainly have a lot of willpower, because I think I would have run to him and gushed like a teenage girl talking to her crush.
It’s a bummer that you had such an annoying flight back home. I hate Houston airport and try to avoid it as much as I can, although is the one where I always end up because of where I live. I’m glad to hear you had such a great time with your friends, and that you already have plans to see them again. I hope you’re already feeling better and recharged.
Diesel jeans are da bomb! I’m hooked now – won’t buy anything else.