Sunday, November 22, 2009
A New York Weekend
I had a nice weekend in New York. A little photography, a little clubbing, a little shopping, and visits to both Uniqlo and Topman, which are like a combination of clubbing and shopping. I took the bus up and back (I’m actually on the bus headed home as I write this) and I remember now why I’m not a fan of this type of travel. It just takes too long. The train is faster, and more reliable. Unfortunately, it also costs 5x as much, so I need to occasionally take the bus on these trips.
Today was spent kicking around with Scott. He found a place for brunch that had this wonderful invention called “unlimited mimosas.” The waitress seemed to come by every time the level in our glasses dropped an inch, and she finally reached the point where she quit pouring orange juice and just went with straight champagne. When our glasses hit empty I figured they were dropping a hint. Anyway, we had a great few hours hanging out, we’ve known each other for almost 10 years (yes, Scott, it HAS been that long), having first met through our blogs when he was in college, and we can talk about pretty much anything. It’s nice to have a friend like that. Plus, he let me take photos of him, but only if I promised not to put them on Facebook (so they’ll go on Xtube instead).
I needed this weekend. Though I think I enjoy these visits more when I come with someone, I do occasionally need a weekend on my own. The nice thing about New York -- really, about traveling anywhere -- is that I can reinvent myself for a weekend if I need to, put aside whatever has been bugging me and just be me, or be the person I (temporarily) want to be. This weekend I needed to put aside work, put away some personal issues that have been dogging me for a couple months, and just walk around and be a fun guy without worrying about anything.
This doesn’t mean I’ll return to work Monday happy to be there, but it does mean I’ll go back with some good memories.
The weekend wasn’t perfect...there was more I wanted to do, but the truth is, I arrived Friday night pretty exhausted already. Between stress from work and not getting enough sleep I think I have worn myself out. Add in some clubbing Friday night until 3am,and walking around lower Manhattan all day Saturday, and by Saturday night I was one tired boy. Next time, I’ll try to rest up in advance for my vacation.
Overall, though, it was what I needed. Plus, I got some Christmas shopping done, and that was the most important thing!!
Today was spent kicking around with Scott. He found a place for brunch that had this wonderful invention called “unlimited mimosas.” The waitress seemed to come by every time the level in our glasses dropped an inch, and she finally reached the point where she quit pouring orange juice and just went with straight champagne. When our glasses hit empty I figured they were dropping a hint. Anyway, we had a great few hours hanging out, we’ve known each other for almost 10 years (yes, Scott, it HAS been that long), having first met through our blogs when he was in college, and we can talk about pretty much anything. It’s nice to have a friend like that. Plus, he let me take photos of him, but only if I promised not to put them on Facebook (so they’ll go on Xtube instead).
I needed this weekend. Though I think I enjoy these visits more when I come with someone, I do occasionally need a weekend on my own. The nice thing about New York -- really, about traveling anywhere -- is that I can reinvent myself for a weekend if I need to, put aside whatever has been bugging me and just be me, or be the person I (temporarily) want to be. This weekend I needed to put aside work, put away some personal issues that have been dogging me for a couple months, and just walk around and be a fun guy without worrying about anything.
This doesn’t mean I’ll return to work Monday happy to be there, but it does mean I’ll go back with some good memories.
The weekend wasn’t perfect...there was more I wanted to do, but the truth is, I arrived Friday night pretty exhausted already. Between stress from work and not getting enough sleep I think I have worn myself out. Add in some clubbing Friday night until 3am,and walking around lower Manhattan all day Saturday, and by Saturday night I was one tired boy. Next time, I’ll try to rest up in advance for my vacation.
Overall, though, it was what I needed. Plus, I got some Christmas shopping done, and that was the most important thing!!
