New York City: Day 1

It's a relatively known fact that the busiest and most popular cities in the United States can be easily distinguished on an American map. Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, and Phoenix are simply a few of those over-populated, bustling locations (new plague, anyone?). So what does someone do to escape the chaos and frustrations of Los Angeles? He visits New York City of course...

This past week I put my vacation days to good use, booked my Frontier Airline flight, and headed to the Big BIG Apple (otherwise known as my other home). My roommates, Jessi and Sarah, felt it necessary to visit our dear friends before the distant memories of our college days began to fade. Fortunately, Lisa and Monica were kind enough to house us for five days. A hospitality offer I, myself, would have reconsidered....

If I were to relay the entire trip in this one blog entry, I assure you it would go on for days. Instead, I'll ease you in by simply breaking down the entries. Starting with the first full day of my New York Vacay 2008!

As most of my amigos know, I'm an enormous fan of Sex and the City. In fact, my earlier college entries are obviously reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw's column (embarrassing? Yes. Ashamed.... kinda). Fortunately, my friends are just as obsessed. We decided to take the ever-popular Sex and the City Tour. We traveled all over Manhattan visiting key film locations.

1) First Stop: The Pleasure Chest. Remember the Rabbit? For those of who aren't in the "know", the girls visit a sex shop filled with erotic goodies - including an array of dildos. I'm talkin' the works! Acrylic dildos, glass dildos, silicone double-sided rubber dildos, jelly vibrating dildos, mahogany dildos, three-strap harness... with dildo, strap-on dildo with vibrator and remote control...... shall I go on? As you can see from my picture above, I'm completely appalled.... and slightly intrigued.

2) Second Stop: The Bookshop. Remember the guy Miranda met who liked to have sex in public places? In the midst of the busy streets of Manhattan, Monica and I decided to recreate the scene. "I'll have to check that out after I finish FDR: The New York Years". I'll have you know, we recreated many scenes on that tour -- an act almost unbearable to think back on.

3) Third Stop: Carrie's Stoop: Incidentally, the one location completely taboo to visit. Apparently, after years of bus tours, the current apartment owner forbids anyone from visiting. The tour guide wouldn't even tell us where the stoop was located! However, my SATC knowledge reaches far beyond the average fan. Knowing that her fictitious apartment was located on Perry street, my friends and I trespassed the chained entry and snapped a photo. We discovered later that security cameras surrounded the stoop.... whoops!

4) Fourth Stop: Scout: Or more formally known as Steve Brady's bar. Like your average alcoholic, we decided to buy Cosmopolitans at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. To make matters worse, we brought a flask of vodka to give these beverages a stronger kick. Do you judge me?

5) The Final Stop: Actually, it wasn't a stop at all. The tour guide ended the day with trivia questions from the series. As if this bitch could really stump us? Between the five of us, we answered about 95% of the questions. We won two Magnolia Bakery cupcakes and Chicago tickets. I'm not sure if that makes us winners.... or losers.

6) F.A.O. Schwartz: I've never been fortunate enough to visit this mega toy store. So needless to say, I was in complete shock and awe! I was literally 7-years-old again wandering around my dream haven. The entire store was filled with puppets, doll houses, train sets, barbies, and micro-machines. These Harry Potter characters were actually created from Legos! The re-enactment, however, was all us.

7) F.A.O. Schwartz - Big Style: Yes. Your eyes aren't deceiving you. Jessi and I actually played "Heart and Soul" on the gigazmo piano. And yes, an audience of customers surrounded us and observed our duet. And yes, we were also accompanied by a 3-year-old boy. I never said we were cool.

8) Adam Pascal: Our first day ended with two dear friends. Adam Pascal - original cast member of Rent. And tequila - original cast member of See You Tomorrow. Earlier that week, we made reservations at the Chatterbox theatre - a small piano bar that primarily covers musicals. To our surprise, Adam (a.k.a Roger) decided to drop by for an interview. He also graced us with a song ("Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera). I believe I was coherent when I talked to him. Jessi on the other hand....

All in all, the first day was filled with surprises, chaos, and downright fun. Little did we know the following four days were going to be just as eventful....