Back from the big apple

And it was quite the whirlwind vacay too. I got this shot in Chinatown where you just had to ask yourself how this barber shop's name should be pronounced. The added sticker grafitti made it into art. Of course I took lots more pictures. I put those up with captions on Facebook in an album over here. This isn't our first trip down there featured on the blog so the photos were the usual suspects - skylines, food, Times Square etc. What was really awesome was our hotel room. We booked at the Affinia Dumont, touted as an all-suite hotel, to which I chortled, "I wonder what suite means in New York." Well it turned out to mean a giant room, at least double the size of our last NYC hotel room, with a full kitchen and awesome views from the room. If we can, we'll always stay there now.

By chance before we left, I happened to catch an announcement from Joemygod asking if any couples were interested in being shot for the Pride magazine 2010 photo layout - he was looking for ten couples. I raised my hand, pick us! and he did so we did it, very hungover but they can photoshop that away can't they? Our little segment had us blowing bubbles and I'm curious how it will turn out. I'll let you know when I do.

We made our usual shopping stop at Century 21, a total madhouse worse than I've ever seen, so we only bought shoes. When we were paying, I told the girl I didn't need the box and she, in that snapping fingers kind of way said, "We don't keep boxes, you can throw it away outside." She then put the shoes in a huge bag and stapled it shut. She might as well have said, "Shove that box up your ass." The attitude would have rankled me but it was so New York, I just laughed.

We saw a show of course, Next to Normal, which won this year's best musical Tony award. It was hauntingly beautiful and I cried twice - definitely not your typical feel-good American musical, but that's what I liked about it. It was like if they made a musical version of "Ordinary People." At one point Serge dozed off and I had to elbow him. This is not because he didn't like it, it was just his nappy time and that took over during a slow point. He was horrified and asked me if he had snored when we got out. He was relieved when I told him no.

We spent most of the time hanging out with family who were there for my cousin's graduation from NYU and a Montreal friend of ours who just happened to be there at the same time. She had booked a package tour by bus and her friend that she booked with missed the departure (and forfeited her $) so Emilie spent a lot of time running around carousing with us. Twas fun.

Yesterday we got up at 5am, took a 7am flight, drove two hours from Burlington VT to get home, picked up the dog, Georgie boy! and then I had to work a couple hours. All this after having gone to bed after midnight, and after having drunk copiously (and performing certain acts in front of the window - how many telescopes were trained on us?) so it was all I could do to keep it together for work. At least I got my 8 hours last night. Now it's time to S, S and S and head to work. Great trip all in all.