New York, NY

Four Days in one of the most diverse and interesting Cities in the World really isn't enough. I landed in Laguardia and meeting my brother shortly there after. We took off in Paul's car, a 2002 Honda Civic Hatchback SI, the type of car I would pick for an area like NYC. Small, powerful and useful. The traffic on the Triboro Bridge is exactly how I imagined NYC Traffic to be, crowded and full of morons. Needless to say, we cut our way through and drove down 125th St, the main drag of Harlem. We saw the Apollo Theater and their winter performance, The Black Nutcracker. Nate lives in Harlem, a part right next to the Columbia Campus, where he is enrolled. The part he is in would be considered sleepy for NYC; going through the process of gentrification by Columbia Students.

Our first night there was spent eating Thanksgiving Dinner with his friends. We had a great time, stuffing our faces with Turkey and assorted Holiday Food and drinking, laughing and talking. He has a very interesting and enjoyable group of friends.

The next day we get up and jump on the subway towards downtown Manhattan to see the Museums, Central Park and 5th Ave. Central Park had to be maybe the most surreal thing in NYC, spread out, quiet and beautiful. We sat in the park watching ducks move by and drinking coffees, very relaxing. Then it was off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we spent a vast majority of the time in the Roman and Greek Antiquities room. Collections of Poetry, Coins and Statues from 500 BC to about 200 AD; maybe one of the most impressive rooms I've ever been inside.

Next, we went to 5th Ave; this is the image of NYC most people have. Shoulder to Shoulder people, we walked by the Mac Store, a giant glass cube. It was very exotic to be in a crowd this large, and eventually tiring, so we cut to a side street. This side street just to happened to be Rockefeller Center; Radio City Music Hall, the NBC Studios, and the Center Art. They had just erected the Tree for Xmas and there was quite the crowd. Cutting out of there we heading to get some pizza, traditional New York Style Pizza, greasy and delicious we took off to make our way to Times Square.

On our way there we got sidetracked into a nice Irish Pub overlooking the street and right in front of a Catholic Cathedral. We sat for awhile drinking microbrews and decided it was time to brave Times Square. The sight itself is amazing, Neon Signs towering around you, life and bustle all around. The problem with Times Square is the tourist (I know, I am one), they don't realize there are about 50 bajillion other people around them, and they all want to stop to take 50 pictures of one of the most photographed places in the world. We pushed our way through the crowd, got to the subway and made it back to the HQ for dinner and preparations to hit up the Lower East Side.

We got to the Lower East Side via Car Service (like a taxi but you haggle a price prior to leaving). The first bar we hit up was a hole in the wall punk rock place. We pounded back can after can of PBR and decided it was time to hit up Kanka's. Kanka's is like stepping into 1950's Japan, tiny bamboo chairs, crazy music , and most important $1.50 Drafts of Sapporo. We downed a bottle of hot sake and multiple pitchers of Sapporo and preceded to stumble out belligerently drunk at about 2:30 AM. At this point Paul and Joyce decided to call it a night, and for whatever reason, Nate and I felt it would be a good idea to keep the party going. We stumbled into a Ukrainian Cafe where we ordered two 21 oz bottles of Obolon and just drunkenly slurred towards each other, and near the end felt it would be prudent to get the fuck home.

The next morning, Nate and I woke up feeling as though we'd been beaten, mugged and left for dead. We eventually worked through one of the worst hang overs of our lives to head to the Guggenheim. Packed to the gills with tourist, we couldn't handle it, so we got a hold of Paul and told him to meet us in Chinatown. That is not just a clever name, it was how I imagine China being. Fish and Produced Sellers line the streets, huge crowds and a think stench of all this activity around us. We get an early dinner and I had spoken with Harlan and we felt it would be fun to head over to Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

Williamsburg was maybe the least diverse neighborhood in all of NYC; white young people. The streets were lined with vendors selling Espresso and Used Books. Every corner had coffee shops, wine bars, cheese shops, vintage clothing and record stores. It was very cute, and I did pick up a record while I was there. We then checked the iPhone for an establishment to drink and found a Beergarten. We pounded back several pitchers and Harlan joined us, we moved on to the establishment across the street and while there felt Karaoke. We located a place in the basement of another establishment. Harlan and Nate got a chance to sing before this lame Karaoke bar became a crowded and lame dance club, we quickly hightailed it out of there. The final stop in Brooklyn was a new bar that had Ski Ball, we sat there for a bit and had a few Brooklyn Lagers in cans when we decided that it was time to get back home and get ready to leave.

Needless to say, my time in NYC is wild, out of control and busy. I am still exhausted and further I want to get back as soon as I can.