New York City: I Don't Know Why I Love You

My post title is inspired by Gil Scott-Heron's "New York City" cut from his "It's Your World" album 1976.

“New York City, I don’t know why I love you
Maybe it’s because you're mine

Like so many others, I found it all to easy to stand off at a distance & criticize

But there ain’t nothing wrong with the city
Just some people been wrong there like every where else

New York City, I don’t know why I love you
Could be that you remind me of myself”

So I have been away for a few days on but now I am back up in this bitch with a vengeance & fully energized.

While I was out, I was in NYC on a lover’s getaway with my boo & now wife of 8 damn years. My 8th anniversary was last Thursday (07/12) & it was the best ever!

Suite Suzy & I always vacation for our anniversary & for the last 5 years we have been doing it in NYC. Yes I know, I know every year the same ole thing, right? Wrong! Each trip that we have had to NYC has been different from the others as we always discover new places, try different hotels, restaurants & neighborhoods, so it’s like we go on a different adventure in NYC every year.

This year we decided to go at a very slow & relaxed pace just kinda doing whatever happened & that is exactly what we did & it was fun being there without any concrete plans. Actually we had one plan that was confirmed & that was to hang out with Cluizel but everything else was up for grabs.

To spare you from all of the boring details, I’m just going to touch on trip highlights which made this trip one to remember.

Before I get into any of this I want to note that this year’s anniversary trip theme song was “Funkanova” (click to listen) by Wood, Brass & Steel. Every trip has to have a theme song!

The Highlights:

Meeting Friends:

• Daniel Marie – On our 1st night in the city we decided to go out for a few mojitos before dinner at the Bar in Victor’s Cuban Café (If you love mojitos, you have not had one until you had one @ Victor’s). So we perch at the bar near this seemingly quiet guy but soon as we placed out order, we found out that his ass was not quiet at all. The local bar fly introduced himself as Daniel Marie, who had a heavy European accent. He later revealed that he was from Geneva, CH & explained his fondness of yodeling.
  
  We actually sat and talked with Daniel Marie for over an hour & had some fun discussions on politics, the world cup (which I knew nothing about) & men pissing on toilet seats. We usually do not meet to many New Yorkers who engage in conversations especially in Manhattan so kicking it with Daniel Marie was really cool.
  
  
• Michelle aKa Cluizel – A little over a month ago we agreed to meet on my trip & I am so happy that we did! Cluizel is just as much fun in person as she is online. At first I was nervous cuz I never meet any online friends so to help present a clean image of myself, I decided not to be as ghetto as I am online, but that all went down the tubes after my 1st drink at the Negril Village, which is where we met for dinner. Cluizel, Suite Suzy & I turned that bitch out, laughing & talking more shit than a little bit.
  
  After dinner we hit the Village where the outing took a somewhat strange twist just before 9pm. We went to the village because the day before I purchased a new bead for my nipple ring & was having a hard time getting the new one in so I needed to go back the piercing parlor to have it put in. We get to the parlor, explain my dilemma & the weird sista working there hooked me up & minutes later my red new nipple bead was in place & I was happy. Once it was in Suite Suzy put me on the spot & requested that I show everyone my large nipple & nipple ring to which I was like no, because I was not sure if NYC was ready to see my nipple but the next thing I know, my shit was up & the nipple was out! The only thing running through my mind as my nipple was on display was OMG, Cluizel must think I am really out of my mind.
  
  Once all of the nipple drama was over, we all decided to get a genital piercing because they had a special & Cluizel demanded to go first, we were like ok! Just kidding, what of kind of people do you think we are??? After all of the nipple-based fun we decided to head to Times Square for some desert at Cold Stone Creamery one of my favorite places to be gluttonous. Shortly afterward we parted ways until the next time. Cluizel thanks for being you!!!
  
  Cluizel if you are reading, click here: mmmmmmmmm

Hotel, Leisure & Relaxation:

• Dream - Somehow I found out about this hotel and after I saw the website, I knew this would be the hotel to help make this trip over the top. Suite Suzy read a few reviews and they were not that great and I almost changed my mind but I said fuck it, let’s just do it.
  
  The Dream hotel had me hooked as soon as I hit the lobby and saw this huge saltwater fish tank, floor to ceiling & larger than life bronze statue of an Asian warrior with 2 bitches attached to him, one on either side. Unfortunately out room was not read yet so we had to kill like 4 hours so we had a little breakfast & ran a few errands to pass the time.
  
  It’s now about 130pm & we are walking into our room & it looked just like it did online. The bed was like floating on this blue light, there was a massive flat panel TV on the wall & bottom line is I was just like yes! This is what I am talking about! Because we had to get up at the ass crack of dawn to get our flight we were pretty tired especially when you factor in we got very little sleep the night before, so we decided to take a nap. Next thing you know, it was almost 4 hours later, then about 2 hours after that we get a ring at the door. I look out the peep hole & see a cleaning lady so I opened the door. She explained that she was there for turn down service & asked if we needed anything so we got a few extra towels & before she left, she gave us 2 big apples & wished us a good night.
  
  I had never been to a hotel that did turn down service before so it was a real treat especially on days we stayed gone for pretty much the entire day. The staff were all extra courteous & professional, with all this said, we will mos def stay at the Dream again!!!
  
  
• Washington Square Park - This is our park & a must do each time we go. WSP is always jumping with activity and I must say that the people watching some of the best if you are into people watching. It was just nice to be there sipping on a cold bottle of water, sitting under that shade having fun telling stories with my boo as life was happening around us.
  
  
• Chelsea Market - We found out about this place watching the Food Network & come to find out, this is where the Food Network is located. The Chelsea Market was busier that a beehive & filled with wonderful sights & smells. If you like baked goods, you would think that you died and went to heaven & if you are a diabetic, I caution you!
  
  This place almost has everything from a few grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries & little exotic boutiques to name a few. The Chelsea Market is the type of place that makes you want to live in NYC so you can go there everyday to get fresh foods.
  


• NYC Botanical Garden - OMG, you know I love flowers & all things botanical so this was a must do. Suite Suzy & I decided to visit Saturday morning & spend the afternoon there. This outing was soooooo beautiful not only because the flowers were breathtaking but also because Suite Suzy & I were slowly strolling through gardens spending some real time, which is hard to do any other day in our normal lives. Visiting NYC’s botanical garden seems like it is a real treat no matter what time of year you go because there is so much there.
  
  Shit we were there for about 4 hours and still did not see everything. So guess what, we have to put this on the agenda for a future trip.
  
  
• Central Park – When I walk through Central Park, I can hear Roberta Flack singing "That's The Time" in my head. Just something about that song makes me thing she is talking abot Central PArk in spring. Anyway, we took a little stroll through the park before we left Sunday & it again was beautiful! The only thing I do not like about areas of the park is the horses. I mean they are funky as hell almost so bad that if a gust of winds starts up, you can taste the smell.

Arts & Entertainment:

• Guggenheim - Our visit to the Guggenheim means that we have officially visited all of the “major” museums in NYC & I guess we saved the one of the best for last. The Guggenheim is featuring “The Shape of Space” exhibit, which is a pure orgy for the visual sense. The exhibit is very progressive & really seems like something that would be at the Museum of Modern Art, nevertheless it was awesome.
  
  Fortunately for the museum but unfortunately it is under massive exterior repair so we cold not get a good look at the legendary exterior façade designed by celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright
  

• Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix – It’s awesome, nuff said!
  
  
• Platanos & Collard Greens – OK, if you live in NYC r nearby & have not seen this yet, go get some damn tickets now & fuck seeing the Color Purple for now! Platanos & Collard Greens was off the chain it was so refreshing to see something that actually deals with real life scenarios that deals with the relationships of Africans in the Diaspora with a specific focus on Afro-Latinos & Afro-Americans. I will tell you, I am happy that I read the 5 part piece that the Miami Herald did recently on Afro-Latinos because it P&CG dealt with some of the issues presented in the MH.
  
  The one thing that turned me off at this event was some of the crowd. The play started @ 8pm & niggas were still walking in at 830 & someone in my row actually walked in 20 minutes into the 2nd act; OK why did they even bother even coming at all. Why come niggas can’t get no place on time???? Even people in the very 1st row were showing up late as hell. I will not even get into all of these grown assed men wearing hats in-doors!?!?!?!
  

  Hat Etiquette: Indoors, a man should always remove his hat, (particularly in a home, church, courtroom or restaurant) except:
  
  - in some public buildings or public places such as railroad stations or post offices
  - in the main parlor area of a saloon or general store
  - or while seated at the "lunch counter" of a diner or cafe
  - in entrance halls and corridors of office buildings, or hotels
  - in elevators of public or office buildings, unless a woman is present
  - if carrying packages, parcels or bags and both hands are occupied upon entry
  - if the man is an actor or performer and the hat is being worn as a part of a costume or performance

  
  From the website: “Platanos & Collard Greens is the hit romantic comedic play that tells the story of Freeman, an African-American man, and Angelita, a Latino woman, who are both forced to confront and overcome cultural and racial prejudices, while defending their bond from family and friends.
  
  Platanos will remind you of your family, your love and your life. Platanos is guaranteed to make you laugh, inspire you, and make you think!
  

Platanos has enchanted audiences of over 40,000 both Off Broadway in New York City and at over 100 colleges and universities in more than 17 states around the country.”

If it was not for Cluiziel, I would have not known about this production, so thanks again. Luckily, we were able to get like the last 2 tickets available for the Saturday night’s performance!

Good Eats:

• Chevy’s - If you like junk food TexMex, this is the spot. We love it & were bummed out when the closed the restaurant near is at home so we make it a point to go here whenever we are in NYC.
  


• Victors Café - This is some real Cuban & has never disappointed. They have the best pork chops on the damn planet! The pork chops are so good, we made 2 visits for dinner during out trip. These pork chops are so good, they will make you wanna bitch slap your great grand mother. Did I mention that they have phenomenal mojotos???
  


• Frank's Butcher Shop & Steakhouse - This was good little find for lunch while visiting the Chelsea. The portions were good & the prices were just right! I got a chicken club & Suite Suzy got a burger. Although the service was not the best, we do have this on our list to a spot to hit in the future.
  


• Negril Village - OMFG!!! This is one of the best restaurants in NYC. Again thanks to Cluizel, this was a great outing because a) the food was damn good b) the drinks were slamming b) the crowd was hip & chilled & c) the company was great.
  
  I ate like way too much but fuck it you only live once. Here is what I ate Codfish Fritters (app), Collard Green Wontons (app), Jerk Chicken (ent) & 3 caipirinhas; this is just my food. The bill was off the hook but so fucking worth it.
  
  This is mos def on the must visit again list!!!
  
  
• Norma’s - If you love breakfast, this is a must do. This shit ain’t cheap so you can’t go up in hear broke, shit French toast is 17 bucks! I feel bad saying that we go here so much on our visits that the staff fucking remembers us, maybe this is because when I go, I always show a little nipple for a discount. (ask to be seating in Kimberly's area, this sista is on top of her game & is always very nice to Suite Suizy & I!)
  

On our 5 day trip it may seem like we did a lot but we really did not do much for us. Anyway, I took many pictures but too tired now to sort through them all so stay tuned for some snapshots.

For our anniversary next year we decided to go somewhere else & right now we are considering Montreal, The Bahamas, LA/San Fran, San Antonio & Miami. We have a few months to make a final decision & I already excited! But we did decide to do NYC for one of our little side trips.

Peace,
Bygbaby