Hitting the City

At the moment, Dana and I are staying in New Jersey, so trips to New York City are a treat. During my first visit, I found myself snapping photos as I had been during all over Europe. That didn't last too long, but I did get a couple of good snaps. Water towers and fire escapes really stood out to me... probably because they're not as common in Australia and Europe, or maybe they just don't have the same quality as NY water towers and fire escapes. Water towers and fire escapes. I just wanted to say it one more time. One more. Water towers and fire escapes. OK, now I'm done.

My first visit? A quick catch-up with Pabsy (he was too busy working on his film to spend time with me), a bite and beers with Nate and Rosemary, sleep, then a good, long brunch with Randy. The stops? An Australian pub first! Pierre and I enjoyed a Coopers best extra stout. For dinner I scarfed down Mexican food, which I really missed while in Oz. We swung by Collins Bar for a farewell beer then stayed up way too late in Nate's Hell's Kitchen apartment. Collins Bar is was a great old beer bar, demolished to make room for luxury apartments. When I was outside, I looked across the street, where construction is nearly complete on another high-rise of condos. After a moment I remembered that there used to be a really classy NY deli there. Gone.

Randy and I had a bite at a cafe near his place in Williamsburg. The food was so fresh that the sticker was still on Pants's sliced apple! The street art dotting Billyburg reminded me of one of the reasons I love NY so much.

Dana and I cruised back into the city later that week. We had some fantastic sushi and I finally gave Dana the engagement ring. We sent downtown to check out the new Blind Tiger Ale House. They moved to Bleeker Street after rent went up too high in their old location. (A Marc Jacobs moved in there, but now it's a Starbucks... classic.) The new spot has an unbelievable line-up of beer on tap beer, cask ale and gravity pump, not mention the bottle list. There was a Dogfish Head event on... and I stayed a bit too long!

NYC 1
NYC 2