I LOVE NYC

Started the day at the Brooklyn Museum, then walked to Tea Lounge, a fantastic joint, maybe the best Chai I've ever had in North America, then headed off to Adorama to buy my new camera (YIPPEE!), had a funny interaction with the Hasidic Jew salesman and the older Hasidic Jew man at the counter, bought all kinds of neat stuff on the way including a sweet t-shirt from a cool designer girl in Union Square, cat grass for Boogie so that she will stop eating the plants I bring home, and a sweet little beaded change-purse thing with a cat face design. I don't know why, but I really wanted it. $5, hell why not, sold by a guy selling hand-rolled cigars and beaded cat-face change purses, because the two go together so well. I asked him if he made them. He said, "naw." I said, "where are they from?" He said, "I don't know, China." Awesome.
After the emotional camera purchase I took a rest next-door at some place called the cupcake shop or some shit, bought a tuna salad sandwich (I always love a tuna salad sandwich hot damn) from the very gay clerk, and a brown cupcake with a very lovely pink intricately sculpted pink flower made of frosting on top that turned out to be very, very disappointing, what with how beautiful the sculpting was and all. After that made my way to Charles' house at 6th and Bleeker. Really dug the walk over, neighborhood is so cool. On the way found a really sweet African man selling another thing that I actually really needed, a skin for my new Ipod Nano (that I scored new for $80, Sweet!). Then, like magic, I thought to myself, hmmm, you know what I else I need are some guitar strings for when I go traveling and bam, there was a music store on my left. Unbelievable.
I made it to Chuck's and hung for a while. Ate my tuna salad sandwich (which was pretty damn good, the sourdough bread was dry and had that kind of strange crumbliness to it, but, good, it seemed like it was supposed to be dry and crumbly) Organized some of my new gizmos, took a little nap, and headed back out to Brooklyn for Alec's show at Pete's Candy Store, a cool little venue in Brooklyn on Lorimer. Got a yummy pork sandwich that was a tolerable $8. And had about three $4 Yuenlings and a shot of Whiskey. Had some good talks with an old friend from High school and her boyfriend about the New Yorker and whether or not the addition of the fill in the cartoon bubbles in the back was a good or bad addition (personally I say no). Enjoyed a dirty old Parliment cigarette compliments of a generous soul. Headed off to The Lower East Side to meet back up with Chuck and his roommate Ted. Met them at Schiller's, a neat little bar/restaurant that has a nifty unique look to its decor (I've read it described as 40's hospital tiling and "fight club" lighting) and has this charming system of serving house wine (decanters marked CHEAP, DECENT, and GOOD). We sat at the bar and had some beers, but not for long before I had to book out of there and catch a cab to Grand Central for the last train: 1:53am to Stanford, first stop Mt. Vernon. My cab driver was great, maybe from somewhere in Africa, had this sweet accent and in this genial manner was trying to coax me into letting him take me all the way to Westchester for $40.
It was another day of getting home and thinking, I love New York. Long live it's freaks, gays, immigrants, and glory!