...conveniently located minutes south of downtown

Finally

2005-09-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm back from vacation and have finally gotten around to posting some of the photos I took while in New York. I know this is a bit late, but I've been sick for the last week and haven't felt up to sitting in front of the computer for hours. All the pictures from my trip will soon be posted on my Flickr site. I've apparantly met my uploading limit for this month, but plan on upgrading my account sometime next week (as soon as financial aid comes through), so check back soon if your interested...

2005-09-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

The first night I was in town we went to a club called Happy Endings. It's in this old Chinese health club. I wrote a bit about it while in NYC, so if you want to know about our crazy time there, please refer to my earlier post.

2005-09-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Jessica wore short-shorts to Happy Endings and at one point removed them to reveal even shorter shorts. You can read about it here.

2005-09-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

After leaving Happy Endings I spotted this giant vat of 99% pure MSG with the trash on a street corner in Chinatown. Next to it was a huge can of "salad oil".

2005-09-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

A few days later we decided to go out in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I know I'm supposed to hate Williamsburg and say things like 'Dude, why is everybody in Williamsburg such a hipster douchebag?', but the thing is, they're just not. After seeing the absolute epitome of hipster douchebaggery at Happy Endings in Manhattan (picture an early nineties bike messenger with pegged jeans and tiny-brimmed cap making out with a girl in a gingham babydoll tank dress and a tail, desperately trying to be photographed for some awful hipster party website) the kids in Williamsburg seemed, well, normal. I mean of course they were hipsters, but the kind of hipster I'm comfortable with, the kind of hipster I've grown to love after living in Tucson for four years. After hitting Capone's for free pizza, we walked over to Union Pool. Over the bar sits this 'Worst President Ever' billboard, complete with a flashing yellow neon arrow.

2005-09-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

We finished the night at Royal Oak, where Jessica and Bizzy had a very important conversation about boys.

Also during this week (I forget which day) I saw the craziest man ever. I was on the subway, going to get groceries and there was this guy wearing a mattress pad he had fashioned into a jump-suit, high-tops and a coffee canister lid fastened to the side of his head with a rubber band. He was yelling into a cup about the American Emblem (I later realized he was talking about the American eagle). He didn't appear to be asking for money, he just wanted us to know how sacred the American Emblem is. At one point a woman with a bunch of shopping bags got onto the train and he told us that it was because of the American Emblem that we have the Right to Bear Packages. I was so distracted that I got off at the wrong stop.

2005-09-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the 10th, Bizzy and I went to the Art Parade in SoHo. It was sponsored by Paper, the magazine Bizzy is interning for. Read the Tips for Today section which she often writes (so good one of her pieces has already been featured on Gawker) here.

2005-09-30T15:49:00.001-07:00

Jen and I at the Art Parade block party.

2005-09-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Bizzy was very excited to see Chabio (half chicken, half Fabio) at the Art Parade block party.

2005-09-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

The next day Bizzy, Jessica and I went to Metropolitan, a gay bar in Williamsburg that has free barbeque on Sundays. They have a lovely upstairs patio that made me feel very Brooklyn-y.

2005-09-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

After a week at Jen's house in Chinatown her roommate came home so I went to stay with Jessica in Brooklyn. She has an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline from her roof.

2005-09-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Jen and I decided to take the (free) Staten Island ferry. It takes you right past the Statue of Liberty (a lot smaller than I expected) and Ellis Island.

2005-09-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Friday night was the CMJ Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show. While planning my trip to the NYC I had scoured the internet for shows I wanted to see while I was there and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah topped my list. I wanted to see this show more than any show I've been to in a long time. I knew it was going to be nearly impossible to get into, especially after learning that Mercury Lounge has a 150 person capacity and those with CMJ badges would have priority for entrance. I debated standing in line all day, but eventually decided to go to free day at MOMA, and take my chances at Mercury afterwards. When we got there, there were two lines coming out of the club that led all the way down the block and around the corners in both directions. We assumed, of course, that we were fucked.

2005-09-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Jessica writes for Pitchfork. A couple days earlier she had finally met the Chicago-based editor/creator of the website, Ryan Schreiber, at a CMJ pre-party. Just as we had decided that there was no way we were possibly going to get in to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Jessica spotted Ryan near the door of the Mercury talking to a bouncer. She went over to say hi and explained our situation. Lots of introductions and phone calls ensued, and before we knew it we were walking past the line and into the show. For free even. It was like a CMJ miracle.

2005-09-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was amazing as expected. Everyone at the show was shit-faced drunk except us, so it was easy to shove our way past all the industry assholes to get right up to the front of the stage. Heaven.

2005-09-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

After Clap Your Hands Say Yeah we headed to the Vice Magazine CMJ after-party at The Cake Shop.

2005-09-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

Favourite Sons played first at the Vice party. It took us almost a week and an email to The Cake Shop to find out who they were.

2005-09-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

Then it was time for Les Savy Fav's last show ever. Tim Harrington is the craziest motherfucker on the planet. He started the show dressed in a pirate mask, a pink Member's Only jacket and fatigue shorts...

2005-09-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

But soon removed the mask and jacket...

2005-09-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

And then his shorts...

2005-09-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

And was soon left in nothing but a sheer white leotard. Notice the sweat-rag/bandana on his (very sweaty) head...

2005-09-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

He later took off said sweat-rag/bandana and wrung it out into Nick Sylvester's mouth. I missed capturing the actual wringing, but check out the looks of those in the crowd around Nick.

2005-09-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

He then made Ryan suck on it.

2005-09-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

A beer fight ensued after the show.

2005-09-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

The next day Robbie invited us to a vegan barbeque at his friend's house in Brooklyn.