Red's First Trip To The City

I am a Philadelphia kinda guy. Always have been (except for that period in my life when I liked the Dallas Cowboys just to spite my dad who liked the Eagles) and I always will be. I've only been to New York City one time and that was to see Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds at Radio City Music Hall. And even that trip I would consider me going to the city because I got out of the train station, got into a cab and went into the venue. But with the 4th of July cutting up my first work week and me only remember my new roomates names and vaguely remembering faces around the office, I headed to New York City for the first time to hang out with a familiar face.

Regardless if you do not know Lizz, or kinda know who she is but never really gotten to know her, or flat out detest her, one thing is for certain: if you read this blog, you will most likely get to know her. We have been good friends since senior year of high school, are both poor in the pockets and are going to school relatively close to the city. So the future episodes of "The Follies and Mistrials of Mike and Lizz in the City" are sure to come. Anyway:

I hopped on the ferry to the City and attempted not to stand out, even though I have light red hair and was carrying a huge back pack with all my clothes and what nots. My fears of trying not being able to figure my way around the subway system were lowered when I realized one thing: I am not the only one here in foreign territory. Right when I stepped onto what I thought was my train, I hopped right behind a group of Chinese (or Japanese or Korean) girls who were giggling and taking pictures. It was the perfect decoy to open up my huge map of directions and figure out where I was going without being marked. Success number 1.

Authors Note: These stories aren't exactly going to go linearly, but just in the way that are pleasing to the audience. I will not make stuff up, may embellish a bit of things to give me more super-human-like qualities, but that is about it. Example: this trip is over two days. For everyone's sake, I'm making it into one.

When I met Lizz, the plan was simple. Basically we had a loose idea of stuff we wanted to get done and did not really care how it got done.

Destination 1: Coney Island.
Why? INTERNATIONAL HOT DOG EATING CONTEST

This contest was made for Joe Schmoes like me. Just a bunch of guys (and one gal) eating as many hot dogs as possible as a bunch of drunk people shout and cheer at 12 in the afternoon. We didn't get there in time to get a good view, but what we did see were hippies, and in all varieties. I'm not a big fan of global warming (at least not the discussion or debate of it) and I am indeed a fan of hippies. Their lifestyle just intrigues me of never really caring about anything and walking to and fro at leisure. But come on guys. Don't be hating no a bunch of hotdog heroes. One such hippie held up a sign and randomly yelling at people coming out with tasty dogs that they are going to die from eating hot dogs. There is really only two scenarios I can see from one really dieing from a hot dog. 1. Man chokes on hot dog. 2. Man falls in hot dog processor. Both scenarios could happen with one of those disgusting tofu dogs. A hot dog doesn't kill a guy, it's the fat ass who doesn't also eat other stuff and exercise every once in awhile. And even so, my old man eats hot dogs all the time and claims to work out, and he seems healthy enough. He's 53 and still plays baseball. Obviously hot dogs can't do much harm.

But besides all the hippism, the contest was a great success. America took it's crown away from Japan and people got hammered. Great way to start off the 4th.

Destination 2: Bathroom
Why? Cause I had to go

Originally we were going to head to Times Square because I've never been there, but I really had to go. Real bad. But this lead to our ultimate destination.

Destination 3: Drunksville
Why? Why Not?

Neither of us had to drive and we had the day off. Add that to the fact that there are tons of bars in Manhattan that we've never been to. We didn't actually get drunk due to money reasons and other factors (all the bars had either the Mets or Yankees game) but we did ultimately go through with our plan to just see a bunch of dudes and dudette eat a bunch of dogs and walk around and go to bars.

In future postings, I will try to entertain you more if this did not. I will start calling people out on their flaws and generally just start making fun of stuff. But I'm at work and about to get picked up because we smashed my car (remember that?) so I have no means of transportation off this Island.

Look for future posts about:
The difference between the great city of Dublin vs. silly ol' New York (This'll be a goodin')
The Great Snore
Weekend at the Mount (Septemberish)
and something to do with school, since I haven't started yet, I don’t' really have an idea what the post will be about.

Until then, it's graduation party time.

Redsy