In 4 short days I will find myself on what is perhaps the most densely populated island on the face of the earth, in a city I have spent the last several years talking tall shit about - New York City. I have only been there once before, way the fuck back in the day when I was but a wee lad...I think I was 13 or 14.When my Father used to travel for business like mad, I would often join him on business trips when my school schedule permitted it. This was one way for my Father and I to bond and he was always all about showing me the country/world. Sometimes the destination was decidedly domestic (i.e. Birmingham, AL) other times rather cosmopolitan (Frankfort, Germany).
Regardless, I remember an elementary teacher once told me to go wherever I had the chance to go to a new place, and I have more or less followed that advice while growing up. I have been to various locales such as Juneau, AK, Del Rio, TX and Amsterdam to name but a few (whoa - that was fucking trippy exploring coffee shops on my own!).
Fast forward to the present tense. My father is now a resident of the (eekk) Garden State and living within spitting distance of "the First City". Therefore, this resident of "the Second City" has resolved to keep an open mind about my first adult trip back to said densely populated island.
It helps tremendously that I have several blogger buddies to meet up with; that alone is worth the price of admission (which, granted is rather modest, my airline ticket cost south of $200) and my Father is hooking up a hotel room for me on Friday & Saturday since his "friend"/partner/fill-in-the-blank is wary of house guests.
So what will I do while there? Well, seeing as my Father is a culture whore, a gene that seems to have been passed down to me in various degrees, I should find my way to at least the MOMA and the Guggenheim, which should be the TITS. But I am very interested in, um, "comparing" the gay nightlife scene to that of Chicago's.
Bottom line: I intend to put my somewhat natural Chicago prejudices aside and inhale (with the exception of the subway) NYC for all it's worth. For the most part I am going to let go and allow both my Father and my various blogger friends show me what's up. I want to see this city through the eyes of those that love it for whatever reasons they have.
I challenge you all to remove the blindness of the SHIZZ that is NYC from my eyes. Show me what the fuck is up!
6 comments:
blogger meet up!
"Wary of house guests"?
No, that's not suspicious at all.
Have a great time in the Big One, and get bodacious for me.
Nothing Golden Stays
Dang boy yer too fast, I won't be there til the 28th! Anyway get over your Chi-town fixation cuz next to NYC, well, The Windy City simply blows. NYC is the planet, that's all there is to say.
Just an FYI, everybody's running like little lemmings to Hell's Kitchen these days, and that's all well and good, but I say you gotta give Chelsea its due. Check out Barracuda, on 18th (19th?) just off of 8th ave. It's low key, small, cozy, and every time I'm there I see some hot boy-next-door type, and everybody's friendly, the drinks are strong, and, well, need I say more? Have fun kid.
Population density of Manhattan - about 67,000/square mile.
Ap Lei Chau, off the southwest side of Hong Kong Island, is the world's most densely populated island, with 80,000 people living in 0.5 square mile for a density of 160,000 per square mile.
Male, in the Maldives, is the world's most densely populated unbridged island, with about 70,000 people living in 0.68 sq mile for a density of 103,000 per sq mile. With an additional 20-30,000 visitors at any one time, Male achieves densities of 130-160,000 per square mile.
But then, I'm sure they don't have the cultural amenities and gay night life of Manhattan. Have a good time!
I loved MOMA - the Guggenheim, not so much. If you're interested in more traditional art, The Frick Collection can't be beat. Top quality stuff but not overwhelming like the Met.
what, does every blogger end up going to NYC at some point????
haha, have fun!
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