Made it to Manhattan

Friday was tranquil so I apologize for not posting. I did get a manicure and pedicure for the first time in years. Which I personally find very exciting. My nails are a bubble gum pink color; I feel like a Barbie doll.

You should see my toes!

I also went to go see The Ugly Truth. I found it very predictable but cute. 3.5 stars. I'd say it was quite a girl's day for me.

Now Saturday truly proved to be an adventure! Mallory and I went to Canal Street to do some shopping. Now, for those of you who don't know what Canal Street is like, it's two chaotic, overcrowded, stinky sidewalks lined with small stores filled with knock off purses, sunglasses, and jewelry. We even ventured into the back rooms where they keep "the real stuff." Presumably stolen. I, personally, believe these to be just more knock offs. Maybe slightly nicer done knock offs but far from real. Mal was looking at a supposed Chanel bag and the inside leather tag was blank. We pointed this out to sweaty, pushy, little Asian woman, and she retrieved a black Chanel sticker that she stuck on the empty leather tag. Mal got the super cute bag after some negotiating. Then, we saw it in another store marked as a Jimmy Choo. It's hard to say really whose bag it was. I bought myself some hot pink Dolci and Gabbana aviators. They're super sweet!

View outside of Ruben's Empanadas

Finally, we escaped the hot sticky heat from the sun, concrete, and bodies of Canal Street and made our way to SoHo. (SoHo is short for south of Houston St.- pronounced HOW-ston, not to be confused with the Texas version.) It's a beautiful and classy neighborhood where I couldn't afford to eat or shop let alone live. But I would recommend it to those of you who can. We did manage to find a quaint little place to eat called Ruben's Empanadas. Spicy chicken empanada and a cold Negro Modelo. The food wasn't too great, but the beer and the view was. The hot dog stand on the corner kept selling hot dogs to people in traffic. It was fun to watch him run alongside the cars.

After Ruben's, Mallory and I ventured to find Bleeker Street. Walking along there were all sorts of shopping: Everything from expensive and exclusive to the NYC version of Old Navy. After a right, a left and another left, we found Bleeker Street. It was a calmer, more breathable version of Canal Street. A lot of people selling stuff in tents.

Bleeker Street and some neat statue

After such a hard day of walking, Mallory and I needed a drink... a stout drink. My eye was caught by a little place called Wicked Willy's. One look at the picture and you can see why...

I mean, HeLLo, who wouldn't go there?

The atmosphere was set with very low lights and seaside decor. The purple, plush velvet benches right by the windows were the perfect spot to enjoy our cranberry & vodkas while watching the street scene.

Just look how happy we are!

We could have spent the rest of the night at Wicked Willy's, but there was more to explore! So off we went, turning onto streets that caught our eye until we ran right into the NYU campus. Aside from the NYU banners, it was hard to tell the lecture halls from uptown office buildings. Since we found NYU, Mallory wanted to go see Washington Square Park. The park was like what you see in movies! Chess was being played, their was tap dancing, and gymnastic-type street acts... all for money of course. The park itself was very pretty: the type of place to just relax and enjoy yourself.

Pop quiz: Which of these is the real Arc de Triumph?

Looking for a place to use the restroom and have another tasty beverage, Mallory and I stumble upon Josie Wood's Pub. The bar and grill was downstairs, a cool attribute. We ordered a couple of drinks and an appetizer just to relax before heading back to Jersey. Next thing you know, the bartender buys us a round-nice of him. Then some guy next to me starts talking to me about the Harvard professor who got arrested for breaking into his own home and buys us a round. Then, the bartender says he'll keep giving us drinks if we hang out. Then, the guy next to me gets us shots... You can imagine where this went.

Mallory and I decide the time has come for us to take a subway to the train station and head back to South Orange. Because we've been wondering around all day and we're not positive of our location, the bartender kindly walks us out and directs to the nearest station. We descended into the dark dampness, no idea what was about to happen. A gentleman with a camera stops us on the stairs and asks, "Can you film me? I'm doing a movie." Being my ever skeptical self, I inquire "What kind of movie?" "A porn" he says. "Oh, okay" I respond as I take his camera. And yes, folks, I recorded a man indecently exposing himself. It lasted a total of maybe 1 minute. I can't believe I did it either. At least I wasn't in the porn, right? Oh, New York...

Train ride home, last shot of the night.