PHX2NYC

I breathe a sigh of relief, now that I'm down in south Jersey, tucked away in a dimly lit house, in a near empty ghost town.
I had stayed up all night Wednesday, drinking with a few friends, and then biding my time until my morning flight. Samir picks me up just in time to make the baggage cut-off at the airport, and board the flight. PHX to EWR. When I arrive in Newark, I run into Ron Jeremy while getting off the plane, and then discover that the train I had intended to take into Hoboken was no longer running. I call my sister. No answer. She lives there, and I thought I might be able to get a ride from her, but no dice. I call my other sister, and make plans to have dinner with her and her boyfriend in Manhattan later on. Now I call Ana. No answer. She calls back. She tells me to take a cab, because she doesn't want to move her car, as parking in Hoboken is a serious bitch. Great... forty dollar cab ride. When I get there, Ana greets me with a vodka tonic. I take a shower, change, and we're off to see my sister for dinner. We take the PATH train to the World Trade Center station, and walk the few blocks to the apartment to meet them. Instead of going out, Catherine decides to make dinner, and serves us some appetizers she had bought in Little Italy on the way home. So we have a few drinks, eat a very nice dinner, and leave. Now Ana had to work in the morning, so we went right back to Hoboken. She slept, I went out to L&J's for a few drinks. I came back to the apartment, made a cocktail, met Ana's roommate, watched some TV, and fell asleep on the couch. Very exciting stuff.
I awaken to the buzz of the TV and harsh sunlight. Ana is long gone, and the apartment is quiet; I shower. After that, I try to organize my clothes, because I packed a very large duffel bag in about five minutes like an asshole. I got dressed, and on my way out of the place I ran into Ana's roommate, who groggily asked me if I wanted any coffee. Since I was going out, I declined. I stepped out in to the street to be greeted by some very nice weather; better than Phoenix actually. I walked about twenty blocks to the PATH station, got on, rode into Manhattan, and got off at Christopher St. in Greenwich Village. It was still a little early, but I was looking for some sort of action. Perhaps some shithole dive bar in the east Village that opens up at six, maybe some breakfast. So I walk down W. 4th St., then McDougal, then Bleecker, when I get to Broadway, my phone rings. It's Catherine telling me to come hang out, and that she'll make me some breakfast; I tell her I'll be downtown in twenty. I hail a cab, and we follow Broadway down into the financial district. Once at Two Gold Street, I take the elevator sixty floors up to the roof to enjoy a cigarette, and the view. Then twenty-five down to meet Catherine and Chris. Turns out they had both taken the day off work; Chris had a meeting at three, after which they were headed to Lake Placid. Catherine and I walked down to the market to procure some food to make breakfast. As if she hadn't wasted enough money at that overpriced market, she had to stop twice on the way back to buy Starbucks and flowers; our hands were full. When we got back, she made us all French toast, omelets, and fruit cups in emptied out half oranges. Over breakfast, Chris and I had an interesting discussion about the rampant crime and seedier elements of Rio; a conversation spawned by me asking him about his recent trip there. Chris went to his meeting, and I headed to the subway station, because I needed to be back at Ana's to let her in when she returned from work. After I got off the PATH in Hoboken I walked there, stopping on the way to pick up some cheap Vodka for the drink I would have when I got back. Ana returns shortly after I do. We shower up and go. Hoboken PATH station to 9th Street Manhattan. Taxicab to 7th street and avenue A. we decided to go to one of the nicer sushi places in the city before meeting her roommate in SoHo at the bar she works at. Le Miu to be exact. And it was nice. The service was great. The food expensive, but delicious and extremely fresh. The ambiance relaxing. After that we walked a few blocks south into SoHo to meet Lea, her boyfriend, and Megan. We had just enough time to enjoy a free drink and use of the bathroom. Soon enough we were walking back into the East Village to catch the bus to the L train. When we make the bus stop everyone goes into the deli to get change, but I thought they meant singles by this, not coins. So the bus comes, everyone gets on, and I discover my mistake, the bus driver won't even take the bills, he just says 'ON or OFF, ON or OFF', fucking prick. So I run into the deli, get the change, and we're on the next bus within two minutes. When we descend into the subway station we find everyone still there, and the train into Brooklyn pulling up. We ride into the Green Point / Williamsburg area, and start walking to Warsaw. Upon arrival we find a nice sized line at the door, but it moves swiftly. Once inside, bathroom first, must be done, drinks next, it must be done. I told Ana I'd hook her up with drinks, so I order a shot for myself, and a cocktail for each of us. Fucking five dollar drinks the size of a Dixie cup, damn. So I did the only thing I could do, drink them really fast, and buy many more. About a half-hour from then we're out on the dancefloor listening to the opening act; Foreign Islands. Which by the way, kick ass. Great bass lines and percussion; dance music for people who don't dance. As long as they get a good record deal, I see them being big. After the set, we're back at the bar, and Ana needs money. I offer to go out into the neighborhood to find an ATM, on the way out the bouncer asks me if I'm with the band; flattering, but no. So I wander through the Polish section of Brooklyn looking for an ATM, during which I get a phone call and speak in an eastern European accent due to drunkenness and personal amusement. I find it, get the money, and return. On the way back in, I see the front man for Les Savy Fav outside with a skateboard. By now, the drinking has really ramped up, perhaps even gotten out of control. It was also time to get back to the dance floor and push our way up front, as Les Savy Fav was about to be on. A couple minutes after reaching the front come the crashing guitars and pounding bass lines. The front man comes out in a very collegiate suit and a graduation cap; the show begins. What a fucking show too. These boys were on point that night; excellent music and showmanship. As the show progressed, the level of energy increased. At one point I grabbed Ana and thrust our way front and center into the mosh pit. By now the front man had stripped down to a funky white body suit, and if you know what this guy looks like, it was a sight to behold. After a minute or two, Ana was done with the pit, so I walked her out, and asked her if she minded if I went back in; she was cool with it. I just jumped back in and started going nuts; complete release. I hadn't done that in years, and it certainly felt good to do it again. After another ten to fifteen minutes the show came to an abrupt end, and it was time to go. Outside, we found a cab, and took it back into Manhattan, so we could catch the PATH into Hoboken. At the station, I laid down on the platform and smoked a cigarette to see if big brother would call me out like he did a few months back, it didn't happen. After we returned to Hoboken, everyone else kind of disappeared, and Ana and I walked to L&J's for a few nightcaps. We sat and drank until we were forced to leave. During this time, we discussed the intricacies of our relationship, and also the details of another I have in Arizona. On the way back to her place, we stopped and got a cheese steak. In the sub shop Ana was blatantly drunk, but in a funny, cute way, and the server and I had a good laugh over it. When we got back to the apartment, everyone else was asleep, and within five minutes, Ana was too; passed out on the floor to be more precise. Since I was leaving the next day for Central Jersey, and it was about four-thirty in the morning, I decided to leave then. After I packed my bag, I picked Ana up off the floor, and placed her in bed, putting the covers over her, and turning off the lights. I walked up to Washington, and hailed a cab to the PATH station. During the ride I laid down on the bench, and smoked a cigarette in between the cars. I got off in Midtown Manhattan at Penn Station. When I went to purchase my ticket for the NJTransit, I discovered my wallet was gone. FUCK. I’ve come to the conclusion that it fell out of my pocket on the subway when I put my feet up. So, it was as good as gone. I tried to call a friend of mine, but it being five in the morning he did not answer. So here I am in Penn Station, with only the five dollars I unintentionally left in my front pocket, and a cell phone. I was going to wait until Sunday to surprise my parents with my visit, but was either call them and try to get a new license before noon or go downtown and stay at Chris’s apartment. I wanted the license; how else would I go out and drink without it. So I called my dad up, and he said he was on his way. While I waited, I went around the corner, and got an egg and sausage sandwich with coffee while I waited at an all night cafeteria. Almost two hours later my dad is picking me up on Seventh Ave. On the way home I cancelled my credit cards, and remembered my birth certificate was in Arizona, meaning that I would not be getting a license. I conceded to this shitty fact and slept.
Around five p.m. Josh is calling me up, and I told him of my dilemma. As we had plans to go out and reunite with many old friends while I was in town. He tells me he’ll figure it out and get back to me. A couple hours later he calls back and says an old friend of ours is now the night manager at a bar in Belmar, so I won’t need I.D. Hours later I take the train into Belmar and meet them at Connelly Station. An odd reunion of people this was; people who have had quarrels, and not all been in the same room for six years, but tonight the pettiness was gone and we all had a good time. The night basically consisted of excessive drinking, and everyone making the rounds to catch up with another, which did take a while since there were about ten to fifteen of us. I also discovered on this night that I am so over the local Jersey scene; I have been so thoroughly spoiled by partying in NYC and Tempe that I can no longer go back. The only reason I do is to see my old friends. Which I did enjoy. After we all said our goodbyes, and I made plans to hangout with a few of them later in the week in the city, I headed to the sub shop in a neighborhood I used to hangout in years back. Here is where things turn into things, and open storytelling ceases…