Exiting New York

Friday night. After finishing the last post, I return to the fire escape. I drink more vodka. I smoke more cigarettes. I do this for about an hour, and then crawl back through the window to wake Ana. Then I call up Matty D., he's over in the East Village at McSorley's, drinking with a large group of people. I ask Ana when she wants to head into the Village, and she says that she is going to wait for another couple of hours for Tara. Well, fuck waiting that long; I hit the street and head to McSorley's. I ride the Path to 9th street, and head towards 7th and Third. On the way, Catherine calls me up, we talk for the duration of my walk, and for another ten minutes outside of McSorley's. We decide that she'll catch a cab to meet me, and then we'll go out for dinner. Once inside, I head directly to the bar for beers, before meeting my group. The menu at McSorley's consists of two items; light beer, and dark beer; I order two light beers. I drink the first one like a shot, and carry the second over to the table. When I approach the table I find about ten people at it; I know about five of them. I sneak up from behind, and pat Stank on his head. He turns around shocked--because only Matty D. knew I was coming--and says "Oh shit, Keanu!" He says this because he is convinced I'm a dead ringer for Keanu Reeves; go figure. I greet everyone at the table, half of whom, I don't know, the other half I haven't seen in two to three years, except for Matty and Stank. So, we sit at this massive table for a while, littered with empty mugs, full mugs--about fifty of them--and just basically, get shitfaced. We go outside, smoke cigarettes, and watch a Ukranian festival going on. Catherine calls me, says she doesn't want to go to the sushi place around the corner, "Well, what do you want to do then?" "Just catch a cab downtown, come to the apartment, we'll figure it out, I'll pay for the cab." This is her response. "Damn, fuck you, you better figure out a place by the time I get there." I say my goodbyes to everyone, and we make plans to meet up in Amsterdam in a year, then I walk over to Avenue A to hail a cab. I ride down to Gold Street, and shoot up twenty-five floors to the place. Inside, she has a glass of wine, I have an Amstel. While she gets dressed, she informs me that she made a reservation at Dylan Prime; some shi-shi place over in Tribeca. After our drinks, we go downstairs and hail a cab to get over there. Over at Dylan Prime we order Evian, Grey Goose, and Steak Tartare; she has Steak Wellington, and I have the Carpetbagger, which is a filet mignon, stuffed with oysters, in red wine sauce. After dinner I call Ana to see what her and Tara are up to, she says they're about to leave; I tell them to meet us over at Arlene's Grocery. Catherine and I take a cab over there, order drinks, and hide out in the back in one of the booths. We drink for a while, and contemplate going downstairs to see the show, but we just stay put and drink more. I'm outside having a smoke when Ana and Tara show up, they start to talk to me, but I tell them to go inside and keep Catherine company. Back inside, Catherine and Ana talk about whatever, while Tara and I talk about travel, and make tenative plans to meet up while she's in Colorado next month. Of course we drink more, then Catherine demands I buy shots, I say we should go over to Sixes and Eights. So, we do. Once we get over there, we push our way through the busy top floor and go into the basement, but the basement is closed on this night. We just say fuck it, and leave. Outside, we just decide to call it a night, at least Catherine and Tara do; they both have to be up early, and it's already two. After crossing Houston street, I grab a cab for Catherine, and we say our goodbyes. The rest of us hop a cab over to the PATH station. At the turnstiles the train is pulling in, and the girls breeze through with their Metrocards; I stop to pay the fare, when I should have just jumped the turnstile to catch the train. What the fuck happened to me? So, they get on, and I wait another thirty minutes for the next one. When I get off in Hoboken, Ana calls me up immediately, L&J's wasn't pulling a late night, so they went back to her place, and Tara went home; I tell her I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I walk through alleyways the whole way. At Ana's we drink more in the kitchen and talk for a while, then we go to watch Swingers. Shortly after, Lea comes in from work. We all watch the flick together for a bit, Lea brings me a shot of this weird eastern European apple-pear flavored scotch, and then Jill passes out. Lea and I end up in the kitchen drinking a bunch of vodka, and taking shots of SoCo and lime. We end up having a semi-deep conversation and she gives me one of her horse stickers, because she says she wants me to have it. She also tells me about some trip to Italy a year from now, she says I should go on with her. By now it's five am, and I need to catch my cab to the airport. She gives me a number and a coupon for a car service. We say goodbye, and my car is waiting for me when I step out the door. I've got fifteen minutes to make the cut-off for checked baggage for my flight. I tell the driver this, and he makes due. He does about ninety mph the whole way to the airport, and we make it in ten minutes. I thank him, give him a good tip, and check my bags with two minutes to spare. After breezing through security, I enjoy a hearty breakfast next to my gate, and board the plane. Once in my seat, I pass the fuck out. Sleep through takeoff. Get up four hours later. Puke in the bathroom. Make a half-ass attempt to rinse my mouth out with the shitty airplane sink, during the descent. Again, I pass the fuck out. Sleep through the landing. I grab my bag. Emerge into the Phoenix heat. Wait for my bus. Get home. Drift in and out of sleep on the couch all day. The Rogue awaits. More on that tomorrow.....