My 2015 NYC Weekend

Last weekend I went to NYC with my former roomie R!  Why you may ask?  To see Hedwig and the Angry Inch (again) of course!  While R and I have a number of things in common, a deep love for all things Hedwig is most certainly one of our more fun bonding points (recall this weekend back in 2011 for further proof).  We both saw the musical when the ever charismatic Neil Patrick Harris was in the titular role, however the latest headliner of the musical is the ORIGINAL Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell (aka, he wrote the original script, played the original role off-broadway, AND starred in the movie version...), and there was no way we were going to miss an opportunity to see the original Hedwig!

 We decided to make a long weekend out of our trip.  We both flew in on Thursday evening/night and stayed with my cousins D and S and their sweet pup Emmett (who still insists on humping me....).  On Friday we just meandered around the city.  We started our morning with some bagels and then I went back to Venus by Maria Tash to get a few more holes punched in my ears (i.e. 2 more piercings).  I got a 3rd hole on the lobe of my left ear and a cartilage piercing on my right.  I love the way my new earrings look, but I don't want to post a close up photo until my left ear is no longer purple....  After my new piercings, we headed downtown to NYC's first Cat Cafe....

Meow Parlour was certainly an interesting experience.  The cafe portion isn't actually attached to the cat part of the establishment and the reservations to go to this place are packed weekends (!?!?!) in advance.  We managed to get approved as walk-in's and proceeded to hang out with 8 or so cats (and even more people - it was like a competition for cat attention...) for the next 45 minutes.

Most of the cats were sleeping or hiding and didn't have a whole lot of interest in human interaction.  There was one feisty black and white cat that was in a playful mood and a itty-bitty grey tabby that R fell in love with and those kept our interest most of the time.  I think if there had been more cats or less people I would have appreciated the experience a bit more.  After the cat cafe we meandered to a few shops and then ate a late lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar.  I'm a little obsessed with the Momofuku franchise and knowing that R is a ramen lover I figured this one would be a good bet.  We had a run in with fame on our way in (Literally. Apparently Amber Heard was leaving just as we arrived and we brushed shoulders - oooooh.  Also, some famous basketball player was sitting 2 seats down from us.) but that paled in comparison to the awesome food.  R hit the lotto with her veggie ramen that had kale and some sort of incredibly prepared crunchy chickpea topping.  SO GOOD!  I actually couldn't eat the ramen because they use egg noodles (booooo!!!!), so instead I got some pork bao buns that melted in my mouth.  Momofuku wins again!

After lunch we headed back to my cousins' place and hung out with them for a bit while we all relaxed.  For dinner we made our way back downtown to Caracas Arepa Bar for a super tasty and surprisingly affordable dinner (everyone we mentioned the restaurant to HIGHLY recommended it).  Afterwards we were craving some Big Gay Ice Cream, but it was the first nice weekend in NYC and apparently everyone else was also craving it - the line was insane.  So we went to Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream instead where I was unable to partake in their custard based regular ice creams but was happy to have access to a tasty vegan ice cream menu instead.  I got the pistachio and salted caramel flavors - yum!  We met up with R's boyfriend's sister afterward for drinks and wound up staying out til 1:30 talking, so it was overall a fun night!

On Saturday I finally started to feel just how many people live in NYC.  As I mentioned above, it was the first nice weekend the residents of NYC experienced after a long and cold winter and EVERYONE was outside.  We swung by Whole Foods to pick up some food and then walked over to Central Park to picnic with my cousin J and his girlfriend S.  The park was packed to the gills and the weather was divine.  We had such a fun time snacking and chatting and spending time with J and S!  After about 4 hours of fresh air, sun, and great company we headed back to the apartment to shower and change for our evening plans.  The subway was down in numerous locations, so we had a hell of a time finding transportation to dinner, which was at Bareburger.  We met up there with a friend of R's and ate some very unique and delicious burgers.  I got a wild boar burger with sauteed mushrooms, carmelized onions, and manchego cheese.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it again....  Then we were on to the show!

R and I were sitting 4th row (!!!) on the right side of the stage.  We could see each individual piece of glitter on JCM's face.  It was amazing.  The show was amazing.  We shad ear-to-ear grins for the entire show.  JCM played a different Hedwig than NPH did, it was a wry, sarcastic, and less active version, though every bit as funny.  But as far as we are concerned JCM IS Hedwig and it was just so perfect.  After the show we waited outside to see if we could get JCM's autograph.

It didn't take long and JCM walked out of the side stage door and he was SO NICE!!!  He took the time to hug and talk to all of his fans that were waiting and even passed out signed Sugar Daddies to the crowd.  Such a fun experience!

On Sunday we slept in a bit (it's been a while since I've gotten the chance to sleep in and done so successfully - my morning Pandora duty has turned me into an actual morning person and my internal clock is usually fairly insistent that I wake up at the same early time every day... it was nice to sleep a little later for once) and then went out for brunch with my cousin D.  After that I grabbed a cab to head to the airport and was homeward bound!  Overall it was simultaneously a fun and sort of relaxing weekend.  It was nice to be able to sleep in, hang out with friends and family, and not have to rush.

This weekend I'm hoping for more of the same, except I'm going to be staying here in Houston and my parents will be the ones traveling to visit!  We don't have many solid plans and are just planning to relax and enjoy our time together, which sounds perfect to me!