What? Mixing it up? Shindou wouldn't do anything that goes against public order and morals! But licking with Mr. Yuki... ahhh! Oh, my sweet baby!

First of all, Alex told me this. How cute???

So Thursday we ended the evening with hot dogs off the street (eating at restaurants around 42nd while the plays are on is not the best of ideas unless you don't mind paying an arm and a leg). We went back home and I got to catch up with Drew and hopefully not bore D too terribly.

Friday we got up and Drew showed us around Columbia on the way to lunch. It's a really beautiful campus. I would be so intimidated if I went there. He said they had plenty of great scholarships but damn. I think undergrads are about $50,000 a year. He's getting his PhD (I presume in teaching/linguisitics--his masters was in linguistics) and so took us by the teachers' college. Post 9/11, guests currently need three forms of ID to get in. But the outside sure was nice! (This shot was near the teachers' college, I think it's right next to it, actually).



After Columbia, (oh my god, the LIBRARIES. Drool. Drew said they're packed solid on Friday and Saturday nights (!) and you have to reserve a table weeks in advance. Apparently NYU is the city/party school...) we strolled over to Tom's Restaurant to get a couple shots in front, as this was the exterior shot used in Seinfeld. (Obviously they nipped out "Tom's").



See, there's D in front! It was rainy that day.

We didn't eat there, the food is reported to be so-so, and why eat so-so when you're in NYC? Although strangely, we did have Mexican instead. Drew made sure about eight times that we wanted to eat it, being from TX and all. I assured him we have innumerable Tex-Mex chains of shit, but we appreciate good Tex-Mex/Mexican wherever it comes. And it was delicious. They gave me a bit of a lame margarita (Drew's was loaded!), but the food was just as good as anything here. It's true it wasn't really Tex-Mex (duh), but it wasn't true Mexican. I guess it was best described as New York Tex-Mex. (Which was GOOD, unlike Japanese Italian food...don't order Italian food in Japan).

After early afternoon margaritas, we hit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We've all seen the exterior in about a billion movies, but I think this is the shot we all recognize:



The view outside really is gorgeous, especially on a drizzly day. Central Park is just outside. We mostly took our time in the enormous Egyptian exhibit. I'd been before and seen more of the museum, but it was a bit of a lazy day this time. Also, the day was getting late and we had to get back to the apartment to change before dinner. We did have time to walk around the area, however, which is considered the Upper East Side and has the most the expensive residences in Manhattan. (Think Charlotte's apartment on SATC). I wouldn't mind a place.

We had reservations at Les Halles. I didn't take any pictures, as I guess I was feeling a bit self-conscious at the moment at being a little too "touristy." Like someone who eats there strictly because the chef is a celebrity. (Me, on the other hand, I just like his smart-ass writing style, that's why I ate there).



We were seated amongst a very busy and loud restaurant. It's quite dark and quaint, however. But the sucky part was our dick waiter. It's true he was overworked--he had a shitload of tables--but it started when we were asked if we wanted about eight different kinds of water. They asked us like three different ways, and I wanted tap. Flat tap. I've never gone through that many questions about water. So apparently we're already "one of those" customers. And when I said I needed more time, smiling, the guy rolled his eyes at Drew and left!

I don't know if anyone overheard me lividly bitching (it was a loud place, I doubt it) or if he finally snapped somewhere in the back or someone finally just helped him out, but one of the managers took our order. D got peppercorn steak, Steak au poivre, Frites (the fries were good--great even--but Drew and D kept laughing at me when I told them how famous they were. Fries are fries. I guess I agree. But I mean, they were as good as fries can get!), I got Filet de Boeuf Béarnaise--Vel, I don't know what "bearnaise" is, but FUCK ME. I took HOURS to eat it because I didn't want it to end. And Drew got lamb: Cotes d'Agneau grillées au Romarin. Everyone loved their dish. Drew and D had dessert, I nibbled, but I had...for the first time ever...a digestif. Ever since my dad sent me a lengthy article on how wonderful they are for you after dinner--plus it just sounded so shi-shi and divine...I wish I had a few bottles of various digestifs at home...anyhoo, I got our cunt waiter to recommend one, since I was probably drunkenly toying with him at this point--and it is like light fire. It doesn't burn in the slightest, not like whisky or anything--very light. And firey. So nice.



I think dinner took around three hours, as it should. Ooh, and we had a $38 bottle of wine that was well worth its price. Australian Shiraz, I hate I didn't write it down. There was an incident the next night when I didn't refuse the wine and should have (it was watery, we finally complained and they took it back) and so then Drew got to select and he chose Merlot. I liked it ok, but it was barely better than the watery wine! The watery wine was BAD, but I think this was just Merlot being Merlot. It just doesn't have the body of Shiraz, Cabs or mmmmmmmmm, Zinfandel. (And in my defense, I have just never been served a bad wine! I know you can SAY no, but are you really supposed to?? Apparently. I feel sheepish.)



So anyway, dinner was FANTASTIC.

And hooray for me, as of today I was hired by the major airline and start February 5th. And because I start Feb 5th, that is also the day I start being able to fly for free, anywhere they fly. I mean sure, I have to memorize 200 city codes or whatever, but that's also however many places my sweet ass can fly.

Hellllooooooo Vermont!

And helllllllooo eating at Les Halles again! And seeing Black 47! Ok, I'm done. It's kind of a lame job, but after a year you're allowed to transfer within. Cha-ching! Fuck these shitty Dallas restaurants, my special occasions are all Les Halles. (I'm picking the waiter).

And most importantly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALEX!!!!

Here is a very Kamikaze Girls Happy Birthday to you...so cheery! (Check the blue earmuff headphones!)



And then for the camp guilt in all of us (they had crap in the way of Mystic Pizza)...



I LOVE YOU!!