by far...

the recent nyc trip is by far the best not-so-'bonke'-free adventure session with claudine. there were also other people on that trip who i've met for the first time. claudine's sister, mariel (except her)...their cousin, allison...allison's cousin, gem...and claudine's ex-roomie, samantha. we had our share of adventurous mishaps that turned into something we didn't see coming at all. the best mishap would probably be looking for the national museum of fine arts (i think that's what we were looking for). we got lost and walked the wrong way a lot of times just looking for that museum. where did we end up being at? outside a louis vuitton party in soho. yes. we saw molly sims and got waved back at by nina garcia. saying hi to nina garcia was a mix of hilarity and embarrassment. since that night, we pretty much had been seeing different celebrities each night. then we went looking for gray's papaya. they have a "recession special"...$3.50 will buy you 2 hotdogs and a drink. than i had my first white castle burger. i tried their bacon cheeseburger. it was so freakin juicy and good and cheap!

the next night was broadway night. we got to see "gypsy" for free! booya! how did we manage to score free gypsy tickets? we originally bought tickets for in the heights but the agent at gave us correct confirmation info and had an incorrect one on their system. bummer eh? so after complaints were made, they gave us a refund and complimentary tickets for either gypsy or chicago. i suggested gypsy and they trusted me. it was their 5th to the last performance of their broadway run. i've seen videos on youtube and read rave reviews all over the net. but for some reason, those weren't enough to make me want to really see it. yeah not even the fact that the awesome patti lupone (anything goes...evita...anyone?) and laura benanti (loved her in starved) are both starring in it. i was surprised by how much i enjoyed the show and ended up leaving the theatre as a gypsy fan. of course, we did the stage door thingamajig. met boyd gaines, patti lupone, leigh ann larkin and alison fraser. i'm disappointed that benanti snuck out early. i really wanted to get a photo with her. but still, free ticket to see la lupone on my first broadway show experience ever, not too shabby eh? on a nearby theatre, houses the play "all my sons" which stars katie holmes, john lithgow, and patrick wilson. my friends saw katie holmes enter a nearby resto while me and claudine were waiting at the gypsy stage door. then afterwards, we saw john lithgow get on his car. i said hi and he waved back. i like it when celebs wave back. that's how i know they're not assholes.

because of my absolute no holds barred love for "in the heights", din and i went to richard rodgers theatre to purchase tickets. all they had left were orchestra tickets that are worth $121.50. we bought 2 of those hehe. we were both surprised our compulsiveness. saw chris jackson through the glass doors. in my head i was like "yeah you'll hug me tomorrow night" hahaha. come performance night, as me and claudine were waiting in line to get in, we saw rachel alejandro walk behind us. small mother earth eh? we didn't really check out how far our seats are gonna be from the stage coz *pffftt* they're orchestra seats, that's the best section in the house (although i believe that it depends on the show. wicked is better seen from the balconies while RENT and [title of show] is better seen somewhere close to the stage). when we got in, the usher checked our tickets and told us "to your right"...not "the stairs is to your left/right" but a simple "to your right"..."TO OUR FREAKIN RIGHT"! my jaw nearly dropped when i saw the in the heights set. i think i might have had a tiny orgasm when we i got settled in my seat. it was our first "orchestra seats" experience. we were seated 8 rows away from the stage. we can actually see the actors when they accidentally spit while singing. pretty awesome. the show was amazing! felt the "waterworks" gushing on some of the numbers. then of course we hit the stage door. we met almost all of the cast who performed that night, including grammy winning mistah conductah man, alex lacamoire. i got a hug from chris jackson and robin de jesus. robin is CRAZY! love him all the way to the moon. din and i went home (to hampton inn - our home for 4 days. nice hotel...except for the phantom tv) very happy and satisfied. absolutely worth the 100+ bucks.

we also did the nbc studio tour. we were hoping to see neil patrick harris at the snl studio coz he's hosting that weekend. unfortunately, instead of nph, we saw taylor swift. we also paid our respects to lady liberty and father duffy at times square. had dinner at a thai resto in restaurant row. had pizza and beer somewhere at pier 17. we also went to wall st. and each took turns in grabbing the charging bull's balls. getting off the subway at chinatown was redonk. the station has a very distinctive 'chinatown' smell and was full of oriental people carrying orange plastic bags. battery park was cold and windy. took photos with a lonely panda at bowling green park, nyc's oldest public park. watched shakerleg at times square subway station. that guy was amazing. he plays the drums and cymbals with his bare hards. youtube the dude and be amazed. went to the east village (i loved the east village!) and checked out pommes frites. they serve the most delicious fries you'll ever taste. the people who were working there are filipinos and they like us. instead of just regular size sauces, they gave us bigger ones. yeah that's how we roll, we got connections...well sorta lol. we also found a bar at the the village that does $10 for 5 shots. we went it and shared the 5 shots. i had 2. it was 4 in the afternoon. booya! checked out moma as well. i enjoyed the 'iris' area they have. you can just lay there and relax and watch an artsy video on the wall. went to bryant park as well...by accident. they still have their christmas tree up. found a canadian lounge at bryant park. it made me feel like robin scherbatsky for a bit. of course, we didn't miss out on some central park luvin. i love central park. it is so beautiful when it is covered with snow.

also took din to roxy delicatessen. i swear to lucifer, i'm never coming back to that place ever again. why? they have a racist server. she's far too racist for somebody who has a VERY thick cross-over between spanish and german accent. never in my entire life did i experience such bad service. the worst part was when she demanded for more tips. who the fuck eh? lucky her i let it slide. we should've not but i can't let her ruin our day. in fairness to the rest of roxy's crew, you guys treated me and friend nicely.

if you're visiting NYC, it is imperative that you have: a metro card, comfortable shoes, good map, good navigation skills (i'm working on mine) to work with your map, patience, and an appetite for adventure. don't be afraid to look like a tourist. because, sweetie, you are one.

and for the record, new yorkers are NOT rude. specially the natives who say "lemmegetta slice" or "lemmegetta regular coffee"... which, by the way, means 2 sugars and milk.

so where are we off to next? greek islands?