Faster than a NY Weekend

Friday:
2:30 Left for New York
8:00 Arrive in NYC
Arrive at hostel in Brooklyn. Realize hostel has no ac, is above bar and has one bathroom for fifteen people.
Eat at Juniors. Quinessential Brooklyn comfort food.
Walk back from Juniors to hostel. Realize neighborhood is a real weird mix of ghetto, a mix of several ethnic groups and yuppies.
Neither Kell or I got much sleep thanks to open window due to no a/c (even though it was in the 60's outside) and bar sing alongs two floors below us.

Saturday:
We walk over to the NY Transit museum and leave before it opens.
Do some impromptu shopping at incredibly cheap (products and prices) clothes stores.
Find the discount fabric stores.
Find a uniform store.
Head to Manhattan. Wander the financial district until we find cheap, good ny style pizza.
Wander into the Trinity Chapel across from where the WTC towers were. Memories were dredged up, and both of us marveled at how the chapel was spared. Missed George Washington 's pew. We're lousy Americans.
Go on over to Century 21 and spend a couple hours there shopping. Century 21 and I started a bit of a love affair. It had me at Discount Designer clothes. Kell got a shirt-I bought a sweater, tailored shirt, and petite Liz Claiborne camel slacks for work. They fit perfectly.
Head back to hostel and leave our packages. Was told they had clean sheets, they didn't.
We walked down to underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Saw three wedding parties and two quinceaneras in the matter of 20 minutes standing there. Stretch Hummers are all the rage.
Took the 7 out to Shea Stadium.
Watched the Mets blow a game to the Marlins. NY baseball fans should teach DC and Baltimore Fans how to be baseball fans at a game.
Shea was a lot of fun and the game was too. My expectations of the stadium were very, very low but it was a lot nicer than RFK.
We talked to a tourist family from Houston on our way back.
Asked how to get to New Jersey by a kid who told us "I'm Wasted, I lost my friends, and need to get back to Jersey. And the Mets lost."
We went over to 72nd and Broadway (my favorite metro stop) and I got a text from my baby brother about "good news." He wouldn't tell me what it was.
We indulged in Grey's papayas. Best ny style hotdogs ever with a papaya! (papaya juice).
Strolled over to a gelato place. It was closed.
We headed back to the hostel. Both of us showered and slept much better.

Sunday
The hostel manager wasn't at the hostel. We took pictures documenting how dirty, unsecure, unsafe, and unsanitary the place was. We then left our address for the manager to send us the deposit.
Stopped at Modell's.
Walked through Chinatown (not a big fan) and over to the Lower East Side(big fan).
As we were walking to Il Labrotorio Gelato we overheard a grandma ask her daughters, " We're on the gelato and pickles tour? Are any of you pregnant?" We laughed since Kell and I were on the same tour.
I got lemon sorbet and ginger gelato. The owner (whose grandparents founded Carvel, graduated from Columbia Business school, started his own gelato place when he was 19 and was very classical handsome) talked to us as we left. We both swooned a little. He was very good looking.
Talked about how Clooney should play Mr Big in the Sex and the City Movie but decided Mr. Big was Chris Noth.
Walked over to the pickle guys. Kosher pickles rock. I got two "new pickles." Even though they were five days old and more pickled than crunchy...they were awesome.
Crossed the street to the Doughnut factory. Kelli got a coconut cream doughnut with coconut glaze. I got blueberry lemonade. Both were to die for, and equal Magnolia's cupcake as far as obsessiveness goes.
Walk back over to the kosher bagel shop next door to the doughnut factory. Get bagels and Bialys.
Walk next door to a jewish bakery and get an assortment of cookies.
We both decide that the lower east side is where its at.
I'm a little jealous of Kelli going to Poland this month, as all we ate in the lower east side except for the gelato is polish in origin. We talk about Poland's history. We both are sad for Poland.
Head back to the bus after an Old Navy detour.
Get on the bus. Make it out of NYC no problem, but the bus driver bypasses the NJ turnpike until we get to the Delaware bridge.
Realize the bialys are the best "bagels" I've ever had (they are cousins to the bagels). The bagel is awesome too according to Kelli, and possibly the best we've ever head.
Realize the lady who packaged our cookies slipped in 4 extra cookies into our assortment.
Love the Lower East Side even more and know where the next trip to NYC will start.
Get back to DC.
Talk to My parents and hear that my brother now has a fiancee and will be getting married in December. They got engaged in the Wind Rivers. Go Rich and Nicole!
Get ready for Work.
Go to bed.