Weekend in NYC

I went to New York city last weekend and had a great time. I’m afraid I may end up in NYC permanently. I had dinner with Jessie and Stefan on Friday night and stayed with my Great Aunt (or Grand-aunt) Helen on Riverside Drive. She seemed pleased to have me and it’s always nice to be able to stay so conveniently close to the subway.
Saturday I had lunch at Tomoe Sushi and dinner at Maya. Maya had by far the tastiest Mexican food I have ever had. Ever. I thoroughly enjoyed for an appetizer the Tamal al Chipotle: Steamed corn masa wrapped in a corn husk, stuffed with shredded chicken, served with sweet chipotle sauce, crema fresca, avocado and cilantro oil. For my entree I had the equally delicious Tampiqueña Grilled butterflied filet mignon served with rajas potato gratin, a mole cheese enchilada, guacamole, and cilantro oil. If you like Mexican food and are in Manhattan, don’t miss Maya!
After dinner, Steinberg and I went to this place in Times Square called Bar Code There is a free arcade area and a 21-and-over cover charge bar. We didn’t go into the bar, but the place was supposed to be really cool. However, that was not the case. Many of the video games were broken, and I fully do not understand the point of Dance Dance Revolution when you can’t hear the music. Disappointed, we dropped in at the Virgin Megastore next door, and then Steinberg went home because he had to get up early.
So I went to Roxy at 18th St. and 10th Ave. I mostly went in because I really had to go to the bathroom and 25 dollars in entrance fee and 3 dollars in coat check later, I found myself inside the most humongous dance floor I have seen. It was very dark, and both smoky (blech) and foggy. I couldn’t see more than 15 feet in any direction. After groping my way to the bathroom and relieving myself I wandered around for a bit, but I only had $5 or so left in my wallet and certainly couldn’t afford any of their overpriced drinks. So, sober and alone, I checked out the scene and slunk out 45 minutes later, having only gotten a would-be exciting story of late night Saturday shenanigans for my $28.
On Sunday morning I walked over to Judy’s apartment with my Aunt Helen and we had a nice Sunday brunch. My cousin Olivia who I hadn’t seen in years came too, and after brunch we went back downtown to shop the flea market for a new dresser. We found her a great one: a really high quality piece at a reasonable price. Olivia also insisted that I see her tenement apartment so I could see how “real” people live in Manhattan should I falsely imagine myself living in the upper west side luxury my older relatives seem to be so comfortable in. She was right, it was small, and expensive–what one expects of the city.