NYC highlights

Thurs it was sunny and warm, so I wore shorts and a t-shirt on the BoltBus to NYC. We came dangerously close to missing the bus because Spouse & I were talking and missed our exit. Once in NYC Lisa took our suitcase up to her office so we could roam around and explore. We met her back at her office at 5:30 and went to dinner with her and her friend/colleague Howard. We liked him a lot, as she knew we would. We had Thai food at Yum Yum Bangkok which we all liked. It was a gorgeous night and quite enjoyable to be in the city. Celebrity siting: Cole Escola from Logo's Jeffrey and Cole Casserole.

On Fri it was as if we'd woken up in a different month. It was overcast, quite chilly, and windy. The temperature literally dropped 20 degrees overnight. Dressed in jeans, long sleeves, and jackets we made our way to the tip of Manhattan to visit the Cloisters.

As I was taking the photo above, one of the guards yelled "No flash photography please!" Although he said "please", I knew he really meant "@sshole". It kind of pissed me off. I mean, what are they afraid of? The flash might cause the LIMESTONE to fade? Give me a break. The place is like a cave inside and since it was overcast there was very little light coming in from the windows. Without the flash it would be pointless to take photos. Honestly, it kind of soured the experience for me. I did take some outdoor photos though.

I thought it was neat how they trained this tree to grow vertically and horizontally, rather than at its natural angles.

The views from the gardens were gorgeous, especially at this time of the year. I took more scenic photos, but Spouse accidentally deleted some of them while trying to change a light setting on the camera.

Just outside the Cloisters we had lunch at New Leaf Restaurant, housed in an old building in historic Tryon Park. Initially we thought it might be one of those rip-off places that charges an arm and a leg because there's no competition around. But we were delightfully impressed with the quality and tastiness of our food. I took photos of our plates since they were so beautifully presented, but the photos were deleted. Then we took the train down to West Greenwich Village to browse about the many gay-owned/operated stores. As we walked down W 4th St we noticed Village Cuts, a barbershop. Spouse joked that since he'd not had a chance to get his hair cut before this trip, he should stop in. I quickly agreed, since he was looking a little shaggy. Gregory gave him a great cut and was very nice. Who'd have guessed that a haircut in Manhattan would cost less than in DE! Next we stopped in for a pastry and a hot cup of coffee at Patisserie Claude which really warmed us up. I had a pumpkin tartlet and Spouse had a chocolate eclair. Then we hopped the train back to Lisa's so Spouse could have a nap and we could change clothes.

Later we met up with Miss Ginger Grant, Howard, and David Dust at David's apt before having a tasty Afghan dinner at Ariana. Since it was raining we took cabs to "The Urges", also known as Urge Lounge, for a little 'entertainment'. A favorite among the Dust Bunnies, Urge has good-looking, well-built guys walk around the bar top for appreciative patrons to admire and tip. I must admit the 'performers' we hot!

Since we were out late the night before, we enjoyed a nice, leisurely Sat morning with Lisa. It was raining off and on, but it was much warmer than Fri. Umbrellas in hand, we eventually made our way to Chinatown and met up with David, Ginger, and Howard for lunch at the Excellent Dumpling House, which truly lives up to its name. We stuffed ourselves with all kinds of dim sum, and Spouse & I even had the audacity to order entrees! Next we walked over to the famous Pearl River Mart, followed by Jack's $.99 store, both of which were real experiences! We hopped the train back to Queens to shower, nap, and chat with Lisa. Then the 3 of us headed to Chelsea for a 25th anniversary party for Lisa's friend Bobby and his partner Bruce. It was nice. Our plan was to meet up with David, Ginger, and Howard at Escuilita to see Lady Bunny, but this was cancelled due to the yucky weather and the general lack of Dust Bunny turn out. So Lisa, Spouse & I had a late night snack (read: meal) at Pete's Grill, then returned to Lisa's and talked until 1:30.

Sun morning Lisa made omelets and biscuits for breakfast, we packed up our suitcase and took the train to meet the BoltBus at noon. Unfortunately the bus wasn't scheduled to come until 12:30 (I looked at the boarding pass wrong) so we had to stand and wait and extra 1/2 hour on top of the extra time we'd allowed. But we got home by 5:00 and had a relaxing night of TV watching before going to bed.

So ends another DDBW, al-be-it a much more tame one than before. It was great to see Lisa, David, Ginger, and Howard again!

Crush du Jour: George Vidanov