Weekend Report- NYC edition

A large conglomerate of old friends and me convened in New York City for a very fun and gluttonous weekend. Friday night we gathered at a generic Fake Irish bar near Times Square for a long night of conversation and merriment. Saturday we brunched and then attended a fundraiser/derby party/Yuengling drinking contest at a bar, which set a drunken tone for the remainder of the day. We had drunk dinner at a delicious Greek restaurant, whose staff wisely had the foresight to seat us in the corner and separate us from the other patrons using a buffer of empty tables. However, it seemed that at that point, we were still more amusing than annoying, because they were quite pleasant and even gave us a round of shots on the house. After that, we went to a bar in the Meat Packing District. I don't know what the name of it was, but I do know one thing: if you give your friends open access to your camera and encourage them to take pictures, you will end up with A LOT of crotch shots.

Here are some crotch-free selections from the weekend:
Buddah is currently sporting some wacky sideburns that make him resemble a cross between Wolverine and Martin Van Buren.

Friday night, I met up IRL with fellow blogger and NBA fan Kevin from Ghost in the Machine. Here we are making our blog faces:

Aimee and Melissa, looking like Breck Hair Models:

Amanda arrived carrying a trophy she had won in a volleyball tournament earlier that night. Good thing the bar randomly had a trophy case! And yes, unbeknownst to Connolly's Pub, the trophy is now a permanent part of their collection.

Ern and Maria steppin' out in Times Square:

Saturday began with a lovely brunch at the Barking Dog:

We walked around for a while and admired statues (the flying newspaper in the corner of the photo soon landed on Amanda's head) and exquisite women's clothing.

Quoth Maria: "New York is really expensive. I can't even afford to honk."

One of the highlights of the weekend was walking down the sidewalk and glancing over to discover that my friends had spontaneously started walking in formation and snapping, West Side Story style.

Amanda, Deepa, and MJ at The Snug:

My favorite picture of the weekend, entitled Looking Towards The Future (despite the fact that JR appears to be Gazing At The Past):

Sunday, we walked around the seaport for a while before we headed back to Boston. The weather was ideal for a family portrait, and Liz and I considered it a fine time to show off our pale legs and old man socks. Oh, and yes I did wear the same shirt all weekend. What?

Here is an oddly-phrased sign:

"Hard Hats Required" might have been a more straightforward way to deliver the message, but if you prefer to use a guilt tinged, passive aggressive wording that conjures up images of child labor, well, I guess that works, too.

One more thing: I decided to do a discount bus comparison this weekend. JR and I took the infamous Fung Wah on Friday afternoon, and I rode back on the new Bolt Bus with Ern and Maria on Sunday. The verdict? Bolt Bus = Dolt Bus. The departure was completely disorganized- all of the passengers were milling around two empty busses for a solid half an hour, but no one was there to tell us which bus was going to to Boston and which to Philly. Our 4PM departure didn't board until after 4:00 and didn't leave until almost 4:20, and then took a roundabout route out of the city, landing us in major road congestion. What's even worse is that Maria and Ern were supposed to take the Bolt Bus down on Friday night, but their bus never showed up. After waiting for almost an hour, they paid another $15 and hopped on a Lucky Star instead. I know that the Bolt is a new business, but since they are administered by Greyhoud, you think they'd have enough experience to know how to run a bus line. Sure, the free wireless is nice, but I'll stick with the Fung Wah from now on. I prefer my busses highly efficient, with an element of danger.