April 2008: NYC TB Meet-up @ the Delancey

The weekend began at Village Underground, Friday, April 25th, where the live house band played great music and drinks were to be had.

Having worked the night before and it was very hectic on the floor that night, I spend all day Friday sleeping - drained and simply exhausted.  Meeting time with my friend, Aileen, my +1 for the night, was 10PM - but she was late when I received a call from a co-worker, Ken, that he needed a drink. Always up for a drink or two or 5, I called Aileen to meet us at our usual hang out, Murphy’s Law - an Irish pub frequented by hospital staff in the neighborhood. I ordered my usual Cosmopolitan, yummy goodness that Jason, the bartender, can only make, and chatted with Ken while waiting for Aileen. By the time we were done, it was 11pm and off Aileen and I go to Village Underground - the venue for NYC TB  pre-night meet-up.

We paid for the cover and down we go to the Underground and at its entrance, I met an old friend who apparently is friends with the owner! With that, our first drinks were free. Not bad to start off the night. For the first 5 minutes or so, I caught up with my friend, enjoying the live band when I noticed a group on the other side, mingling with each other, more so than the rest of the people in the lounge. Hmmm...  So Aileen and I headed towards that direction, and what do you know, I recognized Mario first! Then, I believe it was Ruthie?... The introduction - hi's and hello's and who are you's - was a blur. I could hardly keep up with who was whom so, of course, to remedy such dilemma, I ordered more drinks! In between listening and grooving to the music the band was performing, I also spent some time chatting with the owner - getting another free drink (wink) - and some random non-TB people at the bar.

A round of jolly rancher shots was toasted by Ruthie, Aileen, Mario, Val, Etienne, and me. Then came 1am and some TB people started going home. Leaving Gloria, Josh, Jamie, to name the very few, at the lounge.

By then, I was starving so I suggested one of my favorite undergraduate hangouts that is located just around the corner of the Village Underground - La Lanterna. They have a heated garden at the back and have always love it during the winter. So off we went and had a light meal. By 3am, we all went our separate ways. Aileen went home, while I headed to the East Village's St. Mark's Place to meet with my other friends, hanging out at the bar. Stayed there for about 45-minutes before heading off to another bar down 5th Street.

By the time we left, it was around 5am and we decided to hang out and party some more at our friend's place only 4 blocks away. By 6am, we were all ready to go home and ended up initially crashing at another friend's house when I finally decided I needed to sleep in my own bed. It was 7am, Saturday, when I arrived home and passed out.

1215PM. My phone rang. It was a text message from Aileen cementing out plans for our Paris trip in late May. Brunch was planned and I took a shower hurrily to meet up with Aileen and our friend, Bri, for brunch at Barking Dog NYC, a cafe located at 76th Street and York Ave.

Needless to say, I was exhausted and didn't have much appetite. So we all headed home for more sleep. Well, I went home for more sleep while Aileen did errands. 

It was 545PM when I woke up again. Meeting time for the official meet-up was 6PM. Okay, no problem. A cab ride to The Delancey, the meet up's venue, was only an FDR Drive away (meaning it only takes 10 minutes to get there.) While paying for the open bar, we saw Geoff (the diver from NJ) enter and right behind him was Gloria! After paying, we went up to the 2nd floor where the TB Meet up is taking place. The 2nd floor is an open air terrace/bar garden.

From there, an alcohol-inducing, social-talking, photo-taking session ensued. Our friend Ken, came after he was done with work and with that came a round of soco-lime shots.

By then, Jadran was in the mood to work out and began lifting a few of the girls like weights at a gym. Needless to say, I was one of them. Another private party followed us so we relocated to the 1st floor were the music was blaring and TB members showed off their dancing skills - or the lack there of. More photos were taken - some hilarious, others scandalous. Can we say, blackmail material? Hahaha... That said: If you want a copy of YOUR scandalous photo, I will gladly send you a copy. Right, Jadran? After being lifted two more times by Jadran like a ragdoll, Aileen and I, following Mario, Val and Etienne, went outside to get some NYC "fresh" air. "Fresh" being the operative word. And of course, more pictures!

Past 11pm, some of the TB members began leaving.

Others had an early flight home, while others were - ummm... adequately intoxicated. A few - but really about 15 or so of us, led by Natasha, walked around the neighborhood, in search of nutrition. We were starving! Natasha led us to a Spanish restaurant about 5 or 6 bocks away. Being a big eater, I ordered their carne guisada (beef stew) with yellow rice and beans. Yum! Easily cleaned off the plate. Well, almost anyway. At a little after 1am, and everyone said their goodbyes. Plans were made for future trips (Montreal in August, anyone?).

Took another cab ride home, but we weren't done yet. At 2am, we stopped by at Murphy's Law for a quick Cosmo drink, enjoyed the city view on top of our apartment building, before getting some much needed sleep.