Be it faux-hawks, dancing, or the city of Florence, the cast members of "Jersey Shore" love to declare everything their "best thing". Here are some of MY Best Things.
Dudes. I'm getting fucking OLD. I was at a dinner the other night with a 19 year-old and three 22 year-olds. I wanted to cry. I've been having back issues. Like pains and tightness. IN MY BACK. That is something old people have! Tomorrow I turn 29. As mentioned previously, I've been fortunate to have traveled quite a bit and have had many incredible experiences (jumped off a cliff and swam with sharks in Palau, surfed and sailed in Australia, saw the Mayan ruins in Mexico, hiked the Great Wall in China, floated in the Dead Sea in Israel, etc.). But for some reason THIRTY seems like a deadline by which I need to make a lot of check-marks on the grand ol' bucket list. So I've decided to make a list of 30 things I need to do before I turn 30 in order to feel ready for my next decade. Some of these are general goals I've had for a long time, some are things I feel I need to leave behind in 20's, and some are things I feel will prepare me for my 30's: 1. Eat at Providence 2. Book a trip to Africa 3. Leave current job / start a new job 4. Drink the champagne in the fridge that I've been saving for a "special" celebratory occasion 5. Run - actually RUN - in a race (even just a 5K) 6. Use the cooking class gift certificate my boss bought me for my LAST birthday 7. Get some sort of waterproof casing for either my iPhone or my Rebel so that I can document it when I... 8. Swim with whale sharks 9. Re-read The Great Gatsby, and read 3 other classics for the first time 10. Attend a beer fest 11. Try snowboarding or skiing for real 12. Test-drive the Tesla 13. Develop a proper regimen for taking good care of my skin (e.g. using face cream - ick) 14. Go a whole month without eating any meat whatsoever 15. Buy a pair of Louboutins or a designer bag 16. Watch at least 10 more of AFI's top 100 (I've seen 32 from the 2007 list) 17. Help an animal give birth OR be present during a surgery 18. Create something (e.g. a full script, short story, painting, etc.) 19. Learn how to make the perfect dirty martini (yum) 20. Go through all the junk in my room at my parents' house (and get rid of most of it) 21. Shoot a gun (at a target range) 22. Buy a new, carefully-chosen bicycle 23. Have a meeting with a financial analyst 24. Keep a plant alive for more than 2 weeks - preferably lavender 25. Go back to Best Friends 26. Try absinthe (the real kind) 27. Assemble an earthquake kit 28. Plan a reunion / vacation with my besties from college (this may already be in the works). 29. Answer the phone "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" 30. Forgive. Anything I missed?
OK, you know the drill, what happens is Vegas blah blah blah. (And in case you DIDN'T know the drill, just fly Spirit to Las Vegas and you'll learn fast.) But I had such a good time with my girlfriends on our Memorial Day trip, that I had to mention a few highlights:
After a stressful, traffic-riddled ride to the airport followed by the rowdiest flight EVER (the pilot led the passengers in a group-chug because it was time to land and everyone needed to finish their drinks), we finally landed in Vegas on Friday afternoon. We were greeted at baggage claim by Myrna, who, at 75 years old, offered to help us with our bags (awww Myrna) (don't worry, we didn't let her) and led us to our GOLD limo which took us to our hotel...
Sane people would've made reservations weeks in advance, but we decided to call up L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (the less fancy/pricey of two Michelin star-rated Robuchon restaurants at the MGM) as we were getting ready for the evening. What the hell, right? Miraculously, they managed to fit us in.
There are more pictures of the incredible food somewhere, but I don't have them. So in the meantime, as Kristen Wiig once said, I'M READYYYYYYYYYY TO PARRRRRRRRRRRTYYYYYYYYYYYY
We had a good time checking out the various bars & lounges in the hotel after dinner. We even found one with a "woo" drink on the menu...
My friends call themselves the "Woo" girls, which comes from "How I Met Your Mother". I'm not sure if I'm officially a Woo yet, but I think this weekend at least made me "Honorary Woo". (P.S. here's the clip from HIMYM: http://fliiby.com/file/124875/35932da1l8.html and a photo:
We might enjoy a group drink & cheer, but clearly, we're a way happier bunch.)
The rest of the evening shall remain in Vegas ;-)
This, and the adjoining lazy river, is where we spent our time during the days. Heaven...
Nothing like a patriotic jello shot for your first drink of the day.
Mmmmmm, bloody Mary's.
Romy & Michele?
For night # 2 we made arrangements in advance to go to Casa di Amore for dinner. It's about as old-school Vegas/Italian as you can get and it's awesome. And as long as you call in your reservation, they'll send a limo to pick you up. Woo!
After a delicious dinner (gnocchi, pomodoro, alfredo, oh my!) and enough cannolis and creme brules to feed an army (they came with free t-shirts and we all wanted the shirts), we had the limo take us to The Cosmopolitan. Probably the scene-y-ist hotel on the strip, there we came across so many slarmies (slut armies) and bachelorette parties that I lost count. Apparently the new trend is to wear dresses so tight and so short that your butt cheeks hang out. Huzzah!
The Chandelier bar was gorgeous... but freezing... as was almost everywhere we went EXCEPT:
Again, the rest of the night shall remain in Vegas, but yay, the girls finally got their snacks!
Night # 3 started with sushi dinner at Shibuya (yummmm), and was followed by some impromptu meeting up with high school friends and running around. And more gorgeous dresses. And more hot shoes.
Natalie got to spend some time with her junior prom date and adorable neighbor Brian. And then my high school buddies, Erik & Jen, took us to one of the sickest bars I've been to EVER. It was off the strip in a hotel called The Artisan. When we rolled up, I immediately thought of The Night Circus. Everything was black and white and lit with old-school filament bulbs. But when we walked in, it was like stepping into a living game of Clue. For my LA friends, the decor was kind of a cross between the Magic Castle and The Edison but with a Gothic splash. There was a DJ spinning in the bar/lounge and the clientele was mostly locals. There were dudes with 12-inch mohawks and others with Pauly-D blowouts. The female bartender was wearing a corset so tight and was so busty that we were worried she was going to topple over. It felt like the kind of place Stefon would mention on Weekend Update but without the Furkles, Jewpids, human bathmats, Teddy Graham people, and Gizblow the Coked-Up Gremlin.
White Fang and Crazy Face/Arms
Beachwood reunion with Erik & Jen!!
The details of rest of the night shall, for the last time, remain in Vegas. Suffice it to say there were a couple rounds of shots, a puppy with an overbite, bottles of pink champagne (and strawberries and espresso), snacks in the form of goldfish crackers (perfection.), and a significant amount of distress/hysteria (on my part) over going to bed at 6 am (among other things).
THANK YOU SO MUCH to Shelby, Jill, Natalie, Melanie, and Dawn for a) including me in WooVegas, b) being so much fun, and c) sharing your photos with me!!! I had such a blast!
Instead of giving you a full play-by-play of my entire trip to NYC, a la my previous post, I'm going to tell you about one particularly magical day....
As mentioned here, in advance of the trip I made arrangements to go see Boyfriend's childhood best friend in Phantom of the Opera. I got tickets for myself, Lisa and Laura for the matinee show. Knowing I would have some time in the morning, I made plans to meet a friend of mine from high school and his wife for brunch.
So after a much-needed good night's sleep at Rachel's place in the financial district (those red-eye flights just keep getting increasingly rough for me), we took the subway to Union Square. As she left to go get a haircut, I wandered around in the farmers market for a bit. The fall produce was so colorful! Distracted by taking photos, I almost literally bumped into my friend and his wife. We went to Chat n Chew for brunch which was delicious - all three of us ordered the exact same meal - some kind of veggie fritata special. It was great to catch up and hear about what they've both been up to recently. The last time I saw them might have been their wedding in 2009!
Once we finished up I hopped back on the subway over to Times Square for the show. After picking up the tickets I wandered a little bit more. When at one point I stopped to take a photo, a giant promoter-y type guy yelled over to me,
"Want to see a funny show tonight?"
To which I replied, "I am!"
"What are you seeing?" he asked, to which I replied (without even trying to hide my bubbling-over excitement):
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!"
This part of the trip was a somewhat last minute addition to the itinerary. Thanks to a good friend of mine with some super amazing connections, I was able to get 3 tickets to the dress rehearsal. The host that week was Emma Stone, who I absolutely love and have what I like to call a "girl crush" on, and the musical guest was Coldplay, a band I've enjoyed for many years. Plus, I'm one of the few people I know who actually still watches SNL regularly every week. So needless to say I was REALLY excited. Anyway, the giant promoter-y guy was notably impressed and told me to have fun as I went on my way. "Oh, I will my friend, I will."
Laura and Lisa met me outside the Majestic theater just in time for the show - which was fantastic. I'd only seen the Joel Schumacher movie and the silent film from 1925 so it was a lot of fun to see it performed live. And of course, the star of the show in my eyes was Monsieur Andre, a.k.a. Aaron Galligan-Stierle. After the show was over Aaron had us meet him backstage and he gave us a tour - we not only got to see the costumes, the wigs, the trapdoors & everything hiding below them, but we also got to actually go onstage. We even snuck in a picture with the famous chandelier. As someone who used to perform in every every school play and still gets emotional during any standing ovation at a theater, it was absolutely surreal to be standing on a legit Broadway stage.
that's Aaron on the right! this poster hangs on the outside wall of the theater
After the show we walked a couple blocks to Havana Central where we had an absolutely fantastic (and surprisingly fast!) Cuban meal. Aaron filled us in on more secrets of the stage, signed our playbills - how cool is that?! - and then bid us adieu.
As we made our way over to Rockefeller Center and got in line for the show, I started realizing what a big fan of it I really am. I remember sketches going back to the very early 90's, and am familiar with others from before I was allowed to watch. I attempt to imitate Kristen Wiig's Judy Grimes and Garth & Kat on a regular basis, and actually cheer out loud whenever Stefon is on. Most recently this video made me so badly want to move to NYC just so I could try to work on the show:
A) How much fun does it look like they're having?
B) Jina and I have decided that we HAVE to get this (and all Robyn songs) for the Wii Just Dance game
C) MUAAHAHAHAHA GOOD LUCK GETTING "CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND" OUT OF YOUR HEAD NOW!
Anyway, the show was an absolute f*ing blast. It was fascinating watching the crew switch out the sets and set up for the next sketch in what seems like just a few short seconds. They're incredible at what they do. And they do a few more sketches during the dress rehearsal to see what sticks and what doesn't so we even got some extra show! And I think the Crying to Adele's "Someone Like You" sketch will go down in SNL history. They were very VERY clear about not taking any photos whatsoever in Studio 8H so I don't have any from the show, but we did get this beautiful scene when we emerged:
What a perfect NY night.
But it wasn't over yet! Since Rachel was soon-to-be leaving New York she and her roommates decided to throw a party that night. So after SNL Lisa, Laura, and I made our way back down to the financial district to join the fun. They had Just Dance going on the Wii (I rocked it if I do say so myself) and lots of yummy food & drink to nibble and sip. It was cool to meet so many of Rachel's friends. By the time the last of the guests left around 2:30 am I was completely exhausted. Never had an air mattress looked so inviting.
I'm pretty sure I woke up the next morning asking myself, did that all really happen? Well, it did, and I'm so happy it did because it's days like those that I will never ever forget.
The countdown is almost over! Tomorrow night I fly to NYC and I'm SUPER excited.
I'm only planning two really "big" activities. One, which I'm still waiting for confirmation on, is seeing the Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera. Boyfriend's best buddy just recently began playing the role of Monsieur Andre (funny story actually) and I'm looking forward to seeing him.
The other was JUST THIS MINUTE confirmed, and, as I'm currently keeping it as a surprise for my friends who might join me, I will only offer the following three clues:
My girl crush
Not U2
Partially mentioned in a previous IMBT Birthday Shoutout (you'll have to figure out which one!)
Other than that, I just plan on lots of catching up with friends and enjoying Manhattan in the fall. Speaking of which, I've been tracking the weather really closely because I really really REALLY don't want it to rain. Having lived in LA for almost 7 years I just don't own appropriate clothing for any weather besides "nice". I went a little nuts this week and impulse-purchased waterproof, cozy boots (see below) online and had them shipped to my friend's place in NY. I also went on a shopping spree at Old Navy but will only bring about 5 of the items (out of, like, 15) with me - I just can't resist sparkly tank tops! *Sigh* At least I'll have these:
image credit: shoes.com
Cute, right?
I do have a couple questions for my fellow frequent travelers and NY natives:
1. Does Virgin America provide pillows on their red-eyes? Continental does not and I have learned to bring one with me. But I'd rather not if I don't have to...
2. I'm planning on inviting friends to join me for drinks on Friday evening and, as is always the case, I have no idea where. Any thoughts about a fun, relaxed, not-too-expensive, centrally located bar in Manhattan (I've been looking mainly at lower Manhattan as that's where I'll be staying that night)? Any and all suggestions are welcome. I've been using this website and Yelp to check some out and am thinking about GoldBar (I mean, if for nothing else just to confirm it's a real place), Ward III, Whiskey Tavern (I love the quote on the front page: "I love this place." - Anonymous), or AnotherRoom. If any of you have ever been let me know in the comments!
And now if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to go make a packing list!
Remember those aforementioned "best friends ever in life for all time infinity times infinity" who live in New York? One of them is having a birthday today! So I am dedicating this post to Lisa, my "twin" because we are so much alike in so many ways (except for looking nothing alike), in honor of her special day. Lisa, I hope you have a fantastic birthday filled with lots of hugs, laughter, champagne, kitty snuggles, lemonade, and Hershey's chocolate.
Lisa and I met when she was moving into the room next door to me my freshman year of college. She was so shy and quiet at first that I actually thought she might have been from another country. But that didn't last long. I've said a million times that I wish I had kept a journal in college in order to remember better now (and in the future) all the craziness (and let me tell you something - it was CRAZY that first year. But I'll save that for another post). We continued to live together our sophomore and junior years and would probably have done the same for senior year had I not spent that year abroad.
Since then we've managed to see each other once or twice a year, have been bridesmaids together in our BFF Laura's wedding (she's the Moe to our Larry and Curly), have traveled through England and Ireland together, and have continued to be there for each other as best we can living on opposite coasts. Through the break-ups, break-ins, getting fired, getting hired, losing friends, losing family, and all the little stuff in-between our friendship has lasted. And for that I am truly grateful. Love you Twin!
at Fenway cheering on the Sox
with some of our best college buddies in Boston
wine tasting near Santa Barbara
after scoring 3rd row seats for "Rent" on Broadway
Laura's pre-wedding girls night out in Bath, England
being normal at Laura's wedding
where's the Queen? in front of Buckingham Palace in London
