Adjust opening paragraphs to be about visiting friends, walking too much, and seeing a play. Maybe make it about fitting as much into a weekend as possible. Center it around the people and the experiences that you shared with them. The humor might be in having to tell the same stories to so many people lol
Ever since COVID I’ve been working overtime to catch up with my friends. They’re located all over the world and getting to see everyone is a challenge but I sincerely believe that my friends are worth it. So when Aaron told me that his job was taking him to New York City for a week of meetings, I decided to join him for the preceding weekend for some fun with friends!
What I didn’t count on was Aaron wanting to something other than just hang out with my friends. Which, in hindsight, is a hilarious oversight given that it was his trip to begin with. So what I thought would be a leisurely trip to the city turned into a scramble to see as many people as possible, eat at as many great restaurants as possible, and fit in some classic NYC sightseeing.
Happily, we each ended the trip feeling very satisfied with all that we were able to get done. Though there are still friends in NYC that I need to fly back to see.
Joe and Tyler
Joe Simmons is the first friend that we met with in NYC and that is because he insisted on seeing us as soon as possible! He met me in the lobby of the Aloft Chelsea hotel (clean room, good price, good location) before Aaron had even landed and – candidly – I love that energy in a friend.
Joe and his boyfriend Tyler took us to an Alice in Wonderland themed bar called Oscar Wilde. The décor was trippy, maximalist, and ironic because our conversation centered around Joe and Tyler’s intentional decision to live a simpler, healthier life. We talked about drinking less, reducing stress, and maintaining friendships while, all around us glowing mushrooms grew down from the ceiling and tweedle dumbs stared us down from across the room.
Our conversation continued over dinner and well into the night until Aaron and I eventually said a reluctant goodbye and went to bed.
The High Line
The next day we walked The High Line for miles, engaging with the art along the way. I was very enthusiastic for the first few miles. We left Chelsea and happened upon Little Island, a public park in the Hudson River. After exploring all the little islands that Little Island had to offer we walked the opposite direction on the High Line and got to Hudson Yards, where we took the mandatory selfie and did a little shopping. At this point a few hours had passed and it started to rain so we grabbed lunch at The Smith. After the rain reduced itself to a drizzle, Aaron took the lead on the next leg of our hike. I endured the water with a pleasant demeanor for a few miles until my feet started to ache and I had to finally ask, “Where tf are we going!?”
“Oh, I don’t have a destination. I just like seeing the city,”
Even after that I stuck with Aaron for another few miles in the rain until I eventually threatened divorce if we didn’t get back to the hotel to take a break.
We’d walked 9 miles over the course of the day.
David and Irving
After recovering from the unexpected hike, our friends David and Irving hosted us at their apartment. It was our first time seeing them since they announced their engagement and, after a little prodding, I learned that they were engaged but not actively planning anything yet. That was great news for me since I’ve got 4 -5 weddings taking place in 2025 and my travel budget is already strained.
After some cocktails and lovely snacks, we went to The Tyger for dinner. The meal was DELICIOUS – especially after the forced march from earlier in the day. The best dish was an entire red snapper stuffed with tempura! I ate and left no crumbs.
After Tyger we went to a small bar called Julus’ where a woman sitting next to us chatted us up about her side gig on OnlyFans. Aaron was enraptured. He loves a profitable side-gig.
(We didn’t get a good photo of Irving on this trip but he’s really lovely! His insta is above.)
After Julius’ we went to The Monster – which turned out to be a piano bar. At first. We walked in and people were gathered around the piano singing which was totally my vibe. But then we went downstairs into what turned out to be … a strip club. I really enjoyed the variety of strippers that were available but alas, dear reader, this is right about where my memory becomes conveniently fuzzy.
Colin
The next day we met our friend Colin at an American restaurant called The Dutch for brunch. Colin is probably our most worldly friend (he lived at one of the poles for a while so… it’s hard to compete) and he’s always good for a fascinating, global conversation. Afterwards he took us to a Yemeni coffee shop where I learned more about coffee’s rich history! We left Colin to see the show Appropriate with Sarah Paulson. It would have been wonderful to see him again but we weren’t able to fit that into the trip.
Appropriate
Appropriate was a great show about a family who gathers after the patriarch’s death only to learn things about him that they didn’t want to know. Sarah Paulson starred as the sister who simultaneously held everyone together while pushing everyone away. She later won a Tony for the performance. The play centers on the exploration of how the father’s beliefs influenced the characters’ own views of themselves, their actions, and their own relationships with their siblings and children.
Jon and Cam
After the play we met up with two of Aaron’s friends – Jon and Cam. It can be difficult to make friends as an adult but they were wonderful! Cam and I spent the meal (we went back to Oscar Wilde) allowing Aaron and Jon to catch up and then – after a time – we all gelled together as a larger friend group. It was a very successful dinner.
And just like that it was time to go! I was pretty beat! The walks, the friends, and the surprise strippers were a lot to fit into a weekend! But it was absolutely worth it to hug my homies, have a happy husband, and to make a few new friends.
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