not even for a minute

speaking of nights i can't remember, i really have to remember to eat dinner when i'm drinking, otherwise i end up playing a game of "whodunnit" the next morning.


things were off to such a good start initially.


i made plans with Kiks to meet up after (finally) getting a haircut in Chinatown. our initial plan was to check out Smorgasburg so that we could eat while still being outside and enjoying the sunny weather. there was a street fair going on so we walked from Chinatown to Soho in order to check out a surf shop/coffee shop i had recently read about.  yes that's right: a surf shop in NYC. that by itself is worth checking out. but add a backyard garden area for lounging? BONUS. Saturdays Surf NYC fits in perfectly in Soho as hipster and crunchy all at same time. yes, surfboards are cool. and coffee is cool. but the only reason i would have to go to Saturdays Surf NYC is the backyard patio area. super tranquil, spacious, yet cozy, you buy a coffee at the front of the store and meander your way to the back to sit on wooden benches with a friend and pretend to be hipper than you really are.

after coffee we made our way over to Filene's Basement in Union Square in order for Kiks to pick up some much needed intimates since she's lost so much weight that her old ones don't fit anymore (apparently Weight Watchers does work). at that point, Kiks was so hungry she couldn't even consider waiting and taking the L train to Williamsburg to eat at Smorgasburg, so we stopped for food at Crooked Tree instead for what i've heard are amazing crepes.

Crooked Tree is a tiny little place in the East Village. that supposedly serves up wunderbar crepes. although, now that i think about it, i've only heard rave reviews from ppl who went there after a night of drinking around 2 or 3 am. so maybe that would explain why the Spinach, garlic & hot pepper flakes ($6) and the Brie, plum tomato & arugala ($8) crepes Kiks and i ordered, while very sober, were just "meh."   However, that being said, the sangria at Crooked Tree is definitely worth an afternoon trip. i'm not often a fan of white sangria, just like i'm not really a fan of white wine, but the selection offered at Crooked Tree, mixed with peach, passionfruit, and various other light, summer-y fruits, have made me change my mind (or at least that's what i'll order if i'm around there again).

with plenty of time to kill before our other friends finished their Saturday errands and met up with us, Kiks and i racked our brains to try and figure what we could do in the East Village on a sunny afternoon. i don't know what it reveals about us, but the only things we could think of involved establishments that didn't open until after 6 p.m.  as luck would have it, Sixteen, happened to be only 2 blocks from where we were, watching a play that was being performed on 10th Street.  i love when that happens. and if i lived in NY, it would probably happen more often.


within the half hour, we'd decided to head to Professor Thom's to watch the Yankees vs. Red Sox game. i've heard of the bar before, mainly because of DRC and BGA, both UMich alumni.  so i was more than surprised when the waitress who came to take our drink order was decked out in head-to-toe Red Sox gear. Red Sox fan in NY? i commented on it, and was promptly informed i was currently situated in Red Sox Nation. i looked around and noticed all the Red Sox sports paraphernalia and realized it was true. who knew? only in NYC right? 


the afternoon quickly downward spiraled into night as more and more peeps came out to join us. lots and lots of Dewars on the rocks. you can imagine what happened to me by the end of the night. by the time Newlyweds arrived, my rolling brownouts had started again. thank god they always have my back because apparently AM was making moves to try and get me and him to continue the night together. alone. which would not have been a good idea considering how NOT clear-headed i was.   


Newlyweds decided to walk me over to Sixteen's apartment, with the two-fold intention of making sure i got there safely and also to shake off AM. but in true AM form, he refused to take the hint and tagged along, which prolonged the walk. a good side effect of the whole experience was i finally got to try Baohaus.  if i'd been more sober, i would've ordered up a whole variety of baos to try.  instead, even though i hadn't eaten dinner all night, i insisted i wasn't hungry and didn't order anything. which just goes to prove how drunk i was. luckily, Newlyweds had the foresight to order me a Chairman Bao, which was pretty tasty (from what i remember).  the bao is nice and soft, as it should be, but the flavor derives directly from whichever filling you choose. The Chairman Bao consists of Berkshire pork belly topped with crushed peanuts, cilantro, haus relish, and Taiwanese red sugar. i wish i could tell you that i remember all those flavors, but i don't. all i can vouch for is that it was tasty. 

after the baos, Newlyweds called an audible in order to rescue me from AM. they hailed a cab and pulled me in with them, then gave Sixteen's address to the cab driver. after we were 2 blocks away from where we'd just ditched AM, Newlyweds hopped out of the cab to take the subway back to their Brooklyn Heights apartment, leaving me in the cab to safely get to my destination.  talk about sneaky and clever, all at the same time.


 when i think about this night, i can't really say where/when it derailed into such a debaucherous event. nor can i calculate exactly when/what/which drink was the cause of the rolling brownouts. but it just goes to show you, you can't let your guard down, not even for a minute.