"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" ~ C. S. Lewis

Saturday, May 8, 2010

NY See!

Friday Naomi and I headed into the city for a day off with a very special and fun dinner at the end!
Here we are on the train, being goofy and probably driving everybody crazy. Fortunately there weren't many people on the train to bother :)


We got into Penn Station around noon and then walked our way all the way down to...
We walked up to the bookstore and there were like 20 carts of $1 books outside. I knew we were doomed. Look at all the lovelies!
I thought I was going to get out pretty easily, but then I found the Lemony Snicket audiobooks - which I have slowly been trying to accumulate, but they are hard to find and expensive and these were on sale for only $12! I was so excited.

Of course, then we had to carry our bags of books all over the city.
After the Strand, we sat in the park and had lunch. We bought some fresh fruit to share. mmmm...
We walked all the way back up past the Empire State Building and then sat outside the Library for a while. The weather was gorgeous. Then we walked through Times Square (fortunately not during the Poland Spring bomb scare) and up toward Columbus Circle.

It's funny, all through all of those "famous" landmarks and we took hardly any pictures, but we stopped to take pictures of this church (Of course I can't remember which one it is)
And this random building. Yeah, we're like that.
So after taking a break in Borders, we headed off to the Jekyll and Hyde Club to meet up with Nikki Stafford and some of the other Nik at Niters for dinner.

The restaurant was a lot of fun - a little loud - but fun. The characters played their parts well - especially the caretaker whose name completely escapes me and Miss Misery.

Naomi and I were standing outside the restaurant waiting for the others to show up and Naomi looked at me and said, "We're insane."

I looked at her. This is of course a given. After all we are both writers and therefore a tad insane. I just wasn't sure why in this particular time we were insane.

"We're doing what they always warn you against. Meeting people you met on the internet."

haha! But, as my boss put it, most serial killers don't travel in packs, so we figured we were probably safe :)

You know how it is when you are really good friends with someone and then you haven't seen each other for like five years and you get together again and for a couple minutes it's a little weird, but then you just feel as though you were never apart?

That's the best way to describe how it was meeting everybody. Even though we had never met face to face, it was like we were getting back together with old friends. It was amazing. We talked Lost and other TV shows and other random things and just had a marvelous time. I so hope that I have the chance to meet up with some of the other Nik at Niters in the future.

Naomi and I are going to Polaris in July and we'll at least get to see Nikki again (so excited!) But I'm hoping that some of the other blogger people will be there too.

Here's the happy little crew.
Yeah!

I could have stayed and talked all night long, but unfortunately, there was one train back to our stop and if we had missed it we would have been stuck overnight, which would not have been cool. We did have a nice long evening together, though and it was just amazing. Getting to actually speak to people and see their expressions as they throw out their theories and being able to immediately bounce back and forth ideas and expand on and qualify and question and answer with each other. So much fun!

Blam posited a grand theory, which he illustrated with the best napkin sketch ever. I'm pretty sure Nikki is going to put up a picture of the napkin, because she saved it so we would have proof that Blam figured everything out. But one of the best things was when Kevie picked up the napkin and "explained" Blam's theory to the other half of the table. It went something like... "See, here's a circle and that makes this line go woowoowoo" hahahahahahaha!

Okay, maybe you had to have been there.

And I really hope Blam posts it up sometime soon, because it's a blow-your-mind kind of theory.

Anyhoo.

It was a blast. and I'm dying to do it again soon.

*happy sigh*

17 comments:

Mia Hayson said...

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!! That looks like you had SO MUCH UNBELIEVABLE FUN. I am offically jealous.

You had me at the picture on the train! *sobs* It seems everyone can go to NYC but mee. You and Tahereh have me so chomping on the bit to catch the next plane over... um, just as soon as I have any money at all.

Glad you had fun!

p.s. haha, I have to share this with you - my word verification is "cheespas" which sounds like some kind of fancy finger buffet food to me *narrows eyes* even the internet is egging me on with my food obssession today... That's it ;~)

Blam said...


I can't wait 'til we get to do that again.

The chasm that exists between what I said and what's on that napkin cracks me up every time I think about it. "Well. That... um... explains... uh... everything, then."

VW: oness — Mia's response to "Are there perchance any notable lochs around here?"

Blam said...


Annnnnnnd I forgot to check the E-mail box.

Blam said...


Gah! I meant to compliment your photos and your book haul, but I got distracted watching The Amazing Race and forgot why I had this window still sitting open. I'm really sorry that I didn't get to town sooner for various reasons, including that it would've been great to hang out with you guys longer; the dollar-book sale would've totally blown up my brain, though, because I currently have no more room for any of anything.

VW: phony — ... Is your blog trying to tell me something? [If it weren't already a word: phony — A small breed of horse that gets cell reception.]

Kevie Metal said...

I beg your pardon, I was being completely scientific!!!!

JennM said...

Sonshine, you are a girl after my own heart. I too, would buy a pile of books and the carry them around NYC alllllllllll the day long, just because they were a dollar each! It would be soooo worth it!


I am so jealous of your awesome NYC day! Especially the dinner with everyone!

I got to meet Nikki recently in London, and I heard her speak on being a writer at *our* (mine and hers!) alma mater. It was inspiring, and she was totally an awesome and dynamic speaker. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I also met up with Ashley, from Nikki's blog! It was so nice to put names to faces. I feel like the only thing that my experience lacked that yours had was this mysterious "Blam's napkin." I am dying inside to see it!

Great post. Oh, and that pic of you and the sis on the train…hi-larious! :P

Rebecca T. said...

@Mia: well, the next time you're in the area let me know :) It's not THAT far from Scotland, right?

@Blam: oh the books, oh the complete lack of space for them. but it does not stop me in the slightest. And I'm gonna have to get Nikki to e-mail me a picture of that napkin for posterity. Love it.

@Kevie: uh huh. yeah. sure :)

Blam said...


I'll try to get my theory posted tomorrow, Sonshine, but I have places to go and a post on last week's episode to finish (well, it was actually finished before Nikki's post even went up that night, but then I decided to see if anything in the comments sparked further thoughts for me to cogitate upon, so... Five Days Later...).

VW: itaunr — Mmm... Something Apple sells on Hoth. Where's Miss Misery when you need her?

Melanie Sherman said...

Oh WOW I wish I had been there. It sounds so fun. And, yes, I want to see the napkin.

Al said...

Hey thanks for the tour.

Discount books can be very dangerous!

Unknown said...

Hi! Love reading your comments on Nikki's blog! Just beginning to branch out and read others' thoughts! Great job! You got the gift! And looks like a fun time was had by all at the LOST meet-up!

Sarah Ahiers said...

aww! looks like you had a great time! Color me jealous.
I've never been to N.Y. Closest i've been is VA twice

Blam said...


So you've hit VA-VA, Falen... You're missing the VOOM!

Rebecca T. said...

@Blam: Yeah, you know, whenever, but soon :)

@Melanie: The napkin was epic. Of course now everyone will actually see it and go, what?! because I've built it up so far out of proportion :D

@Al: Discount books are my one true downfall. I just can't resist.

@TiaSabita: Thanks for stopping by! You're going to meet so many great people around here :) (the blogverse, that is, though there are some pretty awesomesaucy people that hang out on my blog, too)

@Falen: If you're ever venturing out this way we should totally get together for lunch or something :)

@ Blam: hahahahahahahahaha!

Nikki Stafford said...

Hello my lovely. Meeting you and Naomi was such a highlight for me!! Meeting EVERYONE was a highlight for me, but I enjoyed sitting at the end of the bar and chatting with you about television. I REALLY have to see Castle now that it has the recommendation from you.

Thank you for my gift (it will be making a special appearance on the blog tomorrow!) And as for the Napkin of Mystery... I will be posting it on the blog after the finale, so if Blam is correct, I will post the totally comprehensible and OBVIOUS proof that he was!

Or maybe I'll just bite the bullet and post it tomorrow, and then when the finale happens I'll add Kevin's commentary to it... which, as you said, was HIGH-LARIOUS!!!

Unknown said...

I had a brilliant comment all ready (no, no really I did) But then I read all of the other comments and couldn't think of anything else to say.

At all.

But you can just sit there and imagine all of the brilliant things I could have said about your lovely post.

Oh! And his name was Mr. Lynch, remember? Because he demonstrated what his name was by pretending to hand himself, or whatever.

Oh! And It was an amazing night. SOOOO much fun :)

VW: finar, how a Latin speaking pirate says the end.

Blam said...


And his name was Mr. Lynch, remember?

I should've remembered that. When he came over and introduced himself ("YOU MUST BE BRIAN!"), I think I threw him by saying "Lynch? As in [hanging motion]?", because he replied [obviously fake bombastic British accent] "No, as in... Oh. Er, yes, like that." Good times!

VW: hextrine — Six threes.