Return to NYC Part 2:

I am staying with Ali and Matthew down in the Financial District about one block from the World Trade Center. She and Matthew have always lived down here, since right after September 11th. Her old apartment at 88 Greenwich Street was on the 13th floor. While I'm glad there are people in NYC willing to keep NYC moving forward, I'm not a brave as they are...

This building, 90 West Street, is spectacular though. It just won a National Preservation Award actually. Of course walking into the huge one bedroom apartment with hard wood floors and stainless steel appliances, I thought to myself that NYC living isn't so cramped... until I heard the price of their rent.

Last night, we met Darren, Matthew's Sigma Chi friend and his totally West Coast girlfriend... sweet as pie with sun kissed hair, no makeup, and a perfect tan (I remarked, "such a nice girl but NYC would eat her alive.")... at Son Cubano for dinner and dancing. Afterwards, PM was the place of the hour. Currently, there’s someone’s vomit in Ali's sink... so a good night, basically.

Matthew is the head of the Alumni chapter of Sigma Chi in NYC. Ali's the Social Director for the Alumni Chi Omega association. I haven't heard, "this table is all Greek!" in a while. I find it somewhat funny now. Anyways, so Matthew's other Sigma Chi-alumni friend came and met us at Son Cubano. Before he got there, Ali briefed me on the fact that he's a horrendous namedropper and overall thinks he's hot as shit. He's well connected, I was told, but no more than anyone else who lives in New York.

He got to the table, and I awaited my entertainment. I forgot that in small bits, the self-important New York attitude is quite hilarious. Immediately, he suggested we check out Brass Monkey afterwards because his friend was friends with the owner or something. Then, Ali, talking about her days working at CNNFN mentioned that she'd been on the Forbes yacht before to interview someone. This guy chimes in, "Oh and friend of my friend is a Forbes... her name is [name, I can't remember]." Ali, in classic bitch mode (I loved and missed her!), "No, I didn't say I knew the family. I just said I went on the yacht for work. But, congrats on knowing them." Tehe.

At PM, a dirty, fat, gross man came in with a ridiculously gorgeous woman on his arm. "He's loaded, obviously!" I announced. "Oh no, he's amazing in bed," Ali declared.

I just bought some breakfast food for Ali and Matthew and am watching 90210 reruns on the SoapNet. I think using a NYC cable remote is pretty much like learning to ride a bike. It is hard to learn it all, but once you get it down, you never forget.

I had goat cheese croquette tapas and 1/6th of 4 pitchers of Sangria (one was on the house b/c Ali knows the owner). My bill was $34.00. I forgot what it was like to have no disposable income! What else has changed in a year?

-You have to the billing zip code of your credit card into the Metro Card machines now if you pay using them.

-The World Trade Center subway stop is open.

-Tortillas and Chorizo aren't on the tapas menu of Son Cubano. The menu has gone up in price, again, and yucca is on the side dish menu now. Oh, and they got plasma televisions that show random videos.

-3 new bars + have opened in the Meat Packing district.

-Tartan plaid and 70s styles have replaced the Bohemian look I saw all over the place (and wore) when I lived here.

- Grocery stores and delis are open on weekends again down in the Financial District... a sign that people are living here again and not just visiting Ground Zero.
I'm heading over to Angelina's in a bit for her party and to stay the night in Brooklyn.