Drinks Anyone (NYC adventures pt.2)

After High Tech Cocktails, I hopped a cab over to Union Square for dinner with a girl I met a the event, Grace, and her friends from Amsterdam. Dinner was at a place called Shanghai Square and the thai basil curry is awesome. Well, the gluten-free version of it is anyway. Grace's friends were super sweet and very interesting. Elisa is a 6'2" basketball playing law student who looks like a super model, but is so open and kind that you just can't be jealous of the girl. Jaffar, her boyfriend, is also a law student, and funny as hell. They were in NYC on vacation and it was their last night so we tried to make it special.

After dinner, we headed over to La Quinta for drinks at my suggestion. We met Elisa's undergrad roommate and her friend. I wasn't as impressed with them as I was with Elisa and Jaffar, but they were nice enough. La Quinta was PACKED this time, so after one drink we decided to try and find somewhere else to hang out.

Next stop, Empire Hotel to check out their rooftop bar. The line was stupid long, but Elisa's roommate knew a bouncer, so we got right in. It had potential to be awesome because the rooftop is HUGE, but the outdoor bar was closed and it was so crowded and loud inside that I wasn't feeling it. Much more posh than the places I like to drink at. I think it's a place I'll reserve for special occasions when I know the outdoor bar is open and when I don't have to wait in line to get in.

Said goodbye to Elisa and Jaffar. Elisa kindly offered me a place to stay should I ever be in Amsterdam. Awesome. Now I know where I'll be travelling to for my first trip out of the country.

Grace and I then headed back to Soho for one last drink (coffee for me) and then to her apartment, which she was kind enough to let me stay at for the night. In the morning we trekked down the length of Broome St. in search of Babycakes Bakery so I could have a gluten-free breakfast. Red velvet cupcakes and coffee make an excellent breakfast by the way. I bought a chocolate one to take back to Jersey with me for dessert. Also delicious.

From there, I said goodbye to Grace and headed uptown to Madison Ave to see my uncle at work. Spent a few minutes catching up and making plans, then back to Jersey and the end of my adventures. It was probably one of the most interesting trips into the city I've taken, and I'm looking forward to more that are just as entertaining.