Rewind 😉 on the Epic Sunday of the Epic Philadelphia Weekend!
Blake and I caught the 1:00 p.m. 2000 Bus back to NYC.
I did not mention in yesterday’s post that she and I did a bit of damage on Saturday….. The shopping is just more condensed in Philadelphia! We found a shop called Rewind, and I couldn’t resist a few vintage blouses. Then we hit Walnut Street and I found some cute, comfortable dark salmon slingbacks, and gray tapered Levi’s. Whoops! But I love, love, love what I found. It’s going to be a whole new Charli strutting around the Big Apple.
I mentioned yesterday that I didn’t know where Blake disappeared to on Friday evening. Well, I am still not 100% clear on who lives where in this microcosm of Queen Village borderline The Nickel, as it is a complex maze of dead end right angles, not unlike that dot-and-line pen game people play when there is nothing else to do. But Billy and Sari live where I stayed, and Sari has a young lil’ boi-toi across the alley, where she stays much of the time. I’ve been staying in Sari’s [curtain-less] room. (“I saw you changing *wink*,” she leered at me in the orange light of the Transit basement bar, while we waited for our Jaeger shots with Red Bull chasers, a variation on the famous Philadelphia ‘Twizzler’.)Blake has been staying in Sweet Billy’s room. Maria and Sari are staying at boi-toi’s across the alley. Blake and Sweet Billy had a shy, gentle flirtation building over the previous 24 hours. Late Saturday night, they drifted toward the bedroom together. “I’m going to get ready for bed,” she told him. “Okay,” he responded. Blake went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face, put on leggings and a hoodie. She went back to the bedroom, and Sweet Billy was waiting for her, completely nude, under the comforter. !
They were both mortified, Blake relayed to me on the bus ride. Sweet Billy scrambled to get dressed as quickly as possible, apologizing as he pulled on his little skinny jeans. “He had these tiny purple boxer briefs,” she kept shuddering, reliving the embarrassment.
Lester had a 2:00-something train back to NYC, and he was asking where we will all meet once back in New York! Blake suggested The Levee, so after dropping our bags off, we grabbed our bikes and the next thing I knew, we were sailing down Wythe Ave, the Williamsburg bridge looming in the distance. We toasted Lone Stars over vegan Frito pie (it’s a thing that exists!) and then made our way toward the shuffleboard court. Blake’s buddies who live in the Garment District showed up, as did Lester! We were there for hours, playing the jukebox and Big Buck Hunter and Photo Match. The bartender kept sending around bowls of cheese balls and candy. I was shimmying around with Lester, smoking Parliaments, having a grand old time, but I knew I had to get home.
Lester looked at me, in white 70s tennis shorts and loose white Fred Perry, unbuttoned, “Let me walk you home,” he said.
“Okay,” I responded.
We walked on Berry Street, and I dug my hands into the pockets of my denim vest. I felt a little skip in my step, as we scuffed upwards toward Greenpoint. The sky was clear and sapphire blue-black, city lights twinkling around.
Lester and I had a sweet walk, and I asked him where he was going.
“Murray Hill,” he said. “I live in my friend’s basement.”
He walked me up to where Berry Street becomes Nassau Avenue and N. 15th Street triangles over Banker Street.
“This is good, I can take it from here. I don’t know how you’re going to get to Murray Hill,” I said.
“Me neither,” Lester winked.
We hugged and said a cute goodbye, and I just came in to tell you all about how it feels nice to know new people. 🙂
deux mille six 