Boston, NYC, Conneticut Weekend II

(Continuing from previous post...)

...Farooq's hotel. The hotel room was pretty standard, but had a nice big bed. Holla! ;)

The picture above is some random shot in Boston. The tree looks really beautiful, mashaAllah. Actually, I was constantly impressed with the beauty of the East Coast. This was most especially noticed when I was visting my cousin Saud Bhai in Connecticut. Seriously, I'd be content just staring at the hills and trees...

We hung out a little bit at the hotel and played around with my latest and easily one of the best birthday gifts (insert unspecified indivduals name here) I ever got...an iPod Video. Farooq downloaded a few episodes from Lost and The Office on there and the quality is perfect!

So we went back to Boston (Farooq's hotel is in the burbs) and ate at a small Arab store where the guy had some Arab TV channel coming in that was showing a Ms Lebanon beauty pageant. So we hung out there for a few hours. Haha, just kidding. We ate some decent Arab food and then checked out the rest of Boston, or as much as we could for one night. Highlights included: eating at Top of the Hub (had a bird eye's view of Boston), looking at the Citgo sign (of which I couldn't stop taking pics of for some reason), and going to the restaurant Cheers. All good stuff. Boston, if I haven't told you this before, is in fact Lincoln Park tranformed into a city of its own. So, yes, I liked it.

Next morning we headed out to NYC, baby. Obviously the highlight of the trip. The day started off beautifully (as you can tell by the pic to the right) but namely because of the breakfast we got: McDonald's hash brown, mcgriddles, and egg & cheese sandwiches. Oh, and a glass of oj and milk for the nutrional value of it, of course. :)

The drive from Boston to NYC is not bad at all. You're looking at about 3 hours, which is essentially my total commute from home to work and back, so it was nothing to me!! Farooq's rental car was the Ford Freestyle which we were both equally impressed with.

As soon as we got into NYC, we saw the weirdest and coolest stuff: A sign that simply read "Worst President Ever" and then another one with some yahoo-di hospital saying that they take care of people, but it had a pic of a gora yahoo-di larkee helping out an old kalu woman. I mean, how fricken believable is that, dude?!

As we cruised into NYC, listening to Hot 97 which was appropriately playing a 50 cent song, I was instantly mezmorized by it all. Imagine Chicago, but times 1,000,000 and you basically have New York City. It's fricken massive. I'm still surprised by it, actually. You look down a street in Manhattan and for as long as the eye can see, all you will see on the right and left are buildings galore. Unbelievable!


And then there are like fifteen gazillion bridges everywhere. Some of them kinda shabby and others simply beautiful.

Somehow, though, before ever exiting the car, we at least another hour or so trying to find out where the hell we were supposed to go. Our destination was Manhattan to see if my cousins were going to be around, but we somehow ended up in like BK (Brooklyn, ya hearrd?) or the Bronx. After finding out where we were supposed to be, Farooq calls a friend to meet up for lunch, but we somehow get lost again (thanks a lot, Farooq) and end up in like Queens or something. But it was worth it because of the picture on the left. Some random backboard and hoop was ripped off of somwhere and put at this bus stop. I had to get out of the car and take a picture. In trying to get the right angle, I took my time, which rightfully pissed off Farooq because he was worried about getting shot or something like that (wimp!).


Oh, when we finally found some place to park, and took our first steps (well, my first steps) on NYC soil...err, concrete, that is...the first New Yorker encounter I had was some crazy dude who was aggresively parking his car and yelling at someone he cut off saying, "You fag! This is New York!" and other things about how he's a man and blah, blah, blah. That was hysterical because it totally played into NYC stereotypes. I guess it's all true; everyone in New York must be jerks! Well, almost everyone. I can't put my boy Murtaza (yes, ladies, it's true...he is single) on that list b/c he hooked me and Farooq up INSANE style, mA!! He was busy all day at work, but made time to do the following:

1) Called me to tell me that we can chill at his place (I think I kinda forced myself there, though)
2) Took a break from work and picked up some famous NY strawberry cheesecake (frick! I don't want to be reminded on how amazing that was!)
3) Gave Farooq and me (his roommates also helped out with this) a broken down plan of what to hit up in order to maximize the little time we had there
4) Late, late night took us to a restaurant, then another one (so I could experience NY pizza), and then a store that had the best chocolates in NYC
5) And then finally tried to force me or Farooq to take his bed, but we finally convinced him not to do that.

Alhamdullilah. MashaAllah, a truly good friend and guy in general to do all that. A big debt owed to him, fo sheezy!!

Onwards...

Times Square.

Wow. Seriously, what can you say about this other than all the noor that's emitted from this baraqa-filled place? Haha, just joking. But, seriously, it's so sick out there, man. I was blown away by it all. I think everyone should go to NYC just to experience Times Friggen Square. I know, I sound like a total sucker or like a little kid going to the candy shop for the first time, but just keep in mind that I don't get out too much, okay?! So go easy on me...

Soon after Times Square, Farooq and I found ourselves to be in front of the famous 53rd & 6th halal gyros & chicken corner food stand. HOLY FRICKNESS, man. Tears run down my cheeks as I think about that food now. Sigh. WTF, Chicago?! Why don't we have things like that?! Could you imagine the profitability on that?

Okay, other things I saw included: Macy's, Radio City, Trump, Columbus Circle, saw Central Park from a distance, Union Square, saw Empire State Building of course, saw Statue of Liberty from a far, far distance (looked pretty nice, actually), cousins' pimped out apartment, NYU, and other stuff that I'm probably leaving out. So, considering we were there for just one night in the Big Apple, I think we saw and did a lot!!

The next day, before departing Boston, we made a huge pit stop to go see Saud Bhai for a couple hours. SubhanAllah, that was also a really nice time and when I left I did regret not being able to stay there longer or better plan out my time. But, mA, I was happy to have seen them (but we did like 90 all the way to the airport so that I didn't miss my flight!) and their beautiful home. :)

All-in-all, an off the hook weekend that I wish didn't end! Mad, mad JZK to Farooq for hooking a brotha up with an incredible wknd...

Cheers!