FAO any Louie Vega fans
- Thread starter Barbie
- Start date
LagunaBeachCA
New Member
BNYC said:
I was there too. What was great that I got in for free!!! Did you see the LRG crew perform?
LagunaBeachCA
New Member
I just got back this last Thursday evening from having spent almost a week in NYC. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun. I spent most of my time in Manhattan, but I did hit the key spots on my list. Sarge's, Katz's and Carnegie Delis. I still have a hard time trying to fathom how some people can eat a triple decker at Sarge's. I ordered a double decker thinking that it was not going to be that big, but boy was I wrong. Huge is an understatement. What took me 30 minutes to chomp down was gobbled up in 5 minutes by a guy sitting right next to me. 
The nightlife was sorta along the same lines as LA when it came to the energy of the crowd. Cielo (in the meat packing district near NYU) and Pacha (near 46th St. and 12th Ave.) were amazing as a large percentage of the crowd was there the music (which is what I love) as opposed to just being seen (which is more common in SoCal). The 11PM - 4AM scene is so much better than 9PM - 2AM scene that is common in SoCal.
My instructor recommended me Florio's for Italian and it was was spot on. Great food, excellent place to watch a lot of locals, and decent quality of cigars. I also met a few of our boys from Force Recon who just got back from Afghanistan. Great lads. I also had my first exposure to Canoli in Little Italy, and I loved it.
From a security perspective, I did not think that NYC (at least Manhattan, Little Italy and surrounding area) was any different from any other city. All the principles (be aware of the surroundings, check out the exits in clubs and restaurants, do not walk close to walls or doorways, do not check out maps in areas that are desolate and you are the only one looking at a map, do not walk behind parked objects that really obstruct your vision of the area, etc.) were no different for me when I was there or when I was in LA, Austin or Karachi. I had a Surefire E2D Flashlight (http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/1132/sesent/00) with me at all times for security purposes.
On a somber note, it was very sad to walk by firestations and not notice the plaques that had the names of the fire-fighters who laid down their lives trying to save others. There was a fire-station on 38th St. between 10th and 9th Ave that I passed by every day and seeing the names of the fire-fighters was a very touching experience.
Surprises
Apart from the size of sandwiches, I literally went through 30 stores trying to find a pair of gloves, and they all told me that they did not have any more as the season had passed. The temperature was between 41deg.F and 27deg.F and the season had passed. I finally did find one.
Some people thought that I was from the Bronx. While I took it as a positive comment that I blended in without even trying, I was told by a few folks that it was not a really nice thing to say as the folks who made that assumption thought that I was Puerto Rican, and it is wrong to assume that all Puerto Ricans are from the Bronx.
Good Finds
Prior to flying to NYC, the only type of warm clothing that I had were my tracksuit tops. I had to place an urgent order for a SigTac Concealed Carry jacket (http://www.sigarms.com) which was delivered to my hotel. That is one good jacket.
Coupled with a tracksuit top or just a turtleneck, it really keeps one warm.
I also managed to get myself a pair of Levis 501 in red color. While I saw them in Europe, I never could find one in the US. Man, was I glad when I found one.
All in all it was a great trip, and I would definitely go back. However, the next time it would be when the weather is a bit warm. Being an avid photographer, I was craving doing some serious photography, but hauling 20lbs. of camera gear in the cold was not too enticing.
The nightlife was sorta along the same lines as LA when it came to the energy of the crowd. Cielo (in the meat packing district near NYU) and Pacha (near 46th St. and 12th Ave.) were amazing as a large percentage of the crowd was there the music (which is what I love) as opposed to just being seen (which is more common in SoCal). The 11PM - 4AM scene is so much better than 9PM - 2AM scene that is common in SoCal.
My instructor recommended me Florio's for Italian and it was was spot on. Great food, excellent place to watch a lot of locals, and decent quality of cigars. I also met a few of our boys from Force Recon who just got back from Afghanistan. Great lads. I also had my first exposure to Canoli in Little Italy, and I loved it.
From a security perspective, I did not think that NYC (at least Manhattan, Little Italy and surrounding area) was any different from any other city. All the principles (be aware of the surroundings, check out the exits in clubs and restaurants, do not walk close to walls or doorways, do not check out maps in areas that are desolate and you are the only one looking at a map, do not walk behind parked objects that really obstruct your vision of the area, etc.) were no different for me when I was there or when I was in LA, Austin or Karachi. I had a Surefire E2D Flashlight (http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/1132/sesent/00) with me at all times for security purposes.
On a somber note, it was very sad to walk by firestations and not notice the plaques that had the names of the fire-fighters who laid down their lives trying to save others. There was a fire-station on 38th St. between 10th and 9th Ave that I passed by every day and seeing the names of the fire-fighters was a very touching experience.
Surprises
Apart from the size of sandwiches, I literally went through 30 stores trying to find a pair of gloves, and they all told me that they did not have any more as the season had passed. The temperature was between 41deg.F and 27deg.F and the season had passed. I finally did find one.
Some people thought that I was from the Bronx. While I took it as a positive comment that I blended in without even trying, I was told by a few folks that it was not a really nice thing to say as the folks who made that assumption thought that I was Puerto Rican, and it is wrong to assume that all Puerto Ricans are from the Bronx.
Good Finds
Prior to flying to NYC, the only type of warm clothing that I had were my tracksuit tops. I had to place an urgent order for a SigTac Concealed Carry jacket (http://www.sigarms.com) which was delivered to my hotel. That is one good jacket.
Coupled with a tracksuit top or just a turtleneck, it really keeps one warm.
I also managed to get myself a pair of Levis 501 in red color. While I saw them in Europe, I never could find one in the US. Man, was I glad when I found one.
All in all it was a great trip, and I would definitely go back. However, the next time it would be when the weather is a bit warm. Being an avid photographer, I was craving doing some serious photography, but hauling 20lbs. of camera gear in the cold was not too enticing.
Morbyd
Moderator
Sounds like you had a good time (though your mild paranoia is funny... you're so West Coast! ) I can't believe you thought it was so cold as I walk around in that kind of weather with my jacket open and no gloves, but I guess that's understandable coming from San Diego!
So, Vega was playing at Pacha. Who was spinning at Cielo?
(and sorry for highjacking the Louis Vega thread)
) I can't believe you thought it was so cold as I walk around in that kind of weather with my jacket open and no gloves, but I guess that's understandable coming from San Diego!So, Vega was playing at Pacha. Who was spinning at Cielo?
(and sorry for highjacking the Louis Vega thread
)LagunaBeachCA
New Member
Morbyd said:Sounds like you had a good time (though your mild paranoia is funny... you're so West Coast!
So, Vega was playing at Pacha. Who was spinning at Cielo?
(and sorry for highjacking the Louis Vega thread
As far as the cold is concerned, I would have walked just like you described had I been still living in Austin. However, 6 years of living in SoCal has spoiled me.
With regards to being aware of the surroundings, it may sound paranoid, but its deeply engrained in my subconciousness. I am 30 and have never been in a single fight, but I have also been told that I have a very high SA (Situational Awareness).
Vega was at Pacha on Mar-18. Willie Graf and Tania Vulcano at Cielo. By the way, on Mar-25, Dimitri from Paris was playing at Pacha. Pacha was OK, but I liked Cielo long time. I wanted to go to Shelter, but just did not have the time.
Glad to hear you had such a good time in Manhattan- next time don't be afraid to venture out into Broklyn & Queens- there are many good spots right now that blow the manhattan clubs away- mostly one-offs but easy enough to find if you talk to a few people...Cielo is always a good choice, as is LOVE on 8th street (my current favorite)...almost every other manhattan club is about bottle service and pseudo-VIPs...even Pacha(although the 3rd, VVIP floor can be fun despite pretensions) is boring most of the time
LagunaBeachCA
New Member
BNYC said:
The drinks were a bit pricey as a Corona or Stella cost me $7. Hence, I am assuming that well drinks might have been around $10, which is a bit steep.
I would definitely like to check out Brooklyn and Queens. Almost every person, I spoke with who had the "stereo-typical" NY accent ended up being from Brooklyn. By the way, is Shelter closed?
LagunaBeachCA
New Member
Nooooo...not Brooklyn accent, the "stereo-typical" (or the Hollywood version) of the NY accent. For example words like coffee that sound like quofee in NY, but in Michigan or Chicago it would sound like kaafee. It's hard to explain in writing, but I think you get the idea. Hopefully, next time I am there I will be able to go to Shelter.