NY is the new WUJS

Run for your lives, Jews are taking over Manhattan!

It all began on friday night, Shabbat. Russel had just joined a temp agency that morning and was hired that afternoon, the only thing to do was celebrate by thanking God and getting some friends together. We stopped by Sam's apartment on 106th, and had some of his incredible veggie cooking, and then he joined us at Bnei Jeshurun (BJs) down on 86th. Now if on a scale from 1 to Crazy, the Shul of NY was a 8.5 then BJs was a conservative 6. It is a beautiful old synagogue with the seating in a circle. The service is entirely in Hebrew, lead by three women and a male cantor. Though very few of the tunes were familiar, we three followed along pretty well, pointing to the words when the others were lost. In the middle, and this is the 6 part, you could see community members getting antsy and before you knew it a buxom lady took charge and started a conga-mayim-stepping line around the room. Having seen this before I decided to sit tight, but then Russel to my left was sucked in, and when I turned to the right for Sam he had jumped in too. What was I to do but grab the nearest hand and get dragged around the room?

After services Russel had a bachelor party weekend to attend in Brooklyn, so Sam stayed around with me and we met up with Anna for dinner. We went to the Heights, a new favorite dinner and drink place of mine down on 112th. The long wait for food was ok because we were able to catch up and Sam talked to Anna about her redneck she's in love with in Ohio. It seems to me that Ohio is taking over; I hear that state mentioned about 10 times a week and am always running into someone with a connection there. I'm sick of it, Ohio stop trying to suck me back to your hellhole ringed with tempting buckeyes and graeter's ice cream! After dinner Sam went home and Anna joined me at I-House. We had to get my second mattress I'd loaned to Dominick back to my room, and then we joined the fun of Toga Night at The Pub, where no one was wearing togas. Thanks to Anna's bad influence, I had a very good time.

Saturday, Anna and I slowly got ourselves together and headed back to Sam's where we met up with Rachel Buxbaum and newly arrived Raema Quam! Armed with a watermelon, we headed out to Central Park where we met Russel for a picnic. The rest of the story might best be told through pictures:
Raema, Sam, Rachel, Anna lugging a watermelon across Manhattan

Rachel, Raema, Anna, Me
Russel and Sam in Central Park

Rachel, Sam, Raema: the least thuggy thugs in all NY







The melon turned out to look and taste more like a pumpkin, so....

After a few more shennanigans.....................
Including Anna being eaten by a Hungry Hippo



Russel had to leave to get back to his bachelors, Anna had to meet up with a Commie in the Park, and the rest of us took the train back to my place. And currently, this is what they look like (the space between Raema and Sam is mine, but I can't power nap like these professionals):