The Big Apple

As I said in my previous post, arrived in Manhatten by bus from GNI. I was given general directions to the subway, found it quickly, and decided to buy an unlimited 7 day pass, even though I am only here for four days.
It was the Labor Day weekend (American spelling), and I did not have a reservation. People were paying hundred for hotels in New Jersey, and here was I on a budget trying to stay in Manhatten!
Subway was a breeze, and I got off in Chelsea. Found the Chelsea International Hostel that Hubertus told me about, and was told to come back at 2:00 to see if rooms were available. They mentioned that there might be private rooms for $80 a night, and I decided then that I wanted my first stay at a hostel to be private (there goes the budget).
Headed over to 7th Avenue, and found a nice Indian buffet for lunch. So nice after the bland food at GNI.
Headed back to the hostel, and waited in line, hoping to get a room. Turns out that there were no private rooms, so my first hostel was to be shared. Oh well, better get used to that.















Checked in, unpacked some of my stuff. Decided the best approach was to leave the unvaluable stuff (i.e., sleeping bad) in the pack under the bunkbed. I put the semi-valuable stuff (i.e., my prescriptions and paperwork) in the locker, and used the lock and key I had packed. Also decided to keep the really valuables (passport, ticket, cards and money) on me at all times in my shoulder bag. So far, this seems to be working well.
Headed out into the big city with only my sense of direction, did not even have a map. I adopted a "New York attitude", and within hours people were asking me for directions (they seemed surprised when I said I had no clue).
I walked and wandered the neighbourhoods (Canadian spelling), and just generally got a feel for the place. Heard that the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) was free on Friday afternoons, so headed uptown to Midtown Manhatten. Well, apparently so did every other tourist in New York - the line stretched for blocks, so gave up on that one.
Good thing for the unlimited subway pass, so hopped on, and headed back downtown.
Turned out I was on the wrong line (so much for New York attitude), so I overshot my stop on an Express Train. No problem, ended up close to Greenwich Village, so got off there, and looked for Chistopher Street (New York's Castro).
Was soon imbibing with the boys at a fun bar (has anyone else noticed this seems to be a drinking trip?). Met a very cute African-American guy named Neil, and we were astonished when we discovered that not only were we both Geminis, but we shared the same birthday - June 2. Cue weird music.......
Slept fairly well in the bunkroom with five other guys. It was fairly quiet, we have air-conditioning, and a bathroom for our room.
*Sidenote* have not mentioned the weather for NY, or GNI. Sunny every day, but not too hot - perfect!
Anyway, have explored the city more, took the subway over to Brooklyn, and walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhatten - what a view.
















Am going to head out today for more exploring. Will likely see the other Neil again (we also hung out yesterday), and likely back to the Village tonight.
I want to thank a really special guy for suggesting I stop in New York. I just love it here, the people, the diversity, the restaurants, the shops, the non-stop buzz of the city.
It is off to Frankfurt tomorrow on Lufthansa Business Class, with a discount connection to Copenhagen the next day.
I know it has been a while since the last post, but this will likely be the pattern. Probably about 7 - 10 days between the postings. I am doing this in the hostel computer room today, and I have been logged on 140 minutes to update my blog, and download tons of photos to my Flickr account. I am multi-tasking both at once, and according to the meter, this is only going to cost about $14.
More later from Europe!

Gay Naturists International

Did the early arrival at GNI, and my first surprise was how nice it was. I was expecting something like summer camp we went to as kid, and it was like that, only much nicer. Huge grounds, two beautiful huge pools, peaceful lake, fairly nice cabins, and lots of recreational facilities.
Strangly enough, as a first time early arrival, I was alone in my own cabin - how strange. However it was not long before I was invited to join another cabin (C1) rather than wait two days for my cabin mates to arrive.
So.... how to start to describe GNI. Well of course, everyone is naked most of the time - 600 men. Very friendly group of people, very down to earth. All of our food was included, and we ate summer camp dining hall style - only the quality was better.
The days tended to develop into a routine, breakfast, yoga in the gym, swimming some laps, lunch, maybe a little adventure across the lake, cocktails on our deck, then came the highlight of each day, the Theme Social of the Day!
At 5:00 each day, we gathered down by the lake to socialize, drink large amounts of wine and beer, and just generally have fun. However, the really crazy part was the costumes. Each day had a theme, and people have planned their costumes for months. Cabin A8 (much more about them later) always made a grand enterance as a group in matching outfits. To say it was over the top is a huge understatement! I have posted a few pictures here, and hope no one is offended my the nudity. But how else can you get photos of a naked event? I have not downloaded all the pictures to my flickr account (don't forget to check it out, instructions are in a previous blog post if you have forgotten) as I think they rate them, and all my photos could become restricted. So, I'll just leave them on the camera memory, and maybe transfer them to a disk sometime.
By the way, still loving the new camera, Dwayne!















Anyway, after the social, we would stagger up to dinner (staggering from drinking or laughing so hard!). Then there would be some kind of show each evening. After the show, we would often drop my cabin A8 before the naked disco. And yes, each night there was a high tech naked dance, with sound, light and more drinks. What a scene!
So, cabin A8, what's the story. These guys come every year, and build a huge deck addition to their cabin. It is then decorated with a theme (this year IHOP - International House of Penises). Then they dress up in costume, and serve free drinks for hours to anyone who wants to drop in. They have blender drinks like Margeritas and Mudslides every night, served to you on a tray, or you can help yourself to huge dispensers of Cosmos (wickedly strong). Word is they spend a total of $12,000 on booze each year - to say they are generous would be a huge understatement.
Some other wonderful general highlights of GNI include:
- tubs of soda on ice all over the camp all day
- popsicle deliveries to everyone around the camp each afternoon
- daily theme socials
- cabin A8 boozefests
- theme parties held by various cabins (the Canadian party was excellent!)
- across the lake (GNI insiders know what this means).
Lots of other highlights in my journal, but this is enough for the blog - you get the idea.
It all came to an end too soon, and we were off in the bus for New York City. I met a very nice guy from Muenster, Germany on the bus, and he generously offered me a guest room there. I will definitely try to take him up on his offer - thanks Hubertus.
Was quite excited approaching Manhatten from the New Jersey side. Spectacular! But I was also nervous, as I did not have any reservations. Hubertus gave me the names of a few hostels from his Germain guidebook, and also said if I was stuck, I could stay with him at his hotel in New Jersey. Another of my cabinmates who lives in Queens also gave my his phone number in case I had problems. Wow, already meeting really great people.

Air Canada Executive First

Flew AC Executive First from Vancouver to Toronto, as I grabbed an incoming flight from Sydney. The new Executive Suites are wonderful. You sit in your own "pod" that converts to a full length flat bed. There are all kinds of creature comforts, including a large swing out flat screen TV, noise cancelling headsets, very cool lighting, and great food and wine.
Caught an Embraer 190 to Newark. Spent the night at a plain little hotel, right under the flight path (scary!), then off to GNI the next day.

19 lesbians and 3 fags

Managed to get ourselves invited over to Tahoe's biggest gay shindig, at Lynn and Stevies'. Gaggles of lesbians but just Craige, Greg and I representing the boys. What, no gay boys in the Tahoe??

The answer to this mystery lay in the fact that none other than the Queen of Disco herself, Donna Summer was playing in Reno that night. Apparently, every gay guy within a 300 mile radius was at her show.



















Oh well, more booze for us. And yes, boy did we all indulge.

Kayaking at 6300, Hiking at 8500

Craige, Greg and I loaded up the Pilot, grabbed Higgins (the dog) and headed up I-80 to the Sierra Nevadas, and beautiful Lake Tahoe. Their wonderful friends Dawn and Stephanie live up there in a pretty upscale place called Incline Village.

They have a wonderful house with a million dollar view of the lake. What followed was four days of gourmet dining (Steph, Craige and Greg are all great cooks), more sipping of fine California wines, great conversation, and just generally enjoying their home, complete with three decks and a very comfortable backyard.

We did manage to get out everyday, and get some serious exercise. The title of this blog reflects the elevations at which we did the exercise. Thursday evening (August 14, 2008) we did a "warm up" hike about their place at about 7500 feet in elevation. A bit steep at the beginning, but really pretty easy hike overall. I think it was about 2 miles, and the lack of oxygen was not too bad, but noticeable.

The next day we took a couple of kayaks down to the lake (6300 ft) and went out for about an hour and a half. It was a great way to see the increadible waterfront homes (mansions) on the lake. We managed to avoid a major water battle (although Steph looked like she really wanted to soak Dawn and Greg's kayak), and arrived back feeling pretty good. You will notice there is no mention of Craige in the activity section, he prefers to stay on shore or at home. Oh well, he does not know what he is missing.















With serious hangovers on Saturday morning (see next blog for the cause) we set out on a less ambitious hike than originally planned. It was still an excellent on, along the ridgeline about the lake. Stopped at a great granite formation overlooking the lake for lunch. Amazing for a Saturday, no one else there.
















Back to the house for another amazing meal. Boy, this is the life!

Veuve Clicquot - again......

Although Craige and Greg have been together many years, August 11, 2008 marks the one-year anniversary of their marriage (in Canada, of course).

So, for the second time this year, I find myself sipping Veuve Clicquot, third time if you count my "Christmas with the Gabors" (you don't want to know!).

If you find yourself sipping a lot of expensive champagne:

1) You are probably a lush
2) Your life is probably pretty exciting
3) You likely have some wonderful and generous friends

This was followed by:

Caprese Salad
Filet Mignon, with mushrooms and bernaise sauce
Roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary
Baby Asparagus with lemon
1997 Silver Oak Reserve Cabernet Saugvignon
Pluot Clafouti with vanilla ice cream (I know you have no idea what this is).

If you each send me 10 euros, I'll tell you what Pluot Clafouti is.

And this is only the first day!

Got off my Alaska Airlines flight the first day, August 9, and there was Craige waiting in SFO, prompt as always. Zipped back across the Bay Bridge, and sat in the backyard, listening to the fountain in the warm California sunshine (86 degrees).

I knew we were planning to go to a party sometime, but was not pleased to hear it was that night. Those of you who know me know that I am not a big mingler at all, and prefer small groups. Craige and Greg said we would have our own table, and mingling really was not necessary.

So - the party, private affair for winery members only and their guests at Clos du Val winery. I have been there a few times, and it is truly a beautiful setting. Went over to their friends Robert and Craig's in American Canyon, and the five of us set out up the Napa Valley.

We were ushered in just as the party was starting, so got a good parking space. As you can see by the pictures, we were nestled up against the winery right out by the vineyards themselves. It was a beautiful sunny evening.

The theme was Greek, and about half the guest were in costume. Greek Elvis and Greek Marilyn Merlot were the hits of the party. Food stations were set up spread out amoungst the vines, so there were no lineups, and it was very well organized. The shrimp and salmon were particularly good, and an entire lamb was being roasted over a spit (with apologies to my veg family/friends Laurie, Chris and Seth!).

Wine stations were also spread out, with only Reserve Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet being served - all excellent.

Then they announced they were pulling out the huge bottles of '77, '78 and '79 Cabernet Saugvignon, decanting them, and pouring generously. They did not just grab a few bottles, bottle after bottle was being pulled from the cellar all night; that way the wine was still the right temperature.

Everyone was quite loosened up by this point (read drunk), and all the Greek gods and godesses were dancing to some pretty fun music.

All in all, an excellent night, and amazing way to start this amazing trip.

Cheers!

Important notice about photos and access

Hi everyone,

Am finally figuring out my camera, this blog, my portable camera card reader, and my flickr account. So, guess I am ready to allow everyone access to my pictures. I have set it so anyone can see them (so pass on to anyone you think might be interested). I believe I have also blocked everyone from downloading my pictures. Any suggestions you all have would be much appreciated (especially from you techie people.

In order to view my photos, type in web address:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whereintheworldisneil/

Although you can do a slideshow from the homepage, it will be all my camera images in reverse order, so suggest you click on "sets"

Then, choose a set by title/picture

Then when in the actual set, click on slideshow (in the upper right hand corner).

Enjoy!

Alaska Airlines AS 224, Seat 1D

Don't know why I took such an early flight, but got up at 3:30 AM, and headed to the airport by taxi. Customs and security were fairly easy, and decided at the very least I would treat myself to the lounge (Chris would be proud!). I had been unable to upgrade to First Class on my web check-in, and mentioned this to the lady at the lounge desk. She said something about problems upgrading when flight continued on to foreign countries; all she was able to do was give me Priority Upgrade status, and suggested I talk to the gate agent ASAP.

I did exactly that, and ta-da, I was upgraded for a measly $50.

Flight was nice, lovely breakfast of fresh fruit, cranberry juice and a warm scone served on a real plate with tablecloth.

I asked the First Class flight attendant (Lorrie) if she would mind taking my picture. I said that I knew it was kind of tacky, and she said no it was not. I was telling her about my trip, and I swear she was more excited than me. She said she absolutely had to get a picture with me, and grabbed another FA to be the photographer. So here we are hugging in the aisle of the plane, the other passengers probably wondering what the hell is going on. As I said before, this trip, and my attitude about it, seem to be infectious.