Season opening, PBR style, in NYC.
Now this time around, I was beyond prepared style wise. My boho-fashionista self was back in action and ready to class it out.
My sister and her friend were unable to leave work early, so that meant we had to wait until the afternoon to head to NYC.
Wait until the afternoon to head to NYC, in January, with a huge snowstorm on the horizon.
We got stuck in a blizzard and lost a windshield wiper. Meaning we had to get ourselves off the highway, find a store where some nice gentleman would replace said wiper, and we could get back on our merry way.
Needless to say, we didn't get to NYC in time for the event.
Back-up plan: eat some easy-mac, down lots of booze, and head directly to the after party bar.
Clearly we were ready to roll as we showed up at the "after-party" bar.
But wait....we messed up again?!
Sigh, we hailed a taxi and were taken to the real after party bar. Except there was an enormous line outside.
One of the cowboys walked by, the one who had lent me his jacket last year in NYC.
Heyyyyyy - remember us?! Can we hop in with you??
The bouncer nearly stopped us, but as the rider stared at me blankly - he said they're with me.
Booooom - we were in!
Mind you, like a couple hours later - the same rider came up to me as he finally remembered why he knew us.
We danced are bottoms off and somehow remained at the bar until 4AM.
At which point we returned to the hotel - with a rider in tow.
We walked in the doors and seeing the up & down escalator in front of me - I had a brilliant idea.
RAACEE!!
Except I chose to run up the down escalator, racing against a stellar male athlete.
Worst decision ever. I ended up wiping out at the top, he had to grab me off the escalator, and I collapsed into pain and giggles.
I still have a scar on my right knee where it got tore up.
We all fell asleep, real classy like.
We did some running around NYC the following day and then returned to the hotel to pre-game and primp.
We made it to the event, thank goodness.
We made it to the actual after party bar - where we had some friends meeting up with us.
We proceeded to dance on top of the bar and take a number of shots.
I met some nice cowboy gentleman who was talking me up. Single, kind, sigh, good looking.
Except as we went outside, one of the riders who I have a serious on-going flirtation with (aka pillow down the middle gentleman)....absconded me into his cab. Leaving nice gentleman cowboy behind.
One night stand with a married man? Classy, I know. You can all punch me in the face later for being that girl.
I roused myself at 7AM and decided I must be close to my actual hotel and that I would walk there.
I was not close.
20 blocks is not close when you are still drunk.
I called my friend and left a voicemail (which I listened to the following week, cripes you couldn't understand a word I said).
I called my other friend and thank goodness she picked up and I rambled as I walked.
I walked straight into the turning doors of my hotel and stood there.
Dude, seriously, the turning doors are broken. They aren't turning. I'm standing here, stuck.
After several moments of near drunken panic, I realized you needed to push the doors.
I'm sure the front desk personnel loved it.
I eventually got to my hotel room, changed into boxers & a tee, and jumped into bed.
A few hours later we realized we needed to check out in 30 minutes.
We needed to find my sister.
After tracking her down at a different hotel with a rider - and declaring she rush her ass along considering she needed to transfer her belongings into a different suitcase so that after the event we could drop her off at the airport so she could jet set onto a mini vacay.
I think she arrived back at our hotel with moments to spare before check-out.
We were disaster-face and me and my sister even had matching hickies.
The best part is - is that one of our friends befriended an elderly security man at the bar the night before. A security man for Madison Square Garden.
We ended up with seats directly behind the chutes.
Our parents spotted us on tv each time a rider went out.
Stellar. Best seats EVER.
Following the event - we even got pulled down onto the dirt.
And then went behind the scenes - aka we saw all the riders after the event - as they were showering up & changing.
A whole new level of creep.
Then the security man brought us out for food and drinks.
Then we dropped my sister off at the airport - and drove home.
She was headed off to continue to drink her little heart out on a beach.
We were headed back to recovery in the snow.
