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billfromlaketravis

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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1 hour ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

If you are set on being near MSG, can’t go wrong with Keens. Otherwise, MSG is right in the middle of the worst part of Manhattan. Otherwise, get a 6pm dinner in another neighborhood on the west side and make it back to MSG in time for show time at 8. 

I had to go to the Billy Joel show 2 weeks ago with clients. Pleasantly surprised.

 

This is excellent advice.  Keens is outstanding, and it is a New York Classic.

That being said, a lot of great places in the West Village are a quick subway hop away as well.

Also, Cafe Chelsea.  Food is excellent.  I’ll post pics.

 

 

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Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15531

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12 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

This is excellent advice.  Keens is outstanding, and it is a New York Classic.

That being said, a lot of great places in the West Village are a quick subway hop away as well.

Also, Cafe Chelsea.  Food is excellent.  I’ll post pics.

 

 

14 hours ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

If you are set on being near MSG, can’t go wrong with Keens. Otherwise, MSG is right in the middle of the worst part of Manhattan so better off getting a 6pm dinner in another neighborhood on the west side and make it back to MSG in time for the show at 8. 

I had to go to the Billy Joel show 2 weeks ago with clients. Pleasantly surprised.

 

I'm not married to anything (I mean, apart from Mrs.LL; and even that's a bit day-to-day).  My thought, though, was that since the Billy Joel concert is the point of the trip, we probably want to be close by for it.  And in particular, it'd be nice after the show to be able to have a short walk back to the hotel rather than waiting on a cab or having to fight the Subway with 20,000 other people.

But if I've misapprehended the situation, I'm all ears on other suggestions.  I mean, I know she's going to want to go to a show on another night.  But other than that, I don't think we have any real plans.  And I'd appreciate any suggestions on that, too.  It's January, so the weather is liable to suck.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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2 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

I'm not married to anything (I mean, apart from Mrs.LL; and even that's a bit day-to-day).  My thought, though, was that since the Billy Joel concert is the point of the trip, we probably want to be close by for it.  And in particular, it'd be nice after the show to be able to have a short walk back to the hotel rather than waiting on a cab or having to fight the Subway with 20,000 other people.

But if I've misapprehended the situation, I'm all ears on other suggestions.  I mean, I know she's going to want to go to a show on another night.  But other than that, I don't think we have any real plans.  And I'd appreciate any suggestions on that, too.  It's January, so the weather is liable to suck.

Check out Hotel Chelsea if you have not already booked.  It is a 10 minute walk from MSG, which also means it is an easy in and out into Times Square.  It sits at W 23rd between 7th and 8th Aves.  And Cafe Chelsea is excellent (restaurant at the hotel).  They also have a Spanish restaurant that has been there for ages, and a really cool hotel bar.  Lots of really famous people have lived here.  And the renovation looks really, really nice.  

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Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock 7343

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We did breakfast at Cafe Chelsea the morning after the marathon and it was kickass.

The next day we had tickets to The Met so we ate at Bluestone Lane. Menu was small but the food was great.

Sun Sai Gai in Chinatown was about as authentic as I've ever seen. No racist I'm 99% certain we dined next to some heavy hitters for the Triads.

Also found myself at Playwright Irish Pub and Mcsorley's quite often.

Was recommended Noree Pad Thai and also Chef Morimoto. Noree is no longer a restaurant and Morimoto is closed.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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1 hour ago, Gale Snoats said:

Got in last night. Staying at the Carlyle just killing time today then early dinner at keens. Any thoughts on a good place to watch Texas Iowa state tonight close to either place? We’ll have our 10 and 12 yr olds with us.

Most of the places I know don’t allow kids.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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9 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

Chuck Schumer was our guest producer at Guttenberg tonight, pretty neat.

Did you enjoy it?  I want to see it again.  

Going to see Purlie Victorious tonight with Leslie Odom Jr. 

On Saturday evening, my friend and I are going to Ilis (restaurant in Greenpoint by one of the Noma founders).  We dropped $390 a head (plus tax and tip), and that is before wine.  We shall see.  

On December 1st, we grabbed tickets to the Roscioli takeover by Retrobottega, so that should be fun as well.  

Should have some good photos to post soon.

Also if you are in New York, pop by the Alexander McQueen store in Soho (71 Greene Street), ask for Dwaine, and buy something, but only by November 25th as that is Dwaine's last day.  My heart is sad, but my pocketbook is happy.

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deac_tracy

deac_tracy 516

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Going in February with my gf and parents. My Dad's a big meat and potatoes guy and this trip is primarily for his bday. Already have my eyes set on Four Charles. Are there any other meat centric places people recommend in Manhattan? Would rather not venture all the way out to Brooklyn for Peter Luger's.

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1739

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2 hours ago, deac_tracy said:

Going in February with my gf and parents. My Dad's a big meat and potatoes guy and this trip is primarily for his bday. Already have my eyes set on Four Charles. Are there any other meat centric places people recommend in Manhattan? Would rather not venture all the way out to Brooklyn for Peter Luger's.

You mean right across the bridge? Why not?

If you want to stay in Manhattan, Quality Meats and Sparks is good

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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6 hours ago, deac_tracy said:

Going in February with my gf and parents. My Dad's a big meat and potatoes guy and this trip is primarily for his bday. Already have my eyes set on Four Charles. Are there any other meat centric places people recommend in Manhattan? Would rather not venture all the way out to Brooklyn for Peter Luger's.

Check out Gallaghers, Keens, it St. Anselm.  Last one is in Williamsburg.  Sparks is solid as well.  I also like Smith & Wollensky.

best steak I ever ate in NYC is probably a tie between Keens, St. Anselm, or the Cote de Boeuf at Frenchette.

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UpperWestside

UpperWestside 6159

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On 11/16/2023 at 10:29 AM, SimonBolivar said:

Heading out on Saturday, is the Union Square Holiday Market worth hitting up or is the one at Bryant Park better?

Both are fun. I like to go to Bryant Park for free skating and then some coffee after. 
 

Union Square is where I go to sit and read at Barnes and Noble and check out the market later in the day.

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10957

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2 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

Both are fun. I like to go to Bryant Park for free skating and then some coffee after. 
 

Union Square is where I go to sit and read at Barnes and Noble and check out the market later in the day.

We ended up going to both since they were right there. They were similar of course but we spent more at Union Square so I guess that means we liked that one better (went to the Strand not B&N) afterwards.

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UpperWestside

UpperWestside 6159

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2 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

We ended up going to both since they were right there. They were similar of course but we spent more at Union Square so I guess that means we liked that one better (went to the Strand not B&N) afterwards.

The Strand is really cool. I do B&N because of the membership and minimal walking to the Q or 6 line. Union Square was the first place I came to in the city so I love it there. They have a cool farmer’s market that’s still going. I’ve bought some stuff there before to make salsa. 
 

Bryant Park gets so crowded this time of year and they charge more for stuff there because of all the tourists. Union is more laid back and quiet in comparison, which is really nice.

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UpperWestside

UpperWestside 6159

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9 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Having dinner tomorrow night at Ilis, from one of the Noma founders.  Special Thanksgiving menu.  Will report back.  

New York is a beating on restaurants.  There are honestly way too many good places to go to.

 

So many places is right! In an alternate universe I sit behind a desk and go out to eat often. In this one being around restaurants so much gives me pause on going out. Being noise averse means that if I want a quiet meal I better find a really out of the way place or buck up and go and spend 150 a person for some decent fine dining. 
 

I will just continue to follow your tour of restaurants to see all the great offerings from here.

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10957

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I had been to NYC before but last week was my wife's first trip. She absolutely fell in love with the city which is really odd considering she gets tired of people and hates being out in the rainy cold which it was last week. She's always ready to come home from Mexico City to get away from the people after a couple of days and I was expecting that, but she was sad to be leaving. Part of the reason could be because we stayed in Tribeca which empties out after working hours are done, but the real reason though was how great the people are in the city.

She was really happy with the Hispanic pride that she saw there and loved that people spoke to her in Spanish first which doesn't even happen in San Antonio or Houston (She dresses like con nopal en la frente, but actually loves her heritage and is a bilingual elementary school teacher). She was also blown away by how friendly everyone in the city was as we made friends quickly with people everywhere with them talking to us first.

 

The dude working at the local pizza place

The couple next to us at the Blue Note

The lady on the subway with her dog

The dude who knew everything about Broadway that sat in front of us at Gutenberg!

The Holiday booth operator at Bryant Park who went to Texas State

And on and on and on

 

I think she was expecting more New England stiffness instead of the Mid-Atlantic bluntness of NYC. I caught her checking apartment prices yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at how affordable they are after COVID. I highly doubt we end up moving up there with so many nieces and nephews popping up in the family that live within 2 hours of us in Texas, but I'm sure we'll be back 3 or 4 times in 2024.

 

Such a special place

 

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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1 hour ago, SimonBolivar said:

I had been to NYC before but last week was my wife's first trip. She absolutely fell in love with the city which is really odd considering she gets tired of people and hates being out in the rainy cold which it was last week. She's always ready to come home from Mexico City to get away from the people after a couple of days and I was expecting that, but she was sad to be leaving. Part of the reason could be because we stayed in Tribeca which empties out after working hours are done, but the real reason though was how great the people are in the city.

She was really happy with the Hispanic pride that she saw there and loved that people spoke to her in Spanish first which doesn't even happen in San Antonio or Houston (She dresses like con nopal en la frente, but actually loves her heritage and is a bilingual elementary school teacher). She was also blown away by how friendly everyone in the city was as we made friends quickly with people everywhere with them talking to us first.

 

The dude working at the local pizza place

The couple next to us at the Blue Note

The lady on the subway with her dog

The dude who knew everything about Broadway that sat in front of us at Gutenberg!

The Holiday booth operator at Bryant Park who went to Texas State

And on and on and on

 

I think she was expecting more New England stiffness instead of the Mid-Atlantic bluntness of NYC. I caught her checking apartment prices yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at how affordable they are after COVID. I highly doubt we end up moving up there with so many nieces and nephews popping up in the family that live within 2 hours of us in Texas, but I'm sure we'll be back 3 or 4 times in 2024.

 

Such a special place

 

Affordable apartments?!?

And yeah, New Yorkers will tell you to move the fuck out of the way when you block the sidewalk, but generally, once you get us in a bar or a restaurant, we are pretty nice and easy to talk to.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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2 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

Well not as bad as we expected and doable for 2 adults with graduate degrees in a 1BR. 

Average rent in Manhattan is above 4700 a month, for about 703 sq ft.  You can find small walkups for less than that, but not in the best neighborhoods.  And given subway and bus delays, being close in is important.

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Tylerocks

Tylerocks 2553

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Annual Xmas trip to visit the in-laws is set.

 

Used Jet Blue miles, so unfortunately flying into to JFK.  We jokingly talked about a helicopter to get to Manhattan, as the drive from JFK is a beating.  We would be landing late afternoon, so even worse than normal.

It's surprisingly not as expensive as I anticipated.  Plus a 5-min flight is much more palatable than a 2 hour commute after a 3 hr flight.

 

So, we're being super extra...and taking Blade.

 

Anyone used it??

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Native Horn

Native Horn 3498

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1 hour ago, Tylerocks said:

Annual Xmas trip to visit the in-laws is set.

 

Used Jet Blue miles, so unfortunately flying into to JFK.  We jokingly talked about a helicopter to get to Manhattan, as the drive from JFK is a beating.  We would be landing late afternoon, so even worse than normal.

It's surprisingly not as expensive as I anticipated.  Plus a 5-min flight is much more palatable than a 2 hour commute after a 3 hr flight.

 

So, we're being super extra...and taking Blade.

 

Anyone used it??

Had not heard of this.  Looks like $195 per seat.  Yikes.  Time savings is significant though.

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Reynolds Woodcock

Reynolds Woodcock 4738

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20 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Average rent in Manhattan is above 4700 a month, for about 703 sq ft.  You can find small walkups for less than that, but not in the best neighborhoods.  And given subway and bus delays, being close in is important.

Since we had our first kid earlier this year, my folks have been trying to find a studio in an elevator building with reasonable access to the West Village/surrounding area for $500K or so to replace their hotel visits. Pretty fucking tough sledding so far.    

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Professor Chesney

Professor Chesney 481

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Curious to see what people think about Peter Luger’s.  Just went for the first time and I was shocked by how disappointing it all was.  Frankly I thought it was worse than most of the Chicago/Texas steakhouses.

However they cooked the steak left a pretty large gray band, and although the quality of the meat was fine it didn’t stand out or blow me away.  Combine that with cold rolls and mediocre sides and the total came out to ~$200 a person without factoring in the bottles of wine …I’m sure most people on this board  could do better with a trip to central market.

Is this normal or am I missing something?

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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1 hour ago, Professor Chesney said:

Curious to see what people think about Peter Luger’s.  Just went for the first time and I was shocked by how disappointing it all was.  Frankly I thought it was worse than most of the Chicago/Texas steakhouses.

However they cooked the steak left a pretty large gray band, and although the quality of the meat was fine it didn’t stand out or blow me away.  Combine that with cold rolls and mediocre sides and the total came out to ~$200 a person without factoring in the bottles of wine …I’m sure most people on this board  could do better with a trip to central market.

Is this normal or am I missing something?

It was great 10-15 years ago (I last went in 2010), but there are MUCH better places in NYC.  It is now a gimmick.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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3 hours ago, Tylerocks said:

Annual Xmas trip to visit the in-laws is set.

 

Used Jet Blue miles, so unfortunately flying into to JFK.  We jokingly talked about a helicopter to get to Manhattan, as the drive from JFK is a beating.  We would be landing late afternoon, so even worse than normal.

It's surprisingly not as expensive as I anticipated.  Plus a 5-min flight is much more palatable than a 2 hour commute after a 3 hr flight.

 

So, we're being super extra...and taking Blade.

 

Anyone used it??

Double check what luggage you can take on the thing.  You might be best off having your bags delivered. Last I looked, you were severely limited on the chopper on luggage, specifically weight.  I live in Manhattan and fly in and out of JFK regularly.  Most times coming home, it is 45 mins to an hour to my place.

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ohchaucer

ohchaucer 1443

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Yeah Blade has very limited luggage allowance, at least back when they first started. I probably wouldn’t do it on my dime but when I’ve had it paid for it’s badass. Before we hit the burbs we were in Tribeca so jfk wasn’t terrible in a car but flying over the city and then being an 8 minute drive home is, as Ferris would say, so choice if you have the means.

And I’ll second the notion that Luger’s is a ghost of what it used to be. Now it’s just a tourist or business dinner to try and impress out of towners. Keens, Prime Meats, and many others are far superior these days. Of the chains, I’m partial to Smith & Wollensky (used to work across the street in midtown). Palm has gone way downhill, imo. I’m also fond of Old Homestead - not the best steak in town but great overall experience without quite the price tag of some others. St Anselm and Gallaghers also good. I like steak.

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Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15531

Posted
Posted
23 hours ago, Tylerocks said:

Annual Xmas trip to visit the in-laws is set.

 

Used Jet Blue miles, so unfortunately flying into to JFK.  We jokingly talked about a helicopter to get to Manhattan, as the drive from JFK is a beating.  We would be landing late afternoon, so even worse than normal.

It's surprisingly not as expensive as I anticipated.  Plus a 5-min flight is much more palatable than a 2 hour commute after a 3 hr flight.

 

So, we're being super extra...and taking Blade.

 

Anyone used it??

Yeah--we used it last summer and I'm going to use it again in January.  

The baggage allowance is small.  But if you're just there for a long weekend and you're just taking a carry-on, it's fine.  Otherwise, you're going to have to deal with a luggage-delivery service.

But here's the thing: it's a combination transportation and sightseeing deal.  Yea, you get to the airport in 7 minutes.  And that kicks the shit out of an hour in an Uber (which is going to cost at least $100 on its own).  But you get an amazing sightseeing tour along the way.  From the 30th Street Heliport, you go south down the Hudson as Manhattan is restricted airspace.  You then hook a left south of the Battery, which gives you a great view of the length of Manhattan on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other.  And then five minutes later, you're zooming up between the departure runways at JFK (which I found actually to be a bit unnerving) as you approach the helicopter terminal.

Is it worth it?  I mean, yeah--I think so.  It's damned expensive.  But it's also something you're only ever really going to do in NYC.    

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19100

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5 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Yeah--we used it last summer and I'm going to use it again in January.  

The baggage allowance is small.  But if you're just there for a long weekend and you're just taking a carry-on, it's fine.  Otherwise, you're going to have to deal with a luggage-delivery service.

But here's the thing: it's a combination transportation and sightseeing deal.  Yea, you get to the airport in 7 minutes.  And that kicks the shit out of an hour in an Uber (which is going to cost at least $100 on its own).  But you get an amazing sightseeing tour along the way.  From the 30th Street Heliport, you go south down the Hudson as Manhattan is restricted airspace.  You then hook a left south of the Battery, which gives you a great view of the length of Manhattan on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other.  And then five minutes later, you're zooming up between the departure runways at JFK (which I found actually to be a bit unnerving) as you approach the helicopter terminal.

Is it worth it?  I mean, yeah--I think so.  It's damned expensive.  But it's also something you're only ever really going to do in NYC.    

I would love to.  Alas, I am always traveling International Long Haul.  A single carry on doesn't work.  Maybe for a business trip to Houston in the New Year.  

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ohchaucer

ohchaucer 1443

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6 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Yeah--we used it last summer and I'm going to use it again in January.  

The baggage allowance is small.  But if you're just there for a long weekend and you're just taking a carry-on, it's fine.  Otherwise, you're going to have to deal with a luggage-delivery service.

But here's the thing: it's a combination transportation and sightseeing deal.  Yea, you get to the airport in 7 minutes.  And that kicks the shit out of an hour in an Uber (which is going to cost at least $100 on its own).  But you get an amazing sightseeing tour along the way.  From the 30th Street Heliport, you go south down the Hudson as Manhattan is restricted airspace.  You then hook a left south of the Battery, which gives you a great view of the length of Manhattan on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other.  And then five minutes later, you're zooming up between the departure runways at JFK (which I found actually to be a bit unnerving) as you approach the helicopter terminal.

Is it worth it?  I mean, yeah--I think so.  It's damned expensive.  But it's also something you're only ever really going to do in NYC.    

Yeah, this is so right. People pay lots to do helicopter sightseeing - this is a mini version of it. And more often than not I’m traveling on my own (business trips) so a black car or Uber isn’t that much cheaper.  A couple of times when I could only expense a “ground transportation” equivalent, I expensed $125 and paid the difference and it was well worth it. 
 

Now I have no option but to take a (long) car ride back to stupid CT, lol. 

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