NYC DAY #2 BLOG!!!! I was boring & just ordered coffee fro..

NYC DAY #2 BLOG!!!! I was boring & just ordered coffee from the hotel, mostly because I slept late & spent all morning trying to plan my day so I wanted to get a move on. I also skipped breakfast so I could work up an appetite for dinner. Spencer had to work so I decided to take advantage of the solo time to shop. Sadly, a lot of places I had really wanted to check out were closed since COVID, but I was also wayyyy over ambitious with how many places I could make it to (I can't even walk into a Target and only spend 15 minutes in there, let alone a thrift store) so I don't think I would have even made it to the street where they were! I get that some of you are like, "I signed up for this for the nudes, why the fuck is she talking about shopping?" But this isn't just any shopping, this was a cultural experience! As you *should* know, my brand Los Angeles After Dark is partially inspired by punk, so I was looking for inspiration more than anything, especially since I was staying near the East Village which was the SPOT back in the 70s. Obviously, punk isn't just fashion. It's a movement, it's music, it's an ethos, it's an attitude. But I wanted to go window thrifting as my Artist Date (per my post about The Artist's Way) so that's what I dove into. First I hit SEARCH & DESTROY, a mid to high priced thrift store. Tees cost $50-150, leather jackets $200-600. The most expensive stuff was REALLY cool one-of-a-kind shit, but the store was crammed so I can't believe it was all that curated or that the average piece in there is as unique or valuable as the price suggested. I literally could not take anything off of a rack because it was impossible to hang back up, but it was worth going just because of all the wild stuff in there - lots of crazy porn on the walls & furry costumes & shit. My favorite items were a long sleeved t-shirt with a black & white photo of a naked man having his dick sucked, a backpack fully covered in a collage of Michelle Obama, & some black jeans with hand stitched bone patches on them. I got yelled at for taking a picture to send to Natalie though - not very punk of them imo. Felt pretentious & like it went against the IDGAF vibe they were trying to put off so I decided not to buy anything. Then I hit TRASH & VAUDEVILLE which isn't a thrift store but has been around since the 70s so I wanted to check it out. I would describe it as a basics store for punks/goths. It was the least exciting place but the woman who worked there was really nice & I ended up buying a plaid skirt because I had been meaning to get one anyway. I wandered through Tompkins Square Park on my way to THE CAST which was probably my favorite place. This was like... minimalist/chic punk vibes. It was heavy on the leather, black & white, leopard, & red like all the other places, but it was mostly very understated & wearable anywhere. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't pretentiously priced either and seemed on par for the quality. The manager was a super hot chick with pale skin & dark hair with those typical "alt" bangs like a "stereotypical goth girl," but she wasn't wearing any makeup & was rocking simple black leggings & a leather jacket. I tell you this because she personified the store in my opinion. She gave approachable, cool girl vibes without trying. The store had it's own brand as well as a few others, but my favorite section was the highly curated vintage section, specifically the fun lingerie they had! I ended up buying a vintage robe for Natalie because she's been wanting one for a while (& took pictures in it for y'all lol). Oh god. I really did rant & rave hahaha. I didn't mean to go *that* into detail about shopping on here but I did... oops. I won't be offended if you don't give a shit lol. On the way home I went to STANLEY'S PHARMACY which is a pharmacy but also a health & wellness juice type spot? I'm not totally sure because they weren't open to walk into (fuckin' COVID!), so I just ordered a juice from the outdoor counter. The guy working there seemed like a trip & he made me a spicy ginger juice that was delish & so refreshing. I would definitely go back to see what it looks like inside and what else they sell! After Spencer's speaking engagement it was finally time for dinner!!!! Penny chose a spot called PEASANT and as usual she did not disappoint. It's wonderful having friends who appreciate good food as much as I do, because someone *always* comes through with a fire pick. I am *truly* sorry I have no food porn from dinner for you, but I was very intoxicated & it was very dark so they would have been trash anyway. However, the food was NOT trash. It was fucking great. Natalie, Penny, & I split the hot oysters in bone marrow, cacio e pepe bucatini, & pepperoni flat bread. At first I felt meh about the oysters because what I love about oysters is them being raw and refreshing, so being hot & fatty kind of defeats the purpose imo. But then I discovered putting the oysters on bread and drizzling the bone marrow on top and I was sold. The bucatini was brought out in a mason jar which we all thought was... a weird presentation choice... but it was my favorite pasta of the weekend! Very very al dente, very very good. The pepperoni flat bread was unremarkable, but that's exactly how I like my flatbreads. I don't want a weird cheese or experimental ingredients. I also loved the drink I ordered so much that I got it twice when I usually like to switch things up. I have no recollection of what it was called or what was in it, but the waitress told me I'm apparently only the second person to order it? LOL - I have no idea why because it was very unaggressive but still flavorful and not too sweet. It reminded me of a Manhattan but wasn't made with whiskey. After dinner we went to APOTHOKE much to my excitement. I love craft cocktails, but a lot of places are underwhelming and have extremely similar drinks with a high price tag and mediocre bartenders. Not Apothoke! Not only did they have very unique & interesting cocktails made by top notch bartenders, but an absinthe bar as well.The bartender was great & made me a tequila shot that I actually liked! I think it had chartreuse in it, but whatever it was, it got me to fuck with tequila so I was impressed! They even made my sober friend a fancy virgin cocktail which was nice since she usually gets stuck drinking soda water. My only complaint is that it was much more loud and packed than I had imagined, but I found out they have an LA location as well so I'll definitely be stopping in there at an earlier hour for more chill vibes. I didn't plan on going to any clubs in NYC (I get enough of that with work), but a friend of mine from Texas invited us to LITTLE SISTER because his friend was playing. It's a lot easier to entice me to a club when I don't have to wait in line for entry or drinks and get to chill in the DJ booth! He was a great DJ though so I ended up having a lot of fun... possibly too much. I *may* have dropped my open purse & lost a few items... *facepalm* Anyway, SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG! I was enjoying reliving it though haha. I took a few NSFW pics in the robe so those will be in your inbox :) xoxo, cc PHOTOS: the robe I got Natalie, the spicy ginger juice, a dumb selfie, one of my drinks at Apothoke (pisco with dandelion root, lemon, egg white, lemon verbena, daisy flower), me being very lit at Penny's apartment, & the outside of Search & Destroy TL;DR - I hit a few stores in the East Village in an attempt to immerse myself in punk fashion for the day, ate some dank food, had some great drinks, & danced to some great music!