Dancin'

Wednesday I woke up with a full body of sickness. I'll spare you the details. But I did end up missing the walking tour of Harlem that the group got to take. I didn't want to miss out on Ametuer Night at the Apollo that evening, so I rallied and went with the group to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The streets around the Apollo were alive and shimmering. Boomboxes blared Top 40 songs, a million street vendors sold their wares, and for some reason there was a plethora of dancing children, who, if you know me at all you know I can't resist.

We got into the theater, and the party did not stop. In fact, I think it got louder. There was a DJ on stage warming the crowd up, and people standing up from their seats dancin'. And the reason I say it like that is because there was no halfhearted clapping to the beat or stepping side to side, these people were dancin'.

After the DJ warm-up, there was a live band warm-up, and then the show finally started. But not before a special kids competition, where four kids ages 5 - 13 performed a song each. They were incredible! I can't believe each of them isn't already famous. The five year old came out in a little red gown and tiara and sang a song with as much power as an adult woman. I almost cried!

Then, finally, the real show started. Amatuer singers, dancers and instrumentalists braved the stage with the very real possibility of getting booed off stage (its encouraged at the Apollo!). It almost happened a few times, and I always felt sad for them. They would start hearing boos and immediately try harder, sing louder, or get a wild look of desperation in their eyes. I felt pity for them, but I'm a wuss. Many in our group enjoyed a few boos.

After a violin and guitar duo claimed the top prize of $10,000, we called it a night.

Thursday ended up being a free day of sorts, so a few Harry Potter geeks, myself included, traveled down to Times Square to visit the exhibit there. I realized I know way too much about Harry Potter.

Then it was off to re-explore the East Village! Caracas, the arepas bar I've been wanting to eat at for the entire trip, had an hour wait, so we stopped to read the menu at the next place we saw. To my friend Cara's delight, it was a Filipino restaurant, and so we all agreed to try it at her excitement. I think that's what I love most about this city so far. Oh, so the Venezuelan restaurant you've been meaning to try is too busy? No problem, the next random restaurant you see will have delicious Filipino food that will blow your mind. Love it.

We all tried each other's food, and so I ended up eating: pork in adobo, asian shrimp, egg noodle with shrimp, coconut chicken and beef tongue in wine and mushroom sauce. So. Good.

After the meal (and okay, a few drinks) we were ready to keep exploring the Village. We found a bar named the Thirsty Scholar, which seemed appropriate (even though we haven't done much in the way of scholastics this trip so far) and the bartender finally enlightened me as to why I don't get hit on in bars (I look too much like I have my shit together, apparently). After observing a backpacked couple take it to the bathroom, we decided our time was up, and headed out. We lost a couple companions to their beds on the way to the next bar, and I was tempted, but kept on going. So glad I did.

The next place, Mike had found online as being a great place for dancing. Feeling the few cocktails in me, I knew I was ready to get down. And then we got to the club. Not only were we the only white people, we were the only people under 40. We soon figured out that we had inadvertently crashed a retirement party, but watching old people dance to house music was way too entertaining to ditch our drinks for. And then, the celebrity sighting! This fly lady in the tightest white dress possible sauntered into the club behind a video camera with a spotlight on her. The camera captured her ordering her drink, turning slowly to the dance floor, and then casually walking through it to the secret back room like she owned the place. It was hilarious. When we finally got to ask what the hell was up with that, the only response we got was "she's singing tonight", like that explained everything. When the camera guy started shooting the dance floor, we all got up and danced, hoping to someday catch a glimpse of our white limbs on some random reality show. Although the editing people will probably notice my blatant white girl moves, and cut us out of the shot. Oh well.

Mike told us about yet another spot of supposed good dancing, so we headed there. I was intrigued by its description of all vintage, thrift store decor. We got to where it supposedly was, and got cat called in, escorted by an extremely attractive bouncer. Turns out we were the first females to get there, despite it being 1 in the morning. It was extremely eclectic, with a hipster bartender pouring our drinks wearing an "I heart magical realism" tshirt and reading a novel by the cash register between customers and about 10 hip hop guys spinning top 40 hits. A freestyle rapper grabbed the mic, and the bouncer tried to convince me that I should go up next. After telling him I had no rhymes, and would probably end up talking about unicorns, we made up a short rap about them, luckily, in the safety of my group. We got to see Mike's impressive Detroit dance moves, and danced in a group of rotating men for about an hour before setting out on a rain soaked journey home.

Another great, if random, night in the city.

Thanks for reading!