Macy's Day Parade

Growing up in Hawaii, on Thanksgiving, while my mother roasted the turkey getting up at 5AM, we put on TV the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That was until my brother got into high school and then became obsessed with watching football (ugh!)- Then we watched some boring game. After the turkey was done and the Parade was over, we would take the turkey over to my grandmother’s house where our whole extended family would have thanksgiving lunch. Hundreds of relatives!

When I left Hawaii for the Mainland, it became a tradition for me to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade because it was one of the few things for me that made it feel like a holiday on a day that was often spent alone. Sure I’d always end up having turkey somewhere that night, but Thanksgiving morning was usually spent alone.

When I moved to New York 4 years ago, it never dawned on me to go down and watch the parade live. I’m not sure why. Part of me didn’t want to fight the crowds, and part of me knew that I would probably get a better view of the whole thing on TV, warm in my house.

This year though, I decided I was going to go see it live. And the night before, I was going to go see them inflate the balloons on the Upper West Side.

I found a group, the New York Social Network (NYSN) online offering drinks, dinner, and a tour of the balloons being inflated all for $10. Knowing full well it would be full of straight sorority girls and straight boys on the make for sorority girls, I signed Herbelicioius and myself up. I just wanted to see the balloons and if this group could get me closer, so be it.

The night before Thanksgiving, Herbelicious and I dressed like 2 straight preppy college boys, hopped on the train at 6PM and headed to the restaurant where NYSN was meeting. We were supposed to meet at 6:30PM on 80th Street. When we got out of the 81st Street stop at 6:45PM (smack between the 2 streets were the balloons were 76th and 81st), we were not prepared for the hoards and hoards of people blocking the streets viewing the balloons being inflated. There was no way we were going to make it through this crowd to 80th on time, so Heberlicious and I decided to just view the balloons on our own. Anyway, we didn’t want to deal with sorority girls and the boys who would be mad at us because the sorority girls would be all about the gay boys.

The sight of the balloons being inflated was AMAZING! I have never seen anything like it. Giant balloons of familiar characters held down like prisoners by huge nets. The guardrails were literally only 10 feet away from the balloons. We didn’t need a tour, we were already up close!

The First balloons we came across were of Buzz Light Year, and of some Macy’s stars. I felt like a Lilliputian standing next to a tied down Gulliver. And although I know that the balloons are not alive, it just seemed sad to see them held down the way they were.

The next balloon was Sponge bob (who we know is gay)

Kermit the frog tied down in an uncompromising position. I just had to take a picture of his ass and me.

We saw Beethoven

                                                   Shrek....

And Horton from Horton Hears a Who, and several other balloons that we sometimes had to twist our heads to figure out exactly who they were.

Then we had to fight our way to the next block. Why the NYPD think that by blocking sidewalks they will create MORE order is beyond me. Instead, the proceeded to cause MORE CHAOS as grumpy people pushed and shoved their way across streets that didn’t need to be crossed, but had to be because the police said so. There were kids complaining everywhere. I was saying to myself that I’m glad I don’t have kids, but at the same time thought about how nice it would be to share this experience with a kid of my own.

After fighting the crowds for maybe 30 minutes we got to 76th street to see the other balloons. Ronald McDonald who was tied down with his hands outstretched as if he was about to eat Hello Kitty’s ass!




The Energizer Bunny





                                                                     Dora

A fish whose mouth looked like a vagina about to suck up the woman working there (look at her size compared to the balloon--the fish was one of the smallest balloons!)

And a Smurf (who we all know were gay- all men living together in the village, blue probably with blue balls, with a girl whose voice was so raspy she could have been a man too).

We also saw the NYSN group with a sign. Walking around. Sure enough, preppy sorority girls and horny boys. It is exactly my crazy luck that we were late and able to avoid them.

Cold, and thirsty, Herbelicous and I decided to end the evening with booze and strippers at Rawhides. Not too late of an evening though, we had to get up to watch the parade live so that I could see these balloons flying. But 2 drinks and a hot stripper named Marcelo was enough to get us warm… actually get us hot!

Thanksgiving morning was a beautiful morning and we left the Bronx at 9:30 figuring we would catch the parade at around 59th street. We knew we were late and would have to fight the crowds. We ended up on 58th street trying to cross the street just as Buzz Light Year came flying down the street. I was in awe at how cool it looked flying. It was Giant, and being a spaceman, he belonged in the air. It was my crazy luck again that we would be right in front crossing the street as the balloon came down the block.

Herbelicious and I realized that by being in line at the crosswalk, we were in front of the crowds ON the sidewalk and had a better view. If only we could stay there. NYPD kept pushing us to cross. And that is when Herbelicous and I realized that if we kept crossing the street, we would always be in front!! And that is what we did.

We snapped pictures of the floats from in front

Of the Marching Bands

Of Kermit --from literally in front of him as we crossed the street. Our shots look as if we were marching IN the parade.

When Horton came down, we were literally right under him!

                                                                    Shrek

                                                                  Beethoven

                                                                   spongebob

A pirate and pirate ship


And finally Santa Clause which signaled the end of the parade and the start of Christmas.


But where was the rest? The Smurf, and Hello Kitty. We realized that we had missed the first half of the parade. But it was fine, I was cold, and I wanted coffee. Which is exactly what we did since nothing else was open anyway. Being at the parade is amazing. You can feel the excitement in the air, and nothing can prepare you for the sight of a GIANT balloon flying right above. All of the emotions running through me could never be felt by just watching it on TV. I think this will be my new tradition.

Learn Spanish:  Desfile   Parade

                             Globo     Balloon

                              el dia de Accion De Gracias    Thanksgiving

Habibi! Beloved, Sweetheart

Herberlicious and I are always on the lookout for hot men. Recently, we started noticing that a lot of the guys who work the Halal food carts on the streets of New York are HOT! But clearly not gay (after all, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in his speech at Columbia University, said that there were no gays in Iran like in the U. S. )- -We know better!


I had heard that there was a gay Arab dance party in NYC that was held only once a month, and changed venues each time. How do we find a moving party? I did an Internet search for gay Arab party NYC and found a blurb for Habibi! After following the links and finding it very intriguing http://www.izmix.com/, I found the party was for that upcoming Saturday. I quickly called the gang, Herbelcious, Robert, Ivan, and my friend Peter and told them we were going.


This month’s party was held at the China Club. After an extreme body pat down by the bouncers (which was really hot!) we were allowed in. The music was intoxicating. Hard driving dance beat, with a Middle Eastern flare--perhaps accordion, perhaps oboe or some sort of exotic instrument winding through the baselines. The lights on the walls and floor swirling patterns, and HOT Boys everywhere! Hot Arab boys with Dark features all dancing very sensually gyrating their hips, and belly dancing. Throughout the lyrics of all of the songs could be heard the word “Habibi” which means My Darling or Beloved. The smell in the air was also intoxicating. I cannot describe it, sweet and spicy with a hint of musk.. HOT!!

We quickly picked up the exotic erotic style of dance, me having always felt out of place dancing in regular clubs because I shake my ass too much (being from Hawaii), finally felt like I belonged. All these Hot Arab boys were shaking their asses off too!





The music kept building and building, the room getting hotter and hotter. Suddenly, a belly dancer appeared balancing a tray of lit candles on her head.


The men quickly surrounded her and cheered her on. She then started to pull guys up to dance with her. It was all very intoxicating and so sensual and HOT!
Throughout the evening, both Herbelicious and I kept getting asked "what kind of arab are you? French Arab?".


When the show was over it was back to dancing when out of nowhere appeared the Cartier Diva himself, ROGER! Guess Herbelicious and I aren’t the only ones who think Arab Boys are hot.


I had never danced so much in my life, my Red T-Shirt was soaked (which wasn’t a good thing because it was freezing cold outside), and for some reason, my shins hurt.

On our way home, Herbelicious and I stopped for pizza where some crazy drunk Irish or Scottish guy (I couldn't quite tell because his speech was so slurred) kept asking us what time it was because his blackberry said it was 7:45AM (it was 2:45AM here in NYC).


In the 59th street subway station, we came across a huge splatter of vomit! It was so sick, that I couldn’t even look at it because it was starting to make me gag. And you could see that this wasn’t just vomit, but that it was like projectile or something! Just looking at the picture still makes me gag.

Herbelicious and I talked about how we needed to bring Quinta to the next Habibi because she would love the dancing, and also bring my friend Raquel because she speaks some Farsi. As we looked at the pictures on the subway, we noticed there were a lot of orbs. Tricks of light? Or is the China Club Haunted?

Look at all the orbs in this picture!


Both Herbelicious and I went to sleep with Arab boys in our dreams.

Learn Spanish: amorcito, corazoncito- Habibi- Sweetheart, beloved

Pampering for FREE!

For those of you (like me) who watch Tabatha Coffey’s Salon Take Over on Bravo TV, some of us can only dream of having our hair cut & styled in one of NYC’s upscale Salons. But, I’m here to tell you there is a way to get pampered in one of these salons and all for FREE!

Many salons have apprentice programs where in order for someone to become a stylist; they must learn the technique and cutting style of the salon. This does not mean that the apprentices are not accomplished stylist already, but rather that they have to prove to the salon that they can cut using the technique and the style that the salon has become noted for. One such salon with the apprentice program is Bumble and Bumble—the celebrity and Fashion favorite in New York City. My friends Ivan and Johnny are both accomplished stylist at salons in California and Hawaii, but are now in the apprentice programs at Bumble and Bumble here in New York. They assist one of the many top stylists at the salon, washing, and blow drying, and observing the technique. On Mondays, they have Hair Clinic in which they must supply their own hair models, and show the salon that they are fast becoming masters of the techniques they are there to learn. So where do they find Hair models? By offering free invitations to the salon on the streets of NYC! Or on Craigslist (Though the salon discourages using Craigslist as the apprentices really may not see whose hair they are cutting until the actual appointment).









I recently had an opportunity to visit Ivan at Bumble and Bumble on 13th street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). You would not even know a salon was there. It is on the 8th floor. And for those of you who wonder if Tabatha Coffey’s way of running a business works, it definitely does, as Bumble and Bumble has already been following the same formula (that Tabatha has been using on her show) for almost 31 years!



As you walk in, you will see a major difference as compared to one of the faux Jean Louise David chains found all over NYC. This is really a Salon. You are greeted by the receptionist who offers you a beverage from the salon cafe, and invited to enjoy the seating area, or browse the products in the show room as she informs the stylist you are here.



The views of the city from the salon are spectacular, not what you would have expected from only the 8th floor. And the lobby offers comfortable seating. In one corner, there are even 2 private seats where you can enjoy a book or drink in tranquility as you await your appointment.

When your stylist is ready, you will be led down the grand staircase above which hangs the sign “IS MY HAIR OK?” and down to the changing area (in case you need to change your clothes for instances such as coloring).

From there you are either taken to the wash area for a shampoo and condition, Salon beautifully lit and lined with mirrors where the stylist will cut and style your hair, or to the coloring room which looks like something you would find out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

I didn’t really need a haircut, but rather a trim and Ivan did a great job. Ivan and Johnny constantly need models for different types of haircuts and styles. If you don’t mind trying a new style, or getting pampered, have a free Monday, email me your info at outnaboutnewyork@gmail.com and let me know so that I can let one of them know, or, you can search the ads on Craigslist... and remember... it's all for FREE!
Learn Spanish! Ivan es una diva estilista!
Ivan is a diva sylist!