so last night I traveled from LA to NY for the big Thanksgiving trip. My brother and I had our parents drop us off straight from the airport to the yearly high school reunion at a local pub. Every Thanksgiving eve, all of my friends, including all other grades spanning around 5 years or so, come in from our apts in the city, or out of town, and all meet up at a neighborhood bar.
Let me backtrack real quick - I grew up in a small suburb outside NYC. My entire town all grew up together - preschool, elementary school, middle school to high school. All the grades were pretty small, so it was hard not to make friends with people in other grades. We all know each other, and each others families, for the most part. We're a pretty tight knit crew, and it can be a little uncomfortable for any outsider.
In general, post college, people move into an apartment in NYC, and always come home, to the houses we grew up in, for Thanksgiving. So reuniting everyone at a bar Thanksgiving eve has just naturally become an unspoken tradition.
Now for me personally, I'm one of the very few that actually moved to a different state - cross country, to Los Angeles, to be exact. So it's very exciting for me to come home to see all of my friends I left behind. But because I was so close with everyone, it's almost like I never left - and I love it. It's great to come back to a group of people and fit right back in. That's what I love about my friends, about my community. You can come back, catch up real quick, and slip into how it used to be. And I rarely come back to NY for visits, so partying with my friends is very important to me.
SIDENOTE - after living in LA for over a year now, I'm used to bars closing at 2am, and lasts calls being around 130. That doesnt happen in NY. So when i look down at my watch and it reads 2:30, I'm slightly confused. But confusion quickly turns to happiness, when I realize the night is young and we can keep drinking. And somehow I didnt pay for one drink last night :)
Next thing I know, the bar crowd dies down a bit, and I find myself making my way to the 24-hr diner next door. And i'm not surprised that when I walk in, everyone else from my school that was at the bar too, is also there, taking up numerous tables around the restaurant. The party continues!
The conversation turns into more serious talks -- high school memories. Who was going out with who, who broke a bottle over someone's head that one time, who had a secret crush on so-and-so, pointing out who was the town athletic hero, etc etc.
Finally around 4:15a, we call it a night and decide to go home. While everyone was scrambling to find rides and call the last taxi in town, my table discretely walked out of the restaurant, trying not to make a big deal of our departure. (we had a DD and maximum people in the car, so we didn't wanna risk anything if there should be random checkpoints). I eventually passed out around 4:45.. not to mention I woke up the next day remembering i had the most random and detailed dreams.
But, it was another one for the books. I believe that was my 3rd time going, and I dont want it to ever stop! it's too much fun! ... (sigh)... 'till next year ...
-Harley's Hype
I love it.
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