The City, It Never Sleeps
Title: The City, It Never Sleeps
Author:
clippedwings
Location: New York, New York
Summary: The dastardly duo discover there's more than just the tourist traps to explore in good ol' Manhattan. Aka Chrissy knows the Upper West Side all too well.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Sorry this is late, I had major personal drama and the fic sort of exploded in my face. But it's done!
They pull into the big, bustling city of Manhattan pretty early in the day, giving them plenty of time to explore. The first thing they know they need to do is park the car somewhere. They find a decent lot that’d let them park their car overnight for three days for a good rate. Pete knows the city, has been here before, so he knows it’s not that steep a rate. The key, after all, is finding a lot that’s not close to anything too exciting.
So they decide to park the car and Pete pulls out the map from the glove department. Unlike most of the other maps he’s commandeered for this trip, this one’s got all the subways marked off on it.
“Let’s figure out what cross-streets we’re on,” Pete mumbles, grabbing Patrick’s hand. Patrick’s not too skilled with navigating around a city like this, so he lets Pete do all the decision-making. Maybe not the best plan, but it’s better than nothing.
“Just don’t get us lost again, please?” Patrick pleads. He’s just grateful to be away from the terror that was Jersey. “And are we going to check into the hotel first?” He’s carrying the bags, so he really doesn’t want to carry them around all day.
“Again?” Pete scoffs, shaking his head. “You’re going to take that back when you see what hotel I’ve booked.” Oh yes, this one is going to be special. He’s been saving this as a surprise because, okay it’s not Chicago, or Los Angeles, but New York’s still special to him. He opened up his bar here, and he wants to show Patrick a great time here.
“I don’t wanna know,” Patrick remarks with a raised eyebrow. He lets Pete figure out that they’re really far uptown but there’s a station for the three train a few blocks down.
“We take the 3 train to 72nd and the 1 train to 50th and we’ll be right there,” Pete replies. Patrick has no idea what this means, so he just nods. He does know that the layout of Manhattan is a grid of numbered streets going uptown/downtown and avenues going crosstown, but he doesn’t really know much more than that. Besides, Pete’s the one that booked this place, so he should hopefully know what to do to get there.
One subway ride later and Pete leads them to this tall building on Madison Avenue. Patrick’s jaw is permanently unhinged, it would seem, as he gawks up at the skyscraper. “That’s...where we’re staying?” He sees the name of it – The New York Palace Hotel. He hasn’t even been inside yet and already he knows it’s not going to be like the other hotels.
“That’s where we’re staying. I got us a Tower suite so we will have the best view from our window.” Pete smirks as he notices Patrick staring up at the hotel as if his eyes were glued in place. “C’mon, if we go now, we might be able to get in a quick one before going out.”
Patrick rolls his eyes at that but walks into the lobby anyway. He wouldn’t exactly mind a “quick one” before they explore the Big Apple.
~*~
A little over an hour later, Patrick and Pete return to the hotel lobby with a fresh change of clothes and damp hair from impromptu shower sex (“Pete, we’re supposed to be getting clean now, not dirty again!”). Pete’s got his map in hand and Patrick’s in charge of the guidebook.
“Where do you want to go now? It’s pretty early so we can probably get one thing in before dinner.” Patrick flips through the guidebook and tries to figure out some place close by so they don’t have to ride the subway again.
“We could go to a museum? Or maybe the park?” Pete suggests with a shrug. He hasn’t really planned out the whole day; he just has a list of things he definitely wants to see with Patrick.
“How about both?” Patrick suggests after a moment of shuffling through the guidebook. “Apparently the American Museum of Natural History is right near Central Park. If we take the subway or a cab, we can walk through the park and go to the museum.”
“Genius!” Pete exclaims, grinning as he wraps an arm around Patrick and guides him towards the subway station. “I’ve heard good things about this. Gabe says we have to visit the undersea exhibit and I’ve been dying to see the dinosaurs.”
And with that in mind, Patrick finds himself dragged off to the subway stop. They are a good thirty blocks from the museum, so walking through Central Park would most certainly kill their feet if they try.
~*~
A short subway ride leaves them off at 72nd street and Broadway. With a little bit of walking, they reach an entrance to Central Park. Many cars and taxis span the entirety of Central Park West, and both men can’t help but spot the horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping their way across the avenue.
“Don’t even think about it, Pete,” Patrick warns, as soon as he hears the excited noise coming from his best friend’s mouth. “We are not getting in one of those.”
“Not even tomorrow?” Pete asks, a pout to his lips. Patrick curses that pout. That is the exact reason that Patrick can’t say no to Pete time and time again.
“We’ll see,” Patrick sighs, shaking his head. He knows it will happen. Pete’s just that goddamn good at getting his way. “For now, let’s go inside and enjoy this?”
Pete claps his hands excitedly like a little kid and follows Patrick into the park. As he walks through, he spots a sign that says “Strawberry Fields” on it and pokes Patrick’s side. “Hey. Hey look at this, do you think this is where the song came from or was it named after the song?”
“What, Strawberry Fields?” Patrick answers, flipping through the Central Park section of the guidebook. “Ah, here we go. It says here that this was a memorial created in memory of John Lennon, after his death.”
And then with a few more steps, Pete spots the Imagine mosaic that everyone seems to be gathered around. Someone has placed flowers down on it and one of the street musicians has an acoustic guitar and is singing Let It Be. It is very moving, to say the least, and Pete says nothing, only wraps his arm around Patrick’s shoulder and holds him closely to his side. Patrick starts mumbling the words along to Let It Be.
“This is perfect,” Pete whispers into his ear and then kisses his cheek before tugging him along once the song ends.
~*~
The rest of the walk through Central Park is absolutely lovely. It is certainly a different place, to be surrounded by trees and grass in the middle of a city, but that’s what makes it so appealing. They notice a pond with ducks and turtles, playgrounds with children on the swings and monkey bars, and a fenced off area for dogs to run around in. It is a whole different entity from anywhere in Los Angeles or Chicago that the boys can think of.
“To the museum, then?” Patrick asks, once they reach the exit of the park a few blocks uptown. “It shouldn’t be that too far from here.” He searches for a street sign as Pete slips his hand into Patrick’s.
“Museum, yes. And then dinner.” Pete smiles as he tugs on Patrick’s hand and pulls him further along the road. Several blocks later and they see the steps up to the entrance of the museum. Pete has his big goofy grin again, which only serves to make Patrick smile wider.
“Here we go, American Museum of Natural History,” Patrick announces as he leads Pete inside. He pays for both their entrance fees and pulls Pete in for a small peck on the lips. “Where to first?”
“Well, dinosaurs would be pretty much awesome, so definitely that,” Pete states, smirking slightly. “You know how I feel about dinosaurs.”
“I do, you big nerd,” Patrick teases, rolling his eyes. “Okay, then. The undersea marine exhibit sounds cool. One more exhibit each ought to do it.”
“Okay. How about the reptiles and amphibians exhibit?” Pete suggests. He doesn’t really know what to expect from this museum, only that Mikey’s been here a bunch of times and has said that they need to visit the big blue whale.
“Fabulous. And then for me, can’t go wrong with gemstones and minerals,” Patrick grins as he folds the floor plan and places it in his hoodie pocket for now. He hooks his elbow with Pete’s and guides him up to the fourth floor for the dinosaurs.
~*~
A few hours later and both men come out of the museum with huge grins on their faces. Their hands are intertwined and they’re talking about something they saw in the museum.
“So, where shall we go to dinner?” Pete asks as he continues to walk while leaning slightly against Patrick. Patrick simply wraps his arm around Pete and guides him across the sidewalk.
“Somewhere nearby, maybe. I’m starving, I didn’t think it would take that long to see all four exhibits,” Patrick suggests as he pulls the guidebook back out. “What kind of food are you in the mood for? We could just walk down Amsterdam, there are a ton of restaurants.”
“That sounds like a good plan, my ‘Trick,” Pete agrees, grinning as he tugs Patrick down the street and keeps his eyes peeled. They end up deciding on Ruby Foo’s, a pan-Asian restaurant not too far from the museum. After feasting upon the dim sum they ordered, they decide it’s time to go back to the hotel. But not before Pete decides they need a little bit of dessert.
“God, today was just perfect,” Patrick sighs as he leans his head on Pete’s shoulder while they walk.
“It’s not over yet,” Pete pipes up, pulling Patrick down 84th street. “C’mon, this place’ll be great.”
Patrick raises an eyebrow as he lets Pete lead him into a small cafe nearby. They’re seated in the back at a tiny table, and Patrick looks down at the menu. Edgar’s Cafe, a dessert shop.
“Edgar’s Cafe,” Pete recites, a small smirk on his face. “As in Edgar Allen Poe. Apparently, he composed The Raven here. I looked it up online.” He chews on his lip a little bashfully at admitting that. “I was gonna take you here tomorrow, but we were in the area.”
“It’s perfect,” Patrick admits, smiling widely. He reaches out to hold Pete’s hand gently. “What are you going to get, a piece of pie or cake?”
“Cake. You know me, always the chocolate guy,” Pete replies, folding up his menu once he decides. “You?”
“I’m getting the apple pie. But only if I get to try your cake.” He squeezes Pete’s hand as he looks up from his menu.
“You’re gonna steal my cake!” he pouts childishly. “Oh alright, fine.” Just like Patrick can’t say no to Pete, sometimes Pete can’t say no to Patrick.
The two order from a tall brunette waitress and get to talking about various musicals on Broadway. Once their selections arrive, they immediately dive right in, devouring each morsel bite by bite. They leave nothing on their plates, and sample each other’s dessert, to ensure the other wouldn’t be “poisoned.”
The evening ends with the duo holding hands out of the cafe. They hail down a cab and spend the entire ride snuggled up against each other. One good night kiss later and they find themselves falling asleep back in their hotel room.
~*~
The next morning they have a half a day to spend, so they decide to spend it in Times Square. Shopping.
Three stores, five hoodies, three pairs of hats and seven pairs of shoes later and they decide that it’s time to eat and head out.
“I’ll tell you, this has nothing on a good deep dish pizza,” Patrick says between bites of his slice.
“Nope, never,” Pete mumbles, finishing off his slice and sucking the sauce and grease off his fingers. “’Swhy I’d never be able to live in New York over Chicago.”
“You’re able to survive in LA,” Patrick points out with a slight narrowing of his eyes. He tosses out his trash and waits for Pete to get up, grabbing his bags. Patrick’s already got his bags hoisted on his shoulder and the shopping bags in his hand.
“Yes, but I always know there’s a light on in Chicago,” he teases, using his own lyric to suit him.
“Let’s blow this joint. It’s time for some more exploring to do.”
Images:
New York Palace Hotel
Strawberry Fields
American Museum Of Natural History, The Undersea Exhibit (aka my favorite!)
Ruby Foos
Edgar's Cafe
Playlist:
1. Interpol - NYC
2. They Might Be Giants - I'll Sink Manhattan
3. Ella Fitzgerald - Manhattan
4. Billy Joel - New York State Of Mind
5. Simon & Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy in New York
Author:
clippedwingsLocation: New York, New York
Summary: The dastardly duo discover there's more than just the tourist traps to explore in good ol' Manhattan. Aka Chrissy knows the Upper West Side all too well.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Sorry this is late, I had major personal drama and the fic sort of exploded in my face. But it's done!
They pull into the big, bustling city of Manhattan pretty early in the day, giving them plenty of time to explore. The first thing they know they need to do is park the car somewhere. They find a decent lot that’d let them park their car overnight for three days for a good rate. Pete knows the city, has been here before, so he knows it’s not that steep a rate. The key, after all, is finding a lot that’s not close to anything too exciting.
So they decide to park the car and Pete pulls out the map from the glove department. Unlike most of the other maps he’s commandeered for this trip, this one’s got all the subways marked off on it.
“Let’s figure out what cross-streets we’re on,” Pete mumbles, grabbing Patrick’s hand. Patrick’s not too skilled with navigating around a city like this, so he lets Pete do all the decision-making. Maybe not the best plan, but it’s better than nothing.
“Just don’t get us lost again, please?” Patrick pleads. He’s just grateful to be away from the terror that was Jersey. “And are we going to check into the hotel first?” He’s carrying the bags, so he really doesn’t want to carry them around all day.
“Again?” Pete scoffs, shaking his head. “You’re going to take that back when you see what hotel I’ve booked.” Oh yes, this one is going to be special. He’s been saving this as a surprise because, okay it’s not Chicago, or Los Angeles, but New York’s still special to him. He opened up his bar here, and he wants to show Patrick a great time here.
“I don’t wanna know,” Patrick remarks with a raised eyebrow. He lets Pete figure out that they’re really far uptown but there’s a station for the three train a few blocks down.
“We take the 3 train to 72nd and the 1 train to 50th and we’ll be right there,” Pete replies. Patrick has no idea what this means, so he just nods. He does know that the layout of Manhattan is a grid of numbered streets going uptown/downtown and avenues going crosstown, but he doesn’t really know much more than that. Besides, Pete’s the one that booked this place, so he should hopefully know what to do to get there.
One subway ride later and Pete leads them to this tall building on Madison Avenue. Patrick’s jaw is permanently unhinged, it would seem, as he gawks up at the skyscraper. “That’s...where we’re staying?” He sees the name of it – The New York Palace Hotel. He hasn’t even been inside yet and already he knows it’s not going to be like the other hotels.
“That’s where we’re staying. I got us a Tower suite so we will have the best view from our window.” Pete smirks as he notices Patrick staring up at the hotel as if his eyes were glued in place. “C’mon, if we go now, we might be able to get in a quick one before going out.”
Patrick rolls his eyes at that but walks into the lobby anyway. He wouldn’t exactly mind a “quick one” before they explore the Big Apple.
~*~
A little over an hour later, Patrick and Pete return to the hotel lobby with a fresh change of clothes and damp hair from impromptu shower sex (“Pete, we’re supposed to be getting clean now, not dirty again!”). Pete’s got his map in hand and Patrick’s in charge of the guidebook.
“Where do you want to go now? It’s pretty early so we can probably get one thing in before dinner.” Patrick flips through the guidebook and tries to figure out some place close by so they don’t have to ride the subway again.
“We could go to a museum? Or maybe the park?” Pete suggests with a shrug. He hasn’t really planned out the whole day; he just has a list of things he definitely wants to see with Patrick.
“How about both?” Patrick suggests after a moment of shuffling through the guidebook. “Apparently the American Museum of Natural History is right near Central Park. If we take the subway or a cab, we can walk through the park and go to the museum.”
“Genius!” Pete exclaims, grinning as he wraps an arm around Patrick and guides him towards the subway station. “I’ve heard good things about this. Gabe says we have to visit the undersea exhibit and I’ve been dying to see the dinosaurs.”
And with that in mind, Patrick finds himself dragged off to the subway stop. They are a good thirty blocks from the museum, so walking through Central Park would most certainly kill their feet if they try.
~*~
A short subway ride leaves them off at 72nd street and Broadway. With a little bit of walking, they reach an entrance to Central Park. Many cars and taxis span the entirety of Central Park West, and both men can’t help but spot the horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping their way across the avenue.
“Don’t even think about it, Pete,” Patrick warns, as soon as he hears the excited noise coming from his best friend’s mouth. “We are not getting in one of those.”
“Not even tomorrow?” Pete asks, a pout to his lips. Patrick curses that pout. That is the exact reason that Patrick can’t say no to Pete time and time again.
“We’ll see,” Patrick sighs, shaking his head. He knows it will happen. Pete’s just that goddamn good at getting his way. “For now, let’s go inside and enjoy this?”
Pete claps his hands excitedly like a little kid and follows Patrick into the park. As he walks through, he spots a sign that says “Strawberry Fields” on it and pokes Patrick’s side. “Hey. Hey look at this, do you think this is where the song came from or was it named after the song?”
“What, Strawberry Fields?” Patrick answers, flipping through the Central Park section of the guidebook. “Ah, here we go. It says here that this was a memorial created in memory of John Lennon, after his death.”
And then with a few more steps, Pete spots the Imagine mosaic that everyone seems to be gathered around. Someone has placed flowers down on it and one of the street musicians has an acoustic guitar and is singing Let It Be. It is very moving, to say the least, and Pete says nothing, only wraps his arm around Patrick’s shoulder and holds him closely to his side. Patrick starts mumbling the words along to Let It Be.
“This is perfect,” Pete whispers into his ear and then kisses his cheek before tugging him along once the song ends.
~*~
The rest of the walk through Central Park is absolutely lovely. It is certainly a different place, to be surrounded by trees and grass in the middle of a city, but that’s what makes it so appealing. They notice a pond with ducks and turtles, playgrounds with children on the swings and monkey bars, and a fenced off area for dogs to run around in. It is a whole different entity from anywhere in Los Angeles or Chicago that the boys can think of.
“To the museum, then?” Patrick asks, once they reach the exit of the park a few blocks uptown. “It shouldn’t be that too far from here.” He searches for a street sign as Pete slips his hand into Patrick’s.
“Museum, yes. And then dinner.” Pete smiles as he tugs on Patrick’s hand and pulls him further along the road. Several blocks later and they see the steps up to the entrance of the museum. Pete has his big goofy grin again, which only serves to make Patrick smile wider.
“Here we go, American Museum of Natural History,” Patrick announces as he leads Pete inside. He pays for both their entrance fees and pulls Pete in for a small peck on the lips. “Where to first?”
“Well, dinosaurs would be pretty much awesome, so definitely that,” Pete states, smirking slightly. “You know how I feel about dinosaurs.”
“I do, you big nerd,” Patrick teases, rolling his eyes. “Okay, then. The undersea marine exhibit sounds cool. One more exhibit each ought to do it.”
“Okay. How about the reptiles and amphibians exhibit?” Pete suggests. He doesn’t really know what to expect from this museum, only that Mikey’s been here a bunch of times and has said that they need to visit the big blue whale.
“Fabulous. And then for me, can’t go wrong with gemstones and minerals,” Patrick grins as he folds the floor plan and places it in his hoodie pocket for now. He hooks his elbow with Pete’s and guides him up to the fourth floor for the dinosaurs.
~*~
A few hours later and both men come out of the museum with huge grins on their faces. Their hands are intertwined and they’re talking about something they saw in the museum.
“So, where shall we go to dinner?” Pete asks as he continues to walk while leaning slightly against Patrick. Patrick simply wraps his arm around Pete and guides him across the sidewalk.
“Somewhere nearby, maybe. I’m starving, I didn’t think it would take that long to see all four exhibits,” Patrick suggests as he pulls the guidebook back out. “What kind of food are you in the mood for? We could just walk down Amsterdam, there are a ton of restaurants.”
“That sounds like a good plan, my ‘Trick,” Pete agrees, grinning as he tugs Patrick down the street and keeps his eyes peeled. They end up deciding on Ruby Foo’s, a pan-Asian restaurant not too far from the museum. After feasting upon the dim sum they ordered, they decide it’s time to go back to the hotel. But not before Pete decides they need a little bit of dessert.
“God, today was just perfect,” Patrick sighs as he leans his head on Pete’s shoulder while they walk.
“It’s not over yet,” Pete pipes up, pulling Patrick down 84th street. “C’mon, this place’ll be great.”
Patrick raises an eyebrow as he lets Pete lead him into a small cafe nearby. They’re seated in the back at a tiny table, and Patrick looks down at the menu. Edgar’s Cafe, a dessert shop.
“Edgar’s Cafe,” Pete recites, a small smirk on his face. “As in Edgar Allen Poe. Apparently, he composed The Raven here. I looked it up online.” He chews on his lip a little bashfully at admitting that. “I was gonna take you here tomorrow, but we were in the area.”
“It’s perfect,” Patrick admits, smiling widely. He reaches out to hold Pete’s hand gently. “What are you going to get, a piece of pie or cake?”
“Cake. You know me, always the chocolate guy,” Pete replies, folding up his menu once he decides. “You?”
“I’m getting the apple pie. But only if I get to try your cake.” He squeezes Pete’s hand as he looks up from his menu.
“You’re gonna steal my cake!” he pouts childishly. “Oh alright, fine.” Just like Patrick can’t say no to Pete, sometimes Pete can’t say no to Patrick.
The two order from a tall brunette waitress and get to talking about various musicals on Broadway. Once their selections arrive, they immediately dive right in, devouring each morsel bite by bite. They leave nothing on their plates, and sample each other’s dessert, to ensure the other wouldn’t be “poisoned.”
The evening ends with the duo holding hands out of the cafe. They hail down a cab and spend the entire ride snuggled up against each other. One good night kiss later and they find themselves falling asleep back in their hotel room.
~*~
The next morning they have a half a day to spend, so they decide to spend it in Times Square. Shopping.
Three stores, five hoodies, three pairs of hats and seven pairs of shoes later and they decide that it’s time to eat and head out.
“I’ll tell you, this has nothing on a good deep dish pizza,” Patrick says between bites of his slice.
“Nope, never,” Pete mumbles, finishing off his slice and sucking the sauce and grease off his fingers. “’Swhy I’d never be able to live in New York over Chicago.”
“You’re able to survive in LA,” Patrick points out with a slight narrowing of his eyes. He tosses out his trash and waits for Pete to get up, grabbing his bags. Patrick’s already got his bags hoisted on his shoulder and the shopping bags in his hand.
“Yes, but I always know there’s a light on in Chicago,” he teases, using his own lyric to suit him.
“Let’s blow this joint. It’s time for some more exploring to do.”
Images:
New York Palace Hotel
Strawberry Fields
American Museum Of Natural History, The Undersea Exhibit (aka my favorite!)
Ruby Foos
Edgar's Cafe
Playlist:
1. Interpol - NYC
2. They Might Be Giants - I'll Sink Manhattan
3. Ella Fitzgerald - Manhattan
4. Billy Joel - New York State Of Mind
5. Simon & Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy in New York