The email recapping Day 1... [back to grenoble]


-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Crowley [mailto:dens@dodgeball.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2000 6:23 AM
Subject: adventures in paris - day one


Okay - so this is actually like two days worth of stuff, but whatever....

My flight was scheduled for 2:45 Saturday out of Boston. Weather had it delayed to 3:45, then 4:45, then 5:30, then 5:45, and eventually cancelled. After much stress, I ended up taking my odds with a shuttle to Laguradia, followed by a car service to and flight out of JFK. Luckily, it worked out. Big Dig (aka my dad) had slipped me his American Airlines Admirals Club card so once I checked in at JFK I killed two hours sipping on free cocktails and eating mini cheese blocks in the high roller's lounge. BTW - for anyone wondering, the flight sucked.. babies crying, chicken dinner that made me ill, kid kicking my seat ("it's already upright, damnit!"), crappy movie about life in the 1800s, etc..

Moving on, the arrangement was to meet my friend Mike (who lives in Paris) at the airport around 11:30am. Now, although I've been friends w/ Mike.d since kindergarten, I gotta admit, the kid can be kind of flaky - smartest kid I know, but the last 3 times I've tried to meet him at an airport he's been a no show (no joke). Anyway, much to my surprise (and I'm sure to others on this email list) Mike.d was there (planner in hand) ready to guide me into the city.

We took the smelly metro back to his girlfriend's apt in southern Paris, had a delicious bagette then crashed for like 3 hours (I slept for like two hours total on the stupid plane - off and on, off and on). At like 8pm we motivated and journeyed into Paris for dinner (we = me, mike, Mariko (mike's girlfriend), Marcy (Mariko's roommate) and some guy named Bruno (Marcy's Parisian friend).

After dinner we went to this club called Le Bains (not in dodgeball.com, btw - stupid Gage!). I think it was like 120fr apiece to get in ($18) but it comes with free drink ticket (ka-ching). I sent my friend Mike to the bar three times for an "absolut and ginger ale" - his ordering-drinks-in-french skills failed us 3 out of 3 times causing him to return with these low-rent Screw Drivers.

Anyway - we're drinking and dancing and getting "spoken to" about sitting in the "reserved" seats (Bruno eventually told one of the security people that we were "famous Americans"). Speaking of Bruno (Mike's girlfriend Mariko's roommate's french guy friend who was actually really cool, spoke a wee bit of english, and loves napster) was teaching me crucial french phrases such as "Do you have any idea who my father is?", and "Excuse me sir, but where might we find the high school girls?". (bah!) Anyway - the dj is playing this cheese techo for like 2 hours before they busted into an hour-long West Coast Hip Hop session to which every kid in adidas and sunglasses sung along to in French accents. No Beastie Boys.. stupid third world country. (jk!)

The dance floor is smaller than most NY Clubs, but they've got this stage and a catwalk that comes out which was really shaky (like the makeshift tables you use at family reunions) yet pretty slick. Mike and I were up there most of the time, before we figured out all the other *guys* dancing on the thing were looking for hot, gay tourist love. This one kid in a yellow ringer kept "bumping" into me before I put 2 and 2 together and figured it was time get the hell off the thing. Kid kept eyeing me for the rest of the night - Mike.d, literally, watching my back. We spent the rest of the night dancing it up on the stage Jup-Christmas party style (sans the obligatory broken glass, Stacey :)

We finally left at like 3:45am, took a Benz cab back (not bulletproof, sorry Hardy) and now I'm here sipping on tap water and eating the rest of that bagette.

Tomorrow Mike and I are off the French Alps (to mountain bike for a few days) - not sure we're heading after that. If I have the chance to check in, I'll send another email. If not, I'll talk to you all when I get back. Have fun at the office, chumps! (kidding!!)

Love and kisses, :)
dens