Betwixting my USA interim part 3B: NEW YORK SIDDY, THEN HOME….AND it’s the FINALE of this BLOGGAGE à la RUE autour du MONDE!

THE END IS NGH, THE END IS NIGH

I’ve discussed my favourite Siddy on Earth many times before during BETWIXTs so I’ll be brief. Ish. Kinda. It’s March 2026, and I left Blighty at the beginning of October 2025. It seems like months (“You’re telling US”-Non Existent Ed.) since I undertook this mission and in many ways of course, it has been, not least in the amount of time away. 🤣😁🤪

The Big Apple is still Big, and like Granny Smith herself, takes a lot of chewing. But it’s so tasty they named it twice. And…I adore every square inch of it. It does reek of marijuana everywhere though….but three at least singalong piano bars with real live piano players, the most amazing architecture old and new, some astonishing theatre shows on and off Broadway, great shopping, fab Queer scene (I said the Q word again) and all very easy to navigate and great views of places oft eulogised by Woody Allen and ….the rest.

Fantastic people and some of the best museums and galleries too. What’s not to like? That I ain’t living here that’s what (or Chicago or LA for that matter). TOILET BOWL water levels still suck (as they say) as does the Americanisation of our beautiful English Language (My Bad, honestly) though I do believe I caught myself saying “just gonna grab a coffee, Bro” and shocked myself! 14 days here only and ya just have to pack as much in as poss despite being totally knackered after 165 days away. And I am.

Starting with trips to my fave bar haunts though like Marie’s Crisis Cafe (singalong happiness) and Stonewall Inn my kinda LGBTQ+ HQ, really easily ease the soul.

New museums have proved revelatory, the bars chatty as ever and hey Cory if you’re reading this, come on over to Blighty! Yes the tears have continued cos I’m VERY emotional at the mo so seeing a Premiere of a movie so wonderful and sob worthy (Project Hail Mary) followed by Oscar’s night in Boxers NYC chatting to my London Boys followed by the aforementioned Cory was a joy to behold what with Billy Crystal and Babs Streisand destroying moi.

The weather has been flipping chillsome but sunny and the streets shops and views are of course legendary….

Broadway shows? Well classy as ever. Chess (by Björn Benny and Rice, no beans) reworked was great fun, even the souvenir plastic cup with Pinot Grigio for £25 bearable!

Our Daniel Radcliffe’s One Man Show is of course sensational, and he’s just an absolute sweetie!

Hey John and Rustin! I’m coming down to Ty’s in Christopher Street super soon, nice to meet you two too !

Meanwhile it’s the best modern art museum in the world (MoMA) and John Lennon’s memorial (Strawberry Fields), a great view from the top of my hotel cocktail bar with a GREAT RUMMY PUMPKINNY cocktail, a gorgeous Hot Dog (Crif Dogs), more crazy dancing cowboys (Flaming Saddles) and an East Village gay institution the Phoenix where after 30 seconds Damon (a charming gorgeous intoxicatee) greeted me with the biggest hug and “I have an affinity with you and I love you”. His sweet friend Justin said “if he keeps touching you like that, I hope you’ve been vaccinated against EVERYTHING”….

I’m sorry but I’m not sorry for this being my favourite place on our beautiful planet..it’s hugely run down and NOISY in a few places most certainly (just like your blogonteur? Dear Reader) but it’s energy life love and laughter and lots of great Woody Allen movies too.

On my last Sunday of the trip, I decided I’d do something I’ve hardly done for 6 months, namely, eat properly! So it’s a breakfast extravaganza at a local diner (they had a queue of 59 so it was a cheap cafe in the end), followed by Darren Criss’ Broadway Show (Maybe Happy Ending!) matinee (which was one of the greatest things ever), followed by a trad. Sunday Roast at a kinda British Pub (didn’t manage that). Then a few beers at my fave Hells Kitchen gay bars, then an EARLY night! I hear you all cry “Big Deal” and as per, dearies, you’d be mostly right!

Monday packing day half strange but my HK locals beloved Boxers perfect again, plus Flaming Saddles with the dancing barbacks sublime too, and a weird almost underground gay bar in RedEye with a huge horse sculpture in its space! The bar manager told me the history of the place, which goes back to the days of Andy Warhol!

Last day in NYC is a visit to a new museum called the New Museum, lunch in a lovely Irish Bar called Sláinte, then my final visit to my two fave Village Bars (Pieces and Marie’s Crisis)..

Marie’s had the lovely James an oldtimer and great pianist asking me for requests and then flipping doing them with the word perfect 10 plus nearby singers (songs from Company and Dear Evan) and thence dear Reader it’s Departure News!

Well. Early arrival at JFK with some Security delays Apparently Trump won’t pay them) but the BA Greenwich Business Lounge is gorgeous and has great food and Piper Heidsieck bubbles so that’s ok then…

Uneventful overnight flight with two lovely queens keeping me in constant champagne and g&t, and the World Airlines Best Food Award once again goes to BA. Hotly debated this I know but I simply love it, hearty tasty British Fare that tastes gorgeous. Watched two silly movies too in my Business Roomette.

So.

Arrived in London an hour early at 6am….Uber home and COME DOWN from the craziness the elation the happiness the occasional lonely sob but the friends old and plenty new, the beauty and magnificence of this troubled planet the sickening poverty of some places, and meeting up with lots of family and visiting my place and street of birth too. Watching the England cricket team abroad (oh well), missing an entire British Winter (though it’s only one degree as I complete this blog), and most most most of all….. getting lots of generous comments about the Betwixts, that it’s made me often feel when I most needed it that I was accompanied by friends along the way.

That’s that then.

So until the next Betwixt The Interim, bye bye, fare thee well and peace and a chirpy chirp to you all.

Love Christoph ©️ rpl bloggage handling
March 27th 2026. London, England.