So long, Farewell

Sigh. And now we're all back in our respective homes, some of us enjoying the first rays of summer, some of us still battling jetlag, some of us feverishly revising for Trinity term exams...the Gargoyles have now completed East Coast Tour 2010. Here's a recap of our last week in NYC.

Through the week we did a few charity gigs/workshops- at the All Stars Performing Arts Charity, a children's hospital in the Bronx, and the Children's Aid Society in East Village. These made for some of the most enjoyable moments on tour, especially as we met some memorable people- including some very enthusiastic little dancers, a girl called Ariel (who we duly serenaded with "Kiss di Girl" from 'A Little Mermaid'), and a teenager who had written a very interesting rap.

We also performed with more a capella groups- one night we sang with the Red States and RUB at "Fat Baby", a bar in East Village. Here we also met the enterprising (and rather impressive) beat-boxer "Masai Electro".

Gargoyles @ Fat Baby

Halfway through the week we also travelled to New Jersey to spend a night at Princeton with the Princeton Tigertones. We swapped warmups, had dinner with them in a nice restaurant, and later in the evening did a fun and chilled out outdoor gig at Blair Arch. After this we got our taster of a typical Princeton party, which was held at one of the "eating clubs". (Massive. Slightly unreal). We stayed that night in the Tigertones room, a tres cool haven of amusing wall hangings, Tigertones vinyl records from the 50s, comfy couches stolen roadsigns, Jack Daniels bottles, photos with various celebrities, and of course a massive stuffed tiger that had a throne to itself.

A defining characteristic of the Gargoyle is it's healthy appetite, so we had to add a few more restaurants to our collection once we were in NYC. We did a couple of gigs at Keen's Steakhouse and enjoyed a couple of VERY luxurious meals. Another evening, after a set at the Williams Club (which is a club for Oxford and other alumni) we dashed over to sing at for our supper at the Crowne Plaza, which looks over on the futuristic sea of flashing billboards that is Times Square. Brilliant if slightly surreal experience to dine in black tie to the backdrop of a giant, grinning yellow M&M that did acrobatics off a cartoon Empire State Building.

Of course, we couldn't leave NYC without getting our full tourist experience. By day, the Gargoyles explored NYC, splitting up to trawl various corners of Manhattan. We soaked in some culture (think Museum of Modern Art/the Metropolitan Museum of Art/Guggenheim), soaked in some sunshine (picnic in Central Park), and relieved ourselves of lots of cash (Macy's, Filene's Basement, Union Square).

Chilling in Central Park

And then, April 11th- the time came to say adieu. Our very last night was perhaps our very best- although (or maybe because?) we weren't doing any singing ourselves. We went to "Groove", a bar/grill in East Village where we danced along to an amazing funk/soul/R&B band. AMAZING. Some of the Gargoyles even had songs especially dedicated to them. Flattering. ;)

Unfortunately had to make it back in time to do last minute packing and leave for the airport at an unholy hour of the morning...but all in all, a brilliant finale to an epic tour.

A big thank you to everyone who has hosted us, fed us, sung with us and generally given us a great time. Goodbye, America: till next year.