Gotta keep the party going

Woke up on Tuesday and went down for our last free breakfast.  Up until that day I had been making at least a small effort to look presentable, but on Tuesday I wore my pajama bottoms and brought down the granola that I had bought in Boston so we could polish it off.
We checked out at 11am but left our baggage with the hotel. I strongly, strongly encourage you to check out the Hampton Inn in Soho if you are travelling to New York.  The service was excellent.  The prices were exceedingly competitive and we had a free breakfast every morning and also free WiFi.  We stayed at the higher end of this chain - the Hilton - when in Boston (for roughly the same price) and we were on our own for breakfast and for an Internet connection, and I thought the service was substandard for the price.
Wandering around we came across Yellow Rat Bastard.  Michael was intrigued by the display of Converse shoes in the window and something drew us in.  What seemed like a small shop from the outside turned out to be a huge two level store full of all kinds of clothing and bags and hats.  Pretty counter culture.  Lots of funny, edgy shirts.  We found an Obey hat for Michael and we had seen an Obey shirt when we first walked in.
I perused the clothes and found a cool F Train shirt that I liked, seeing as we had taken the F train a few times while in Manhattan.
But then I found it: the treasure trove of Obey shirts.
We first came across Shepard Fairey when we were in Boston in 2009.  His exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art blew our collective minds: it was beautiful, timely and political.  We both bought t-shirts.  I came home and tucked mine away because I was afraid if I ever wore it I might damage it and it's beautiful and I want to treasure it forever.
I bought Michael a signed Shepard Fairey print and  had it framed for some holiday or other.  I'm a big stickler about what I put on my walls and what I allow to be showcased on my body when I leave the house every day.
Michael bought three Obey shirts and I bought two.  If you are going to have something emblazoned across your chest it should be something that you believe in.  I've been asked numerous times if I work for the CBC (my response is "I wish").  People have asked me what SomaFM is, after staring at my chest, and I tell them that it's an independent, online radio station that kicks ass.  I have two t-shirts created by a local, indie shop that I love to wear.  And yes, I wear a Bruins shirt (and yes, they were eliminated today) but I'm big enough to admit that the Capitals totally outplayed them in game seven.
The Obey artwork is anti-corporation, pro-artist, anti-war, and anti-oil.  I am looking forward to explaining this concept to - as Maria calls them - the "sheeple". 
I've never understood how people could go around with "Hollister" or "Tommy Hilfiger" plastered all over their person.
After we bought our shirts we headed into Little Italy for a final coffee and dessert and then grabbed a cab to Laguardia.  The Air Canada people bumped us up to an earlier flight to Pearson where we had a little time to kill before our flight home to Vancouver (not exactly sure how we would have made our connection if we hadn't been bumped to an earlier flight, but am choosing not to dwell on that).
Long, long trip home and just when we wanted it to be over we still had to Skytrain it from the airport to the seabus and take that home (though prior to the Olympics this wasn't even an option because we didn't have a train going to the airport.  Like, WTF.)
Then we were home, in the rain. 
Hello, Vancouver.