US Politics

Two strangers had the perfect New York City weekend 24 years ago. Here’s what happened next

Two strangers had the perfect New York City weekend 24 years ago. Here's what happened next

(CNN) — Douglas McTaggart first spotted Brien Convery across a crowded room.

It was Friday April 10, 1998 and Canadian McTaggart, then 32 and living in San Francisco, was visiting New York City for a long weekend.

McTaggart and his friend Nadine had spent all day exploring, ending with a nightcap at Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel before turning in for the night.

A few hours later, McTaggart was woken by Nadine snoring. He looked at his watch. The night was still young. He was in a city that famously never slept, so why stay in bed?

He got dressed, leaving his friend fast asleep, and headed out into a still-bustling Manhattan. On the street, he hailed a cab to Splash, a gay bar on West 17th Street in Chelsea.

McTaggart wasn’t looking to meet anyone, but he was keen to soak up the atmosphere. Splash, which has since closed, was a sprawling, two-story venue with multiple bars and dance floors.

McTaggart ordered a drink at one of the bars, enjoying the music.

That’s when he noticed a man dressed in a white t-shirt and camouflage pants, standing with friends on the dance floor.

The white of the man’s shirt was catching the UV disco light, illuminating him among the crowd.

“He stood out on the dance floor,” McTaggart tells CNN Travel today. “I thought, ‘Oh, he’s kind of cute.'”

The DJ cycled through a couple more tracks. When McTaggart looked up again, the man with the white shirt was alone.

“I went over to him, and I asked if I could buy him a drink,” says McTaggart. “And that’s how we met.”

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”

Brien Convery lived in New York City, but he was never there. His job as a consultant took him to Savannah, Georgia from Mondays to Fridays.

Every year of his life until aged 31, he’d spent Easter weekend with his family up in the Hudson River Valley. But that year, exhausted from his weekly business travel, he’d called his mother and ducked out. He wanted to spend the long weekend catching up with friends and enjoying the city he usually didn’t have more…

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