yaaaa hoooo woooo!

My brother, Andrew, and sister-in-law, Amy, paid us a visit this weekend. Since Amy had been here before but Boo hadn't, it was a fun challenge to combine touristy things with activities we locals enjoy. So we did things a bit differently this time: cooked a lot, didn't take the train much, relaxed a bit more, and went to a bar or two. Here's what we did:

First thing Friday, we headed toward Coney Island. But first, we stopped at Istanbul Grill, a restaurant Andrew found that serves doner kebabs which are similar to the style common in Australia, where he fell in love with them. How'd they measure up? "Pretty good. Yeah, pretty good."

Next, we took the train to Coney. As soon as we got there, we hopped on the Cyclone, the oldest roller coaster in the US (maybe anywhere). It is seriously frightening, but fun. We also rode the Wonder Wheel (a must) and went to the freak show, primarily to stay cool. Andrew's assessment: "Awesome, but creepy." Then we headed to the Brooklyn Cyclones game, but not before we stopped at Nathan's to have a hotdog.

Boo literally chased down this mascot (there were five costumed characters at this game -- no joke) to get his picture taken with it, and was, by far, the oldest fan to do so. The Cyclones won, there was a fireworks display after the game, and we had a great day all around.

On Saturday, we went to see the Broadway revival of West Side Story. It was beautifully done. I loved the changes the director made in the 50 years since its debut, but of course, the storyline has remained the same. Here we are in Times Square. The city recently closed off the surrounding streets to traffic so people can mill about. They even set up tables.

After the show, we went over to The Pony Bar (our new favorite). There was a great selection on tap, and we ended up eating dinner there, which was the best, most inventive pub food I've ever had (I ordered a pork sandwich with a spicy mango-cabbage slaw on top).

Since it was so close, I insisted that we walk over to see the sun set over the Hudson. It was gorgeous. We walked through a little park on a pier that had fountains for kids to play in and a dog run, and it's also where the USS Intrepid is docked. After a scorching day, the temperature was perfect for an evening stroll.

Sunday found us walking through Central Park. We went to Belvedere Castle (by way of the Shakespeare Gardens) to look over the Turtle Pond (which is covered with green algae) and then over to the Bramble. It was almost too hot to be outside.

To beat the heat, we went to our favorite neighborhood pub, Soldier McGee's, to have some cold drinks and play Golden Tee. Amy had a pretty impressive game for a beginner, and the guys had a good start, but I came out swingin' for the win. I don't like to play golf in real life (well, mini golf obviously, but who doesn't like mini golf?), but for some reason, I love this video game.

This brings us to the end of the weekend! It was wonderful to see the A-Team, as we and so many others so affectionately call them. I'm so glad I'm friends with my brother (and all my siblings-in-law!). It's made my life a lot richer.

One more thing: Little Wonder and the Sun Machine just celebrated its first anniversary! Can you believe it? Whether you've been a loyal reader since the beginning, or you've happened on this blog sometime since then, thanks for reading! Here's what I was up to on this day last year.