After 5 days of tour-giving in the hot sun, I was begging for a long weekend full of fun in the sun. Well be careful what you wish for because my feet are still a little swollen from 3 days of nonstop walking and sunning.
On Saturday, Ryan and I met up with his family at his grandparents' cottage in the Hamptons. We chilled poolside with the cousins and had a little BBQ action and chocolate icing fight before heading home and hitting the hay early in anticipation of the day to come.
The 4th of July is a tough time for New Yorkers, since everyone wants to get out of the city, but there's not much else to do outside of the city if you don't have transportation, a destination, and/or lots of money to spend acquiring the first two. So Ryan, Jack and I met up with our friend Matt at Governor's Island for a free concert by She & Him with Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Perhaps we were a little overzealous in catching the 10am ferry over for the 4pm concert. But we didn't have to wait in line for any wristbands and we found a nice tree in the picnic area of the island under which we ate our gyros and napped. 6 hours later, we bumped into Jake, Eileen and Jim just as the concert was starting. After a full set, we caught a ferry back to the city, where we ate sushi (yet another very American meal on Independence Day) at my new fave spot Sushi-a-Go-Go, and then chased the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks show on the west side. Completely pooped and a little dehydrated, I slept on the subway as Ryan and Jack kept an eye out for the Fordham Rd. stop. One gypsy cab ride later, I konked out until 11AM the next day.
Matt, Ryan, Jack
Couple Pic in front of Lady Liberty
The Beach @ Governor's Island
Jake, Eileen, Jim
Governor's Island left us all seeing mirages, so Monday Ryan, Jack and I made our way to Ryan's dad's public pool on Long Island, complete with two diving boards and a water slide. I hadn't been on a water slide since childhood summers at Hurricane Harbor, so shooting out into the chilly water like a cannon ball was a thrilling and welcome experience. We spent hours reading, lounging, swimming, floating, diving, and joking around before we ended the day at Press 195, a gourmet-style panini, salad, and beer garden with locations in Queens and Brooklyn. I got the 27: Grilled chicken smothered in BBQ sauce, onions, smoked gouda, jalapenos, and tomato. Then I called it an early night yet again to get ready for a short work week. Now, on the hottest day of the year so far with a high of 101, I've got to give a campus tour to 100 prospective students and their families. At least July is the start of 4-day work weeks - Fridays free!!
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and let freedom ring!
