John's Visit

Boy, I really have fallen off the face of the earth over here, haven't I? This lack of posting is out of character, I know. But our lives have taken a turn for the crazy lately and I just haven't had the time or energy to devote to blogging, which is a bummer, because I like blogging. Such is the life of an adult though, right? I'll try to get my act together and get back into the swing of things ASAP. Next week, for example, is going to be a fun week, but we'll cover that later.

We have still been doing fun things in my absence, of course. For one thing, last weekend Eric's friend John came to visit. John and Eric are old friends from high school, and John was a groomsman in our wedding. Now he lives out in Arizona, so it was nice to have him visit for the weekend. John was our first visitor since we moved to Hoboken, and the boys did all sorts of fun things!

When John got into the city last Friday afternoon, Eric left work early and they hit the town. They met up in Bryant Park, and tried to go into the NY Public Library but John had a suitcase with him and thus was not allowed in. They picked up some pizza at Little Italy Pizza (Eric says it's the best near Grand Central), then walked up to St. Patrick's Cathedral and through Rockefeller Center, then over to Times Square, where they stopped into the M&M Store and Toys 'R Us. They caught a movie in Times Square, then walked back to our old stomping grounds for some BBQ at Daisy May's. They ate their dinner by the Intrepid before grabbing the ferry back to Hoboken. (Yes, you're right - that is an awful lot of walking to do with a suitcase.) That night we hung out at the apartment, playing some Wii and other games, including a 246 Wii bowling effort from Eric and an hour of Mario Kart victories for John.

On Saturday, they did some downtown stuff: ice cream at the Ice Cream Factory in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, the Bull, Battery Park. 

Pretty (albeit hot) day by the Brooklyn Bridge

John by the Brooklyn Bridge

We always have people take a picture with these silhouettes, and they always pose differently!

The boys on the Bridge

You know what they say: you gotta grab the bull by the...wait, that's not right.

With the Statue of Liberty at Battery Park

As I understand it, the highlight was Battery Park, where John was chased by a turkey for a considerable distance. Now that's just good stuff. (Also, I feel like it says something about New York City that when Eric texted me and said "John just got chased by a turkey in Battery Park," I was unsure if he meant an actual turkey or a person dressed as a turkey, and both seemed equally plausible.)

John being chased by a turkey!

From there they went up to Madison Square Park, where they considered (and decided against) waiting in the Shake Shack line, checked out the Flatiron Building, then made their way home.

Fun with the Flatiron

Fancy hat, John.

The boys came home and got in a solid workout playing Mario and Sonic at the Olympics. We got pizza for dinner and spent the night in playing more video games and watching Michael Clayton. Much needed relaxation after a long day of walking!

On Sunday, Eric and John went out to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Braves. (They finally got their Shake Shack lunch there, too!)

Citi Field

Eric was not pleased with the composition of this shot.

Inside Citi Field

At the game

That night, we stayed in again with more pizza, more video games, Spy Game and a little guitar lesson for Eric.

The next day the boys hung out until Eric had to head into work, then he bid John farewell.  Thanks for coming, John!

Big Apple Barbecue

While we're on the subject of food, let's talk barbecue.

For one weekend every year, New York City gets a taste of some good, southern barbecue thanks to the Big Apple BBQ Festival. Madison Square Park is taken over by pitmasters from all over the south serving up their very best, and the smell in the air is to die for. For $8 per plate, you can sample any and all of the award-wining 'cue available. If you are a southern transplant like my husband and me, this is a must-do event. We went for the first time two years ago (when I met Billy Mays!), but last year, I was working and we didn't make it. This year, we came with our appetites ready.

This time around, Eric and I did our research and figured out exactly which places were our "Must Try" priorities. We remembered the long lines and thick crowds of last time, and knew that waits would be long and vendors may very well run out of food. So, prioritize!

Crowds of people lining up for 'cue this year

Waiting for some pulled pork

We knew our top two things to try this year were Ed Mitchell's whole hog sandwich (out of Raleigh, NC) and the beef brisket from Salt Lick BBQ (from Driftwood, TX). So, we split up. I got in the Salt Lick line, and Eric tracked down Ed Mitchell. We each bought a plate of the desired 'cue to share. As expected, lines were crazy long and we waited probably about a half hour, maybe more.

Salt Lick Tent

Ed Mitchell Whole Hog Gourmet BBQ: "Everything but the oink."

Ed Mitchell himself

Chopping up the meat

When we both had our food in hand, we reconvened at a center point and chowed down. Salt Lick's brisket was one we wanted to try the last time we came to the festival, but it had sold out by the time we got in line. When we were able to sample it this year, we thought it was quite tasty, but actually preferred the sausage to the brisket! As for Ed Mitchell's whole hog, it was the kind of sandwich that causes your eyes to roll back in your head after you take your first bite - it's that good. We were definitely fans.

Sausage, brisket and cole slaw from Salt Lick

Eric ready to eat some Ed Mitchell's whole hog sandwich

After our first round, we did some wandering through Madison Square Park, taking in the atmosphere and plotting our next move.

Madison Square Park

People relaxing on the lawn around the art installation entitled Echo, by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa

We decided we wanted a pulled pork sandwich from Big Bob Gibson's (of Decatur, AL), but the line was long and they were running out of food. Rather than waiting for half an hour and risk having nothing to show for it, we decided to move on. We waited briefly in the line at Shake Shack, hoping to sample their honorary BBQ Festival fries, which were topped with Big Bob Gibson's pork and cheese. Unfortunately, that line was also too slow-moving for our tastes and we gave up.

Eric in line for Shake Shack

Our options were getting more and more limited as more and more places ran out of food and shut down their lines. We ended up in the Dinosaur BBQ (of New York, NY) line. We had vowed not to get any local BBQ at the festival, since we can get that any time, but hey, we needed some pulled pork in our lives and they had it to offer. Plus, it was on my NYC To-Do List to try Dinosaur BBQ, so why not? The line moved quickly, and before too long, our pulled pork needs were met.

In line for Dinosaur BBQ

Mmmm, pork just waiting to be put into sandwich form.

Pulled pork sandwich and baked beans from Dinosaur BBQ

You didn't really think I would go through a whole post about a food festival without a "taking a bite" photo, did you?

(For the record, we thought Dinosaur BBQ's pulled pork was quite yummy, but not better than our beloved Daisy May's, which still holds the "Best BBQ in New York" title for us!)

At last, we had our fill. We had sampled some utterly delicious 'cue, and it was time to move on to our next fun event of the day (coming up in tomorrow's post!). We bid farewell to the Flatiron Building and we were on our way!

Flatiron Building

See you next year, Big Apple BBQ Festival!

The High Line

One of my favorite things about New York is the park space. Maybe it's just because it's so nice to get off the sidewalks and surround yourself in some greenery for a change, or maybe New York just has really awesome parks, or maybe a little bit of both. Regardless, I just love the parks in this city. Bryant Park is probably my favorite, with their holiday market at Christmas and fun events on the big grassy lawn in the summer. Central Park is always lovely, of course, and there's so much of it to explore. There are also tons of gorgeous park spaces along the Hudson River that we've spent some time at, as well as many, many others.

Last weekend Eric suggested we check out another park, a new one that just opened last year: the High Line. The High Line is actually an old elevated railroad line that was built in the 1930s to keep dangerous trains off the busy streets of the Meatpacking District. The High Line has not been in use since 1980, and New York was set to tear it down until a group called "Friends of the High Line" intervened. The abandoned railroad tracks have now been repurposed as a park in the sky, which I think is pretty cool. What a neat way to "recycle" a part of New York history, and create a new park space in the process!

I really liked this park, too. It was interesting to still be able to see the old railroad tracks along the sides of the walkway, although now they are covered in greenery and flowers. It's cool to have a park elevated above the street, with great views of both the street below and the skyline, including the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building in the distance. There are lots of places to sit and relax, including an amphitheater area sunk below the main walkways, looking out over the street. There were also wooden lounge chairs to relax on and art installations to enjoy, plus places to get some lunch should the mood strike.

Me on the High Line - it actually runs through that big building in the distance!

Old railroad tracks

Looking out over W. 14th Street

Old tracks running directly into a warehouse for deliveries

Amphitheater seating

Leaning against the glass over the street at the base of the amphitheater

Relaxing in the amphitheater

Views of the city

The park is actually still a work in progress. The second half of the railway is still being converted, and is scheduled to open in 2011. For now, the northern part of the High Line is fenced off and adorned with this really cool art piece.

"Autumn on the Hudson Valley with Branches" by Valerie Hegarty (2009)
The High Line website describes this: "Hegarty's painting is based on Jasper Francis Cropsey's Autumn on the Hudson River of 1860, a bucolic landscape that shows none of the affects of the Industrial Revolution. Hegarty's canvas is tattered and frayed, and the partially exposed stretcher bars appear to be morphing into tree branches, as if reverting back to their natural state."

To-be-completed portion of the High Line

After wandering through the High Line, we debated how to spend the rest of that gorgeous afternoon. We ended up walking east to the Flatiron Building and Madison Square Park, passing a street festival on the way. Welcome back, street festivals! That means spring is here! Oh, how I love a good street festival.

At the Flatiron Building, we saw a new art installation - statues of naked men perched on the edges of buildings in the area. A little Googling tells me the artist is Antony Gormley, and the statues have been placed around Madison Square Park, on the Flatiron Building, and also on the Empire State Building. These statues look a little freaky - at first glance it would be easy to think they are real people contemplating a jump off a rooftop.

One of the naked men statues on a rooftop east of the Flatiron

And of course, the Flatiron itself

And that was our fun Sunday afternoon last weekend!

Today I am off to the dermatologist to get my last set of stitches removed (freedom, hooray!), then I'll be spending the day with an out-of-town friend. Tonight Achilles must be dropped off at camp, because tomorrow we're heading to L.A.! We're really excited. We have a tentative itinerary worked out: we'll arrive in L.A. mid-morning, get to our hotel to drop our things off, and then head into Hollywood to see touristy things like the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood sign. On Sunday, we'll be going to the Dodgers game so Eric can see another baseball stadium. Monday is pretty open, we'll just see what we feel like doing that day - maybe a studio tour, maybe a museum, who knows? Then Tuesday, we'll be back in New York by mid-afternoon to rescue the dog. I also have some work next week, so right when we get back I'll be diving into jury questionnaires. All in all, it sounds like a pretty awesome week.

Have a great weekend, all! I'll be back to tell you about our L.A. trip as soon as I can manage!

BBQ in the Big Apple

Or more specifically, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party!

Welcome, 'cue lovers! (Eric is rubbing his stomach in a "yummy" fashion, in case that doesn't come across.)

We've been looking forward to this one for some time. We are definitely barbecue lovers. Every time we go back to Florida, we make sure to stop for a meal at Sonny's. Mmm, pulled pork. Mmm, corn nuggets. Mmm, baked beans. And for Eric, mmm, sweet tea. When we moved to DC we found a suitable (though lesser) substitute at Red, Hot & Blue, and now in New York we've been enjoying Daisy May's, where Eric can get his sweet tea in a mason jar. But this Big Apple BBQ festival promised to be something amazing - two days, some of the best BBQ vendors from around the country and live music - basically an all-around good time.

The Block Party was held at Madison Square Park, which is the park right by the courthouse where Eric was sworn in to the bar. We headed down there right after church, and got started sampling the barbecue right away! It was really crowded, and the lines for the best 'cue were really long.

Crowds of 'cue lovers fill the streets! (That guy chowing down in the front seems to ESPECIALLY enjoy his BBQ, no?)

People sitting and enjoying the yummy food

Our first stop was Big Bob Gibson BBQ from Decatur, Alabama for some pulled pork shoulder and coleslaw. We waited in that line for about 25 minutes. At least while we were waiting, we were able to pass the pit and see them chopping up and saucing the meat. And oh, the smells that filled the air!

Choppiong up the meat with a very small knife

Sauce and season time! (We ended up buying some of their seasoning for our own home cooking!)

Our wait in line was definitely worth it for this finished product:

Please, try not to drool.

Our plan of attack was just to get one plate of food from each place we went to, then share it. That way we could sample more places. As it turned out, we only made it to two booths because the lines were so long. Next (and last) on our list was Ubon's "Champion's Choice" BBQ from Yazoo City, Mississippi. That line wasn't quite as long, but I would say we still waited a good 20 minutes.

Separating the meat at Ubon's

Time to chow down

Our plan after Ubon's was to get right in line for Salt Lick BBQ from Driftwood, Texas for some sausage and beef brisket. This place was highly recommended by a friend of Eric's. We did get in line, but it was probably the longest line we saw. We waited for a half hour and hardly made a dent in the distance we would have to cover to get our food. Plus, they were coming around telling us that by the time we got up there, they would almost definitely be out of brisket. We could still have the sausage, but Eric and I decided to just call it quits. So, we only sampled two places, and Big Bob Gibson's was the favorite.

But, the fun didn't end there! One thing you all should know about me by now is my love of As Seen On TV stuff. I've spoken about it several times. In particular, I've described my love for OxyClean, and even more so for its spokesperson, Billy Mays. So... you can imagine how excited I was when THIS happened:

BILLY MAYS HERE!

Billy Mays was at the Block Party! Hooray! He happily posed for this picture, and I told him I'm a huge fan. He also gave me an autographed head shot. How exciting! I also got to hear him say his indistinguishable "Hi, Billy Mays here!" when he recorded some girl's voicemail message for her! So from now on, when people get this girl's voicemail, they will hear "Hi, Billy Mays here! [Girl's Name] can't answer her phone right now..." and so on. How cool is that?! I'm sure my family is silently thanking the heavens that I did not have him record MY voicemail. I can't say I didn't consider it, though.

On a side note, does anyone else notice that my thumb looks deformed in that picture? My thumb is curvy, and I think I have it at a weird angle. But, noticing that led me to also look at Billy Mays' thumb, which is also curvy. Ha! Have you ever made note of the curviness of your thumbs? Some people have straight thumbs, and some have curvy. My family was a mixture, so we often debated which thumb type is superior (you can probably guess where I stand). My dad is curvy, my mom is stick-straight, and my sister has one of each. What kind of thumbs do you have?

After our Billy Mays encounter we did a little more roaming around, enjoying the sights, smells and live music. Very nice afternoon!

Cooking ribs at the Blue Smoke (from far-off and exotic New York, NY) booth

Live music! This guy is Bill Sims Jr., who was singin' the blues for us.

Then, as we waited for the subway to take us back uptown, we had some fun with the tile mosaic hats on the station walls:



When we got home, Eric had to spend the rest of the evening working. He was able to work from home, which was nice. He's been so busy at work lately. He had some really late nights last week, and went in to the office on Saturday, also. (Doesn't it just figure that right when they cut his salary, he starts have to much work to do that he's working long hours? That doesn't seem like the way it should be!)

In other weekend happenings, on Saturday night (after Eric left work), we went to a wine tasting at the new wine and liquor store that opened up across the street, which was fun. I mean, free wine is always fun, no? And I'm very excited about our new wine shop! Until now, to have a good wine selection, we would have to travel several blocks, and that's just way too far for a wine emergency. But, it was either that or stick with the $6 bottles at the grocery store below our building. It's nice to have more options now! Plus, now we have a grocery store, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, and a liquor store on our block. My friends, I believe I have found the perfect block on which to live.

After our wine we picked up a pizza from our favorite local pizza place, then caught up on some DVR-ed TV and played Rock Band for the first time in MONTHS. Can you believe that? And I am proud to announce that I got my first 100% on a song while playing the guitar! I rock.

Hope you all had a very fun weekend as well!