Biking in NJ

In July, we had a family bike trip in Morris County, NJ. We loaded the bikes onto the cars and drove to a local park where there is a winding path through the thick woods. The weather was perfect and the path wasn't super crowded.

Girls' Day at the Beach

In July, I spent a day at the beach with Teva and Katherine. Usually I take the train to Long Beach because it's an easy beach to get to and it's pretty decent.

However, Kat, who is from LA, couldn't really grasp the idea of taking the train to the beach. So, we got into her car and drove there. It took a while to get there and finding parking almost made us go crazy! I think it took more than an hour to find a spot. We lucked out when we saw a giant SUV pulling out of a spot while we were at a stop light.

After waiting so long to park, we wanted to stay as long as we could. We stayed until the sunset and then made our way home. We only got slightly lost!

Father's Day and Mom's Birthday

Amy and I had a special celebration this year for my mom's birthday and father's day. We traditionally celebrate them at the same time because father's day usually falls around my mom's birthday.

We had a day long celebration starting with brunch at my apartment. The special cocktail was a Kir Royale. Amy and I made a delicious fritata with peppers, chives, and with a frissee salad. It was delicious. It was a little bit of a crazy morning because I forgot some last minute ingredients and had to pick up the dessert from the patisserie.

After brunch, we were full, so we decided to eat dessert later. We took the subway uptown to the Intrepid, which is an old aircraft carrier that my dad had wanted to see for ages. The ship is now a museum with a 60s submarine, the Concorde and tons of fighter planes and helicopters. This is right up my dad's alley. We spent the rest of the day there.

Then, we were hungry again so, we headed back to my apartment where we ate at the restaurant next door called Da Andrea. It felt great to finally sit down and we all suddenly felt very tired. However, we ate our dinners with gusto.

After that, we made the short journey, about 10 feet, to my apartment building, where Amy and I got the dessert ready. We had a warm tarte tatin, which was nice and light after a long, tiring day. We put the candles in and mom blew them out (after making a wish of course).

Presents were opened after that. Mom got a Kindle and dad got something called a watch winder, which I assume winds watches. It didn't seem to exciting to me, but he was happy with it. When all of that was done, they made the journey back to New Jersey. It was a perfect day!

Governor's Island and Statue of Liberty

For Tony's last and final visit, we continued seeing some of the most popular tourist sites. It was an action-packed two weeks despite that fact that I had the flu. We spent one day walking around Governor's Island and visiting a festival there. We went to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We also went to see Redhook via the Ikea ferry.

Teva Turns 40

My college pal, Teva, turned 40 in April. She had a big shindig at her apartment in Brooklyn were there was excellent food. Several people came in from LA to celebrate with her. It was a blast!

Nautical Bling in Greenport, NY

The weekend before Memorial Day, Christine had her "Nautical Bling" birthday party at her beautiful home, Rose Cottage, in Greenport, NY. Dress code was nautical bling, which was interpreted differently be each person.

The weather was warm and sunny for the most part. It clouded up a little, but got sunny again and stayed that way. Rain could have been an issue as nearly 80 people were coming.

Christine, who is an artist an set stylist, has a beautiful home and garden. With the help of her family and friends, it was even more beautiful for her party. There were umbrellas and tables and lamps outside making cozy corners to talk or take photos. The food was under a roofless structure with gauzy curtains around it and a chandelier in the middle.

Jeff set up a photo booth, where everyone posed for the camera and took funny photos near the food table. Nearly 600 photos were taken that night at the photo booth. It was interesting to see the different poses people chose.

The night got a little chilly, so someone lit a little fire. Christine made a fish soup for everyone at around 10 p.m. People put on their sweaters and ate their soup near the fire.

The next day, there was a brunch in the backyard and more fun. I had to get back home, so I hopped onto the jitney while the others left for brunch.

Self Workout in the Park

Every year, Elaine and Gina and I and a group of Elaine's friends go to "Workout in the Park" in Central Park. There are unique classes provided by Crunch all day long on the main stage as well as other areas.

The main stage has the aerobics, including bollywood dancing, 80s hip hop and a Glee inspired class. There is a quiet area under the trees with yoga and Pilates; urban rebounding and other things. In addition, there are vendors with samples of all kinds of healthy foods, make up and skin care stuff. We usually stay there for the entire day doing all the classes on the main stage.