A Active Sunday, An Active Weekend

I have fallen into the downward spiral of being antisocial. My job leaves me too tired to do much all week long, and getting comfortable there has left me with feeling that 1 trip to the diner for an entire weekend is enough time to see and spend time with friends.

This weekend, however, was completely different. Kristen was up from New Orleans, and from the time I woke up Friday until right now I was with people to some degree and did a lot. Friday after being gone for work from 630 am until almost 7 pm, I was back out the door within 20 minutes to watch the Eagles 1st preseason game and hang out at a friend's house. I ended up leaving and getting back home around 1:30. Kristen ended up staying here the rest of the weekend.

I woke up Saturday morning around 10 am. An hour later it was time for pancakes and then a series of texts and phone calls to plan for the show that night. Past that I spent the next 2 hours trying to come up with a set list, once Joe came over, and memorizing more lyrics for the show. By 4 is was time to pack the cars and head out. We were at the pool from 5:30 until 11 pm. I then went back to my friend Tom's until about 1 or so. Finally got home and got to bed a little after 2:30 am. Both Joe and Kristen stayed over Saturday night.

Today I woke up and soon after Joe headed out. Kristen had already been up and showered and I showered soon after. Almost immediately after getting out we headed out the door for the diner to meet up with those that slept at Tom's. After the diner, our friends from NY/NJ hit the road and I headed back home. Not for long, though. We were back out the door at 1 pm to see, with Alex, a 1:30 screening of Scott Pilgrim (which was awesome - see it). Home around 4, dinner at 6, and then it was time for one more outing. As if two outings on a Sunday was not enough (and believe me, considering how this summer has gone - that was a lot) my sisters, Kristen and myself went out to get frozen yogurt and met some long time friends there. Finally, I called it a night/weekend around 9:30 pm. The rest of the night I spent lying on the floor reading through/catching up on some news and watching the Phils.

All in all I would say it was an incredibly solid weekend. Also, for once, the weather was pretty bearable throughout.

It's not about the destination

It's about the journey.

That is the mindset I have adopted from my friend, Warren, about trips into the city. Needing a goal, an errand, a destination to spend time in the city is silly. Instead, the time spent in the city leading up to that goal, if there is one, is worth it in it of itself. Tonight I went into the city with him and my friend Kristen. I had a few loose goals: see if I can pick up a book at the library, and hunt down a Frame store to finally frame a print of a painting I purchased a few months ago. Warrens only goal was to get into the Mozart show at Lincoln Center.

All of this backfired. The library was closed by the time we got into the city, and they don't carry the novel at Barnes & Noble. The frame store was closed by the time we got to it, and the show was sold out. Nonetheless we were mobile from 5:15 to 10:15. Even though we accomplished none of our goals, we all still agreed we were happier to have made the trip than not.

Ignore The Weather

Sometimes you just have to forgo. Today, my sisters and a close friend came to visit. They are here for 2 days, and the two worst days NY has seen in the past 10-14 days. We were especially spoiled after last weekend and the start of this week. As this weekend approached and the forecast was telling nothing but bad news, there were brief talks of trying another weekend. Ultimately it was deicded that, despite the bad weather, this was the most convenient weekend.

Sure, there was a lot I wanted to do that was 100% dependant on good weather like walking High Line Park, eating lunch in Union Square, walking the Brooklyn Bridge and spending some down time in Battery Park, but you do what you can. Today we hit a bunch of places and were in the city, and on the go from 1 pm until 11 pm. Fortunately for us, not until we reached the final part of our night - searching for a restaurant for dinner, as well as the trip home - did we really battle the elements.

Tomorrow is looking to be a bit worse, but after spending a few hours online we came up with a few options, keeping in mind the volume of people in the city on a Saturday and that many will be looking for similar indoor activities. Hopefully something works out, and if not, we already have lunch reservations in the city, and the plan to have some quality down time in my home, capping the weekend off with a trip to Arthur Avenue for Little Italy before heading to Penn Station.

Highlight of the day was the boardwalk at Southstreet Seaport overlooking the river with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. They really loved it - everyone had their cameras out taking pictures. If you haven't been to this area I would check it out - the mall/shops combined with the restaurants are all great entertainment in an area with such an impressive view as this.