NEW YORK... enough said

Day 1: It was about a 4hour drive from Milford, NH to Brooklyn, NY where we were staying for the next couple of days with some friends we met in Mexico, Mark and Christina.

 We drove through a few different states, starting in New Hampshire, then Massachusetts and Connecticut before we reached New York. It was mostly interstate driving but it was crazy to drive through so many largely populated areas so close together. The closer we got to NY the denser the population became. It was really different driving into NYC compared to flying as you got to see so much more. The traffic on the way in was not too bad as it kept moving. We were making really good time until we actually hit downtown Brooklyn then it took us a bit longer to get down the last road to Mark’s place. Finally we arrived and found Mark’s place on Atlantic Ave.

Mark and Christina were both there to meet us, it was great to see them both again. Mark’s apartment was awesome and in a perfect location really close to the subway. After dropping our stuff off and a quick catch up we left to do the first activity on the list; walk over the ‘Brooklyn Bridge’. We walked from the apartment to the bridge and just as we approached the bridge we saw a large group of people making a bit of noise. We continued to walk over the bridge and so did the big group of people who turned out to be part of the 'Verizon' strike. Next thing we know we are doing a little bit of a rushed walk across the Brooklyn bridge to stay in front of the march.  It was pretty funny actually and good timing as we were in front instead of behind. I loved walking across the bridge, great views of the city and the Manhattan bridge. After the Brooklyn Bridge we went down to the south street seaport and Pier 17 to try and find some Broadway tickets. After checking out the selection we decided that Friday night would probably be the better night to go and left it till then.

Next we made our way to the 'Skyline' an old industrial train line that had been converted into a walkway filled with trees and plants to give the Chelsea area a bit of park area to enjoy. On the way we stopped in at the Chelsea market where Marc purchased some maple bacon candied peanuts (he was very happy). On the walk we met up with Christina and Mark’s other half’s Jared and Jacob. The walk was super cool, the weather was perfect and it was a really nice way to wind down the day. For dinner all 6 of us went to a small Italian restaurant.



After dinner Jacob had to go but the rest of us went to Mark’s friends birthday party at a karaoke bar. It was loads of fun Christina and I sung ‘Total eclipse of the heart’, Marc and Mark sung 'Empire state of mind'.

Day 2: A little hung over in the morning; we got up and went for a run around ‘Prospect Park’ in Brooklyn. It was a much longer run then we thought but still fun. The park was kind of like Brooklyn’s version of Central Park. After the run we returned to the apartment around lunchtime showered then headed out to explore more of downtown Brooklyn.

For lunch we stopped at a delicious beagle shop just around the corner from where we were staying. After lunch we continued to walk down Fulton Street to explore downtown, then made our way to the pier. Along the pier we stopped and took some photos of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges from the ground, it was all very scenic. It was another really warm day so we stopped in at a bar for a quick drink then caught the train back to the apartment to met back up with Mark.

That night Christina was busy planning stuff for the weekend so the three M’s headed out. Mark took us to Williamstown to go bowling. The first place we went to had a $20 cover charge so we went to the ‘Gutter’ instead. We still had to wait for a lane so had some warm up drinks at bar next door. It was a great bar with a roof top patio and a great view of Manhattan at night. Bowling was loads of fun, Mark had a great way to play the game by making up rules for when you bowl. One of the rules was to synchronise bowl with the person in the lane next to you. Mark went first with out an issue but when I went the girl did not want to bowl until I had bowled, making it hard to synchronize bowl. She actually got really mad about the whole thing, even after we had explained the game. After bowling (that Marc won) we stopped off for one last cocktail before heading home. It was another late and great night.     

Day 3: Last day in New York we decided to go to Katz’s deli and see a Broadway show. Mark had a friends wedding to go to so we said goodbye to him in the morning before going downtown to pick up some discount tickets. Unfortunately none of the current shows were really grabbing me but Mark suggested we go to ‘Fuerzabruta', so we bought some tickets and hoped for the best.

After the tickets we made our way to Katz’s deli for lunch. When we arrived it was very busy so Marc lined up for a sandwich while I waited at a table. While I was waiting Christina found us as we were going to hang out for the rest of the day. When the famous sandwich arrived (Pastrami) it was amazingly delicious the best deli sandwich we had eaten on the trip.. maybe even ever. The meat was very succulent and had the most delicious spread.

After Lunch Christina took us to little Italy for a look, then we made our way to Union Square. We had a few hours to kill before the Broadway show started so we stopped off and enjoyed some beers. After the beers we met up with Jared and Christina's brother, who took us to a place just down the road where you buy a beer and get a free pizza! It was such a cool idea and we all enjoyed the beer and pizza for dinner. While we were eating it started to pour down with rain so we had to make a run for it as the show was about to start. Luckily Christina had an umbrella for us to borrow that saved the day. 

The show Fresabruta went an hour; once we arrived we walked into a big room and were standing for the whole show. To start a dude came out on a treadmill and started to run and as he got faster ran through, people, walls of cardboard and got shot... but kept running. The treadmill kept moving around the room and so did we. Next there was a dance scene where everyone was encouraged to dance. It was entertaing but I think we probably would have enjoyed it more if we were high just like everyone else there. Last scene was our favourite they lowered a clear bottom pool over our heads and performed different dances kind of like synchronized swimming, it was really cool Marc even saw some nipple!

After the show we met back up with Christina and Jarred had a few drinks and then we all decided to go out to the spotted pig (that Marc really wanted to go to) for dinner at 2am in the morning. It was super weird to be eating so early/late in the day, only in New York I guess. We still had to wait 30 min for a table but when we finally got seated everyone ordered something to eat. It was a little late for me so I only ate the fries (which were amazing) but everyone else had the burgers. It really was a cool place to go and eat with little spotted pigs everywhere. After our midnight dinner it was so late we all went back to Christina’s place to crash for the night.

Day 4: After a little bit of a sleep in at Christina's (who's apartment was in Bed-Stuy) we said our good bye's and made our way back to Mark’s to pack up our stuff and start making our way to Long Island. After some showers and one last visit to the Bagel shop for lunch we packed up our stuff and picked up Hank. So happy to see Hank still waiting for us where we left him.

It was mid afternoon by the time we left for Long Island. On the drive out we actually got to see a lot more of Brooklyn, which was not like everywhere else we had just been. The poorer neighbourhoods were pretty ruff and we saw some pretty sad people and situations e.g. I saw a guy bashing his girlfriend people walking by not doing anything. It was so sad it made me feel sick.

On our way out to see Long Island and the Hamptons we stopped off at Hildebrandt’s Marc’s first ‘Diners, Drive-in’s and Dive’s’ (DDD) place. A show on the food network that tours around the US visiting good restaurants. It was famous for it’s Sunday’s and that’s exactly what we got. Marc and I shared because it was big and boy was it yummy!

We then continued to make our way down the South coast of Long Island. It was a very busy place with loads of traffic, especially around the coastal towns. We  drove past most of the Hampton's before stopping for supplies in East Hampton. Loads of money walking around the supermarket it was pretty crazy. After supplies we continued on towards Montauk. It was a really nice drive but had not seen any ocean along the way. On the map there was a campground in Hither Hills state park we were going to look at staying for the night; We arrived there around dinnertime and stopped to ask the price. Camping was a little more then we wanted to pay so we just stopped to cook up some dinner in the picnic area before it got dark.

After dinner we continued to Montauk to find somewhere to camp for the night for free. We finally found a place right on the tip on the Island near the lighthouse. There were other people camping so we parked, setup for the night and passed out.

Day 5: The park we had found for the night was a really nice place to wake up, as we looked out over the ocean. After some breakfast we packed up and went for a look around. We were a little early for the lighthouse so took some photos from the outside then went back into Montauk.

Montauk was a lovely little beach town, we walked around for a bit checking out the little shops, then an art market that was on. We purchased a great photo of a really sad seagull and of course a magnet for my ever-growing collection.

Next we drove back down long Island to the Hampton Bay to go find a beach and take a swim. The drive back did not take long. When we arrived at Hampton Bay it was still not as grand as we were expecting, there were some big houses on the way but no massive mansions (not that we went off the man roads to go find them).

We drove across a bridge to go out to the beach, however when we arrived the beach was not free! Both Marc and I were in shock and were not going to pay $20 to go for a quick swim or even just to have a quick look at the beach. We continued down the road but could not find any free parking anywhere so parked in a permit zone. The beach was super long and straight both ways you looked and the water was a lovely temp. It was a nice beach but not worth $20. After a quick look maybe 15min we went back to the car to find $70 parking fine for not having a permit… I will never ever pay this fine, beaches should be free! After the beach we drove down to the pier to stop for some lunch. It was a nice spot and entertaining to watch everyone fishing. 

 In the afternoon we headed back towards Brooklyn to go and check out Cooney Island. The drive was mostly highway but when we arrived found a free park, then went and had a look. Cooney Island was really cool we walked up and down the pier before we ducked in for a look at the rides and carnival setup. Cooney Island had a very cool history as well that we stopped to read about. It was a huge attraction back in the day and has had a lot of ups and downs over the years. While we were walking around a huge storm cloud made its way over and started to pour rain, this cut our visit short and we ended up running back to the car a bit drenched.



We had a lot of fun exploring the outer regions of New York and can't wait to go back again one day. Thanks Mark and Christina it really was loads of fun!