America's Pastime
- Samantha Hoback
- Aug 21, 2017
- 3 min read
What comes to mind when you think of summer in New York? Picnics in Central Park, weekend escapes to the Hamptons, rooftop happy hour...
Well, while my dad was in town this weekend for a quick visit, we went a little more retro with our summer plans. Saturday we headed to Coney Island. How very summer in New York! The subway ride was kind of long--I'd never been so far out in Brooklyn before--but definitely worth it. As soon as we got there, we walked along the boardwalk that juts out into the Atlantic. It was so nice to see sand and surf and fishermen scattered along the boardwalk hoping for a bite. The weather was perfect--hot, but breezy. We took in all the sights: Nathan's hot dogs, the amusement park, an impromptu sand sculpture contest (seriously some real talent for sand sculpting out there!), and soft serve for Dad before stopping it at a beachside cafe for lunch. It felt like we were in a completely different city, state even, than New York, although we weren't all that far from Manhattan. Pretty amazing the places you can go without venturing too far from home.
Dinner Saturday was the Central Park Boathouse, my second trip, and it did not disappoint. I only wished I'd saved more room for dessert. I barely made it through a third of my strawberry-rhubard crisp, but it was very tasty.
After stopping at my new-favorite bagel shop for a late breakfast, we took the subway yet again, this time bound for Flushing, Queens (cue The Nanny theme song). I've been wanting to go to a Mets game ever since I moved to the city. Bet you didn't know I was baseball fan! Well, I don't follow it on TV, and I don't have a team per se. But I do love going to the stadium and watching a live game with good food, good drinks, and good friends and family. Also, the jerseys are really cute, both on and off the field.
Our Mets experience was bittersweet: On the one hand, the stadium was really nice, we had great seats in the shade, and we found a bar that serves margaritas in a mason jar--for the win! On the other hand, the team played like garbage against the Miami Marlins--whom they beat the previous night 8-1 (Sunday the Mets lost 1-6). I love that I have access to MLB just off the subway. I'm thinking this will be a new summer tradition.
For dinner that night, another item on my bucket list checked off. We made our way to Madison Square Park and to the rooftop of Eataly for dinner at Sabbia. Think of a casual beach cafe serving up awesome drinks, great seafood, and lots of popular Italian food. I started the meal off with--what else--FROSE! My first but definitely not my last. I now understand the hype. Dad and I split a cheese plate and some bruschetta. And to my surprise, I actually liked the squid that came in my seafood pasta. (No, I still don't like calamari. And I only ate the squid that was in ring form; no tentacles for me, thanks.)
And since we were already there, I had to finish the night off with a cup of gelato--coffee and tiramisu flavors. Needless to say we both slept well thanks to food coma-induced exhaustion. My diet starts today.
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