Saturday in DUMBO

Excuse the flurry of posts, I am catching up after a very busy few weeks!

One of my goals for this year is to explore more neighborhoods in NYC including in Brooklyn. One the hottest Saturday of the year we met some friends for brunch at Vinegar Hill House in DUMBO. DUMBO stands for Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass and it is a neighborhood with great views of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan.

Brunch was delicious. They had Chilaquiles on their menu which Miriam has been raving about from Mexico so I had to try them and I was not disappointed. Afterwards we took a walk to the water but it was unbearably hot so the visit didn't last long.

Manhattan Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

Seneca Lake

Two weekends ago we had the opportunity to visit the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Sean and I have been hearing about how beautiful this area is for a long time and were very excited to finally visit (this trip was a long time in the making). My friend Michael's family has a cottage on Seneca Lake. It was very cozy and had a beautiful view overlooking the lake, with steps down a cliff to the beach.

We decided to rent a car and drive up from the city, which took a while, but was worth it for the beautiful drive through New York. The car was also very useful for driving around to wineries, which we did a lot of. We tried some excellent wines and bought home almost a case full. On Saturday we went into Ithaca to pick up another friend, Nick, from the airport, and were able to eat at the Moosewood restaurant. They are my favorite cookbooks so I was geeked.

It was a great weekend and we are looking forward to visiting again in the hopefully not too distant future.

Sean had a weekend love affair with Esmerelda.

Dinner at the Stonecat Cafe, seated in an empty room and acting awkward.

Watkins Glen

The view from a winery.

Sean is cooking Annie's Mac at 11 p.m.

Saying goodbye to the lake.

We stopped in Ithaca for Jimmy Johns on our drive home. Amazing.

4th of July

Ready to go!

Supplies

Patriotic nails

Staying cool while waiting for the train with Jamba Juice

Supporting the economy

Chips and guac were so good I didn't get a photo

Epic scrabble game

Yesterday was quite an adventure for our kitchen. We decided to try making homemade tortilla chips to go with a big bowl of guacamole. We didn't realize until two hours of slogging through making them that they didn't really need oil and seasonings put on them. Just cut up corn tortillas, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so. Delicious.

We also made our first batch of sangria. I say first, because I am sure there is more to come in our future, once we finally acquire a pitcher to put it in! It was so delicious and not that difficult to make. We let an assortment of fruit (lemons, limes, oranges, nectarines, and raspberries) hang out in the fridge for a couple of hours with 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 cup of vodka, and 1 cup of brandy. Then we mixed in two bottles of red wine (cab) and topped each glass off with clear soda. So fantastic, although this was a BIG batch and we probably should have halved the amounts. It would be great for a party though!

Ryan and Callie visit NYC

Or, what our lives could have been like if Ryan and Callie had not moved back to Michigan one month before we moved to NYC.

Yahtzee at the beer garden

Shake Shack!!

Very happy with my first Shake Shack experience

We're so in love

We had a wonderful time enjoying lots of delicious food (bread, cheese, fries, more fries, beer, more beer, with some great sushi thrown in there) and beautiful weather while Ryan and Callie were visiting New York. They even came out to Astoria and got to experience the Bohemian Beer Hall and Garden in all it's Euro Cup glory, where we enjoyed cheering very loudly about our game of Yahtzee and confusing everyone around us.  It was a fantastic weekend!