We love going to the New York beaches in the summer time, but always feel like we don't go quite often enough. However, for the week of the 4th we managed to hit the beach both weekends. The weekend before the 4th of July we went to one of our favorite beaches, Rockaway, and relaxed on the warm sand with a cool ocean breeze. The weekend after the 4th we went to Fire Island, which is a popular vacation spot for NYers and on our NY bucket list. So we got to enjoy a new beach, which was quite nice, and cross something off of our bucket list :) Both weekends were incredibly warm (high 90s and possibly 100s), so as I said, "If we have to be hot, may as well be hot on a beach." :)
The weekend before the 4th, we got to catch up over dinner with an old colleague of mine and his wife who were in town for vacation. We met up with them on Saturday night at The Glass House Tavern. Matt passes by this place sometimes on his way to work and had been wanting to try it, and since it had good Yelp reviews, we decided to try it. We were not disappointed! The food was really good as was the wine and beer :) Of course, the company was also delightful, and we may have stayed out for one or two more beers than we originally planned for ;)
That very next morning, Matt and I ran in our second NYC race. It was a 10K in Queens, part of the 5-borough race series put on by the New York Road Runners club. Matt and I won't hit all of the 5 boroughs, but of course we have/will run several times in Manhattan, now Queens and are slated for a race in the Bronx. We are just missing Staten Island and Brooklyn - maybe next year. Anywho, it was a 10K (as mentioned), which is 6.2 miles for those of you who hate the metric system ;), and a sunny 84 degrees, not the most suitable weather for a run. But, we finished with decent times, got some fun race medals at the end, got a sweaty picture of us in our fun race metals (below) plus free Gatorade, fruit, pretzels, etc. I am actually surprised by how much fun I have at these races. After each one, I say to Matt, "That was fun!" and I actually mean it. I say I am surprised because I don't view my every day runs as "fun" but the race environment/mentality is a bit different. There is adrenaline, a general group vibe of friendly competitiveness, the satisfaction you feel after finishing, all the fun free stuff at the end... it's just fun :)
Of course, we caught the Macy's annual fireworks show on the actual 4th of July. We have watched these every year, and every year we upgrade our view a little. For those of you who may not be familiar with how it is set up, Macy's has multiple firework stages/barges (that are synced to music and what not) set up along the Hudson River and people gather on the river bank to watch the show. Our first year, we set up camp close to our apt and were probably 20 blocks north of the actual fireworks. So we could see the fireworks but not really appreciate them. Our second year, we committed to packing food, lawn chairs, reading material and going downtown early in the evening to get a better spot in the viewing area. We were probably right across from the last barge, and it was a pretty good show. However, this year we decided to get on one of the many boat cruises that anchor in the Hudson to give people the 'best' view of the fireworks. I have to say, it was a pretty good view being right on the river; the best view we have had so far. I think next year, I want to somehow get on a roof-top deck/bar/restaurant - we'll see if that works out ;)
Hope everyone had a Happy 4th!
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