Out of the ordinary.

I had my first burst of American Football during the week as we went out with the office on Wednesday for a game in the local Sinatra Park. I was relatively accustomed with the rules so wasn't too bad and the Gaelic skills were of at least some use. It had been a while though and my legs were giving out for 2 straight days afterwards. On Friday, we were all treated to some ice-cream with the office because we had reached a milestone with one of the programs we use within the office.

Saturday was spent back in Coney Island for the mermaid parade. I thought I had missed the parade since it occurs on the first Saturday of the summer, but apparently the summer doesn't start at the start of June like I was told? There was definitely a very different buzz around the area this weekend and the place was jammers, we queued for at least 20 minutes to get some hot-dogs this time. In the interest of keeping the ratings board off my back and maintaining my PG13 rating I may have to spare some of the more, unique, sights that we were witness to, there is a reason the parade is not broadcast. It's a very genuine, slightly seedy, “for the love of the culture” type parade and it was a great deal of fun.

Avast! Dar be scurvy pirates all along these here parades; yar...


In keeping with PG13.


Nice get up.


Costume made from discarded metro cards.


MJ and baby.




Very impressive; wouldn't you agree Sinead?


That's what kids are for.


This is the same guy from the Puerto Rico parade! He gets around.


We took a walk down the pier and around the boardwalk afterwards to bask in the sun and see what other sort of characters we would come across. On the pier, we got the chance to see one of the local fishers reeling in some fresh catches, while the boardwalk provided ample sideshow entertainment. It had been an enlightening day and I'm glad I got to come down to see the parade especially as there are lots of plans for the area since it has been bought up which may hinder future spectacles.



Sunday's plan was a much simpler one, or so we thought. There was free kayaking on the Hudson up in Hoboken so we said we would go along to that when it opened at 11, give it a shot and then make our way home. The plan was solid. We arrived at eleven and waited for them to set up, once they had done so, we were sent out for twenty minutes and so off we went, kayaking around our little boxed off area. As we walked back up the ramp once our time had expired we noticed that they were calling for volunteers to take the kayaks back to Manhattan; unsure of exactly what they required, we inquired. Turned out they were going to kayak all the way back to 57th street, down the Hudson, which would take roughly one hour and just about anyone could go along, just show up at 4. Fair enough, “we'll be there!” we proclaimed, suicidally.

We spent the next hour doing a spot of clothes shopping (yes ladies, it's possible to go for 3 months without looking at clothes in New York) in anticipation of next weekend (you'll have to tune in to find out!) before heading back to Sinatra Park to just sit down and enjoy the sun for a few hours. There was a bit of a market setup with some Puerto Rico salsa band playing some tunes for our amusement.



Once 4pm rolled around, we made our way back to the kayak ramp to face our fate. Once we got there, we meet up with a couple of American guys and hit it off straight away so got talking with them. They were in the same boat, figuratively, no idea what they were doing or how they had got themselves into a one hour trek across the Hudson in a plastic tub. We set off though and while there was some nice waves, some barges and cruise ships passing we managed to get across in one piece, much to every bodies surprise and relief. It was a very cool day though, it's not often you get a chance like that and this was 100% free, that doesn't happen in New York.



My feet! Didn't have a change of socks or shoes, my feet STUNG in the morning! Hurray!






Once we were done, the lads we were with asked us to go for “one or two” and we were not going to turn them down; kayaking builds some thirst. We made our way to a “Porter House”-esque bar around the corner and set up camp. Those of you who are a little street smart are now putting together the fact that we went for “one or two”, yet the blog is a day late...

We got talking all night; they had been all around Europe, one was a very Irish guy into a lot of sport and there was twins, one of which was very tech savvy so we were in good company and the conversation was never stalled. They told us about some upcoming events and how to go about organising some of the other things we have been planning so it was a great night in that respect and it's likely that we will organise something with them before we leave.

We made it back to Hoboken and crashed onto our beds, 12 hours overdue; so much for the plan.

Sunshine, lolipops and rainbows.

The weatherman was unsure about exactly how the day was going to go, so I decided to trust his indecision and play out the day, step by step. First port of call was Brooklyn Bridge. It's actually quite a bustling place with tourists, locals, walkers, runners and cyclists all out for some activity. It was a nice walk across the bridge and by the time I got to Brooklyn, the sun was maintaining it's presence. From here, I decided to go to Coney Island since the subway brought me straight to the door. In sticking with tradition , a Nathan's hot dog was the first thing I picked up before heading towards the beach.



Downtown.


A quick snapshot of the boardwalk at Coney Island.


Human paintball target; where do I apply?


Walking out onto the pier offered a good view, and there was plenty of people out for the day to fish or just relax and enjoy themselves. I walked a significant portion of the promenade and sat for a while to watch the various sports that were being played along the way; handball, squash, volleyball , American football. When I started walking back to where I had begun, I finally saw the roller coaster carriage summit at it's rickety peak, after it had looked closed all day. I knew where I was headed next. It was a great jaunt but you could feel how aged the 'coaster is, body being flung around, wheels squeaking, supports shaking... I was smiling but only because I wanted to go out with a smile. I think it should officially be renamed the Psyclone...cough...yeah, that was bad.

From the pier.


More like Psyc...no wait, I did that already.


Fools don't know what they got themselves into!


The craftsmanship is admirable.


After another walk around the area, I made my way back home. My crimson presentation should be enough to convince the weather man that the weather was due to be quite good that day.

Waking up to the sun shining through my window there was nothing to do but head back out and top up my lobster complexion. This time, I would do the damage in Long Island. After a brief train ride out to Long Beach my skin could finally enjoy the full on assault of the sun. There was a charge onto the beach but I had received a slightly reduced fee with a package deal for the train ticket. The beach was very active by the time I reached it (probably about 1pm) and there was various activities taking place along it's length. Mostly volleyball and some surfing further down. The beach itself was very clean and staying true to it's name, very long. I tested the waters today as it was quite a bit warmer than Saturday and it was a welcome relief. After a few hours sitting and swimming it was time to say goodbye to Long Beach, I'm sure it won't be the last time we cross paths.

Long Beach is long.


The sandpiles are the lifeguards lookout spots. Not too many pictures; people might have started asking questions.

Livin' la vida loca.

A minor mid-week venture was undertaken this week as we went out to see Shrek 3. It's another great movie in the series and I urge you all to go and see it when it reaches your fair shores.

On Friday, one of the girls in the office was going out to town to play a gig and was inviting people to join her for support, we were eager so expressed our interest. It was on in a little bar in Chinatown, and while it was a little quiet and run down, it wasn't going to hold us back. The night was a good success and it's always good to get out with work colleagues away from work. We had a few journeys around New York once people started leaving the bar, ultimately ending up in the apartment of a work mate before getting a taxi home well into the morning.

Friday had had it's say; Saturday was a none starter. As much as I tried to muster up some ummpf and get myself out the door, the body said no.

On Friday night, the taxi-driver had reminded me about the upcoming Puerto Rico Parade and so I decided that was my goal for Sunday. Up early and out the door, I headed for the city. While I didn't exactly know where I was aiming for, once I got into NYC it was quite clear which direction I needed the head; the one in which the wave of white, blue and red bellowed. It turned out to be a good day out and the Hispanic people proved to be quite entertaining.






Crazy guy on his skates moves in for the kill.


Success.










Wow, just wow.


OMG! RICKY! *Swoon*


Prepare to be deafened.


It's just wrong in every way.


He's onto me! Sketch!




And who's this we have... (Jennifer Lopez, just in case)


It was for me! I know it was!


Very cool.

The quiet man.

A fairly mundane weekend to report today unfortunately. Since it rained for the majority of the weekend, most of the time was spent inside but it was a nice rest after the hectic weekend previous. Managed to get out a little each day for some minor shopping but nothing much. Humidity is starting to really take it's toll, even when it's raining I'm still sweating in the house. I really should be expecting more from you guys this week seeing as how it's the bank holiday weekend over there, but I hear you have been rained out too, so I probably shouldn't hold out much hope!