Hurricane Irene Appears

We caved into the 24hr news coverage of the impending hurricane in anticipation. On Friday night we tried Swaddee, a Thai restaurant in Thornwood before we began our shut in for the weekend. It was a typical small town Thai place with the usual menu options.

On our way home , we stopped by Stop & Shop and witnessed the panic first hand. Bread & milk all gone!

Thankfully we were not affected by the hurricane, so it turned out be a weekend of staying in with food,movies and news.

Lukshi's Bon Voyage

Lukshi's farewell was on 08/19/11.

We had a family dinner at Rosa Mexicana at Union Square, Lukshi's favorite locale for dining in the city. Good food and even better guacamole!

Dinner was followed by drinks at Stanton Public, a very low key bar. We got a few tables in the outdoor patio and it was a great night to be in the city.

Next day Nelson's parents visited us to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. After three unsuccessful attempts at finding a good brunch spot on a rainy Sunday. Horsefeathers in Tarrytown worked out at the end and we all enjoyed the food. The historical theme and the interesting decor made it step up from a diner.

Laid back weekend

On Saturday my sister came to visit and we went shopping at the Palisades Mall. Had dinner at Pizza Hut, one of my favorite chain restaurants ever!!!It was great to spend time with Lukshi before she headed off to Paris soon.


On Sunday, we drove to NJ in the continuous rain to a MOHO friend's baby shower. I hadn't met up with her since graduation and it was great seeing her in all her pregnant glory. Despite the weather it was a lovely re-union!

A Quick trip to Boston

Last weekend we did a quick trip to Boston wth my cousin who was visiting from Toronto. On our way there, we stopped by Mohegan Sun for the lunch buffet.

We arrived at the Copley Square early evening. The Duck Tour was sold out but we did aout own walking tour from Copley to Quincy market.


The Public Garden was all in its summer glory.


The Quincy market was packed.

Next day, it was pouring, so we had to cancel our plans of doing the Duck Tour. Instead we drove aroud the Boston and Cambridge sights our selves.
We got pretty close to Fenway Park. We did shopping at the CambridgeSide Galleria and ahd lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.

Exploring Brooklyn

On Saturday we decided to explore Brooklyn, a borough we haven't really visited except for our visits just across the bridge for photo ops of the Manhtaan skyline.
It was a scorching summer afternoon and we made our way among rows of restaurants and coffee shops in Park Slope to a small Thai place named Beet. I had a groupon for the restaurant which offered very reasonable lunch options.

Then we walked leisurely through Prospect Park. I was surprised at how large the park was. Though not as iconic as Central Park, there were some nice locations.


Then we spent time at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. At $10 per person, it is a great way to spend an afternoon.

The Japanese garden was beautiful. There were three temperature controlled locations under ground for desert, tropical and wet envoronments. There was a nice bonsai garden indoors as well.


On our way back we stopped at the Tea Lounge, a large space with many comfy couches for some much needed cool drinks.

Won't Get Life Back Again

I was really looking forward to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara the latest movie by Zoya Akhtar. Loved the music, screenplay, acting. It really makes you take a second look at your life and think about your priorities. Made the trip to NJ on a Sunday night very worthwhile.

This was laid back weekend for me. A birthday party in Astoria on Saturday and lunch at home with friends and family on Sunday.

Image courtesy of www.naachgaana.com/.../zindagi-na-milegi-dobara/

Venice-on-the-Hudson

It was too hot to be outside last weekend. But on Saturday evening we drove to the top of Bear Mountain.


The breeze was refreshing and we spent a bit of time sitting on the rocks and enjoying the view.



After debating on what to do for dinner, Nelson led us to a cute town called Haverstraw. The downtown seemed to have many restaurants and seemed active. There was a movie being screened at a park by the waterfront. We were hoping to have dinner outside at Civile's Venice -on-the -Hudson. It was crowded especially regarding its outside seating with river views. But we arrived past the prime dinner time and were seated at a table outside within twenty minutes. We enjoyed the complementary bread basket, good pasta dishes and dessert. Having dinner in the cooling breeze with moonlight in view was a great end to a hot summer day!