What I Did On My Summer Vacation

As they always do, my two whippersnappers spent the last two weeks of their summer vacation with me in NYC, and I must say this particular time may well have amounted to the best vacation I have ever had…and we never even left the city! (A true testament to the variety of diversions in the City of Fools). The afternoons and evenings were packed with activity — I’m kind of flabbergasted at everything we were able to do on a fairly modest budget. For the half dozen people who care, here are some of our several activities, grouped together by theme:

BASEBALL

We attended no fewer than four serious games in four different boroughs (all but Manhattan), including our first time ever trip to see the New York Yankees play (only sixteen rows back, thanks to StubHub), our umpteenth trip to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play (Charlie caught a souvenir tee shirt), our first trip to see the Staten Island Yankees play (my favorite of all. We were in the first row, and Cashel caught a game ball), and a trip up to Astoria, Queens to see the vintage players of the Gotham Baseball Base Ball Club (see a special post on that experience here this coming Thursday). In addition, we went to see an exhibition on the Brooklyn Dodgers at the Brooklyn Historical Society (see review here Sept. 16), and the kids played a bit of catch at Prospect and McCarren Parks.

CONEY ISLAND

We made three separate treks out to Coney Island, which, added to my previous three treks out there this season, has made this the Coney Islandingest summer of my young life. Earlier I’d been out there to partake of the Coney Island bar and the fireworks, to speak at the Coney Island Museum, and to check out Luna Park. On this trip we did Luna Park again, the Cyclones and the fireworks on one day; a strictly swimming-at-the-beach day on one of those awful 95+ degree days last week, and a day of assorted amusement park rides, Nathan’s, and a pilgrimage to the New York Aquarium to see the octopus…and, uh, the other fish. On this trip, I am proud to say I rode the Cyclone — my first time on any roller coaster ever. It was like being raped by the kraken. Except I had my eyes closed the entire time. So, it was more like Ray Charles. Being raped. By the kraken. Oh, and a word to the wise…”Bump, Bump, Bump Your Ass Off” is definitely the best bumper car ride in Coney Island.

THEATER, FILM, VARIETY AND CIRCUS ARTS

Kids came to see me in Spacemen from Space…we caught two 3-D films at the Film Forum (including one by the Three Stooges. You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced Moe’s eye poke in the first person!)…we saw the Flying Karamazov Brothers…we saw the magic show American Gypsy and the dance show Trick Boxing in the NY International Fringe Festival…we saw the clown parade of the New York Clown Theater festival, and the New York Unicycle Festival on Governor’s Island (see photo spread here tomorrow).

Oh, and there was ice cream at South Street Seaport…Indian food with live sitar on Sixth Street, Mexican and Italian food…and bicarbonate of soda. My pulchritudinous companion was along for much of the above-mentioned, adding to the sparkle of the events. At all events, I hope the two technical children enjoyed the ride as much as did the metaphorical child who preceded them into God’s spherical amusement park.