Bucket #5 (Early 4th of July Fireworks in Astoria!)

Bucket #5 (Early 4th of July Fireworks in Astoria)

June 30, 2014

Temp: HOT (I forgot to look, but it was so hot walking there.  Once the sun went down, it was actually quite pleasant.)

The whole group!

Laura and Maddy were the instigators for this bucket adventure.  Apparently, Astoria has a HUGE fireworks display before Independence Day every year in Astoria park.  We had no idea how busy it would be and the list of friends joining in was growing, so we got there an hour before the “concert.”  Maddy, Lindsay and I met up around 6:00 and headed down to the water.  We chose a spot out in the grass closer to the Hell Gate Bridge (who knew that’s what it was called!).  There were quite a few people already in the park, but we were able to stake out a pretty large area.

Blankets were laid out, chairs were set up, and food was set out to enjoy!  We chatted and enjoyed being in the sun while we waited for our other awesome friends to meet up.  Eric, Blair, Ashley, and Ryan showed up pretty quickly.  Blair had seen a Mister Softee truck, and Eric had seen a hot dog vendor on their way over…so the three of us took off for snacks and to pick up Dawn.  We failed miserably in two of the three tasks, but we succeeded in the important one of finding Dawn.  (The truck had moved; we think the police got involved and made them move!  And the hot dog vendor closed up shop right in front of us to get closer to the center of the action…why they didn’t take the business right in front of them is beyond my comprehension.  Eric survived; he ate a huge ice cream dinner later!)

Tony, Randy, and Ashley’s friends showed up soon after!  Now there was supposed to be a concert starting at 7:30.  The Queens Symphony was playing, but we could hardly hear anything.  Guess we should have tried to get closer to the stage, but we just assumed they would have a bigger sound system since they do this event every year supposedly.  It was strange…if you stood up you could hear a little better because you were above all the people that were absorbing the sound.  I missed the music, but it was lovely to catch up with friends and meet some new ones.

Maddy in her new chair!

Daniella also made an appearance at our blanket!  Time passed so quickly being in such good company.  It got dark, and I suddenly realized, the park was PACKED!  The huge, grassy, empty area we set up camp in was now completely full!  Astorians sure know how to make a community come together!

Once it got dark enough, the fireworks started over the water, and it was a magnificent sight!  I have no idea why blowing things up in the sky can foster such patriotic feelings, but it does!  We are so lucky to live in this amazing country!  God truly blesses the USA; obviously there are issues, and there always will be…but I am so proud and feel extremely fortunate to have the freedoms that we have.  Being in the biggest city in our country during this holiday week is an unbelievable experience!

Immediately after the fireworks, Tony found us.  He was having trouble with cell phone reception, so he left for a call and ended up not finding us for the big moment.  So Tony had to watch the fireworks alone…without shoes…for some reason.  😦  He was very upset about it!

After the fireworks, we made the trek back to Maddy and Randy’s apartment for a bathroom break.  (Waiting in like for the porta potty was not our idea of fun!)  We decided to extend the adventure to the Vegan Ice Cream place by their apartment.  They had regular ice cream as well.  After taste testing a couple, Lindsay and I decided on the chocolate sorbet.  Yum!

Ryan’s ice cream that Tony thought looked like his hair somehow

Gorgeous gals!

We certainly could have kept the fun going, but we decided to be responsible and head home.  It was such a refreshing, lovely night, and it definitely made up for the fact that I had to work on the 4th.

On to the next bucket!!

Bucket #4 (Fire Island…or as Tony likes to sing, “This island’s on FIRE!”)

Bucket #4 (Fire Island…or as Tony likes to sing, “This island’s on FIRE!”)

June 23-25, 2014

Temp: 73 degrees

Highlights: Walking on the beach at sunset, outdoor shower, biking and trekking to the lighthouse, beach photo shoots, and fun and games with wonderful friends!

Fire Island, New York Travel Guide | News, Events & Things to Do

I must admit, this entry is so daunting because there was just so much fun and so many details on our adventure!  If you get bored, just scroll through and look at some great photos! 🙂

We have Tony, Stephanie, and Robin, Stephanie’s awesome boss, to thank for our Fire Island Adventure!  We trekked to the island later than expected due to auditions and a last minute deadline that popped up, so when we got there, we were ready to relax….

But getting there, that was a whole adventure in and of itself.  Lindsay and I took off (twice…but that’s another story) and walked to the R train Steinway stop.  We took the R for awhile to connect with the E train and took the E almost to the last stop where it connected with the LIRR (Long Island Railroad).  Let me tell you, I don’t know how people figure out these railroads.  They don’t post your track until minutes before you board and then middle aged men are shoving past you, stealing all the seats.  (Yes folks, chivalry is pretty much dead in NYC…it’s every person for themselves apparently!)  We found two seats on (we hoped) the right train and jumped on with our many pounds of luggage.  After arriving in Bay Shore, Linds and I quickly found a taxi/shuttle to take us to the Ferry.  These guys charge $5 a person for a mile long ride…they’ve figured out how to make bank on peak times!  (On the way home, I think there were 17 people riding…$85 for a couple minutes of driving…awesome for them!)  After waiting for a few minutes, we boarded the ferry and soon decided to venture up to the top deck.  What a ride!  It was windy and freezing, so with Lindsay’s direction, I figured out how to do a quick change in broad daylight.

Wind in the hair makes for a great look 😉

Lovin’ that hair!

Successful quick change!

 

While on the ferry we overheard a crazy woman yelling at her man for ruining her vacation.  Five minutes later she was laughing and petting her dog.  (We ran into them on the beach later and she still appeared to be crazy!)

Tony and Stephanie met us at the dock, and we quickly figured out what relaxed and happy looked like.  We knew we wanted a little bit of that therapy they’d already experienced on the island.  We walked to the amazing beach house that Robin so graciously let Tony and Stephanie use for a few days, and we debated dinner plans.

There are pretty much no cars allowed on the island, and we later figured out, there really isn’t much of a path connecting all the neighborhoods with each other.  I read an article later about how the residents want to keep it that way.  (Interesting place!)  Anyway, for dinner we decided on the 45 minute walk along the water to the touristy area where there were a few restaurants still open.  What a magnificent walk…simply amazing!  We didn’t see a soul, except for the crazy lady and her dog.

We had an amazing dinner outside by the water.  The food and company were equally impressive!  After dinner, we stopped at a bakery that was open until 4 am!!  Lindsay and I both got gluten free Rice Krispie treats and Tony and Stephanie picked up two fabulous looking treats.  We walked home along the water with Stephanie using her phone flashlight to lead the way.  We were going to go through the neighborhoods, but that’s when we discovered the undeveloped areas that creeped us out a little.  (Plus Tony scared me into thinking I would get a tick bite and develop Lyme Disease.  That had me freaked out for the entirety of the trip!)

We slept extremely well that night and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the island.  First stop, was the outdoor shower that Stephanie had excitedly prepared us for.  I was hesitant at first, but showering while the sun beams down on you is a heavenly experience.

We applied sunscreen (apparently I was a little too excited to get to the beach and did the worst sun tan lotion application of anyone…) and walked right down to the beach.  There were a few people out enjoying the day but absolutely nothing like my crowded beach experiences at Long Beach and Clearwater Beach in Florida.

We finally “braved” the water…or rather Tony did.  Us girls dipped our toes and got a little wet but didn’t want to dive right in.  With temps in the 70’s, the Atlantic just isn’t quite warmed up yet, but Tony didn’t seem to mind.  We also got to have photo shoots on the beach.  With a backdrop like that, how could you not?!

                                                          

The next part of our adventure included riding the bikes to the next town over!  We were going to try to bike to the same area we had been the night before, but when we asked a girl on the way for directions, she warned us we would be pushing the bikes through loose sand for over a mile.  That didn’t sound too appealing, so we turned around and headed back to a town called Kismet.  They have an “In” Restaurant and an “Out.”  Tony and Stephanie had been at the “In” the day before, so we tried the “Out.”  We sat outside and enjoyed more delicious food and conversation and made plans to travel to the lighthouse which seemed pretty close by.  After a quick came of cornhole…Sutton’s vs. Ramos’s…we departed for the lighthouse.

The first part of the ride was great until we hit yet another undeveloped area without a path.  This is where we got our workout, pushing the bikes through the sand.  We got to the lighthouse and learned they charge a bit more than we wanted to pay to get to the top, so we decided in that moment the journey to see it was more important than the actual destination.  We headed back with a deadline to get to the grocery store before closing at 6!  (or we would have had to go back to the same restaurant for Taco Tuesday, which Tony desperately wanted to attend but was vetoed by the girls with the promise of Taco Tuesday in Astoria!)

After a strenuous trip to the store, we got what we needed and headed back to the house for an afternoon shower and siesta.  That night Linds and Stephanie cooked a delicious dinner and we played a couple rounds of cards and an epic game of Settlers where our man Tony won the game!

After cleaning up a bit in the morning, we said farewell to Fire Island aboard the ferry.  Tony remarked that the island was sad to see us go as it was a drizzly, cloudy day.  It definitely made us realized how fortunate we were to have the fantastic weather we did throughout the trip.  Our trek home was a quiet, tired and satisfied one where we reflected on the importance of allowing ourselves to play and rest and share experiences with wonderful friends.  Lindsay and I are extremely blessed to have Tony and Stephanie as friends and to have shared such an unforgettable adventure with them.  And thanks to Robin for sharing her lovely home and beach with four middle-of-the-country folk!

                            

And this is why the back of my legs are now burned and peeling…

wah wah…

Bucket #3 (Shakespeare in the Park)

Bucket #3: Shakespeare in the Park

June, 15, 2014

Temp: 61 degrees (in the am), 70 degrees (in the evening)

We started the day off at 5:30 am…now if you know the Sutton Sisters, this is crazy talk.  We hate waking up early for anything, so the fact that we chose to do that on our day off was quite a big deal.  We left the apartment at 6:00 am for a quick stop at the store…only…our store wasn’t open yet!  This was shocking to us.  We are often at the store at closing time (midnight), but we have NEVER been there too early!  Fortunately, the 24 hour Rite Aid across the street had the snacks we needed to get us through a long day of sitting in line.

We met Maddy on the train and dealt with construction on the N/Q line to finally make it to Central Park shortly after 7:00.  Al met us and we quickly got in line.  (or on line depending on where you are from!)  The days before our outing had been quite hot, so we were not expecting the brisk morning we had.  It really didn’t warm up at all until 11 am, but I guess it’s better than 90 degree weather we will probably have to deal with for the next Shakespeare in the Park in late July.

Time passed quickly with several chats, snacks and games.  The company was outstanding…wonderful people with whom to spend the day!  We were waiting to get tickets for “Much Ado About Nothing.”  Well, midway through our waiting time, I started making Much Ado About Everything from the dog fight we witnessed to the BIG ROCK OF DOOM!  What is this big rock, you ask?  Why yes, I was just about to tell you about it.  For the show, each person on the line is allowed to get two tickets.  They don’t hand out the same amount of tickets each show, so it’s difficult to tell if you’re going to get tickets.  We really didn’t want to wait around all day only to lose out on seeing the show.  My friend, Blair (who I was going to get a ticket for), texted me midway through our waiting time to ask if we were ahead of THE BIG ROCK OF DOOM.  Now let me tell you, there are several rocks in central park, several big rocks, and several on the paths leading up to the theatre.  I started snapping pictures of rocks to send to her to see if we were out of luck.  Apparently if you are after this certain rock, you generally don’t get tickets.  We ended up with tickets as well as tons of people after us, BUT we did later determine by Blair’s confirmation that we were indeed right next to THE BIG ROCK OF DOOM!  Thank goodness our day was not destroyed by the rock this time, but we must heed this warning for King Lear tickets and get there earlier!

THE BIG ROCK OF DOOM!

After hanging out for 5 hours, the time came to hand out tickets!  When our group of four got to the front, we said 4 people, 8 tickets.  The lady said we would be split up and handed us 4 tickets and 6 tickets.  hmm…that one confused us!  So we had ten tickets in our hands, and we didn’t know why!  After deliberating, we decided to ask someone in charge if they were supposed to give us two extra tickets or if that was a mistake. We certainly wanted to give the two extras to friends, but we also know what it’s like to wait in line for hours with the possibility of not getting tickets.  We turned them back in and went on our way back home for a lengthy nap.

We basically slept the afternoon away and headed back to the theatre.  By this time, the weather was absolutely beautiful with no rain forecasted!  (We had a rain adventure the last time we went to Shakespeare in the Park…the rain added to that evening, but I wouldn’t trade this beautiful night for anything!)  Blair, Tony, Eric and Laura joined the original four for the show that evening.

It was THE PERFECT NIGHT!  The show was just amazing!  Lindsay and I agreed it was the best Shakespeare we’d ever seen, and it was simply gorgeous outside.  So far every bucket list adventure has had great weather.  (Hope I didn’t just jinx it!)

http://www.publictheater.org/en/programs–events/shakespeare-in-the-park/?SiteTheme=Shakespeare

Note: I did not take this illegal picture…Lindsay did! hehe!

After the show, 5 of us decided to get a bite to eat.  The show was three hours long, so 11 pm on a Sunday night can be a little difficult to find a place that is still open.  Blair told us about Big Nick’s.  We weren’t sure if we would be able to eat much there, BUT we when we walked in, we saw a sign for gluten free pizza!  How perfect!  We had a fun dinner and a lovely walk to the train where the moon glowed and mesmerized everyone.

We are finding these adventures to be even better than we imagined!  We definitely encourage everyone to try something similar for a period of time.  On to the next bucket! 🙂