More of NYC - part 2

Ok, so I have had an insane few weeks. No time to even get on, much less write anything. So, to summarize the rest of the NYC trip, we had an awesome time, did a ton of stuff, including the aquarium, Coney Island, the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and a trip out to the Hamptons to visit Steve and his wife Sharis (I love that name!). It was really nice to have Mike and Scott there. Relaxing with friends is something I haven't had much of here. Steve and Sharis have an amazing house, and Steve took us on a tour to see some of the mansions the rich and famous people build. To me, Steve's house was a mansion! He has done so much to it, and it is still homey, with lots of room, and the hosts were wonderful. We had a barbecue (the famous Nathan's hot dogs) out on the porch, and I spent some time relaxing in the hammock by the in-ground pool and hot tub. Let's see, the aquarium was interesting, and I enjoyed seeing all the varieties and colors of the fish. There was a turtle that instantly brought back memories of home group - Dude!!! I managed to get some pretty good pictures, too. Coney Island was fun, walking on the beach after eating chili and cheese fries (REALLY good) and corn dogs (NOT great). The day we headed to see the Statue of Liberty was cool, but not bad. It was a good day for some pictures, and we weren't miserable because of heat and humidity (one of the days was REALLY muggy and I don't handle muggy very well). But this one was not, and while we spent some time on Liberty Island, the majority of it was spent on Ellis Island in the museum. Vic and Marco were the tour guides. Another day Marco took us to the Museum of Natural History, and then we headed downtown Manhattan (I think) to watch 'UP' at a theater - 3D even! Oh, it was wonderful to walk down the street, take the subway (though Marco always seemed to get mixed up at that point) and just have fun, being myself, without the stress of work or any particular schedule. Another day we went to a Mets game. I like baseball, though I'm not as into sports as those guys were. Walking around the stadium, seeing it from all angles, was cool. I even had my picture taken with the Reese's guy. :) Vic and Marco are both Italian, and one night we went to their friend's house (also an Italian) for a home-cooked italian meal. Mmm. Joey did a really good job, complete with wine and salad for starters, and then a goulash type dish with a different wine for the main course. Justin and Vinny are brothers who brought back memories of Mano. Though I didn't have a chance to talk to Justin much, Vinny came with us on the ferry to the islands, and then was also there at Steve's for the bbq, so I chatted with him a little more. Mary, Vic's sister, played the Wii and came downstairs in the evenings (I stayed at their house), and she was able to get off work for the bbq as well. One of my most enjoyable memories from the trip was my morning chats with Vic's mom, Peggy. The others slept in, so I went upstairs when I got up, and talked with her each morning. I don't think she minded, and I was so blessed to be treated as a part of the family. I wish they had been able to join us more often, but even so, they went to great effort to make sure we had anything we needed or wanted. Oh yeah, I can't forget the empanadas (is that right, guys?). Before the Mets game we went to this small place that made them, and just got a few to have during the game. They were sooo good! After the game, we went back and got a bunch more (30-40) and ate them all within a couple days. We did save a few to take to Steve's. Apparently Sharis loves them (I can see why!).
All those things are in random order, but the basic thing is we had a lot of fun. We came back from Steve's just in time to grab my things from the house, say goodbye to Tony and Peggy, and head out for Penn Station where I took the train home. What a trip!