Eat. See a Show. Repeat.

As I'm sure all four of my faithful readers know, Angela and I visit New York every year. We love it. It's where we went for our honeymoon and we go back every year to enjoy the sights, sounds, food and wonder of the big city. The smells...not so much.

But before we get to all the hippity-do in the city, we usually spend a few days with Angela's sister Heather and her family on Long Island. Heather and Daniel have two children, Isabel and Aubree. Aubree is 2 and a half and is the wildest, craziest little girl I've ever met. She's also lots of fun and she and I got along famously, as you can see by the picture below.

While on Long Island, we also visited the beach near Heather and Daniel's home. I've never been to a beach this far north, and it was interesting to note just how rocky the shores are and how cold the water was at first (you get used to it after a while.) Yes, that means I spent some time in the water.

Daniel and I went out and did some light body surfing in the waves and that was fun. At one point, I was even brave enough to dive head first into the oncoming wave and swim through it. However, when we tried to get Angela into the water, she came out for a little bit and we discovered that she was, um, too short to stand up to the oncoming water. So, we tried to get her back to shore, but unfortunately we were slightly washed under by the water and she was driven into the rocky ground, scraping up her leg. As I tried to pick her up, another wave hit and slammed my head directly into Angela's back. Fortunately, that got Angela moving and she was able to get out of the water without further incident. Unfortunately for me, I was a little dazed for the rest of the day, but I'm still in full control of my faculties. I think.

The beach was also significant as the memorial for TWA flight 800 is located at the beach. It was just off the shore that we were swimming in where the plane went down. As usual, the memorial was solemn, but it was also quite interesting. The entire story of the flight was etched into the marble along several different panels giving it a certain permanence.

Upon leaving Long Island, we made the trek into the city where it was our plan to see three shows and eat at three different restaurants. On our first night, we visited Serendipity. This is also tradition for us as we discovered this place a few years ago on a trip and must return each year. They are famous for their desserts (including the Golden Opulence Sundae. Cost: $1000) as well as their Frozen Hot Chocolate. But the best part? They have this remarkable open-faced turkey sandwich that is divine. It has brie cheese, russian dressing, fresh apples, sprouts all on raisin-pumpernickel bread. Oh yeah, it's so good.

The statue below was looming over us while we were eating. It's kitschy (you know, like most modern restaurants, the walls are decorated with stylized junk) and this particular head was our dinner companion. Plus, it's got a vine coming out it's nose, because, dinner isn't complete unless it comes complete with a giant stone head that has foliage protruding from it's orifices

After Serendipity, we saw the revival of Les Miserables. It's by far the best Les Miz cast I've ever seen. The show had a life and vitality that I had not really seen before. Not to mention the fact that Lea Salonga (the original Eponine on the London Cast Recording) was now playing Fantine so that made it really fun to watch. I was truly stunned at how good this show was.

The next day, we had lunch at Trattoria Trecolori (below) an Italian joint just off Times Square. It. Was. Awesome. It's the best Italian I've ever had. As usual, I had my shrimp fettucine alfredo, and at this restaurant, they actually butterfly the shrimp and remove the inedible tails. Amazing! Plus, it was fresh, savory and reasonably priced. I would go back in a heartbeat. As you can tell, Angela really enjoyed her meal as well.

Following lunch at the Italian joint, we went to see "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." For the most part, it was hilarious. The best part of the show was that as the fictional contestants were given a word, they would almost always ask for the definition and for the use of the word in a sentence. For example, one of the words was "jihad." When asked for a definition, the judge gave the answer: "any vigorous, emotional crusade for an idea or principle." When asked to use it in a sentence, the judge replied: "Billy, let's get away from this wailing wall. There is a jihad about to begin on the other side."

However, the show did have some parts that were over-the-top and, I thought, inappropriate for a family show, but that's just me. Later on in the show, it tries to delve into the psyche of children and comes off a little sanctimonious. But hey, the definitions and sentences were funny.

To conclude our trip, we ate a the famous Johnny and Frankie's Steakhouse (good, not great) and saw the wonderful Curtains with David Hyde Pierce. The show is a murder mystery, but gosh darn it, if it isn't so upbeat and pleasant that I found myself enjoying every minute of it. And David Hyde Pierce is so excellent that the stage simply lights up whenever he's on it. Here's hoping he stays on Broadway for a while.

So, there you have it. Next year, I think we may do something very similar...