Visit from the Flynns!

We had a great weekend with the Flynns (well, 4/6 of them). We packed a ton into the 48 hours we had, hitting up Hudson Tavern on Friday night after they arrived, then waking up on Saturday to join the crowds at TKTS in attempts to score matinee tickets. The line was looooong but fast-moving and before we knew it, we had five tickets to A Chorus Line in our hands. I'd seen the show last year, but since it's one of my faves (and features Mario Lopez, AKA AC Slater as Zack...the choreographer/director, not Zack Morris!), I was very excited to be back in the audience.

We had a few hours to spare, so we dilly-dallied in midtown, grabbing breakfast and eating it in Bryant Park, doing a little shopping (re-upped my spring scarf collection with some street pashminas), and stopping by Rock Center. Then, back to the theatre for the show, followed by a subway ride downtown for an early dinner at Katz's famous deli. We filled up on pastrami and corned beef (tuna for me; it was my weekly allowance!) then walked it off by heading west to the Village. There, we met up with Leezie and Sam, still recovering from their meeting with Suri Cruise and TomKat on Friday night and their 5K stroller walk that morning. We got some sweets at Le Pain Quotidien and rested our weary feet before heading back to Hoboken.

On Sunday, I got up in the iffy weather for the Urban Run and ran four miles with the group, then headed home for a very, very yummy pancake, egg, and sausage brunch prepared by Mark. By then, the sun had emerged from the thick, gray clouds of the morning, priming the day with ideal temps for the Hoboken Music & Arts Fest that was taking place just a few blocks down from us. So after brunch, we walked down and checked out the goings-on, which included three stages (one marquee, one for smaller bands, one for kids) and plenty of your typical street fair fare. The sun was BRIGHT and HOT by 1 p.m. (when Eileen departed for the bus) and the streets were packed. Definitely a successful fair, but we were ready to rid ourselves of the crowds soon enough.

So, after a stop at Joey's BBQ for sandwiches, we escaped to Hamilton Park up the hill to check out the sights. The park's in Weehawken, at the edge of the New Jersey Palisades, and, aside from a panoramic view of Manhattan, it's also a historic site: It's just above where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled in 1804 (and where, consequently, Hamilton was shot and killed by Burr). We also walked around the surrounding neighborhood, which features some pretty amazing, quite oppulent houses. I couldn't help but think that the real Tony Soprano may live up there! (Speaking of the Sopranos, sighted on the streets of Hoboken earlier in the afternoon: Little Stevie!)

When we attempted to go back home afterwards, we hit some TURRIBLE traffic, courtesy of the street fair. Stuck in bumper-to-bumper going the opposite direction from our apartment, we decided to take a detour to the movies to see Ironman. For a blockbuster-y, action-packed movie, it was really good! I tried to block out the three-ring circus going on around us (it was the Newport Mall, after all, so we expected the crowd to be, well, animated. Add in some feisty kids, and there wasn't a quiet mouth in the house--'cept for ours, of course!).

Finally, after the movies, we ordered up some pizza and ate at home. A perfect way to end a wonderful weekend! Pictures below.