South Philly Y'all

Needless to say I was excited when I got the message that Alex made it down from New Haven to visit his brother Brett in Philly. Being in NJ all morning surfing, I didn't have to think twice about driving into Philly Saturday night to have some wine, go out for dinner and stay out too late with the brothers. Seeing old friends is always great, especially when it's two of your best friends from childhood.

Brett's got a new dog, which pleasantly greeted me upon my arrival at his new apartment. The thing is a nuts ball of energy, but really a good pup that loves the attention I'm sure Brett provides. We ended up chilling and catching up at the apartment for awhile about Alex's new job in wine and liquor distribution, changes in Brett's life, as well as my own. We continued the conversation at a great BYOB Italian restaurant on 20th street called D'Angelo's Ristorante. While it was 100 degrees in the place, the spicy bacon wrapped grilled shrimp I had as an appetizer were worth dealing with the oppressive heat and lack of AC. A pear and beet salad was also a cool, fresh and perfect completion to my meal.

We continued down 20th to visit one of Brett's bartending buddies, had a few drinks at Twenty Manning for old time's sake, visited big Mike at Barristers and then finished the night up at The Bards. Alex and I were the last standing, so we jumped in a cab to soak up the night's events with a greasy classic philly cheesesteak (wiz without) from Pat's King of Steaks. Had to stop at a couple ATMs to get cash for our chow, but when all was said and done, it was a necessary notch in belt to cap off a great weekend in the Philadelphia area.

Reminiscing Marina del Rey

With a week off from Sag Harbor, I finally had the opportunity to visit two best friends from law school, and my former roommates from from our clerkships in Los Angeles. So, on Friday from work, I hopped into my car and sped down to the Ocean City area of New Jersey to meet with Shawn and Maria Weede, crashing at her parents beach condo. John Stapleton met us at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to go surfing. While I hadn't really spent any time surfing in LA, I definitely enjoyed the experience and challenge of standing on a piece of fiberglass in constantly moving water. It was freezing, the sun and beach were beaming, and the rush gained from a wave propelling me and the board forward forced an immediate smile and cheer.

Catching up with friends and talking about new and exciting things going on in their lives is definitely refreshing and worth looking up to. Shawn and Maria were amped talking about their recent purchase of a house in Westchester, PA, and diligently planning extensive renovations to the home before moving in (nearly doubling the square footage of the house!). We shared stories about recent life experiences, relationships and things to look forward to. The connection I've always had with Shawn from a philosophical perspective is well maintained even though we don't talk that often any more.

I then left Shawn behind so he could prepare for an upcoming trial, and drove to the Stapleton's new Philadelphia suburban home to visit John, Heather and their first son Noah. First time I've been able to meet the little strawberry blond kid, and he is cuter than ever... which he must have gotten from his mother. We watched him romp around the house, and I was surprised that at 7 months he is nearly walking on his own. He's a tall, strong kid, and super fun. John and I couldn't help but get excited and discuss our upcoming fantasy football season too. After a little bbq with him, I then ventured into Philly to continue my reunion of sorts in my old law school town.

My Triple Lindy

I'm officially retiring before I get hurt. Enjoy the farewell triple lindy.
(click picture to enlarge)

Steamers, Mussels and Lobster!

Weekends spent in Sag Harbor keep getting more enjoyable, because we are finding our niche with people in town, venturing off to new restaurants and experiencing fresh things. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to have my sister Kate visit and good friend Jason. This week I ended up leaving early Friday morning and working from the house. Owen headed out with me, and we were able to venture into town during the day for a bite to eat and to scout what would be an incredible menu for a huge lobster cookout on Saturday. We visited the Dock House and met the owner Rob, who would hook us up with a caldron to cook 15 1.5 lbs lobsters, 10 pounds of steamers and 10 pounds of mussels. It hopefully would become a useful connection for other cookouts at the house. After leaving the Dock House, we trekked over to Sen Sushi and made another serendipitous connection by talking to a girl eating out front who would be hostessing the restaurant that evening. When Jon, Owen, me, Kate and Emily went for dinner that evening, she set us up in the back bar area where we jumped into a great assortment of sushi and cocktails. Dinner was a blast, along with some sake bombs and late night reveling.

On Saturday, Owen and I made a trip into town and got all the fixins' for a fantastic dinner. With the main seafood courses mentioned above, we picked up 4 lbs of London broil that we marinated in a ginger sesame bbq sauce, grilled corn on the cob and roasted red potatoes in garlic, olive oil, shallots and fresh herbs. Owen and Dan were great with steaming all the shellfish and lobster, which turned out perfectly.

We spent the evening partying around the house, playing a little beer pong (including in the pouring rain). Days were spent as usual basking in the sun, tossing the bocce, and enjoying the rest and relaxation afforded being away from the city. Always worth while when spent with friends.

Sunday Morning w/ the French Open

Sunday morning's menu was planned on the drive out earlier Friday. The French Open final was set between two great champions of today; Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer facing off for the 4th time in a row. So, we set out to have a French-style breakfast for the start of the match. We began with Champagne cocktails and made crepes with nutella, fresh bananas and blueberries, which turned out perfectly. Unfortunately, Nadal ended up wiping the court with Federer to win his fourth French Open in a row, cementing himself as one of the greatest clay court players of all time.

The rest of Sunday was a usual wind down day, throwing a frisbee around for a bit, with others leaving periodically while a few of us delayed our inevitable return back to the city. We had plans to watch the second game of the Lakers-Celtics series and then drive back around 11pm to avoid traffic, but we did not expect or plan for the incredible lightening storm that would pass through and cut-out power to our house, as well as 25+ thousand others across eastern long island. By candlelight we ate a simple dinner, cleaned up around the dark house and left the barren neighborhood to head home.