Minnie Ears and Fast Cars

Casting about for something to do on Saturday, Jeff and I went to the Magic Kingdom. Yes, you heard me right, the Magic Kingdom. I swore I would never return to another Disney property. We were unable to go to Key West for the weekend and went to Epcot instead. I am not sure how we arrived at this decision but off we went!

After paying an outrageous charge to get in Epcot, we were very hungry. We headed to the World Showcase pavilion of Germany. Yes, it was just like being in Germany (sic!). It was bratwurst and sauerkraut for us! Epcot was surprisingly empty for a Saturday but it was September after all. The kids had gone back to school and the place was practically deserted. Lucky for us!

Our first stop was the Test Track. What a better ride for a F1 fan? The ride was closed for some reason so we opted for a Fastpass timed ticket for later and headed onto to other things. This fastpass thing is good I guess, You insert your park ticket into a machine and it gives you a return time so you don’t have to wait on the longer lines with the people who didn’t get a fastpass ticket!

We then visited the Universe of Energy. We took a ride with Ellen DeGeneres and went back into the dinosaur era to you guessed it, talk about Energy. It was very well done. We particularly enjoyed the robot copy of Ellen fighting with a dinosaur.

We checked back at the Test Track to find it operating again and got on the queue. Ok, I am not your average roller coaster fan but this was fun. We got in little cars and took a ride that simulated a car being tested. Cute. The last part was a car fan’s heaven, going very fast around a twisted track. Your picture is taken at the end as you sit there looking tired and disheveled. We went back later with our fastpass to do it again.

Our next adventure was Mission: Space. A mission to Mars. It was pretty silly; we opted for the milder version as it was the shorter line! We were jolted around through lift off, a meteor belt and a crash landing. Yipee! Jeff got to play the pilot and had to push some button. I missed my cue as the navigator all together.

We then shopped because you are required and compelled before you leave the park to buy something. I bought a cute head piece of Minnie ears. You will see me on Halloween wearing this.

Our last attraction would be the Seas with Nemo and Friends. I think this was my favourite attraction of the day. The ride itself was pretty lame on seashell clamobiles but the aquariums were really cool. At the end of the ride you walked around two story aquariums. There was actually a group diving in the tanks while we watched.

By this time we had spent about 7 hours in the park and it was time to get out. I had had enough of little kids. I had forgotten what it was like to be around them. There were some really cute little girls walking around in princess costumes though. Enough was enough though. We took a little ride on the monorail and headed out and back to Venice. I think it will be quite a while before we do that again!

Caiprinhas and Dominoes

On Tuesday, I drove 3 hours across Florida to visit and spend the night at Lynn’s on the Atlantic coast. Holly would be driving up from her Florida house to meet us. It was an easy but boring drive and I had something to look forward to. Lynn’s house is really lovely and she is the epitome of southern hospitality.
The three of us had a really nice lunch in the historic district of Melbourne and then did a little browsing in the shops. After lunch and dodging raindrops we paid a visit to Lynn’s condo to see the mosaic piece she had worked on for a year in London before she returned to the US. I was really looking forward to seeing it installed and it was as spectacular as I thought it would be. What a masterpiece! Lynn and Holly turned me on to a store called Tuesday Morning where we spent quite a bit of time entertaining ourselves and then had coffee at a nearby Barnes and Noble. I had a great evening meal of crab cakes at a local fish restaurant and we then headed back to Lynn’s for an evening of dominoes and Caiprinhas. Lynn has become quite proficient at making them but 2 is my limit. I could hardly see the numbers on the dominoes by glass 2! After breakfast the next morning, I bid a fond farewell to my friends and headed back to Venice. Oh yes, I did buy a thing or two while I was there and lost big time at Mexican dominoes!

Connetquot River - Saturday Night

Jeff arrived in the US on Saturday afternoon and we drove out to Long Island to have dinner with Steve and Donna. They are always fun to be with. We had originally planned to drive out to the Hamptons but changed our minds and settled on the lovely waterfront Snapper Inn in Oakdale. Located on the Connetquot River it was a relaxing place to have cocktails on a summer evening. Thank God Steve changed his shirt from that Nascar thing!

The Brooklyn Cyclones

On Friday September 7th I attended a Brooklyn Cyclones game at KeySpan Park just off the boardwalk on Coney Island with my cousins Denise and Donald. What a great night under the parachute drop. Talk about your field of dreams experience. It was one of those perfect nights to be at a baseball game – relaxed and warm under clear skies. The stadium was filled with families; there was no violence, no drunks – just people out for a good time in an all-American setting with their kids. Hotdogs and beer. It was all there. The Cyclones are a minor league baseball team in the single "A" New York - Penn League, affiliated with the New York Mets. It was the final regular season game (a 5-4 victory over the Lowell Spinners), and the Cyclones set an all time single game attendance record of 10,073. Nothing miraculous happened – not great baseball but it made me very homesick for America.


It was also Brooklyn Bridge bobble head night. Quite a thing and Donald was kind enough to make sure I went home with one! A descendant of Charlie Ebbet threw out the ceremonial first ball. How poetic.

Brooklyn and baseball go a long way back and unfortunately there has been no professional baseball in the borough since the Dodgers (National League) had left Ebbets Field for California in the 1950’s. The story of this desertion has been written about at length, you can find many articles on the internet and websites dedicated to Ebbets field. Brooklyn mourned the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. The nostalgia is unbelievable. They are still mourning! The Dodgers won pennants 1953, 1955 and 1956. I was born the year the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series (the first and only world title in Brooklyn Dodger history) and I know there are members of my family who remember my age by it. Jackie Robinson became the first black man in the 20th century to play in Major League Baseball in Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947. Brooklyn is very proud of that but the Dodgers left for California and Ebbets Field was demolished in 1960. In 1964 the Mets become a new baseball franchise, not in Brooklyn but in Queens. I went to my first professional baseball game at Shea Stadium that opening week (thanks to Denise’s father George) and have been a Mets fan ( I know….!) ever since.

WOO HOO II

After my adventures on Long Island, I headed to Manhattan for WOO HOO II. In case you have never met the Woo Hoo’s, let me explain. There was a period of time living in London when seven women formed a very strong and special bond. Yes, we lived a very charmed life but the ex-pat life is not without its problems; we were often alone when our husbands traveled, we have children and we missed our families and friends in the US. Polli, Kathy, Eileen, Anne, Liz, and Lynn were my support system. What the Woo Hoo’s were about was listening, love and a whole lot of laughing (they say that is the best medicine). We often gathered on Friday afternoons for a game of dominoes, catching up on the week and HAPPY HOUR. This was the time when you could share your thoughts, opinions and feelings. Everyone listened, everyone had a chance to speak, and no one person dominated the proceedings. Husbands joined us when they could and we would head out for a meal together. It was one of the most special times of my life. Everyone of the Woo’s are unique, every one of them are special. Jeff often says the thing that strikes him when the Woo Hoo’s are together is how we energize each another. When four of the Woo’s moved back to the states life changed. It slowed down and became a little less fun. Thank god Polli and Kathy were still with me! In recognition of that shared experience, last September the first annual Woo Hoo reunion was held at Anne’s house down the Jersey Shore. We had a great time. Anne even had t-shirts made. We raised a glass to the absent Woo’s and hoped that we would see them next time. During the course of the next year we agreed to meet in Manhattan and do it again! WOO HOO!

Well, Woo Hoo II happened for the three days after Labor Day. Everyone was there. We met in a two room rented apartment in mid-town between 3rd and Lex. It wasn’t the greatest flat but it had a living room area where we could all gather. The first order of business was catch up! That took up about 3 hours and a bottle of wine! One of the drinks favoured by Woo Hoo’s is Caiprinhas. We headed off to Churrascaria’s Plata Forma Eodizio on west 49th for a sample or two. Enough said! Great place! Thanks to some long distance phone advice by Lynn’s husband Greg, we found a restaurant called Django on Lex and 46th to absorb the alcohol. Good meal! We walked back to the hotel and I am sure I was weaving as I walked!

Wednesday brought the arrival of Eileen from NJ with this years reunion t-shirts. She did an outstanding job. They were purple with a graphic of the NYC skyline on the back. The group put them on, hustled downstairs and a very accommodating hotel staffer took the group picture.
We then headed to Battery Park to board a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The weather was fantastic with a bright blue sky. I still find it a bit hard to see the Manhattan skyline with out the towers. You are no longer able to climb to the top of Lady Liberty and can only gain entry to the monument pedestal (by appointment only!). Not the same to me in my memories of grade school field trip and so very sad. The group had a nice walk around the base, took photos and re-boarded the ferry for the short trip to Ellis Island.

The first order of business on Ellis Island was another favourite activity – eating. After lunch we then toured the facilities where Lynn and I got to be judges in a deportation hearing of a young Russian man. I voted to let him stay but in the historical actuality he was deported. Some legal technicality about already having a promised job. Too bad. I wonder what became of him? Before we left I visited the Wall of Honor, where my great grandfather Frank Ruisi is honored by my family. His name is a placed with a great view of the Manhattan skyline. Brooklyn would have been more appropriate but still a choice spot!

All that touristy stuff makes a girl thirsty so we headed over to Fraunces Tavern on Pearl St. in lower Manhattan in the Wall Street district. The 1719 building is the site where George Washington gave his farewell address to the officers of the Continental Army in 1783. After the war it housed the first departments of War, Treasury and Foreign Affairs. Today there is a tavern and a museum on the site. Woo Hoo to George!
Dinner that evening was at Il Cortile in little Italy. There had been numerous emails amongst the group about where Billy Joel was inspired to write the song “Bottle of White.” In my opinion, this was not the place! When we tried to catch a cab up to Mulberry St. we discovered that there was a taxi strike on! The meters were off and gouging was the order of the day. After a few attempts to find a cab at a reasonable price- it cost us $10 a person for what should have been a $10 fare! Dinner was sensational. We even celebrated Liz’s 50th birthday this summer. The food was terrific, and I had my favourite spaghetti with white clams. We sadly said so long to Eileen as she headed home, work beckoned the next day for her.

Thursday was a shopping day. The first order of business was E. 47th St. and the diamond district. Someone bought a special present (don’t want to ruin it!) and I shopped for a ring (yes, Jeff knew about it beforehand!). The group then split up, headed off in different directions and different stores around town. We all met up again in Bloomingdales Visitor Center later in the afternoon. In year’s past Bloomie’s gave out of town visitors a nice shopping discount (11%) and a very nice souvenir bag. The discount remains but the bag this year was an ugly plastic with a 60’s design. Yuk but I still shopped using the discount! Love that Ralph Lauren!
Kathy left us around dinner time to catch a flight home – she too had to work the next day. Polli’s son Brent met us at the hotel for pre-dinner drinks and off we all went to Rosa Mexicano at Columbus and 62nd St. A great view of Lincoln Center. I loved the mosaic on a large wall done in blue tiles with a progression of divers down the wall. The guacamole was just how I like it. Thick chunks of avocado made at the table with fresh peppers and onions! I think we all agreed it was a fine meal! Yes, there were a few margaritas thrown in for good measure!We are Woo Hoo’s after all! Back at the hotel it became blue goop nite. Polli had brought a packet of do it yourself facials with her and we did it! It was hilarious! There are many photos they can’t be shared! I forgot to mention that the room had only one bathroom that was shared by six women. It is testament to woo-hoodom that we managed without incident. It was funny to see us in the bathroom peeling off this blue mask! My skin felt great afterwards. Great Idea Polli!

Friday morning brought the early morning departure of Polli back to London and Anne back to the shore. Lynn, Liz and I went back to 47th St and bought my ring. We then headed off to Macy’s to shop. I bought a new night shirt and Lynn got a free bag from Macy’s – much nicer than Bloomie’s! After lunch I headed to JFK to pick up a rental car (then to Brooklyn) and Liz and Lynn headed off to LaGuardia.

Woo Hoo II was over for 2007.

God willing we will do it again next year in ………………?

Steve's 50th Birthday

Hi. I have been traveling quite a bit this summer. I had a great visit with the Aquinos in London and then in Ireland. More on this later on… I am in the USA for a few weeks to see family and friends.

I returned to Long Island, New York on Labor Day weekend to help celebrate my brother Steve’s 50th birthday. He was really surprised because his actual birthday is not until October! It was a terrific party. My sister in law, Donna even managed to outdo herself as a great hostess! We had a great time Friday morning decorating the house and getting ready. Boy, did we laugh a lot especially when it came to us moving Steve's beloved Porsche. Notice the England shirt my brother wore that day to his golf tournament. Yes it is FOOTIE not Footsie Steve! Note the goofy hat as well. It is actually a beige . The backyard looked beautiful with tents and torches. My brother is really blessed with great friends. They turned out in mass to help celebrate the occasion. There was a luau theme to the party complete with a calypso band from Brooklyn! My dad and elder brother Phil were also in attendance wearing great Hawaii shirts! Our other brother Andy sadly missed this opportunity for a family gathering! We even caught up with our cousin Bruce on Sunday afternoon in a restaurant.