Normal Weekend!

Yaaay, our first normal weekend as travellers. After moving in, exploring the city, and visiting with parents, I felt like we kicked off weekend #4 in NYC in true weekend style. We had no plans, and we had some much-needed down time to just relax. That only lasted so long though, until we had to take advantage of where we were. I'm sure it's not the last time we'll say that.

Botanical Gardens

Onward to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Kyle read that it is free on Saturdays from 10-noon, so we booked it over to Brooklyn to cash in on the freebie. We thought this was a doubly-good deal since it is also cherry blossom season there, but this was a benefit only to our eyes - not our wallets. Not free - DOH. Not only did our wallets suffer, but so did our stomachs and free time as we waited for an HOUR in line once inside to get a bite to eat. Check out this line!

That's right, everyone you see in that picture is in line for an over-priced hamburger.
Outside of the money and the wait, we had a good time. I think the highlight for me was seeing the Bonsai trees. Here's my favorite pic:

Brooklyn

It was so nice to take a walk in what really felt like neighborhoods when we were in Brooklyn. Compared to what we were getting used to, it felt downright rural to see so many trees and people with strollers.
While we were there, we also took advantage of another Bobby Flay Throwdown place. This time it was red velvet cake... my favorite! We got it from the Cake Man Raven.

• Flavor: 8
• Presentation: 6
• Feeling after consuming: 2
• Hospitality: 0

I guess overall it wasn't our favorite throwdown joint... but I'm glad we went. Oh, and if you are wondering what causes a "feeling after consuming" rating of 0, it's a donut ice cream sandwhich. You can do a lot of crazy stuff and wear crazy things on the streets of New York and no one will even notice, but from my experience, eat a donut ice cream sandwhich and you may as well be a movie star. I can't believe how many looks and comments I got. It was worth feeling like crap just for that.

Tribeca Film Festival

We went. We got tickets to the grab bag of whatever the 3rd place film was based on people's votes. Turned out to be documentary on Carol Channing. It was nothing to write home about, so I guess I won't. Done. Wait...

Lines!

One last thing before I wrap this week up. The lines are crazy here. So crazy that they have ways of managing lines that you may have dreamed of, but then thought - no there would never be that many people that you'd have to manage a line like that. Well they do here. Here's an example from Whole Foods at Union Square: