Summer in New York (July & August 2014)

World Cup fever hit New York this summer....they have no idea of the rules but they loved it still! Fouls on the half-way line were met with calls for a "Penalty!!"

 

We watched USA v Portugal under the arches of the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo. It was crazy busy:

It was too difficult to see the action so we ended up in the back of a supermarket with a crate of beers. This guy hated Cristiano Ronaldo so much he swore at the screen every time he appeared:

Even Jasper was hooked.....

 



 

The Macy's 4th of July firework display was held on the East River just by the Brooklyn Bridge. We got there over an hour early but were still faced with this:



It was around that time that we started getting concerned about security...and the lack of a clear getaway! Thankfully we were finally ushered round and on to the FDR bypass. We ended up with a great view of the bridge and fireworks (the fireworks were released from barges on the East River).

A section of Midtown was shut off for a weekend when the BBQ Pitmasters came to town. Pitmasters are BBQ competition winners from all over the US...so their stuff is good!. All barbequing states have their own styles and specialties. First up we had some ribs:

Then pulled pork:

And finally some brisket:

Gemma attended Gay Pride:

This was a pop-up street food event near to us downtown - we ate so many free samples we didn't need dinner :-)

Flavoured shaved ice:

We spent one Saturday on a Brooklyn Food Tour. First stop on the way to Brooklyn was Russ & Daughters - a famous old Jewish deli in the Lower East Side. Great 'rugelach' from here (small pastry filled with dried fruit, nuts and spices):

Then we moved on to Brooklyn, where we visited a great Polish restaurant.

It was a whirlwind tour of Brooklyn, including a stop at a Pizzeria that was good but not great. Then on to Sunset Park in Brooklyn. Fantastic views back to Manhattan...

...but even better sandwiches! This Cuban sandwich  (ham, cheese, roast pork, pickles, mustard and garlic oil, pressed flat - amazing) was from a small Dominican place.

Street vendor serving interesting juices.

The final stop was back in Dumbo. We visited a good chocolatier. The views of Brooklyn Bridge were great.

This is a carousel dating back to 1922. It was saved from being sold for it's parts, and restoration took from 1984 - 2011.

Guggenheim Museum on 5th Avenue:

An ex-colleague from Skanska, Roy, and his wife Tina were in NYC for a week so we met up for drinks.

This is the Rum House located close to Times Square. The live pianist was very good.

And across the road we caught a glimpse of big Denzel! Coming out of a theatre production.

This is one of our favorite places to eat, a small, authentic Jewish bakery that turns out great knishes (pronounced "ke-nish"). Yonah Shimmel started selling knishes from a push-cart in 1890. Since 1910 they have been operating out of this Lower East Side location. In addition to savory potato knishes, they make an amazing cheese and blueberry knish.

I got tickets through work to attend the Barclays International golf. This is Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy: