upstate ny

I was born and raised in Westchester, NY, the county directly above the Bronx and a mere 25 minutes from midtown Manhattan. So, when "city folk" have accused me of living upstate, I've taken it offensively. There's nothing wrong with the rest of New York state, of course, the problem is is that our suburban bliss "right outside the city" is very different from more northern regions. Oh gosh, I just sound ridiculous, don't I? ;)Even Poughkeepsie (another hour north) is somewhat of a different area from my home... and I've been telling boy that he lives so upstate it's practically Canada. I'm obviously kidding but I do enjoy the teasing! Today I made the long trip up there to spend the day with him.

I got there around 1.30ish and after a unsuccessful stint at the DMV (don't ask) he took me out to lunch on the river front. What a guy :) and so handsome too! It's not the quickest trip to go visit him but it's always more than well worth it.I ate about half of this grilled chicken salad before I decided that I had had enough. Hm, it might have been the Coor's Light that I filled up on... oops did I just type that? Alright, well, since it's out there, yes I had a beer with lunch, and it was very refreshing.Sometimes it just feels good to bend the rules a little bit ;) the b-day countdown is at 8 days people! Anyway, after eating we walked around to enjoy the absolutely beautiful weather we're having. The sun felt so good but the stroll wasn't strenuous enough...Later this afternoon, that wonderful boy of mine still had bundles of energy so we broke out the tennis rackets and baseball gloves to have a little fun in the sun. We spent a good hour practicing our skills on the court and playing our game of catch and more than tired each other out. Phew, my arm is going to be sore tomorrow!

Then we spruced up a bit back at his house, spoke with his parents (they're adorable) and were ready to eat again! Gotta love a quick metabolism ;). We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and split a margherita pizza following a shared house salad. It was delicious. I love the city but I can also appreciate everything outside it, no matter how far outside it :). Tomorrow though, my responsibilities lie very much within it at Modelinia. Have a fabulous Friday!

Edited to Add: Prompted by Heather, I thought I'd compare our pizza to this Italian masterpiece. Unfortunately, I have to admit, if I keep doing that I won't even be able to enjoy New York brick oven slices from Arthur Avenue; The tomatoes and basil were fresh, the mozzarella, divine, but the sauce could have used a bit more spice and the crust was slightly too thick. But otherwise, comparing it to what is available it was pretty delicious. Thanks for asking!