Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Family Fun with Four

With one week left of my maternity leave, we decided to pack our bags and head out east for some family fun with four.  We left Monday night and the ride was easy as can be as both girls snoozed in the back seat while Gene and I munched on McDonald's chicken sandwiches and fries.  It's become a bit of a ritual (and a bit of a guilty pleasure) to stop at Mickey Ds on the way to the Hammies.  We arrived late at night and after putting both girls to bed, we had a glass of wine/beer and passed out.

Tuesday
We woke up bright and early (as if we had any other options) and got the girls dressed and ready for a day jam packed with activities.  The first stop was breakfast at Goldberg's Famous Deli, home to the best sunflower flagel you have ever tasted. It's so good that we came here nearly every morning for breakfast.  As we devoured our bagels, Ivy slept peacefully in her car seat.
After breakfast we stopped by the grocery store, bought a loaf of white bread and headed to the pond to feed the ducks.  We later learned (from the tour guide at the Natural History museum) that the worst possible thing you can feed the ducks is white bread.  Ooops.  After tossing an entire loaf into the pond, we drove to the playground at Hither Hills beach.  
Before we knew it, it was time for our favorite activity again: EATING.  We found a seafood joint by the name of  St. Peter's Catch and indulged in some delicious shrimp tacos.
After Lunch we decided to go back to Hither Hills to play in the sand and enjoy the views.
We wrapped up our day by going into town (E.Hampton) and stuffing our faces with ice cream. Yum!


Wednesday
The day started off like most of our days on this vacation...at Goldberg's!  After breakfast we drove north to New Haven and took a ferry to Shelter Island.  The ride was about 2 minutes long and it felt like you can reach out and touch Shelter Island from New Haven.  Gene and I kept wondering why they didn't just build a bridge. The Island itself is rather small and felt pretty deserted on this very gloomy Wednesday afternoon. 

It was time to feed Ivy so we found a little pond and Gene and Violet hung out with the duckies while I nursed.  Next on the agenda was a hike through the Mashomack Preserve.  Ivy was in the Bjorn and Violet was given a special all-terrain stroller, which Gene pushed up and down the path.  By the end of our short (1.5 miles) hike, Violet was sound asleep in her stroller and Ivy was snoozing in the Bjorn.  

It was nearly 4pm, so we took the ferry back to the South Fork and went to eat at The Corner Bar in Sag Harbor.  After slurping down a half a dozen oysters, I made sure to leave some room for the fresh fish of the day, which was drowned in butter and lemon sauce - just how I like it!  Gene had a burger. Borrring!  Another day came to a close as we drove back home to watch movies, relax and get the girls ready for bed.

Thursday
We decided to switch it up that morning and eat breakfast at Babette's.  In the summer, this place is a big celebrity hot spot but on this Autumn weekday, we were pretty much the only ones there.  Besides the fact that it was empty, this was also the first time in my life that I paid $24 for some eggs.  I walked out of there feeling seriously swindled, paying $75 bucks for two breakfast dishes and some coffee.  After breakfast we visited the duck pond for our daily feeding and nearly got attacked by some very hungry birds.  Next stop was Hank's Pumpkin Town, which is an orchard and maze park with a ton of different kid's activities (playground, wagon rides, pumpkin picking, etc.).  Getting Violet to leave that place was not easy, but after some bribing, we headed back home for her lunch and nap.
Violet fell asleep on the way home so we decided to drive to Montauk Point Lighthouse since that's the furthest east we can go.  Once there she woke up and we quickly realized that after seeing the Lighthouse there isn't much else to do.  It was a gorgeous day, so we went to a nearby beach.
After the beach, we were famished so we found a place that turned out to be our favorite dining experience of the entire trip.  Inlet Seafood Restaurant had the most amazing views of, that's right you guessed it, an inlet.  Not only were the views amazing, but the food was to die for!   Gene had a whole fried fish and I had an amazing cod fillet, both so fresh that they were swimming in our mouth. I also had the oysters, which were local and A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
After watching the sunset, we headed home exhausted from yet another jam-packed day.

Friday
After getting ripped off at Babette's, we went back to our pal Goldberg for breakfast.  With bellies full, we drove to the Bridgehampton's Children's Museum, which turned out to be one of the most impressive (and well-kept) museums I have seen in a while.  It had over a dozen exhibits, one more fun than the next.  I have to admit, I actually ran around the place myself excited to play with all the toys.  Violet also had a blast and she even got to dress up as her favorite character - Fireman Sam!
The rest of the afternoon (and evening) was pretty mellow and we spent most of it at home relaxing and watching TV.  For dinner, we picked up food at Bostwick's, which Gene loves, for some unknown reason.  Their food tends to be greasy and heavy and generally bleh.  I guess Gene's palate isn't as refined as mine.  

Saturday
I think you know where we went for breakfast, but this time we were joined by mom and Peter, who came to the Hamptons the night before.  After Goldberg's we drove back to Bridgehampton to visit the Natural History Museum.   This was Peter's favorite museum when he was growing up, so I was excited to see what all the fuss was about.  When we got there I was confused and kept looking for the museum, but could only find one room with a few stuffed birds.  Turns out that WAS the museum.  It was probably smaller than my studio apartment in Manhattan.  Actually, there was another room downstairs which had a marine touch tank with some tiny fish and a few starfish stuck to the sides of the glass. It was really lame but Violet didn't seem to notice and had a blast touching the barely mobile shellfish.   

We left the dinky museum and drove to Round Swamp Farm where we picked up 4 live lobsters.  Violet was fascinated with touching them and playing with them while we let them swim in our kitchen sink.  Once she went to bed, we ate her little lobster friends.  They were DELICIOUS!  

Mom and Peter's arrival gave us another great opportunity: date night!  We left the two screaming children at home while we wined and dined at Race Lane.   The food was pretty good or so I thought, until the next day, when I saw it smeared on the side of Route 27.  

Sunday
We spent most of the morning getting ready for a VERY long road trip.  Thankfully Gene was able to do most of the packing as I was feeling horrible after Saturday's dinner. Luck was not on our side that day and we spent three hours in traffic before finally arriving home.  Gene drove, the girls slept, and I puked my guts out.  Good times!


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