B and I took our first road trip in six years this past weekend.  I found it shocking that so much time had passed since our last trip, but then I remembered that anything longer than two hours with two toddlers in the back seat can feel like a cross-country marathon.

Our friend Tara was getting married on Long Island, so we spent a few days in them United States of America.  It was great to catch up with friends, visit Manhattan, and observe Americans in their natural habitat.   I’ll post some pictures shortly, but in the meantime, I have a few initial thoughts.

Cheese
We stopped for lunch at a Subway in Binghampton. When asked what kind of cheese he wanted, the man ahead of us said “American”. Pardon? What the hell is American cheese? I was tempted to ask for American turkey on American bread with American cheese and American mustard with a side of Freedom Fries, but I thought I’d get the crap beaten out of me by the guy in the Richard Petty tank top.

Long Island Iced Tea
The drink of choice during the weekend was, naturally, the Long Island Iced Tea. With its potent mix of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec, it proved to be a tasty and devastating beverage. I am now a big fan, and I will definitely be celebrating National Long Island Iced Tea Day every June 6th.

The Hamptons
While the women went shopping on Friday, the men did that manliest of activities – we went for a wine tasting in The Hamptons. Unable to secure a private jet for the trip, we spent nearly two hours crawling along a two-lane highway, desperate for a celebrity sighting. We also tried to find a beach so we could dip our toes in the ocean, but we were thwarted by an endless stretch of gated beach-front McMansions. Rich people suck.

Central Park
Is there a better place to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon than Central Park? With tree-lined paths, quiet corners and vast stretches of grass, musicians performing around every corner, it’s a truly magical place. I’ve walked through it several times over the years and have still only experienced a small part of what it has to offer. I’ve usually visited during the day, so I think I’ll have to check it out at night next time to see if it’s just as magical in the dark.