In the morning we headed off to Coney Island with Zab. While Coney Island is regularly listed in the top 10 places to see in NY but we kept expectations pretty low, a quick scan of the review showed that while its an iconic place its in dire need of a face lift - which translates too its trashy. The weather was piping hot, over 30 degrees so it was a nice day to head to the beach.
It took is about a hour an a half to get there on the subway as its on the Southern Tip of Brooklyn. Our first port of call was to find some lunch - which despite the many food stands was actually quite difficult to do. We had a few options including William's Candy, It's Sugar and Nathans Traditional America (which by the way is traditionally deep frying everything. Things we're looking pretty bleak and we were contemplating hitting McDonalds when Zab managed to track down a little Mexican place on Yelp. Despite its looks and location it turned out to be a real little gem. We haven't had taco's that nice and fresh before.
Anyway, we had lunch - waited for the chili to wear off our mouths (not a good idea on an over 30 degree day) and went for a stroll down the boardwalk. There were so many people people on the beach but not much swimming going on as the water looked kind of dirty (it didn't deter some though). There is a theme park and an aquarium which are the main attractions along with the classic american fried food stalls. We stopped to have an ice cream which I had to eat extremely fast to stop it melting everywhere! We enjoyed the sun and spent the afternoon people watching. It really is quite a trashy/cheesy kind of place....but it proved to amuse us for a couple of hours.
After we tired of the beach and the heat we the subway into Brooklyn to meet up with Ruth at the hospital she works at. We got off the Subway at Prospect park and walked for 20 minutes to the hospital. It was an eye-opener for sure. It was a little intimidating as everything was really run down. There were lots and lots of hair and nail salons - so many we really couldn't tell if they were hair salons or just places were people hung out because they have no where better to be. To be honest we stuck out like dogs proverbial's and I think we have a better appreciation of gangsta-rap. We didn't think it was appropriate to take photo's so you will have to conjure up a picture in your mind of what it might look like.
Once we met up with Ruth we all went to Bosie's Tea Parla which is just off Bleeker street in Greenwich Village where we chilled out and drank some fine tea. It was a really nice place just to sit and relax. I think we will head back over there today and explore the neighbourhood. To cap the day of extreme's off Zab and Ruth treated us to Lebanese food at a restaurant called Ilili, which is in Midtown. The food was amazing, the kind of place where you order for the table and just bask in the wonderful array of meats, breads, salads and garlic... mmm garlic. So we really must say a big thank you to Zab and Ruth. It was an amazing meal - contender for the best food we have had since being in NYC.
Tonight - we have a new guest arriving.... who will it be.
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