THE 4TH

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite Holidays.  What's not to love about a day off in the middle of summer that involves fireworks, BBQs, swimming, and just being outdoors with the ones we love?  This year felt a little lonely on the 4th with most of our friends fleeing the city for summer homes somewhere fabulous, but we made the best of it by planning a bike ride and picnic on Governor's Island.  Just a half mile from the banks of Manhattan, the Island offers breath-taking views of downtown and the Statue of Liberty. From 1783 to 1966, the Island served as a United States Army Post and later was inhabited by the Coast Guard.   In 1993 it was sold to the state of NY for $1  mainly to be managed by the National Park Service.  Eventually it was proclaimed a National Monument and just in the last two years opened to public to explore.  On the Island there are rows of some really cool old, vacant generals' homes as well as tons of shady grassy areas to lounge out and just be outdoors.  We biked down to Battery City where we caught the free ferry over to the island and found ourselves a perfect piece of grass for eating sandies, drinking brew and playing with Annie E.  Annabelle seemed to enjoy the bike ride but enjoyed pulling up the grass even more.  Definitely a city girl to be so excited by the concept of a lawn.  Feeling patriotic, on our way home we stopped for a quick pic with the Lady of Liberty.  Hope you all had a fabulous 4th!