Summer in Buffalo = Free Music EVERYWHERE!

Tuesday was my first experience with the Elmwood Village free concert series every Tuesday at Bidwell Park. My girlfriend JS and I rode our bikes the few miles downtown with our backpacks full of blankets and wine! We stayed until well after dark enjoying the music and lots of friendly company. It was a great time and I definitely hope to go again soon!

Wednesday we won our last regular season softball game, placing us in first place!!!! Keep rooting for us because we’re going for the gold! I can’t believe we only have two weeks left!!

As summer continues through July, I am becoming increasingly more and more stressed out. With my girlfriend’s (LF) wedding right around the corner, my every thought is of the sexy bridesmaid dress I have to wear... which, in turn, makes my every other thought lead to the gym and everything I’m eating. UGH and there is so much that needs to be done in the meantime! If I am starting to get stressed, I can’t even imagine how the bride must be feeling! LOL Oh well, I don’t want to hurry summer along, that’s for sure! :o)

P.S.

Since this blog is called Summer City Livin, I need to mention some summer stuff I’ve been doing around the city! LOL

One of my favorite to date has been the Italian Festival!!! I was able to go this year on both Thursday and Sunday as its right around the corner from my apartment on Hertel Ave! A few of my fav restaurants and bars are located on this street, so I’m over there often. Being as the festival is very popular and crowded, I rode my bike over on Sunday so I didn’t have to worry about parking. I felt very city-ish! :o)

For the first time I tried Campi’s Pizza out of Dunkirk, NY. It was deep dish, hand tossed pizza that was fabulous! I got it veggies because obviously that makes it healthier and okay for my diet! (Please don’t burst my bubble here, I’ve already eaten it!) I also tried a cannoli for the first time! I felt it was only right considering the atmosphere. Plus I have seen the Cake Boss make them enough on TV that I was super curious. It was quite delicious but definitely a lot to eat for this girls sweet tooth. I also made sure to have my festival favorite… Kettle Corn! YUMMY!! To top off the experience I sat on the patio at my favorite restaurant on Hertel, Romeo & Juilet’s, sipping on Sangria listening to the band. It was a great moment I will remember in the big B-lo!

In over Summer city news, our softball season is winding down and tomorrow is our last game before the playoffs. If we win (cross your fingers and knock on wood) we will finish in first place for the season! We’ve only lost one (horribly devastating) game but have crushed all the rest! The 28th will be playoffs and I’m praying I can drive back from my golf tournament in time to play. From there we have championships on 8/4. If you recall, we made it to the championships last year and lost by only a few runs. We are hoping to finish on top this year!! WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Medium. Black. Coffee.

Of all the coffee shops in Buffalo, I find myself most loyal to Tim Horton’s… or as I like to call it, Timmie Ho’s!!! I LOVE their coffee and prefer it over making my own… which isn’t cost effective, but it is taste effective! I notice in the city more people will walk around with a cup of TH or Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks rather than company coffee or a home brew. Maybe it’s a commuting thing?

The other day my girlfriend and I were talking about TH and I happen to mention how much I missed my old TH. During my five minute commute to Supplemental, there was a Tim Horton’s/Mobile gas station combo along the way. I would stop two or three times a week, enough for the women to know me and what I like. The drive thru was efficient and quick. There was no fluff or unnecessary questions. No one asked me 15 different ways if I want to try a new muffin or add a donut to my order. Or do I need a carrying tray? Maybe I’d like to purchase a house while I wait?

Medium. Black. Coffee.

That’s all I want to order. And my old TH served it up piping hot and fresh every time. For the last few weeks I have made my coffee at home but have slowly started to bring the delicious coffee back into my life. My new job has a TH right across the street and it’s the service is horrible. The line is long and winds around a huge parking lot, making it take even longer. The customer service people are slow and will pause for a good 20 seconds in between each question. Even if I say, “Medium Black Coffee and that’s it,” they will ask me if I want to add their newest bagel.

This is where my girlfriend chimed in and agreed that this location was horrible representation of the Tim Horton’s name and directed me to a stop at a different TH along the commute. It is slightly hidden and tucked back from the road, but she promised it was good. The next day I went and as I sat in the drive thru, it moved pretty quick building my anticipation. At the speaker, an energetic young man boomed loud and proud with a Bob Barker “Come on Down!” type of voice. I announced my order and to my surprise all he said was, “$1.51 please pull forward.” NO QUESTIONS! NO REPEATS! MEDIUM. BLACK. COFFEE!!!!!!!! The sky parted and the sun shone down as I pulled to the window. Thank goodness the nightmare of a hellish Tim Horton’s is OVER!

Wine Festival 2010

This past weekend I traveled to the breathtaking Finger Lakes to camp with friends and enjoy the Watkins Glen Wine Festival! Friday night was low key just sitting around the fire, drinking beer and watching the fireworks. Although we still managed to stay up until 3am! Which turned out not to be the greatest idea when the garbage truck woke us up at 7:30am!! BUT we actually were able to walk right into the festival when it opened at 10am because were up and ready since the butt crack of dawn!

I couldn’t wait to get into the festival and start tasting all the wines! Straight to the Red Cat tent we went and tried each wine twice! Actually 3-4 times if you count when we went back in the afternoon!!! And of course we took our pace car ride around the track which I personally love because it feels just like a rollercoaster! We thought it would be a good idea to get that taken care of BEFORE we started drinking!

The highlight of the festival this year was definitely the Brewer’s Garden! At the entrance we were given a little ½ pint taster glass and wrist band with 10 beer tickets. Apparently they don’t let you guzzle beer like they do wine! It was so much fun and little more leisurely standing around drinking a glass of beer rather than ounces of wine one by one.

Before leaving we hit up the Sherriff’s tent to see what our BAC was. You’ll be happy to know I blew a .12 this year! This is probably the liquid strength that helped me walk all the way back to camp carrying two bags of ice! After the festival we hung around our campsite, met some of the neighbors and cooked ourselves dinner. We even got a chance to see some more fireworks! I had an absolute complete blast! It was a fabulous weekend that has left me very tired but I can’t wait to do it again!!!

Subway Pizza!

Whoa! Did anyone know that Subway now has personal pizzas!? I was so blown away by this whole concept, I had to try one! And guess what… it was absolutely phenomenal!!! The pizza itself is pre-wrapped with sauce, seasonings and cheese and you can add your own toppings. I went with pepperoni and black olives! Before sticking it in the oven, they will layer more cheese on top to bake everything in. So tasty and it only cost me $4.34, plus I have left overs!! I love it!

Playing Blog Catch-Up

Well it finally happened, the Cozumel softball team is no longer celebrating the glory that comes with being undefeated. I am officially boycotting Channel 4 because of the misery their softball team put us through.

I can’t believe the 4th of July is already over!! What a blast I had hanging in the sun on the boat though! Well minus a certain someone taking out one of Bad Eddie’s windows. That wasn’t fun. It just goes to show you that not EVERYONE should be a boater! You need the knowledge and experience, that’s for sure! At one point we had six boats tied up partying while we boat-hopped back and forth! And there was lots of swimming going on! It was too hot not to! It was so great to spend the weekend with my Mom & Dad and even a chance to take a boat ride with my Grandparents. Family means everything, especially on holidays! :o)

Work is still fabulous and we are finally starting to work on some projects! I’m sure my eyes were as big as quarters with a huge smile on my face when I was assigned my first task! It’s been weird being the new person when you’re so use to being the go-to person that usually has the answer, can handle any task, etc. I am picking things up very quickly though so hopefully I will be right up there again!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!! If you have time and need some fresh veggies, flowers or cheese, come to the Clarence Farmer’s Market tomorrow between 10a – 1p! I’ll be working!