NYC: Fly By Night
Part of the reason that I love living in New York is because there's always something cool happening (especially on the weekends!). I know a lot of cities have great stuff going on, but where else can you see a mermaid parade, a dumpling bike tour, and attend an Egg Rolls, Egg Creams & Empanadas Festival all in one day within a few miles of each other? Oh, and did I mention the free concerts in the park, flea markets and countless beer gardens? Yeah, there's literally something for everyone. If you can't find something to do on a summer weekend in NYC (usually free), you're probably doing it wrong.
nope.
This past weekend, after a few missed lotteries and shitty weather, I finally got to go to one of those awesome "only in NYC" activities: "Fly By Night." If thousands of trained pigeons flying around with LED lights attached to their feet doesn't sound like a good time to you, you're wrong. Like REALLY wrong. It was one of the most magical things I've ever seen, and I've seen some magical shit in my time.
Before the show, Mike and I ventured deep (well, further than we'd previously gone) into the Brooklyn Navy Yard to a place called Rooftop Reds. If you couldn't tell from the name, its a vineyard...on a roof! Besides being Brooklyn AF, this place was actually pretty astonishing. Who knew you could have a working vineyard in the middle of a city? Not this lady! After climbing numerous flights of stairs to the roof, you're rewarded with several choices of drink in the Riesling and rosé varieties. You can also purchase a "picnic for two" which includes fancy cheeses, cured meats, olives, and artisanal jams with a blanket inside of a take-home tote. All of this, while you watch the sun set over Manhattan. Its as charming as it sounds.
We wrapped up dinner and headed over to the performance. Well actually, first we had to stand in a crazy long line, get wristbands, get heckled by a few protesters, and THEN we headed over to the performance. I expected the crowd to quiet down, but that never really happened, so we tried our best to zone out. To be fair, most of the noises were "oohs and ahhs," which is to be expected. As night fell, it got even more awesome. The pigeons looked like dancing stars.
Unfortunately words and pictures can't really explain the experience, so you'll have to check it out yourself! Don't forget to stop by Rooftop Reds! :)
-Jen
