four years

Kurt and I celebrated 4 years together over the weekend. As per tradition, we biked down to Red Hook for a picnic at Erie Basin Park next to Ikea and watched the sunset over the water.

The next day, Kurt had planned a surprise outing. I'm pretty bad at figuring these things out, so I was clueless as we loaded our bikes on the subway for an eternally long train ride. We took the 6 all the way to the end of the line in the Bronx and then hopped on our bikes and rode even further. I kept seeing signs for City Island, so I figured we were just spending the afternoon there. But then we missed a turn we should have taken to get there and I was stumped again...until we pulled into the Bronx Equestrian Center! Kurt had organized a trail ride!

We joined a group of three girls and our guide for an hour long walk through Pelham Bay Park. I used to ride a lot when I was younger but somehow, 15+ years later, sitting atop a 2,000 pound unfamiliar animal is slightly more terrifying. My trusty steed was named Martin and we only had minor disagreements about walking vs trotting. Other than a few stressful moments it was a lot of fun. Thanks, Kurt!

After the ride, we hopped on our bikes (nice to be back in complete control again!) and rode to City Island to grab some food

It's a pretty big destination for seafood, but somehow we ended up at a place with pretty limited seafood options. To make up for it, they had a lovey backyard where we enjoyed the sun for a leisurely meal.

After we ate, we did a little more exploring on the small island before heading back to the train. We rode the 6 train it's entire length, got off in downtown Manhattan, and rode across the Brooklyn Bridge to do a quick swing through Brooklyn Bridge Park.

We checked out the new foot bridge (so bouncy!), were amazed at the elaborate parties going on in the BBQ area, and laughed at the enormous barge parked next to pier 5 with an entire floating skate park on it. Crazy!

Such a good day. Thanks for the surprise, Kurt! And happy 4 years!

(AND for a trip down memory lane, see Year One, Year Two, and Year Three!)