off the L: High Stakes Weekender

This past week has seen plenty of leaky roofs and puddled sidewalks. Friday was no exception: everyone was scurrying around under big black umbrellas, poking or being poked in a slow-motion farce. I left work in the downpour with two things on my mind: Macaroni & Cheese, and seeing Katie Ferry as she hop-scotched her way from France to Montana. At Union Square a woman in a classic trenchcoat and shiny flats peered up from under her umbrella on her way home from the farmer's market and I realized as our eyes met that it was Jamie Beck, a photographer and lifestyle blogger I absolutely love and have been following for the past several years. You can see her work here, and I highly recommend shuffling through her travel adventures. She's an inspiration to me in terms of leading a creative life to the fullest with confidence and grace.

Jamie Beck.

Fast forward one L train later: I sloshed into Brooklyn Mac in my neighborhood to greet the girls: Katie, Meg, and Erin "The Farm"Anderson, for the most elemental meal a human being could ask for. What is better than cheese-drenched pasta boats? I'm not always in the mood for a tin of such heavy and breadcrummed goo, but on a rainy day I'm almost sure it can't be beat.

say CHEESE!

The only way I can snap pictures of Jared is through walls. Like a spy.

We spent the evening entertaining ourselves at my place while shoes dried and skylights dripped, and then it was off to bed because I had big Saturday plans. I was going to have a talk with a horse about a trophy. Or something like that.

The Belmont Stakes is the final leg of the Triple Crown races in the United States. It's held in early June and is open to three-year-old thoroughbreds (really, whoever can pay the entry price, ca-ching), and it's about the dandiest thing a modern city kid could do. Allison and I packed a picnic and plopped down on the Long Island Railroad amongst a couple hundred other young race-goers in gingham and bowties and big hats and sundresses. We were all ready to lose a couple bucks on bad guesswork and we couldn't have been more excited.

In the 8th heat of the day, Allison and I finally felt like our luck was at our fingertips, so we went to the betting window to place our wagers. I opted for a Win-Place-Show on a horse called Laugh Out Loud, which was surefire way to avoid making my money back in any outcome, but these are things you have to learn through experience. The race itself was a total thrill: my horse was looking terrified or possessed, and therefore ready to run really fast, and he did -- for the first half of the race. He was nose-to-nose with Savannah's Kitten, but somehow in the final dash to the photo finish, my LOLer fell behind. He finished dead last, like me in my highschool cross country meet that one time. Allison won $3.50 on her horse, who finished second, but considering the $6.00 she spent to wager, it didn't come close to paying for her bourbon cocktail. At least we got nifty souvenir lowball cups to take home. You can never lose for long when there's bourbon punch at your fingertips!

Saturday night brought Jillian Berman's birthday party (or Another Extremely Expensive Family-Style Dinner with the Berms) and then some Arcadery with my MSU pals. As one tends to do when in the presence of flashing pinball lights and stuttering electronic sounds, Katie decided she really would like to go to Coney Island on Sunday. So, I met Erin, Kate, and Meg in BedStuy for a trek to Brooklyn's southern seaport. And, oh yes -- it is a trek. But it's always worth the while, and we had so much fun sipping Egg Creams and sitting on the beach with our pretzels and Erin's first ever Chili Cheese Dog that no pictures could do it justice. Not a bad weekend, I say. I love Brooklyn Summertime and a downpouring of our favorite visitors.