Day 3.25: Syosset, NY to Katonah, NY

We slept in thanks to the total darkness offered by the windowless basement bunk bed room which Abe so enjoyed as a child – Arielle less so because it always feels like the middle of the night. We got ready for Father’s Day, and Arielle went out to buy some fruits and veggies that she was thrilled to platter given that we hadn’t hosted a meal in months. Abe thought the blueberries were especially delicious, but her pride and joy were the pineapple and watermelon that she put back into their rinds to serve after she cut them. We had some reheated bagels, which were still better than most fresh bread across the country, and lox for breakfast before the rest of the family arrived. Donald, Nancy, Hannah, Sharon, Rachel, and Laura all arrived, and we spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool.

We went back to Butera’s for a delicious early dinner. Arielle got cauliflower pizza and shared some of Hannah’s penne alla vodka, while Abe got the same steak he had eaten the night before.

We left around 6:30pm, and it only took us about an hour and twenty minutes to get back to Westchester. We were thrilled to have made it back to our point of origin, with one week to relax before our next big trip: Europe!

Approximate number of miles covered: 64

Day 3.24: Kent, OH to Syosset, NY

We got up early to leave by 9am. Aaron woke up to say goodbye just as we left, but Liz did not in fact join us for the farmer’s market. We got on the road for a long drive through the entire state of Pennsylvania, which took us hours. We did pass a sign for Punxsutawney, which got Arielle excited.

After passing many Sheetz locations, we finally found a Wawa and couldn’t have been more excited. We each got a banana cream smoothie and Arielle got her huge iced coffee. Abe ate the leftover tagine and we continued along, crossing into New Jersey, where we began to hit traffic. We slowly crossed the George Washington Bridge, entering New York, and miraculously made it to Long Island by 6:30pm.

We dropped our stuff off at the home of Pop-Pop, Abe’s grandfather, and went out with him to Butera’s, his preferred dining establishment. Arielle got an eggplant rollatini appetizer and a Caesar salad, and Abe got a steak.

For dessert, we enjoyed a chocolate chip pie to go with ice cream on the side (packaged tightly in a to-go container). We went back to the house and spent some time together before going to sleep.

Approximate number of miles covered: 461