The length of the previous days events were evidenced by the fact I slept until 10.30am East Coast time, 3.30pm GMT! Fortunately I didn't delay the schedule by too much and we managed to head off to the local zoo with my uncle and two cousins. After a mere 10 minute drive we arrived at a very impressive local entertainment complex including an ice rink, a multi sports leisure centre and a very sizeable zoo.
The zoo was a wonderful place, full of entertainment for children (and adults!) of all ages. The animals were placed into areas from where in the world they came from, and there was hardly an area not represented. Personal favourites included the stingray petting pool, the sea-lions, the alligator, the black bears, the leopards and the noble bison. Not only were were opportunities to see a variety of exotic animals but there was a great 'Farm' area where children were allowed to feed chickens, sheep, pigs and alpacas.
After a few rides on the carousel...
We headed home so Allison (and I) could nap. The excitement of the day was not over however as my aunt and uncle had managed to procure some tickets to watch the New York Yankees play the Toronto Blue Jays in an American League MLB clash.
We drove into Manhattan with my aunt, Adrianna, my Uncle, Jon, and their friend Ann, a lifelong Yankees fan. After a drink in a packed local sports bar we headed into the stadium and found our terrific seats very close to the action. Yankee stadium is only a few years old after they demolished the previous historical stadium which was situated just across the road. The game was not completely sold out but the crowd was very impressive for a sport with 160+ games a season. Although I had never seen a live game, I was fortunately not a complete novice to the rules and when my knowledge fell short, I had no hesitation in annoying everyone in our group by asking many questions.
After a scoreless first innings I perfectly timed a trip to the toilet so I missed a pretty huge home run, although fortunately for the Blue Jays. The game was very exciting live and it hard to exaggerate just how fast the pitchers throw (high 90s mph) and how little time there is to hit the ball. I was also apparently very lucky to see a number of rare baseball events including a triple hit, injured pitchers galore, and two home base steals! And to top it off, all four of us managed to feature very prominently on the Jumbotron, something that Adrianna and Ann had never managed to achieve despite going to games since their early childhood. Due to all this excitement I was dubbed a 'good luck charm'. The only slight disappointment was that I was not able to catch a ball, although one did land a few rows back.
All in all, a very good day.
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