alive after five

Add this to the "delightful village" category...

Throughout the summer, Patchogue hosts the "Alive After Five" event, in which Main Street is shut down to vehicle traffic through much of the village, and a wide array of vendors set up tents. There are several (four?) live music acts going on simultaneously on different parts of the street, and there are lots of food and activities. Here are a few shots from last Friday's tour...


People come from miles around (even from NYC) to hang out.




















Restaurants and cafes lucky enough to be on the street cordon off a piece of the street for their customers. They range from busy to a solid-pack mass of humanity.




















This place smelled reeeeeally good. Couldn't bring myself to try the fried Oreos though.




















I thought of B. Ray when we passed this one...




















Ellie and Nico were determined to try the climbing wall provided by the local YMCA. Neither were deterred by the fact that it was generally intended for somewhat older kids (I asked the guy if he had many customers like Nico... he said, "Oh sure, I had one his size try it once.")

Knowing Ellie, we weren't surprised to see her tearing off toward the top.
















































This is about as far as she made it... probably 3/4 of the way up. She came down all smiles and declared her intent to "practice." Sounds ominous...

























Nico's turn.



















The guy was very helpful.
























The spaces between the grips were just too big, but that didn't bother Nico. Physics: who needs it?

















































The ride down at the end is half the fun.

























A little ice cream made it a perfect day. Viva la Patchogue!