Quidditch World Cup 2011 94 teams! Randall's Island, NYC

Well, I bet that I did something you didn't do last weekend. A gal I worked with at the Cincinnati Library flew up for it and asked if she could crash with us and if we'd go with her. Of course.

 The line to get in. Luckily, this was the line for peeps who already had tickets, so it moved really fast.

 A flying Ford Anglia.

 It totally flew, we just didn't want to take a picture of it because...you know.

 Life's a pitch. Nine of them.

 Muggles, unfortunately, have to play Quidditch on the ground. Here, we have Yale v. Middlebury.

 The snitch is an actual person, with a tennis ball in a sock attached to their shorts.

 Grabbing the ball off the snitch means that Yale has won.

 huddle

 There were Wizard Wrock bands entertaining the crowd throughout the day.

 This was Swish and Flick, an electronic rap group that also had team Malfoy cheerleaders. They sang a really fun song to the tune of On a Boat.

 Some concerned folks put together a list of things you should have at the ready, in case there is another natural disaster in NYC, which really is a big concern.

 About 80% of the teams were representing colleges. Another 10% were community teams and the last 10% were high school teams.

 The butterbeer they were selling was disappointly not alcoholic, or even carbonated, but warm and good for holding in your hand.

 Killing time between games, there was a massive around of USA v. Canada Wizard rules Dodge Ball.

 Everyone has to close their eyes while the snitch is released so that they don't see where it runs off to.

 Harry and the Potters.

I was really amazed at how athletic they all were. This was the 5th year of the event, and it was incredibly well organized.

 Keep calm and call the doctor.

 I got 99 problems but a snitch aint one.

 The crowd at Icahn stadium to see the semifinals and the finals.

 Ussain Bolt set the world record here.

 All the balls lined up at the start, including the snitch.

 It's really brutal.

 The final match is Florida and Middlebury.

 Here are some videos so you can see it played!

There are burgers in NYC!

 Loved the cool, back-lit wall! It was the menu!

 They serve sliders, only, you won't get anything this good at palace blanco.

And tater tots! Yeah.

They have at least a couple locations here in NYC. I highly recommend it!

The Cloister Museum

 What do you do when you collect religious art and you live in Manhattan and have no where to put it?

 You send it along with your Espelier fruit trees to the tippy top of the island and let everyone else admire it! I took my parents and Ryan to The Cloisters. It didn't hurt that Ryan and 3 guests got in for free as a perk of his 60 hour work week.*

 Did you know that there is a portion of the city that isn't covered with buildings? And unlike Central Park, there are no carts selling waffles, no Frisbee golf matches and as of yet, no Wall St. protesters?

 There are Saint's skulls in those busts. They were for parades.

 I can't remember what this was, but it was shiny and special.

 AND THIS! I didn't even know that it called the Cloisters home until we got here. What little girl didn't have this poster? Turns out it was part of a series of tapestries that someone commissioned.

 They hunted unicorns.

 And captured them

 And stashed the horn. I highly recommend The Cloisters. It has bizarre hours, though, so plan accordingly. Also, I would take the A train to 190th St and walk the rest of the way on a nice day, and catch the M4 on a rainy day.

* He works 60 hours by choice because of his dedication. Not because they make him.

My parents came to visit

They loved and thought the Highline was too cool for school. I can't wait for them to come back. We also went to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and the Cloister Museum. Ryan showed them his office and we ate a lot of great food.

Spaghetti with Broccoli Sauce 6 Points Plus

 Spaghetti with Broccoli Sauce

I know what you're thinking. "That's gross."

And you're wrong. Unless you're George H.W. Then you're right.

Other than the fact that Ryan was really disappointed when he came home, saw the glop of green sauce and realized it wasn't guacamole, we really liked it. We changed the servings from 6 to 4, which made it 9 points plus. Next time, I'll add some protein, like cut up chicken, or maybe even just serve it over a baked chicken breast. If you like broccoli, this sauce is for you!

The Zodiac by Ai Weiwei

 This is one of many reasons that I am so lucky to live in NYC. I get to see stuff like this.

 You can read about the artist of this piece, Ai Weiwei and his amazing story here. I'd heard of him before, but didn't realize that this was his art, and what he was going through at the time until I went home and googled the subject.

 I love that these two were right next to each other. I was born in the year of the dog. Ryan is a cock. He likes saying it that way, too.

This was the coolest one. I loved all the detail. They say people born in the year of the dragon are smart.