((This is going to be photo overload. Warning you now!))
I got a beautiful 4 weeks off for Easter this year and so I made the most of it and flew to visit Marcus for just over 3 weeks. I knew that it'd wouldn't be the most action-packed of visits seeing as the poor boy still had to work Mon-Fri but I just wanted to see him as much as I possibly could!
We started off with Marcus' 23rd birthday. I used my insanely good baking skills (hello cake in a packet) to whip up this sugary delight:
He didn't have a big celebration but we did go out for a meal with some of our friends which was really nice! We also headed out that weekend to Pittsburgh with the lacrosse team which Marcus coaches. We stayed in a nice hotel in Down town Pittsburgh which unfortunately seemed pretty sleepy at night - we struggled to find somewhere to eat after 11pm, cue Domino's ordered to our room, classy classy.
The boys didn't have a match on the Saturday and so Marcus and I did a bit of exploring. We ate lunch at the 'almost famous' Primanti Bros. Restaurant and sampled their speciality of sandwiches which have the fries in them! They were really good and HUGE but I ate it all like the fatty I am ;)
We also saw the two stadiums from across the river - PNC Park and Heinz Field. Marcus still has a way to go before I fully embrace American sports but he keeps trying...
I also got to catch up with one of my good friends from camp, Rachel, who was a counsellor in my bunk. We met up for breakfast at Pamela's Diner (I don't know which location but it was near the University!). I had pancakes with strawberries - so good!
After another match on the Sunday it was time to head back to Buffalo as Marcus had work on the Monday. Although I spent most of my daytime watching American TV in the apartment seeing as I couldn't drive and there isn't anything local, we did get up to some nice things in the evenings. We went to Niagara Falls and walked over the bridge to take photos, watched the Buffalo Bandits and generally spent some quality time with each other.
Being the lovely girlfriend I am, I went to one of his lacrosse matches in the snow and froze my arse off. The snow was coming down so badly that I could barely see the pitch. Not going to lie, I lasted about 15 minutes before I gave up and went to sit in his car. Not before I took this picture though to remind him of my dedication ;) it doesn't even look that bad but trust me it was!
Marcus' parents visited one weekend and we had a lovely time eating out, watching more lacrosse matches and the all important shopping! When I'm at home I study at Newcastle University and so I loved seeing Brown Ale on the beer menu at one bar/restaurant we ate at!
My final weekend in NY was spent heading back to Marcus' home town to see some of his friends. On the way down we stopped in Syracuse to have dinner with the amazing Britt. We ate at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and waited about 45 minutes for a table but my goodness it was worth it. Great atmosphere (they have live bands on regularly), good food and really good service. If you're in the area definitely make a visit. I'm not particularly adventurous and so just had the BBQ chicken with fries and a salad but it was so damn tasty and in a huge portion. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
I even got to experience the joy that is red solo cups for the first time. I felt so American!
So that was my little trip over the pond for Easter. I left with lots of tears not knowing when I'd see Marcus again but knowing that we'd still make it work somehow. It was so nice having a whole 3 weeks together & even though he had to work so much, just being in the same country was amazing. I love Marcus' friends and family and even though I have a major tendency to become an awkward turtle when meeting new people, their kindness never fails to bring me out of my shell.
LYMH.
