This week I was in Washington, DC for work and had the opportunity to see some friends.

Monday night I met my friend Jim and we went to see a hockey game.  As luck would have it, the Devils were actually in town playing the Capitals.  This was Jim’s first professional hockey game.  The game was sold out (probably because it was Columbus Day), so I bought tickets from a guy in the street.  It was a nice shady transaction that we completed in Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Unfortunately for Jim, the Devils won, However the game was pretty exciting as it ended with a shoot out.

There was an interesting banner in the rafters at the arena as well.  The Washington Mystics (WNBA Team) had the highest attendance in the league for a few years.  They even have the “Attendance Champions” banner to prove.  Is this really necessary?  It is like kids getting trophies just for playing.  I remember when I was a kid you actually had to win something to get a trophy, award, or banner.  (Click the photos to see the full version and to be brought to my flickr page)

On Tuesday night I was able to hook up with my friends Laura and Dan for dinner.  They are expecting a little one in a few weeks and she looks great!

I capped off the trip with a stop at Matsutake Sushi at Reagan National Airport (Terminal B).  Karl (who works the sushi bar) knows me as I used to be a regular.  He used to live in the town next to me, although we did not know each other from up here.

It’s great to catch up with friends while having to travel for business.  It’s not as lonely on the road. 

-Allen

Today Aidan got to see his friend Mason as we went to Stef and Dan’s to watch the Giants game

Susan made these really cool cupcakes too!

Check out the rest of the pictures on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanandallen/sets/72157622811067830/

-Allen

My friend Tim came in from Chicago with his girlfriend Mary. Susan, Aidan, and I went to meet them for lunch at the Heartland Brewery.  Our friend Ken from work also joined us.

Heartland is one of our staple restaurants in NYC.  I highly recommend the buffalo burger and the harvest wheat beer (if it is in season)

It was good to see Tim and finally meet Mary.

Check out the rest of the photos on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanandallen/sets/72157622811583496/

-Allen

Today Susan, Uncle Michael, and I took aidan. to see his first moe. show (my 42nd).  They played an outdoor afternoon show in Mt. Olive, NJ at Vasa Park.  It’s a rare occasion to see the boys play an afternoon show without a festival (especially in NJ), so we had to take advantage.  Aidan was sporting his brand new moe. shirt that I picked up at the Stone Pony show on Friday night.

We started off with a few Italian subs from Dante’s in the parking lot and then hit the show.  This venue is definitely family friendly.  We got settled in our spot about 5 minutes before moe. took the stage to tear things up.  This was one of the best shows that I have seen.  Aidan was lucky to get such a good show. 

Since moe. still has a relatively small following, they make announcements when people attend X number of shows (usually 1, 25, 50, 100, etc), birthdays, etc. 

al. announced aidan’s first show!  Check out the video below!

moe.family

Uncle Michael and Aidan

You can download the whole show here:
http://www.archive.org/details/moe2009-07-05.VasaPark
or you can listen to the clip below which is available for download from archive.org:

-Allen

Keeping with tradition we went to my parents house to watch the parade in town.  They are right along the parade route and have been having breakfast at their house for several years prior to the festivities.

Afterwards we went over to the park for the fair to see a few people and then up to Susan’s mom’s house for the afternoon.

It was a fun day, but I am tired!!!

-Allen