when I started this blog five years ago, I was a pet sitter and the name animal-crackers made sense. now I'm a stay-at-home-dad and freelance writer, but rather than confuse everyone by getting a different blog, it's just easier to keep posting things here.

For the first time in four years I've gotten a break from the boys. Andrea took a week-long vacation and let me fly to New York to visit a friend, Billy.

Here we are at Ground Zero. I was surprised to find it much less impressive than I had imagined it to be. Some of the pictures placed around the memorial were sad. But mostly, it felt like some cold historical marker.

Saturday we went to a few bars in Queens, where Billy lives. It's Astoria, a blue-collar neighborhood where Archie Bunker's Place and Goodfellas were set. Its rather drab and dreary, but safe.

One of the bars Billy wanted to get into had a velvet rope guarded by an older Goodfella looking gentleman and his two friends. No line, just three guys and a rope. Billy asked if we could go in.

He hesitated and looked us over, then said, "OK, but the hat (my Yankee's ballcap) has to stay in the car."

"Well, all right!" Billy said.

I took off my hat and showed him how crappy my hair looked. He changed his mind.

Yesterday, we went to Manhattan for brunch. Walked to Ground Zero. Then it started rain, so we went back to Queens.

It's fun hanging out with Billy. This is the first time we've seen each other in seven years. He's only been in New York seven months now, and he's learning the ropes. Like yesterday on our way back to Astoria we tried to catch the W train.

We waited and waited. The R train passed twice. Finally we realized the W doesn't run on the weekend.

Billy wanted me to make a video of his place for his family. Here's where I'm staying: