Mango Lemonade

In our eternal quest to find cheap entertainment to offset the pricey entertainment we so dearly enjoy, we spent an hour or so at the street fair hosted by the Harlem Dance Theater. The fair took place one block away from our home so it was easy to get to and admission was free. When we arrived the dignitaries were staring to speak on the stage that extended into the middle of the street. Charlie Rangel, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, spoke first. He was followed be a few other prominent men from the Harlem neighborhood. Afterwards the dance theater performed.

Our son, Rex, was not exactly into the speeches so we strolled through the street fair and checked out all of the wares that were for sale. A NYC street fair usually consists of the following vendors: the tube sock guy; the onesie lady; the evening wrap guy; the cheap artsy jewelry booth; and the bag guy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the tube sock guy and the onesie lady had sat this fair out. In their respective places were the dress lady whose dresses could be worn a variety of ways, sort of like a moby wrap, and the H&R Block table that gave Rex a balloon. Rex was enthralled with the balloon. A couple of days later it became clear that Rex favors inflated balloons. When he saw his quickly shriveling balloon on Monday he was pretty freaked out.

After our stroll we took a break from the fair and put Rex in a swing at a nearby playground - again, free. J also got to watch some of the kids' basketball tournament that was taking place - free. Eventually it came time to spend some money. J tried the fried shrimp and an iced tea and I had a mango lemonade. I was quite happy with my beverage. The shrimp was good, but had been fried earlier in the day. We also picked up a t-shirt to help support the dance theater so we could leave feeling a little better about ourselves.