Sunday, December 28, 2008

Adventures in Binghamton

I just returned from an eventful weekend in Binghamton, NY- the hometown of my brother-in-law Ryan. Aside from the aforementioned cheap apartments, Binghamton is famous for three things: carousels, pierogies, and Spiedies. Ryan has often lauded the deliciousness of Spiedies, and I was under the impression that it was a restaurant that he liked. Wrong. Spiedies are meats marinated in a special spiedie sauce, grilled, and served in a sandwich. They are a popular local cuisine available at essentially every deli and restaurant in town. We took a trip to the Spiedie & Rib Pit (Yep! This is the place.) so I could try one for myself. I ate a chicken spiedie and found it to be quite tasty, although perhaps not the most healthy food imaginable.



In addition to eating, I also did a lot of drinking in Binghamton, aided by the fact that the bars are open until 3AM. Friday night we went to see Ryan's brother's band play, and Saturday night I attended his parents annual holiday party. Both nights were loads of fun, but the highlight of the weekend was definitely the human pyramid we constructed shortly after midnight on Saturday...a triumphant feat of agility and strength!
Binghamton may not be your typical vacation destination, (for a very apt description, take a listen to Dar Williams' Southern California Wants to be Western New York.) but I enjoyed exploring the area and will likely return. Still on the to-do list: carousels and pierogies. I had a great time with the Binghamton folks at Eri and Ryan's wedding earlier this year, so it was a lot of fun to visit them on their home turf.

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