Turkey Trolley Trot and Thanksgiving Feast

On Thanksgiving, many of us like to stuff our faces full of food by hitting our buffet tables a minimum of three times. Since I would rather have my stomach burst from excessive gnocchi than turkey and gravy, I like to focus on other things during Thanksgiving instead of the grub. This holiday is for spending time with friends who live in other parts of the country, family I only get to see a few times per year, pumpkin pie (okay, I guess I like some of the food), and responsible amounts of booze. 

Last night, I was lucky enough to get together with a big group of my friends for the Turkey Trolley Trot. For the price of twenty dollars, we could go to up to six bars and enjoy unlimited beer and Pilgrim Punch (some gross alcoholic punch that I didn't drink), food, and trolley service between each bar. When my friend told me about it last week, I knew that I would be raving mad to pass up a deal like that. I also had no trouble recruiting some other buddies to come with me. 

There's Jessica on the trolley (she's in town from Los Angeles!). 

Irene (in town from Boston) and Andi and a nice boy who shared his seat with them on the trolley. 

There's one of the six trolleys that circulated the mass crowds from bar to bar. 

If you're not familiar with the Thanksgiving traditions here, then you don't know that the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving (called Black Wednesday) is the busiest bar day of the year. Each bar that we went to was so packed at certain points that it made me uneasy. They eventually emptied out, but I always hate it when there are too many people cramped into one space. I also had to wait 15 minutes to use the bathroom at one point, which is an absolutely miserable experience if your bladder is full. The comic relief in the situation was that Andi and Irene started confronting the girls who budged the bathroom line. Then one girl argued back with Irene, saying that she wasn't doing anything wrong. Some people are ridiculous. If there are people writhing in pain because they have to pee so badly, you don't cut in front of them in line. You just DON"T! 

The only other painful thing of the night was the traffic. I departed for my friend Alex's apartment at 2:40 pm and didn't make it there until 5. Once I got closer to the city, the cars were stopped dead. Now I know that Black Wednesday is the busiest traffic day of the year! I spent so much time singing in the car that my throat was nearly raw by the time I got there.  

Now, let's get back to the fun stuff. There's Irene! Never cut in front of her in line. Just don't do it. 

Jane, Andi, Shelly, me, Jess and Irene at Duffy's. Once the bar crowd thinned out, we had so much fun. 

Me, Jess, Andi

Jess and I slept at Alex's apartment, and then we drove back around 8:30 this morning. I enjoy sleeping in, but we wanted to get out of the city earlier than later. 

I could have been productive once I got home, but I instead slept for three hours. I guess my body wanted more sleep. Around 5, we headed over to my aunt's house to meet the family for our annual Thanksgiving feast. 

We started out with a cocktail hour with plenty of drinks and an appetizer spread of cheese, crackers, hummus, veggies and spinach and artichoke dip. 

Cheese may be my best friend, but I didn't go overboard with it this time. 

For dinner, we had all of the typical Thanksgiving fare. 

There was turkey, cranberry sauce (two types), gravy, sweet potatoes, ham, veggies, and corn bread. We also had dishes that were unique to our family. My dad made an eggplant casserole. We also had the spinach cheese casserole and a Thanksgiving-themed kuggel. 

We had a variety of baked sweet breads. 

The turkey.

My plate was full, but I also didn't go overboard. I was also very impressed with the quality of the turkey, because it's usually very dry. This year, it was just right. I thought most of the food was very good!

In-shot pour!

I also didn't go overboard with the desserts. I already sampled the desserts that my mom made at home, and the only other thing that I really wanted was my Aunt Lila's pumpkin pie. It is so light and fluffy that it melts in your mouth. I was apparently a very picky eater when I was an infant, and this was the only thing that I would eat. Apparently, I loved it so much that I cried when my mom stopped giving me bites of it. I cried until she gave me more of it. 25 years later, it's still my favorite!

My grandma also made a very tasty flan. I promised her that I'd take a picture of it, but I forgot (sorry, Grandma!). It was a big hit with the crowd. 

My aunt Lila makes all sorts of unbelievable desserts. She made the majority of the things on the plate, with the exception of the treats that my mom baked. My mom made the pumpkin cake slices with the white frosting and the desserts that look like chocolate chip cookies. 

This year's Thanksgiving was the most fun one I have ever experienced. It was wonderful to schmooze with the family. I also think that as I get older, the more I appreciate my family and can converse better with the (older) adults. My younger cousins are also maturing, and I'm enjoying their company more than I ever have. I'm very thankful for everybody in my family.

I have two more days of fun before I have to buckle down and hit the books. Goodnight, everybody!