Truckeroo!

Last Friday I finally made it to Truckeroo, which is a monthly food truck gathering with live music, adult beverages and other promotions.  Some friends and I packed up the kiddos (their first ride on the metro!) and ventured downtown to check it out.  It is just across the street from the Navy Yard metro station, near Nats Park.  About 20 trucks were lines up around the edges of the parking lot, tables and umbellas down the middle, and the stage at the far end. 

I had scoped out who was coming beforehand and realized that most of the trucks were the well-established ones with large followings a.k.a I'd already tried them.

Thankfully, there was one I'd been looking forward to and I grabbed my lunch from them - Eat Stix.  The special menu for Truckeroo includes Italian sausage, shrimp, and some sweet and spicy beef.  I got the beef, which was grilled and skewered, as well as a skewer of pineapple and grapes to share with The Luce.  The beef was cooked well and a nice portion for me at lunchtime, but I was sad that the fruit wasn't grilled as well.  My friend got the sausage and enjoyed it.  My other complaint was that they were pricey - $8 for my 2 "stix."  $6 max was what it was worth.  I'd check them out again though.  It is a nice, healthier option in the world of grease and fried stuff.

I also partook from 2 of my favorites, Pleasant Pops (cantaloupe & watermelon and sweet tea!) and Curbside Cupcakes (a delicious Almond Joy).

If you haven't tried foodtrucks, this is a great event.  For me, who has a strange obsession with food from motor vehicles, it wasn't anything special.  But, it was fun to go with friends and introduce them.  Next time I want multiple trucks in one place, I'll just hit up a Farragut Friday!

2 awesome parks for kids

A summer at home with a one year old means trying to find new, fun things to do every day.  The Luce is very active and enjoys having space to run around and explore, so luckily Fairfax County has a couple of ideal places for her. 

1.  Clemyjontri Park - this is a 2 acre playground for kids of all abilities.  It is truly the Disney World of playgrounds.  The walkways are designed like a track with lanes and stop signs.  There are swings for physically challenged kids, ride-on cars and airplanes, jungle gyms, seesaws, a zipline, etc.  You name it, they have it.  There is also a lovely carousel, which we rode, and plenty of family-friendly bathrooms and picnic tables.  On a weekday morning, it wasn't crowded but I imagine on a weekend it gets packed.  There is a nice-sized parking lot and they even have an overflow lot down the road.  It is a little far from our house, so we've only been once, but it was a great time.

photo courtesy of fairfaxparkfoundation.org

2.  Our Special Harbor Spray Park - this has totally made our summer.  It is a zero-depth water park for the little ones.  They have all kids of fountains, water tables, buckets that fill and dump on you, and plenty of covered space for adults who want to stay dry.  There are several family bathrooms and outside the park is a large pavilion (first-come, first-serve) and a huge green area and "treehouse" in the woods.  The Luce loooooooves it.  Perhaps the best part is that is is close to home and is is FREE.  We like to get there when it opens at 11 am and then pack a picnic lunch for on the grass.  Perfect way to cool off and have fun.

photo courtesy of novamommy.com