Billy Joel, Everywhere (January 9th - January 11th)

On January 9th, I rode 14.6 miles. This brought me to Smithtown, NY. With that, I encountered my first Croxley's. Croxley's is one of my favorite bars in the world. There are actually six of them (all on Long Island or in NYC), and I had never been to the one in Smithtown, but it doesn't matter which Croxley's you go to as long as you get a Guinness and their wings. They have wing specials on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. I was there on a Friday, so sadly they were not running a special, but they were delicious at full price as well.

B - Smithtown, NY

On January 10th, I rode 12.7 miles, which brought me to Huntington, NY. Huntington is the birthplace of some really interesting people, including Walt Whitman, Mariah Carey, and the Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio. Most importantly, it is home to my Aunt Patty and Uncle Jim. They have a great place just a short walk from Huntington Bay, so it was the perfect place to spend a quiet night. Patty and Jim have hosted awesome family pool parties for as long as I can remember. Too bad it was too cold to go in the pool. Billy Joel's mom, Roz, was their next door neighbor until she sadly passed away last year. She would come over for the pool parties as well. It doesn't get more Long Island than that.

B - Huntington, NY
C - Hicksville, NY

On January 11th, a 10.4 mile ride took me to Hicksville, NY. This is where Billy Joel grew up and went to high school (Billy Joel mentions will probably decrease after I get off of the Island). The most interesting thing about being in Hicksville for me was that I was now only 7.2 miles from my parent's house in Garden City, NY. I should be there on the 12th.

Real Life: On the 9th, I rode to work and rode home, with a stop at Cullen's Bar for a pint on the way. I also rode to Stage 773 to see the Exquisite Corpse show at the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. On the 10th, I rode to meet my friend Tim for coffee at CityGrounds Coffee Bar, then my wife and friend Allison for lunch at The Butcher's Tap, and then rode a bit up the Lake Shore Path. On the 11th, I rode to and from Cleo's Bar to watch Arsenal FC beat Stoke City 3-0. Daily mileage: January 9th - 14.6 miles, January 10th - 12.7 miles, January 11th - 10.4 miles. Total annual mileage: 105.4 miles (4.2 miles behind target pace).