Last Thursday we drove to New York. We had various objectives.

1) Present at super-hip interactive creative agency Big Spaceship
2) Man the Idiots’Books booth at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Arts Festival
3) Eat well and often

Let’s see how we did.

On Friday, we got up and ate breakfast, accomplishing the “eating well” portion of objective 3.

Immediately afterward, we jumped on the train to Dumbo, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Upon arrival, we had lunch, satisfying the “eating often” component.

After lunch. we headed into the belly of the beast, by which I mean the digital creative agency Big Spaceship, #10 on Fast Company’s list of most innovative companies.

Our friend Josh, who serves as the Spaceship’s Minister of Technology had asked little old us to come give a lunchtime presentation.

Some of you will remember friend Josh as the mastermind behind our Build Your Own President feature. He is, without a doubt, a mad genius, which is why he works for Big Spaceship in the first place.

In any case, we were invited to talk about what we do. And so we did. In a room full of stylish white leather couches. Other than August feeling the need to contribute a few off-topic “thoughts” in the middle of our presentation, things went passably well.

After lunch, we took a tour of Dumbo with friend Stella (childhood best friend of Robbi and wife of friend Josh).

She took us to the wonderful Powerhouse Books.

Where we enjoyed such titles as Pat the Zombie.

She took us on a stroll around the neighborhood, including a beautiful spot between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

The Manhattan Bridge was to our right.

And the Brooklyn Bridge was to our left.

Of course, I had to assert my dominance.

Lucky for me (and for you), friend Stella was inspired to capture the moment.

Dumbo is also a place where one can buy any color of M&M in the known universe.

And chocolate covered Golden Grahams, otherwise known as clodhoppers.

A small town boy can learn so much from a day in Brooklyn.

That night we ate at an amazing restaurant a few blocks from Josh and Stella’s apartment (though, to be fair, everything in the neighborhood is only a few blocks away. Dumbo is pretty small). On the menu: squid stuffed with ox tail. How could we resist?

The meal redefined the scope of goal 3, pushing it into the realm of “eating very well.”

Before heading back to Manhattan for the night, we stopped to admire some attractively situated smokestacks.

Stopped to admire some oversized numbers.

And stopped to let August do battle with Stella’s dog Ethel.

Ethel won.

Friday and Big Spaceship behind us, we focused on goal 2, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Arts Festival.

Saturday morning, we drove to 26th and Lexington and unloaded our boxes.

Two hours later, we were set up and ready for commerce.

The show started at 11:00. We talked to an artist from Brazil who made beautiful paintings using coffee.

We used August as a shameless ploy to lure helpless young women to the booth.

We ate Korean fried chicken for lunch (tackling goal 3 in the midst of tackling goal 1)

August was such a hit he was asked to sign a few books. This one was his first .

For the most part, though, he preferred to hang back and keep tabs on the proceedings.

While nodding off occasionally for a nap beneath the table.

MoCCA took place not far from the Flatiron, one of our favorite NYC buildings. And so we went to pose and pay our respects.

It’s really quite lovely. And flat. Really, really flat.

Sunday morning, we got up for yet another breakfast. We had already eaten well and often but could not be satisfied.

We spent another day in the booth, meeting more people, and lining up some exciting speaking engagements for the fall.

At the end of the day, we packed up our stuff.

Hauled it to the curb.

And left New York. First one bridge.

And then another.

We did what we set out to do and survived three days in the city, but it sure is good to be back home again, reunited with the kids, and back to life in the barn.