Just Another Brooklyn Sunday

Most summer weekends mean running off to Long Beach.  But every so often I find myself with no plans.  Today was the perfect day to explore Brooklyn.

When I was away for a month, I started making a summer list of things I still wanted to do.  The Brooklyn Flea was on it- for no other reason except I had heard about it so much last year.  Because of the still sweltering temps, I opted for the indoor Sunday version at the Williamsburg Savings Bank.

I have to say, the architecture was pretty incredible and not what I was expecting for a Sunday morning.  I met a friend there around 11 am, which seemed a bit early as a lot of the vendors were still setting up.  So after browsing the usual: antiques, vintage clothing, artisan crafts, and jewelry stands, we decided to eat.  I settled for a chicken tamale and half a pupusa- which I would say is a much better deal than the gourmet food vendors there (my friend ended up with a semi-sandwich from the Milk Truck for double the price of my tamale).  Next time, I'd like to try Asia Dog's Banh Mi.  To finish off lunch, we decided to grab some fancy popsicles (raspberry basil and peach blueberry) from People's Pops- they were good but proved challenging the second we stepped outside.

After a quick trip into the city and a nap I still had a good chunk of today left.  I walked down by the waterfront to the East River Park just missing the outdoor concert Pool Parties.  The light was still good, so I was able to snap a couple nice long shadow shots on the grass.  After sitting by the water for a good bit, I took a walk around Williamsburg- down by the water, up South 2nd Street, and saw this meserizing flock of birds circling so that their wings reflected gold every time they angled towards the sun.

It's catching these little moments that no one seems to notice that makes a good end to a quiet weekend.

the weekend beet: Newport, Rhode Island

After being gone from New York for almost exactly a month, I pretty much threw myself back into catching up with my group of girlfriends.  This Newport beach trip had been in my calendar for months, and I’m glad that I arrived back in time to go on.  Strangely, I have this feeling these girls’ weekends will be less frequent now as almost all my close girlfriends of that group are happily engaged or soon to be.

I don’t really ever remember being to a small New England town, so I didn’t really know what to expect.   Luckily enough, I was able to get a seat in my friend’s car for the 3-ish hour drive.   We arrived at Easton’s beach to find the other half of our group, a crowded dark sand beach, impressive mansions perched high up on a cliff, and a strange red tide (apparently, this red seaweed filled water is native to Newport)

I found Newport to be a very cute town, but it also made me glad for the diversity that New York has to offer.  The highlight of my trip had to have been trying my first lobster roll at the Snack Stand and wave jumping with friends.  Being together with nine girls for any extended period of time is always tricky.  There were definitely some dramatic moments (not being able to get a cab back to the hotel for 2 hours after a night out, mini meltdowns, etc.) but overall everything worked out for the best.

Clear your Head

I just found this photo I took this spring while on one of my many Williamsburg Bridge walks from my apartment to Manhattan.  There was a lot going through my mind this spring and I always found that the walk was long enough to really get my body physically engaged and my mind cleared.  Though I didn’t always solve my problems, the view always reminded me of the fact that New York has been my home for a while now and that this is the life I built for myself. 

Too bad it’s been way to humid to do one of these walks this summer.  Perhaps in the fall?