Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO

After the Brooklyn Flea, we drove to DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) to hop on the Brooklyn Bridge boardwalk. Did you know when it was first built, NY residents were hesitant to go across it for fear of safety, so in 1884, a herd of 21 elephants were taken across to demonstrate its strength?






This was on the Manhattan side looking down towards the South Street Seaport. One of my favorite things about New York City, or any large city for that matter, are all the "hidden" places that you never see from the street. Rooftop decks especially. How fun to have your own quiet oasis in such a loud and busy city!


Then back to DUMBO and an amazing playground right on the East River. It was such a great day, but probably a bit too much walking for my pregnant self. No wonder I spent all of Sunday afternoon with my feet up!

Brooklyn Flea Market

We have a list.

OK, I have a list. But I call it ours because that's what married people do, right?

Since we've lived here, the list has grown, but we keep marking things off. Who doesn't like marking things off a list??!!!

So Saturday we marked two things off this list: The Brooklyn Flea, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

What could make me happier than seeing my loves walking hand in hand to a flea market??!!






Like father like son....checking out the bikes!


One reason I love this flea market is all the AMAZING food that is available. We bought an amazing wood fired white pizza for $9. The food vendor brought in a portable wood fire stove and the dough and ingredients were all made fresh on site. Amazing pizza.


And these were my finds for the day! Vintage tupperware snack tubs? Yes please. Three white frames for my collection for $15? Score! And an adorable jar...


Brooklyn Bridge to come...

A Day in Dumbo

My quest of visiting local flea markets continues! On Saturday, Ava and I spent a good part of the day in Dumbo (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn. I had heard of Dumbo, but really knew nothing about it! Who names a neigborhood Dumbo??? But given the meaning of the name, it makes complete sense. It is literally under the overpass. The neighborhood is on the East River, between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge, and is very industrial. Many buildings have been transformed into artist lofts, residential lofts and retail, but you still feel like you're in the middle of the Industrial Age.

So what flea market did we visit today? The Brooklyn Flea Market, which "pops up" in Dumbo in the winter. See (www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea) for more info. There were some great vendors, but we didn't walk away with any treasures that we couldn't live without (unless you count the Brooklyn soda bottle cap that Ava and I found on the ground).

So here's a view of the Manhattan Bridge while walking down the street to the market...

Ava enjoyed looking at the art, and a jewelry vendor gave her a sparkly ring!






After a hard morning of shopping, every girl needs a hot chocolate break at Starbucks.


Anyone want to do a photo session in Dumbo?? I would love work down here. So many alleys, so little time...






Despite the industrial feel, the area is really family friendly. Parks, green space, and a great playground.




Can't you just imagine horse drawn trolley cars being pulled down here 100 years ago? Ava was a little afraid a train was going to come, but I convinced her it was safe.




Some very colorful restaurants in the neighorhood.

A Day in Brooklyn

We had a nice surprise yesterday afternoon with a phone call letting us know that Cousin Kris was buying a last minute ticket to NYC!! Cool! We decided to surprise the kids, so when they woke up Saturday morning, we told them there was a surprise in the playroom. I'm not sure who was more surprised....Kris being woken up by a couple of kids at 5:30am Denver time, or the kids finding "uncle" Kris in the playroom!!

We decided on a little adventure today and drove into Brooklyn. It was SOOOOOOO cold today and the forecast called for snow flurries in the morning, turning into a lot of snow and ice in the afternoon/evening. They weren't wrong.

So we headed to Brooklyn Heights (the Huxtable Family neighborhood) to take a walk on the Promenade and check out the lower Manhattan skyline.

When we came out here house hunting, my second choice of a place to live was a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. It was a great space, and we would have had two floors, and an eat-in kitchen with a real brick pizza oven. The upstairs had two bedrooms and a full bath, so it would have been a tight squeeze, but to live in a Brownstone????? A dream. The kicker was that they didn't take dogs, and room for guests would have been a challenge. Ultimately, we are so happy with our decision to live in Rye, and living here makes my daily life easier with the kids than if we had lived in Manhattan or Brooklyn.

I've told Wade that when we're retired and the kids are grown up, I want to move back to NY for one year and either live in the City or in a Brownstone in Brooklyn....or maybe a Brownstone in Manhattan. Just one year. Hopefully our little house in Denver will be paid off by then, so we could live the full city life. Just the two of us. A girl can dream.....

The financial district and the East River. I know I'm not the only one who has lost money here in the last few months. Kris just finished a year of playing in the stock markets full-time, so he's heading into Manhattan with Wade tomorrow and he's going to check out Wall Street and witness first-hand the place where it all happened. (Note he's not doing it anymore).

One thing I love in my living spaces, and in my photography is blending the old with the new. If I described my style, I would call it Modern Vintage. I loved the iPod billboard and the Brooklyn Bridge in background.





The kids were having a blast as they had stroller races the whole down the Promenade. I loved it because it kept my trigger finger free! On your marks, get set....go!!!!!!!!!!!!!






We parked on a cul-de-sac right next to the promenade and enjoyed another great picnic lunch in the van. Rather than braving the Manhattan traffic, we decided to check out Coney Island!

The "famous" Nathan's. (I had never heard of Nathan's before, but I saw their hot dogs in Costco the other day...I still prefer Hebrew National. Shhhhh). But I gotta give Nathan's an A+ for their signage!!!






This was a parking lot FULL of school buses. No doubt used to bus in the school kids by the masses when Coney Island is in full swing.

On the WOODEN boardwalk. Super cool. Wish I could run 1 1/2 miles like I used to.

The snow really started coming down and Tyson was running down the boardwalk with his tongue out trying to catch snowflakes! So we've played in sand, we've played in snow, but both together??? It was a first for us.

Loved, loved, loved today.