Big Lights Will Inspire You

Our second full day in NYC started off with a trip to Brooklyn.  My cousin Brooke has lived in Brooklyn for ~9 years.  I've always wanted to visit her but until now it never worked out.  The one time before when I was in NYC, she was in Alabama!

Amanda and I left with plenty of time to meet her because we wanted to account for any issues with us taking the wrong train etc.  Well no worries.  We got there with no trouble.  We had some time to kill before we were to meet Brooke so we walked around looking for a coffee shop.  Yes we passed several Starbucks but why go there when we could go somewhere unique.  We found a Japanese coffee shop which I've never seen in Alabama!  Amanda enjoyed her coffee as we waited to meet in the park.

We were meeting at City Hall Park.

Once Brooke arrived, she led us to Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge.  I loved walking across it!

Once we crossed the bridge, we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge Park.  It was so fun to see that view of NYC.

 

After our Brooklyn Bridge adventure, we took the subway to Brooke's neighborhood.  We opted to go ahead and eat lunch since Amanda and I had not eaten breakfast.  Brooke took us to a very delicious place called Olea.  

 

Since it was Saturday, brunch was an option.  This is what I got...

 Savory Parmesan French Toast topped with poached eggs, peas and pea shoots, scallions, and avgolemono sauce served with homefries.  It was SO good!

We also got one of the Tapas for an appetizer.  It was good too, but I can't remember which one this is.

 

 If you are ever in Brooklyn I would recommend this place.  I especially loved the outdoor seating.

After lunch we headed for the Brooklyn Flea. As we were walking I decided if I was to live in NYC, I would prefer to live in Brooklyn over Manhattan.  It just feels more like a community than a big ol' city.

The Brooklyn Flea was a fun experience, much different than the Lacon Flea Market I used to go to with my Dad when I was a child.  A lot of the things there I could totally see ending up on Pinterest.  If I lived there I would probably go there to eat.  They had so many unique food trucks.  Asia Hot Dogs? Looked delicious!

After the Flea, Brooke took us to her apartment.  I was so excited to see it.  I had always heard about it, especially about its small size, but had never seen it.  I loved it! It was so well organized and put together.  I'm so glad I finally got to see it.

Brooke put us back on the subway to Manhattan where Amanda and I had plans to check out some shops, particularly Uniqlo- which is apparently the new trendy place to shop.  To be honest, we were not impressed at all.  After Uniqlo we just walked around.  We saw The Peanut Butter Company- the place that makes my Mom's favorite peanut butter.

We then headed to Momofuku's Milk Bar, which was recommended by Brooke.  The cookies were SO good.  I am literally craving them now talking about them.  I really wish I had gotten more! Amanda and I each got one and then we got a third one to share later.

After our cookies, we went to the Strand Bookstore and then headed back towards Matt's part of town.  We ended up meeting him at a Thai place for dinner.  We then took a quick break at Matt's before heading out for gelatto.  Have no idea the name of the place, but I do remember it was about a two mile walk from Matt's apartment.  We ended up meeting up with a guy that Amanda knew and his friend.  

My favorite part of the night is when we were walking back towards Matt's apartment I saw a guy with a standard poodle.  I told him, "I like your dog."  He looked at me and scowled.

Our second full day in NYC was a success.  By the time we got back to Matt's we were exhausted and went to bed ready for the next day which included going to Yankee Stadium.