Showing posts with label Smorgasburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smorgasburg. Show all posts

Saturday, April 7, 2012

11211 Love: Smorgasburg Saturday







Note: Bambino and I did not consume all of this food solo!


It was nonetheless a great afternoon at Smorgasburg care of The Milk Truck, Bon Chovie, Schnitz, Butter & Love, Rick's Picks and more. The market was packed...Lots of kiddos and dogs out in force as well. Next time, we have to hone our strategy a bit better as we were too late for the doughnuts from Dough.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

11211 Love

Williamsburg, 2012

There have been a lot of changes afoot in Williamsburg lately. I took a walk today and passed the soon to open Wythe Hotel just as they were raising the "E" in the old fashioned "HOTEL" sign that will adorn the brick facade. It's such a gorgeous old building (formerly a cooperage) and I'm glad to see that the owners have preserved the industrial feel on the inside as well. I'm looking forward to frequent visits to its new restaurant, Reynard's. It's set to open May 1 and the prices are pretty great for New York (perhaps a good option for visitors when we have a newborn?)

We're gathering quite a list of new dinner spots to try in the coming months and I can't seem to keep up with all of the new openings. I'm especially excited about Parish Hall, the new place from the Egg team on N. 3rd Street. It looks quite swishy and perfect for post pre-natal yoga lunches. Not to mention Gwynett St., Bellwether, and St. Anselm (the latter isn't as new but we just haven't gotten there yet.) I was a little sad to hear that the Meat Hook is relocating to Queens, but it looks like we won't be starving anytime soon.

Oh, and Smorgasburg starts up again this weekend...doughnuts from Electric Blue Baking Company, yes please. 



Thursday, February 9, 2012

Brooklyn Born

Not leaving Brooklyn...
I've felt at home in New York almost since the very beginning, when I moved here from Scotland in 2001, and I've loved seeing my relationship with the city evolve.

In the beginning, it was late nights on the Lower East Side and endless pavement pounding. I had a seemingly insatiable desire to experience every new restaurant, to uncover every boutique, to develop a mental map of nearly every block. If there was a 2 hour wait for something, I was there, sure that it meant that whatever I was waiting for was worthwhile. I believed that people shopped at Barneys every day, and I was determined to join them.

When I moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn for the first time, in the beginning of 2004, my tempo began to change. I liked the big skies, the village-y vibe, the fact that most people on the streets felt like locals. I liked that Williamsburg was still, to a certain extent, rough around the edges, while the East Village was increasingly packed with banks and chain drugstores. I lived across from a recycling plant, next to a chop shop, on blocks where they filmed the dicey scenes in shows like CSI: Special Victims Unit. 

In the eight years I've lived in Williamsburg, it's changed dramatically. But so have I. 

I still love it as much as I once did, just for slightly different reasons.

There are a few projects that I'm especially excited about lately. For one, the McCarren Park pool, which should re-open this summer (just when I'll need it most.) Then there's the bike share program, and the changing face of the waterfront. Con-Ed just tore down some fuel tanks along the river, and parks and bike paths seem to be popping up at every turn. Yes, there are plenty of characterless new condos. But with them came Smorgasburg, the East River ferry, and more and more desperately needed trees.

Seeing the neighborhood evolve makes me glad we've chosen to start our family here, and excited for my kids. I grew up, for the most part, in suburban pockets of Washington, D.C. I love the idea that my children will be New York natives, with the over-stimulation of Manhattan and all its magic over the the bridge, but with Brooklyn in their backyard. 
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