Those were my exact words a few years ago in response to a friend telling me her plans to move from Manhattan to the “Other Borough”. I just couldn’t fathom why anyone would intentionally leave the island - I wasn’t even a local, and yet it seemed wrong. But after this past trip to New York (4 days for a 2 day work training), I am beginning to understand the lure.
After a full Sunday of doing what I love - bottomless mimosa brunch, shopping, cocktails, shopping and dinner with the girls (Anna and Erin) in the city - Anna and I made the trek back to her place in Park Slope, Brooklyn for the night and the following day off. Park Slope is a cute neighborhood near Prospect Park with a laid back atmosphere and locals with stroller envy – yes, it appeared I had entered the stroller capital of NYC. In Anna and my relaxing walk through the Park and out shopping on Monday morning we passed countless high-end strollers with either a Caribbean nanny to follow or a matching high-end mother…ranting to her friends about the importance of homemade organic baby food.
I am not sure if our stroller was able to compete with their rolls royces, however Anna was hands down the cutest mom and Emery was by far the cutest baby so overall we won. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the apartment, catching up and living the Haus Frau lifestyle….I could easily get used to that one…so why did I have to go to work the following day?
Two days later, after a grueling 8 hours in the office (special thanks to a mind-numbing tax training) I was ready for a drink (and I suppose dinner), so I made my way back across the river, this time to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to hang out with my friend Katya and her boyfriend Unity. If Park Slope was the Upper East Side of Brooklyn, Williamsburg was the up and coming answer to Greenwich Village. The buildings were lined with artful graffiti, yet filled with understated but exceptional restaurants, bars and shops. And Katya and Unity’s apartment was no exception; located in a historic old warehouse, their apartment provided modern amenities including a dish washer, gym and in-house washer/dryer, but also maintained the exterior/structural charm - including floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges and the NYC skyline across the water.
The best, no, the only way to compliment a view like that was with a home-cooked meal (lasagna from scratch), bottles of wine, good conversation and lots of gourmet cheese (8 different kinds to be exact)…I had died and gone to NY cheese and wine heaven.
In short, with the big parks, great restaurants, stunning views and all of the charm I thought only Manhattan could offer, Brooklyn has moved up in my book. And if Erin ever decides to leave the island for Brooklyn as well, I guess I will have to declare it unanimous, Brooklyn is the new destination borough.
After a full Sunday of doing what I love - bottomless mimosa brunch, shopping, cocktails, shopping and dinner with the girls (Anna and Erin) in the city - Anna and I made the trek back to her place in Park Slope, Brooklyn for the night and the following day off. Park Slope is a cute neighborhood near Prospect Park with a laid back atmosphere and locals with stroller envy – yes, it appeared I had entered the stroller capital of NYC. In Anna and my relaxing walk through the Park and out shopping on Monday morning we passed countless high-end strollers with either a Caribbean nanny to follow or a matching high-end mother…ranting to her friends about the importance of homemade organic baby food.
I am not sure if our stroller was able to compete with their rolls royces, however Anna was hands down the cutest mom and Emery was by far the cutest baby so overall we won. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the apartment, catching up and living the Haus Frau lifestyle….I could easily get used to that one…so why did I have to go to work the following day?
Two days later, after a grueling 8 hours in the office (special thanks to a mind-numbing tax training) I was ready for a drink (and I suppose dinner), so I made my way back across the river, this time to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to hang out with my friend Katya and her boyfriend Unity. If Park Slope was the Upper East Side of Brooklyn, Williamsburg was the up and coming answer to Greenwich Village. The buildings were lined with artful graffiti, yet filled with understated but exceptional restaurants, bars and shops. And Katya and Unity’s apartment was no exception; located in a historic old warehouse, their apartment provided modern amenities including a dish washer, gym and in-house washer/dryer, but also maintained the exterior/structural charm - including floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges and the NYC skyline across the water.
The best, no, the only way to compliment a view like that was with a home-cooked meal (lasagna from scratch), bottles of wine, good conversation and lots of gourmet cheese (8 different kinds to be exact)…I had died and gone to NY cheese and wine heaven.
In short, with the big parks, great restaurants, stunning views and all of the charm I thought only Manhattan could offer, Brooklyn has moved up in my book. And if Erin ever decides to leave the island for Brooklyn as well, I guess I will have to declare it unanimous, Brooklyn is the new destination borough.
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