NYC Saturday

 

Saturday (and Camilo) would bring us to Brooklyn.  We started out by heading to the bottom of Manhattan and New York City Hall.  From here we walked across Brooklyn Bridge.  On the other side of East River, we descended to below the bridge to get what I was told is quite a famous photo opportunity.  I’m not one to copy trends or take the millionth and first photo of the Lincoln Memorial, but I liked this photo-op and until today, had not heard about its popularity.  Apart from the view of the bridge framing the Empire State Building, we also took some pictures of the three of us together, including a couple of selfies.  From one of these, I cropped my face and updated the profile picture on all my social media and email accounts – it represents a happy memory and it is the nicest photo of me in years – I don’t consider myself very photogenic. 

We then stepped into Butler (a coffee shop) for a snack and beverage.  We ordered separately at the counter and were called to get our order.  When my turn came, the dashing lad behind the counter was struggling to loosen the last sausage roll from the pan it had just been baked on.  The pastry was mutilated; he turned to me and offered it on the house.  What luck!

We ambled on, first skirting East River at Brooklyn Bridge Park.  A young Latina was getting her pictures taken for her quinceañera.  

Moving on, we popped into City Point BKLYN shopping mall to use the facilities.  There was a photo booth that was (like everything else) updated to take digital payments instead of (or in addition to) cash.  The three of us crammed into the two-seater.  I had missed this activity as a teenager – there probably wasn’t even such a booth in all of the Free State, the province in which I grew up.  It was fun, and I felt like a school pupil on summer break at the beach.  

We continued, walking around the outer edge of Fort Greene Park, where a small flea market sold some pretty, if expensive, wares. 

From here it was time for lunch.  We passed a row of brownstones on a treelined street and then descended into the subway to make our way to Little Caribbean.  Our first attempt was thwarted – the eatery was open from 5 PM to 4 AM and not at lunch time, though the proprietor was there preparing food for an outside order.  He gave us a wee free try of his jerk chicken – oh, my word!  Exquisite!  We walked on, eventually finding a meal at Juices International.  The eatery was cramped and crowded by furniture within.  Seating was at three tiny tables just beside the door on the sidewalk.  The cooking was done on two very large bbq grills at the edge of the sidewalk beside parked cars.  It was bloody delicious, and not at all expensive. 

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Returning to Manhattan, we stopped at Housing Works Thrift Shop in Chelsea.  I quite liked it, and of course, the stuff was reasonably priced.  However, I wasn’t here to buy household wares, so I sat on a refurbished sofa and busied myself with getting photos from my camera onto my phone while Camilo and Erin wandered around the store.  By now it was close to 6 PM.  We headed to Chelsea Market, where we got delicious ice cream cones from L’Arte del Gelato within, before heading up to the High Line.

The High Line is an elevated garden landscaped atop a disused metro line.  It is a great way to get up from the traffic.  The garden itself is artistically designed, and there is a smattering of statues to boot.  It runs between several buildings that have unique and interesting architecture.  The urban oasis eventually empties out at The Vessel in Hudson Yards, which I mentioned during my Circle Line Tour several days ago.  

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It was time to get dinner and a few alcoholic beverages, which we took care of at Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain.  I think a platter of cheeses and cold meats was somehow involved, and did we have sangria or something similar?  It was a great end to a fantastic day.