Brooklyn Field Trip

I've never had a chance to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and I've only been to Brooklyn once, so this time I set aside an entire day to spend in the borough.

Forest, Thibault and I met near City Hall on the Manhattan side and had a really nice walk over the bridge. I know that every site says that the views are better walking from Brooklyn to the city, but really, can't you just turn around? We did.

We strolled all the way to Mile End for a hearty lunch. This cute deli specializes in Montreal smoked meat which you can have on a sandwich or even on poutine. Luckily I had a day of walking to help even out that delicious lunch!

After lunch we headed by Uber to the Bedford neighborhood so I could check out this great shop that a friend had told me about called Berlyn65. It is tiny and filled with the most unique jewelry, pretty knickknacks, and super soft hand woven Turkish towels. If you find yourself in this neighborhood be sure to check it out.

From here we walked to New York Distilling Company to take a look at their space and try some of their interesting gins. The distillery has a cocktail bar connected to the space so you can grab a drink while watching the magic of distillation. We were treated to tastes of their Perry's Tot (an overproof gin), Dorthy Parker (an American gin with an interesting hibiscus note) and the newly released Chief Gowanus (a gin made from rye). Sadly their American rye has not been released yet but keep an eye out for it this year.

Chief Gowanus

Chief Gowanus

Thibault was meeting some friends at Radegast Hall, a German beer hall in Williamsburg, so we walked over there and had a few pretzels and beers before Forest and I slipped away for more cocktail R&D.

First stop was the very laid back and cool Tooker Ally.  Low lights cast a warm glow on the exposed brick walls and tin ceiling. The menu is mainly pre-prohibition but with unique twists. Interesting cocktails, like my pineapple-rye crusta, were well made and delicious.

From here we walked over to Weather Up, which ended up being one of my favorite bars of the trip. First off it is gorgeous. Coved ceilings covered in subway tiles. Cool, antique lighting. And a delicious cocktail menu.

To end our fun full day in Brooklyn we headed to the very pretty James restaurant with another friend I hadn't seen in a while. This sweet neighborhood gem has a fantastic menu, some nice cocktails, and a gorgeous interior.

We met back up with Thibault after dinner and the three of us grabbed the train back to Manhattan. Dayne's flight landed around midnight so I headed to the Spotted Pig to meet him so he could have a nice late night dinner. Love being able to meet someone at 1am for dinner. City that never sleeps, indeed!

NYC & Brooklyn photos here.