Brooklyn

Today we decided to tour Brooklyn, that part of New York that sits on Long Island. Just like Harlem, Brooklyn was a very pleasant surprise. Having grown up with movies and crime dramas showing Brooklyn as a rundown dangerous place we soon learned that it has changed considerably in the last 30 years and is now much more wealthy and safe than it was in times past. Like much of New York this was a favoured place for immigrants to settle and it still reflects that old diversity.

The tour was a food and culture tour, so we made many stops (7 in all) at different restaurants to taste the diverse cuisines of Italy, the Middle East and Poland. We finished at the chocolatier much to Sue’s delight.  As Phil has a chocolate intolerance it meant Sue had to try things twice.  Who would have thought that frozen hot chocolate could be so creamy. They had the cutest choc shapes for kids, but I resisted the urge to buy any as we will go to Ghiradelli’s in San Francisco.  That will save us from having to find places in the luggage to keep them cool and in their original shape!!

We passed through the Jewish Hasidic district, home of very orthodox Jewish people, and the trendy North Williamsburg, home of the ‘hipsters’. It was obvious that much of Brooklyn has become gentrified and even humble brownstone three bedroom houses are worth upwards of a million dollars. Even so, the borough has kept its historic charm and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour.

Photos:

1. Typical street scene.

2 and 3. A row of brownstones.

4. Wealthier end of Brooklyn where you find most of the multi-million dollar homes.

5. Empire State Building seen through the Brooklyn Bridge.

6. Freedom Tower, site of 9/11 terrorist attack, seen from Brooklyn.

7. Manhattan skyline seen from Brooklyn. Brooklyn Bridge in foreground.

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