A Brooklyn Based Itinerary: Day Three

We really lucked out with our weather in Brooklyn- most of the weekend was gorgeous. However, the last day we were there it started to get warmer (and apparently it's currently really hot). We decided that the best way to spend the day was (1) inside or (2) near a large body of water. We did both.

We had a generally lazy start to the day, which I highly recommend for at least one day of any vacation. It really lets you relax. Then, we headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge. On the advice of some locals, we decided to avoid the "it" pizzeria (Grimaldi's) and went to Juliana's Pizza, right next door. Juliana's is owned by the same people who used to own Grimaldi's, and we were impressed. We had a simple cheese pizza (New York Style), with a spinach salad. The pizza was delicious, service was friendly, and we didn't have to wait in line at 11:30 a.m. Go hungry- the portions were generous, and we didn't have space to try the cookie/brownie hybrid ("Brookie") for dessert.

We then decided that it'd be worth stopping into the tiny Mexican restaurant on the other side of Grimaldi's, Gran Electrica. The space is very cute, and relaxing, and was a nice pause on an otherwise hot day. I can't attest to the food, but the drinks were fantastic. The bar specializes in tequila and mezcal, and the bartenders really know their stuff. I'm not much of a tequila drinker, so a bit of the selection was lost on me, but they also have a variety of mixed drinks. I had a Margerita de Pepino, which had cucumber and cilantro, and was absolutely delicious. The only thing that could have improved on the experience was a beach-side view.

 

Brooklyn Bridge Park starts at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge and runs south along the waterfront. It overlooks the Manhattan skyline, and would be a wonderful place to sit and just watch the view (or the people). It's a newer park, and the plants haven't grown in quite as much as in some of the other green spaces we visited, so aim for a day that's not quite as hot as ours. We were a little overheated after the full walk. That said, there were food vendors, and all sorts of activities that you could participate in (we saw tennis, kayaking in the river, basketball on an old pier, and napping in the sun). I'd recommend a visit just for the view (even if your trip is mainly in Manhattan).

We also stumbled onto Smorgasburg near Jerolemon Street, at the end of our walk through the park. This is a "food flea market" that's basically a collection of food vendors selling their products. The variety was pretty impressive, especially the "ramen burger," which looked surprisingly delicious. If I had the day to do again, I would have saved room to try some of the vendors- it looks like it's a great taste of up-coming food trends.

We spent an evening at a wonderful wedding, so I'll just skip to the morning before we left: we grabbed pastries from Colson Patisserie in Park Slope, and I could not recommend them more highly. They had traditional crossaints and more creative options I've never seen before. We also had a very good blueberry muffin and rhubarb scone. I'll be repeating this restaurant next time I'm in Brooklyn.