Vera was away in San Fran/Napa and it was an absolutely perfect 75 degree and clear day. Had to get out of the house…to take advantage of the weather and to not have the kids go nuts (and make me insane in the process). I try as hard as possible to not make myself go insane, or to let the kids make me insane. Many days, this is a major challenge, indeed. How to cope…entertain.
I love seeing new things, or visiting places we love to go to. We decided on visiting the ever-expanding Brooklyn Bridget Park, next to the super cool DUMBO and the gorgeous and timeless Brooklyn Heights along the East River waterfront. It’s right next to two really great neighborhoods and has reach-out-and-touch views of Wall St/Lower Manhattan. It’s a really impressive setting. And the park itself just gets better and better each time we go.
There are 6 re-constructed/re-used piers in the park. There’s a pier that has basketball, shuffleboard, bocce, swings, and outdoor kids gym, handball, and an open turf field all on Pier 2. There’s a pier that has open grass (made hilly by the park creators) fields to just lounge. There’s a BBQ area and park benches abound. There’s a beach on Pier 4, and beach volleyball, a dog run and a Ferry to Governor’s Island at Pier 6. You can catch the East River Ferry at Pier 1. Plenty of walking paths, trees, and bike paths all over. There are a number of places to grab a bite, like Ample Hills Creamery and Fornino pizza, and in the Empire Fulton Ferry section near DUMBO, you can ride the gorgeous Jane’s Carousel. They even had the amazing Smorgasburg artisan food vendor “outdoor food hall” there are well!!
We had an blast and the kids we looking to come back again the second we left. We played at the gym and on the swings. We had some Blue Marble ice cream and checked out the beach volleyball. We walked some trails and even skipped some rocks..all while (at least I was) enjoying the views of downtown and the Statue of Liberty. At the end of the day, we noshed on some crepes at a nearby restaurant (there are a ton right there). Unfortunately, the place was so packed and jamming, that we couldn’t try (the lines were too long) Juliana’s Pizza (Patsy Grimaldi), or have some classic Grimaldi’s. Even the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (my favorite) was crazy…next time.
When the rest of the park is finished, the Empire Stores are developed, the new St. Ann’s Warehouse is done, and the gorgeous Pierhouse building is complete….it’s going to be really tough to say that there is a nicer, more complete area in all of NYC. So amazing to see. Just be warned…it is PACKED…so parking is very tough and there are a lot of lines. If you are ready for that and take it in stride, you will have an amazing time.
I didn’t take many pics b/c my iPhone reaching max storage…what can you do?? Go see it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed…not one bit.
Check out the BBP website to get the skinny on what else is there and what more is planned…