Brooklyn!

The weekend of May 2-3 I had the pleasure of hanging out in Brooklyn for the first time. I had RSVP'd to attend a lecture about Walt Whitman's time in Brooklyn held at the library of the Brooklyn Museum and used that as an excuse to enjoy a weekend in that area.

The lecture was wonderful. It was actually more like a performance with actors reading some of Whitman's works and a woman with a beautiful voice sang "Oh Susannah" and a Whitman Ode. I learned a lot about both Whitman and Brooklyn (and the Revolutionary War). It was a great way to start my mini Brooklyn adventure.

After the lecture I spent some time in the museum and got to see Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party" and a few other interesting exhibits. It's a beautiful museum, and they had a lot going on for their "First Saturday" program that they host every month. But it was a really beautiful spring day, so I decided to head out and enjoy the weather.

I was planning on meeting Mike (who lives in Brooklyn) for dinner and then staying at his apartment in Park Slope. So instead of taking the subway to where we were meeting for dinner, I decided to walk it. I walked right past the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens' Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival. Right outside the gates of the Gardens I saw this woman hailing a cab:

As I continued my walk, I noticed these guys celebrating the cherry blossoms in their own little way. They had strung up a clothesline between two trees and were sitting in the cherry blossoms drawing away and hanging up their art as they went along. I stopped and chatted with them for a while and we all agreed it was a beautiful day to be outside. When the wind blew the falling blossoms looked like pink flurries.


I continued my meandering path right past the huge Brooklyn Public Library. On the side of the building there are quotes about books and libraries and information, like this one:

This was one of the more beautiful residential streets that I walked down. It seemed exactly like what I imagined Brooklyn to be. Doesn't this remind you of where the Huxtables lived on The Cosby Show?

So after my walk to meet Mike, we ended up eating at this lovely little bar with outdoor seating and then heading back to his place for a rousing game of Chicago-opoly with David and then heading to bed. The next morning we went to brunch at a place called Dizzy's and then I headed into the city. Mike and David were nice enough to pick me up downtown later that afternoon and drive me back to Princeton since they had their own plans in the area.

It was a lovely weekend and great way to be introduced to the fun that is Brooklyn. And Mike and David just got a new apartment there, so I know I'll have somewhere to crash - even better!