New York
Wednesday 5th October
A little later start this morning, having done our homework on what was on the Brooklyn side of the river, we decided we would head to Smith Street and have a walk through this area of beautiful brownstone buildings, looking into the cafes, and quirky shops that this area is known for.
We walked down Smith street called in at a supermarket to top our biscuit supply up, Paul complimented the man stocking up his fruit and veg display in the fridges in the store. He was a bit taken aback that somebody was impressed with his work.
Some interesting shops along this section, we bought a colourful looking coffee table book about New York and found another beautiful bakery/cafe for coffee. I had the best cake I have had in my life and I have eaten some cake. There was every kind of cheesecake you could think of.
After our coffee and cake stop we carried on along the Main Street of Carroll Gardens into Cobblehill admiring the buildings, popping into the odd shop for a mooch around and eventually we came to the waterfront at Atlantic street. We decided as the weather was slightly better, cloudy and chilly but dry at this point, that we would have a walk along the riverfront park. This area is a real gem, benefiting from a lot of investment. It must have all been commercial docks at some point but now has been made into recreational areas for the locals. Football and lacrosse pitches, outdoor exercise equipment, play parks for the little ones, plenty of benches and even BBQ areas and picnic tables at several points along the way. We even found a small beach for launching kayaks.. We had an enjoyable walk along here to DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Dumbo is a district with lots of coffee shops, cafes, art places and quirky shops. Brooklyn Bridge is also here.
By the time we got this far it was approaching 5pm so we made a plan to get a drink and a snack, find somewhere for me to sit whilst Paul went to take photos of the lights coming on across the river in Manhattan. I sat on a bench with the bags and as the light started to fade a Raccoon came out of the bushes opposite and scurried across and disappeared into the bushes behind me, I didn’t have time to pull my phone out and take a photo unfortunately.
After a lovely time watching the area light up we headed for the ferry to take us back up the river to the ship. By the time we got back about 8pm it was a quick drop of the bags and off to get something to eat at the (Phoebe) Buffet
Another great day.