Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

I grew up in New York (in Manhattan). I lived and worked in New York. But I never walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Until yesterday.

It was worth the wait.

What a wonderful way to spend a sunny Saturday in New York. And it's free!

Here are some of my favorite photos from our Brooklyn Bridge walk yesterday. (Scroll down for details about the walk.)

Details about our Brooklyn Bridge walk:  We drove into Manhattan and parked in a garage near the pedestrian entrance to the bridge (only $12 for up to 6 hours!). We then walked from the Manhattan side of the bridge into Brooklyn, a little over a mile (around 5800 feet or 1800 meters).

Once on the Brooklyn side we walked around Brooklyn Bridge Park, which is in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn and stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. DUMBO, or Dumbo, has lots of great little shops and cafes and some beautiful old buildings -- as well as a lot of construction. And if you have the time, it's definitely worth strolling around. As opposed to when the spouse lived in Brooklyn, many years ago, when the neighborhood was populated by gangs and drug dealers -- and you'd be dumb to consider hanging out there, even during the day. (Of course, there may well still be gangs and drug dealers in Dumbo, but it's often hard to tell them apart from the hipsters who now populate the area.)

We picked up lunch (and a bottle of water) from Calexico, a "gourmet" California-Mexican food cart selling burritos and tacos, and picnicked in the park. Then we strolled back through Dumbo and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan.

All three of us -- me, the spouse, and the teenager -- had a wonderful time and plan on doing it again, soon. Next time, we plan on strolling through Brooklyn Heights. Stay tuned!

"It's time for the Weiner to pull out."

For those of you who, unlike me, do not live in greater New York City area, and do not have to constantly hear about and/or see former New York Congressman and current candidate for New York City Mayor Anthony Weiner, consider yourselves lucky. (I don't even live in New York City, and I am already suffering from election fatigue.)

Frankly, I do not know what it will take for sextaholic Anthony Weiner to pull out... of the New York City mayoral race. Probably a limp showing in the primary, which is on September 10. But I appreciate -- and got a good chuckle out of -- this impassioned plea from Brad Benson, the owner of Brad Benson Hyundai (and a former tackle for the New York Giants), who is known for his own racy, pun-filled ads, calling for Weiner to pull out now.



Bet a lot of New Yorkers are regretting term limits about now, Mayor Bloomberg.

Mangia Italiano: Arthur Avenue Food Tour

For years, the spouse and I have wanted to go to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, often referred to as "The Real Little Italy of New York." So a few weeks ago, we signed up for a guided walking/food tour of Arthur Avenue -- which took place today. Unfortunately, the tour was a huge disappointment*, so the spouse and I broke off from the group a little over halfway through and explored Arthur Avenue on our own.

Following are some of the wonderful shops we visited (both with the group and on our own).

First up Tony & Tina's Pizzeria, where we sampled burek.

Next we visited Borgatti's, which was packed with pasta lovers waiting for their freshly made raviolis, egg noodles, gnocchi, and other pasta.

Then it was onto Addeo & Sons Italian Bakery where we sampled prosciutto focacia and chocolate bread.

Shortly after visiting Addeo & Sons we split off from the group and stumbled upon Calandra's, which had the most delicious smoked mozzarella.

Then we stopped into Calabria's Pork Store...

 So I could take a picture of their hanging salamis (?).

Next, it was into the Arthur Avenue Market.

Our last stop: Cosenza's fish market, where we slurped down half a dozen fresh oysters shucked in front of us.

I only wish we had not wasted so much time with the tour so we could have explored on our own longer! Oh well, next time!

*Too many people, too slow -- it should not take an hour to walk from the Fordham Road Metro-North stop to the start of the Arthur Avenue shopping district, i.e., less than half a mile -- and we were served very little food, and this was supposed to be a food tour! If you are thinking of visiting Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, skip the guided tour and explore the area on your own. You can obtain maps and suggestions online -- or just use this blog post as your guide!  You'll save a lot of money and aggravation.

Which model would you rather test drive?

One (or both) of these two hard bodies (courtesy of Hollister), like this woman here*...

Or this sexy little number (courtesy of Lamborghini)?

Or, better yet, being chauffeured by one of those fine young men in this fine Lamborghini Gallardo.

Ah, the joys of sightseeing in New York City.

*I tried to get my friend, A., to pose with the lifeguards, but she refused. In retrospect, I should have done it. Next time.

When a picture is worth a thousand words

Last night the camera (my Nikon D70) and I attended an event with the spouse at the Sunset Terrace at Chelsea Piers.

Now I know why they call it the Sunset Terrace.