Brooklyn

Today was a beautiful day in New York. Sunny and surprisingly warm. It would have been a shame not to go outdoors and enjoy the nice weather.

I went into Brooklyn. My friend Maura, who used to live in New York and moved to Wales, came back to visit for the holidays. I decided to show her how much Brooklyn has changed over the past 25 years. She didn't recognize the place. We spent the day in Williamsburg which is one of the hippest, fun neighborhoods.

I had a gift-card to Rough Trade, a store with the coolest name. They sell vinyl records and obscure books about music. A famous punk-rocker (Richard Hell) was sitting at a table giving autographs to a long line of fans. I picked up an album by St. Vincent (have you heard of her?) and a book by James Baldwin, an amazing author who wrote about racism half a century ago. His words still have relevance and deep insight.

We went to Artists and Fleas, a pleasant collection of booths for independent artists and crafts-people who sell high-quality, hand-made goods. I picked up some fun holiday gifts and a bar of artisanal soap. You can never be too clean.  :-)

I found a bottle of scrumptious hot sauce at Heatonist, a store with a dozen hot sauces that were unknown to me because they're made by small companies. The flavor of the one I selected is rich and savory.

Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg's main street, was hoppin.' Throngs of young people were out enjoying the warm sunshine. There are numerous restaurants, stores, cafes and nightclubs. We ate delicious perogies at the best Polish restaurant in New York.

Some pics are below.  What did you do today?