Sunday Shake Shack...

This weekend was a bit of a quiet affair, due mainly to the fact that Abi and I both had fraudulent activity on our bank cards on the same day by the same people for nearly the same amount!

So our cards are out of action until we get new ones...

We did however managed to scrape together enough pennies to go to the newest (and closest - dangerously close in fact) Shake Shack in downtown Brooklyn.

We'd passed the Shake Shack with Mops and Pops while we were walking to Brooklyn Heights last weekend - I think we knew it wouldn't be long until we went to sample their Shack Stacks and Shakes.

We went along for lunch on Sunday, there was hardly any queue (not like the guaranteed 30+ minute wait in Madison Square Park - which we don't mind, but still) and hardly any wait for the food either, and it was piping hot and absolutely delicious!

Shake Shack remains our favourite burger in NYC, some have come close but have yet to topple the champion. We're hoping to try the Burger Joint burgers as soon as we get our new bank cards, they have been named the best burgers in New York by many folk (including Jamie Oliver) so obviously we need to try those... soon!

Open For Business...

I now have a little Instacanvas gallery where people can get some of my Instragram photos put onto a canvas, if you fancy a look, here's the link http://instacanv.as/ojny

Out & About...

These are from my mooching before and after the design event the other evening. From Union Square to SoHo, West Broadway and back up Broadway to Union Square again...

 I took a lot more photos, it was one of those New Yorky evenings where everything I was looking at felt special and unique and inspiring and New Yorky, even the bags of rubbish seemed to be done in a typically New York kind of way.

Drama in the Sky...

The other day I went to a little design event down on Watts Street in SoHo. I didn't stay for too long, but long enough to have a couple of free drinks and collect my goodie bag (a Peter Blake tote bag with a KidRobot toy and a couple of books in!).

When I left the event it was pouring with rain, but the sun was trying to shine behind the thick clouds, so the sky went a weird colour, slightly grey, slightly orange, slightly gloomy, slightly bright... it was a very dramatic mix.

These have a little bit of Instagram filter on, but it was still really dramatic.

For some reason that evening I didn't mind walking in the rain, and I walked back from Watts Street up to Union Square, enjoying every step along the way.

Cheerio...

Cheerio Mops & Pops!

I had such an amazing time with you over the long weekend - thank you SO much for coming to visit. I'm already counting down the days til your next trip to America... see you in Chicago!

Last Day Luncheon...

Monday was Mops and Pop's last day in New York. I had enjoyed the long weekend so much and it went so fast, so I was sad that Monday had rolled around so quickly - but we made sure we had a lovely last day together, starting with breakfast at a little new café in Brooklyn called Chez Ollie & Abi. Infact Mops and Pops were the very first customers of the new café!

We spent the morning keeping dry from the heavy rain, and watched the Jubilee Regatta on BBC America, feeling glad that we were all warm and dry inside rather than being on a boat on the Thames in the rain!

It looked amazing though, all the boats, all the festivities - it made me feel very proud to be British. There's something about being away from home that makes me (or one, if I'm using the Queen's English) feel more patriotic and more proud about home.

By the time the programme had finished the rain had stopped and the sun had come out, so we went into Manhattan to have a spot of lunch at Pastis in the Meatpacking District...

Pasitis is a famous New Yorky brunch spot, frequented by celebrities like Jay-Z and Beyonce and now The Langridges!

We had some delicious fish and chips and Pops had some veal and onions, and we soaked in the New Yorkiness and all the New Yorky people enjoying their lunch.

I'd never been to Pastis before, so it was lovely to go there for the first time with Mops and Pops, the whole weekend was a weekend of firsts for all of us, which made it all feel even more like a holiday for me and Abi too.

It really was a perfect few days, it was so relaxing, the weather behaved itself, Pops behaved himself, and we all had such a great time... which made it even all the worse that it had to end.

Twinkly Night Out...

After a wee rest at the hotel and a stiff drink in the bar we went to Williamsburg to have a twinkly meal at Acqua Santa.

We sat out in the garden/coutryardy bit, underneath all the fairy lights and lanterns on the wall. It was very cozy and relaxing, and considering how busy Williamsburg and Bedford Avenue is, it was so peaceful and quiet.

 It felt a bit like we were back in Jersey, or on holiday in Italy or something. I love how you can go somewhere in New York and feel completely transported to a totally different country.

The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lovely and company was the best! It was such a lovely end to a fantastic Sunday.

The Brooklyn Museum...

A cultural weekend continued with an afternoon at the Brooklyn Museum...

I'm not really sure why it's taken us until now to go to Brooklyn Museum, but I'm very glad we eventually went as it's a beautiful building with a brilliant gift shop!

There were really interesting exhibitions on, the best one was the roof that you could go and climb on...

 We all had to sign a waiver and get a special wrist band first, but after that we were free to climb all over the roof, sit or lie down on it, go up one side and down the other, whatever you wanted. 

You could go inside the roof/half house too. Inside was a little fireplace with a mirror and lights round it, and the wall around was covered in little pieces of gold leaf. As you walked in there was a little sign that said 'Please take some gold leaf and add it to the wall as you make a wish/say a prayer'.
So we did...

There was such a calm atmosphere inside the house, knowing that the wall was covered in people wishes and prayers, having had a little quiet time rubbing gold leaf onto the wall. It was oddly quite moving.

The rest of the museum was really good - there was a special Keith Harring exhibition which was... urm... interesting. Well, his work was really striking, but having an insight into his private life was the 'interesting' part. They had some fun interactive tablets to play with though!

There were some other great pieces dotted around the museum, amongst some not so great ones, but it was a fantastic building - it felt enormous!

 It was a lovely relaxing way to spend Sunday afternoon, and it was great to finally go to the museum. We'll definitely keep an eye out for other great exhibitions coming up!

Brooklyn Heights...

On Sunday morning we broke our Juniors tradition and went for some breakfast in at the Heights Café in Brooklyn Heights. It was yet another delicious breakfast in Brooklyn... New York certainly does breakfast well.

After breakfast we went for a wander round Brooklyn Heights...

I love Brooklyn Heights, it's so calm and clean and fancy, it feels a bit like Greenwich Village and upper Manhattan rolled into one little area on the Brooklyn Waterfront.

The houses and buildings around there are so fancy and grand looking, and some of the houses on the Brooklyn promenade have the most incredible views of Manhattan...

We sat on a bench on the promenade and just enjoyed the views, and the people watching for a while.

It's the kind of place I think you could sit all day and not get bored of looking out at New York, you can see everything that epitomises the City - the Statue of Liberty, the Staten Island Ferry, the World Trade Center, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building... it's all in one amazing panorama!

War Horse...

On a beautiful Saturday evening, we all went to the wonderful Lincoln Center to see War Horse...

The Lincoln Center was buzzing with theatre goers, all off to see different plays or ballets in the various theatres up there. It was lovely seeing everyone all dressed up for the occasion, gathering round the fountains before they went in to find their seats...

War Horse was absolutely brilliant. The story was so great, and the set design was amazing and the puppetry was just stunning...

Some of the British accents were a little sketchy, at one point I think Frank Spencer and Austin Powers made their way into the play, but the horses were flawless. Every detail was amazing, the way the horses moved, the way their breathed, the way their tails flicked and their ears twinged, they were so lifelike - even the noises they were making... it was all amazing!

It was a wee bit of a shame about the iffy accents, but the horses made you forget about that - I felt mesmerised by them, it's easy to see why War Horse has had so many rave reviews.

This was the first proper play that Abi and I had been to in New York, so it was so lovely to be able to share it with Mops and Pops. 

Graphic Design: Now In Production...

As luck would have it, a brand new exhibition had opened on Governors Island just a couple of days before we went. 

It was called Graphic Design: Now In Production and it was full of fantastic and inspiring pieces of design for all over the world...

 There were so many pieces that I'd seen on the blogs over the passed couple of years (and loved!), so it was amazing to see them in the flesh. LIke Jeff Canham's bird houses...

 ... and Daniel Eatock's pen blot paintings...

 There were pieces from lots of great designers, many of them from the UK, and doing all sorts of kinds of design, from print to film titles, from logos to interactive design. It was absolutely brilliant - and it was FREE!

We're definitely going to go back, as there was so much to take in and it's the kind of stuff that you can look at again and again. There were also some talks happening by some of the designers, and there was a special printer that punched wholes in big bits of paper to write whathever message you wanted...

 So we've got to go back and get our message punched!

Governors Island...

I don't think our journey to Governors Island could have gone much better...

 The bus ride was free, it took us right to the little ferry port, where there was a ferry waiting for us, so we (more or less) just walked on, got a seat up stairs in the sunshine and enjoyed the free ferry ride and the amazing views across the water...

When we arrived made our way to the bike rental area (stopping off at the design exhibition, more on that later...) and got ourselves a couple of fun little quad pedal cars.

We had a lovely pootle around the island (some of us going faster than others!), all along the coastal cycle path, seeing the great views across the river, of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty...

 The little bikes were great fun - but blummin' tiring too! There were some pretty steep bits, some so steep we had to get out and push, but the rest of it was lovely!

Dekalb Market...

On Saturday morning, we all met for a late breakfast at Juniors, and Juniors knows how to do breakfast! Starting with a plate of mini pastries while you look through the huge menu of tasty dishes, then some juice and coffee and then some huge waffles, or scambled egg with salmon, or if you're Pops - some kippers and grits!!!

After breaking out fast with a feast, we walked round the corner to have a quick look at Dekalb Market...

The market is a bunch of old shipping containers, all decked out as little shops and cafes. There's an open area with picnics tables and a stage for the parties they have there too...

They had all sorts of shops, from jewellery to old Star Wars toys - and they were all independent vendors from the local areas.

They also have a garden area where they grow vegetables and hold 3rd Ward gardening courses.

It's another great example of Brooklyn's community and entrepreneurial spirit, turning a disused plot of land into somewhere for local artists to sell their stuff and for local people to hang out and enjoy some live music and coffee.

Brooklyn Bridge Park...

After Abi had finished work we all met up at Brooklyn Bridge Park for a spot of pizza under the bridge!

It always looks beautiful down at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, even when it's a wee bit cloudy like it was on Friday. Luckily the rain held off long enough for us to enjoy an ice cream from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and a wander by the river's edge.

It was a rather lovely way to end the first day of fun with Mops and Pops.