Brooklyn Travels

May 02, 2023

Brooklyn Travels

What Even Happened:
I left the family at home for a few days away! I began to dream about this back in March when all of the kids had been sick for about a month. (Little did I know that wasn’t even the end of it!). I realized while floating through the weeks of dr. appointments and illness management, that going somewhere on a plane would be amazing. I’m also constantly wanting to write and not having the time - especially in this season. I decided on Brooklyn which seemed like a manageable size to do in a few days and not be frantic, while also being a new experience. Similar to where we live, but inspiring for where we live. I realized when I got there that so much of that place is what inspired our move to Chicago in the first place, even though I’d never been.

By Tuesday evening I felt sufficiently chilled out that hopping over to Manhattan seemed like a good idea! I had wanted to get Joe’s Pizza anyways. Getting off of the subway on Fulton St. in lower Manhattan was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I was over the moon in awe and almost giddy. I could’ve looked at every single building for an hour. It was getting dark. It was magical. I knew I had to be there as much as possible the next day.

Where I stayed:

I ended up in a hotel near the Navy Yard in Brooklyn. It was a good neighborhood to be close to a lot of other areas, but it wasn’t a destination neighborhood in and of itself. The nearest train was a short bus ride or medium walk away, but I didn’t mind the distance. The hotel was great for what I needed, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it… unless you, too, are looking for the cheapest option you can book less than a week out.

On Writing:

A big part of why I wanted to take this trip was to catch up on writing, and to first get into a mental space to be able to catch up on writing. I was coming into this trip completely behind in my practice and process. I committed to writing anytime I sat down (the plane, cafes, meals), for the first 2 days. I was going somewhere new to have the time to process, and to be in spaces that were new and inspiring to me. This rhythm kept me writing frequently without trying to crank out a ton of content at once. Every journal entry was happening after walking down new streets, and settling into a new space. I usually did not know what I was going to write about. I processed a lot, prayed some, and planned.

The last day, the day that I spent in Manhattan, I wanted to move my energy from writing and journaling to actually getting the blog up and running. Instead of pulling out my journal at each new spot, it was my laptop and I got to work. I cranked out posts I had been meaning to write and posts I had written but never typed. It was extremely productive, and also fun to be writing in different locations around New York.

On Transportation:

Since I wasn’t ever on a tight schedule and trying to minimize spending, I mostly used public transit. The trip from the airport to my hotel was 3 buses long - the first two were on time and navigating traffic so efficiently and I just thought, wow… this is a city that works. The 3rd bus “disappeared” a few times (if you’ve tried CTA in Chicago in the last few years then YOU KNOW) but eventually came. It happens everywhere, apparently! The journey took over an hour but cost $2.75 and gave me a nice tour of Queens.

Getting around Brooklyn and to/from Manhattan was so easy with trains and buses. To get anywhere usually took 2 legs (with 1 transfer), but sometimes 3. The trips were usually still only about 30 minutes, and it was easy to hop on and off. (Having the kids with me would have made the constant transferring more cumbersome.) There were a few times that I asked a stranger to confirm that I was in the right place - people were always happy to help! I also was asked for help numerous times. Some of the times I could help, some of them I wasn’t sure.

On each of the MTA rides I tried to look up and out of the windows, and either clear my mind or process through something. The commuting took time, but it became part of my process and rounded out the trip.

On Outfits:

I was wary that my minimalist packing would be enough, but we made it through! My clothes (including my only jacket and only pair of shoes) were soaked after the first day. I went to the hotel to dry my clothes on the heater and take a bath - I was so cold! Much of the trip I wished I had brought at least one other sweater. Also extra jeans. Also rain boots, and an extra jacket. But it also felt amazing to make it through the time on less than I thought I needed!

My Very Unplanned Agenda:

Sunday:

Brooklyn Navy Yard

Russ and Daughters for a Bagel

Dumbo

Brooklyn Flea

Books are Magic book store

South Williamsburg

Hotel to warm up! I was soaked and freezing from the rain

Dannee Thai for dinner

Monday:

Williamsburg

Partners Coffee
Waterfront

Everlane and Warby Parker

Prospect Park

Walk western side of the park

Brooklyn Public Library

Gyro truck

(Hotel for coat)

Clinton Hill

Owl Tree Kids

Clinton Park

Hungry Ghost Coffee

Cobble Hill

Unearth Vintage

Brooklyn Bakery

Lower Manhattan

Joes Pizza

Walk around Capitol area

Tuesday:

West Village

The Cappola Cafe (very Italian!)

Upper East Side

Central Park

Bel Ami Cafe (very French!)

Chelsea

Wave to Starbucks Roastery

Jack’s Wife Frida

Then-

Hotel for bag

Airport (early, grabbed the last few gifts and finished writing)

What I bought:

Some things I generally like to buy as souvenirs are a magazine (that I keep), thrifted clothes or trinkets, and keychains for the older children because they love keychains! In light of a life of usually not buying the things, I try to open myself up a little more because I know that these things carry more meaning than if I find a clearance shirt in Chicago that I don’t need.

Brooklyn Flea: a postcard for Michael’s mom, a birthday gift for a friend, a blazer and a scarf for myself

Partners Coffee: a bag of coffee for Michael

Unearth Vintage: jeans (that I’ve been looking for) and a branded canvas bag

Owl Tree Kids (consignment): a floral shirt for Estelle, a backpack for Silas (he’s been asking for one)

Airport: lego keychains for the boys, I could find zero NY branded keychains that weren’t bottle openers! Looks like I should have gone to Times Square after all.