day one - brunch in brooklyn...

after copious hours of research, i knew that a bike tour in brooklyn was something we needed to do. not knowing much about this particular borough, i figured we would leave it up to the professionals and try and track down a local company, that could give us a local-type guide to this trendy area. mission accomplished. get up and ride brooklyn had the kinds of tours we were looking for. a little exercise, a little sight seeing, a little chatting and a lot of eating. perfection on a stick, if you ask me.

luck for us, we not only had lovely weather (though still bitterly chilly) and the owner of the company, filipe, as our own private tour guide for the very first tour of the season. he was excited, we were excited and the bike lanes of brooklyn's greenpoint and williamsburg beckoned us. what made this tour ideal for us on our very first day in new york, was the interesting mix of historical, cultural and local facts we were educated in, on our leisurely ride.

we visited a few amazing and iconic eateries and sampled the delights that make them favourites for both new yorkers and visitors alike. first up was the eagle trading co. for coffee. next was ovenly, an amazing bakery with sweet and savoury treats that literally melt in your mouth (taz, this had your name all over it). we then visited whirly bird for insane breakfast tacos before finishing the tour off at mast brothers chocolate. oh em gee. specialising in dark chocolate creations, this spot is not only good for your hips (at least better than milk chocolate), but also super tasty.

once we wrapped our tour and fare-welled filipe, we headed to the rustic brooklyn brewery for a tour and to sample a few beers. an obvious favourite choice for hipsters, the tours that run on the weekend are not only epic because they are free, but the staff members are colourful and insightful on the beer brewing process.

next we headed to the brooklyn flea. ted eat your heart out. a mixture of antiques, vintage boutiques, local artisans touting their arts and gourmet market stalls - this was a real highlight of the day. as was the insane mac and cheese i got for lunch. to finish the day, we did a spot of vintage shopping (leather bally bag for cheap as chips, thank you very much) before we took the subway back to manhattan for a some food shopping before heading home to check the weather report for the coming few days… snow. god help us.

p.s. walking the streets of brooklyn, kurt and i both mentioned that this neighbourhood was somewhere we could definitely live in, so who knows - maybe it could be somewhere we reside, one day soon…