#1 Garden

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

Every neighborhood has one.  A hole in the wall Chinese take out restaurant.  We weren't expecting much when we tried ours...boy were we wrong.  We ordered Sweet and Sour chicken coming home late from Polytech University one Wednesday evening.  

Brandon at Polytech University

It was so delicious and huge (one order was enough for both of us and some leftover) that we made it a weekly tradition the first year we lived in Brooklyn.  Every Wednesday when coming above ground in our sanctuary of a neighborhood we would head there and go to our cute little garden level apartment in a beloved Brooklyn brownstone.  Sound dreamy?  It was dreamy.  

#1 Garden Chinese Restaurant

We've also had the Beef Chow Fun (amazing), egg rolls, and their chicken wings.  The next year we moved next door to #1 Garden and ate it the first night we moved into our place.  

Some of the moving crew

DUB Pies

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
Greenwich Village, Manhattan 

DUB (Down Under Bakery) Pies is an authentic New Zealand-Australian pie shop.  Imagine an individual chicken pot pie but with lots of different flavor options.  My favorites are the curry vegetable, steak and cheese,  and shepherd's pie.  

What's great is it's easy to take to go because they come in little individual bags with aluminum lining. We have gotten them to cater for our summer project before and taken it to the park, one block over.

Dumplings & Things

Park Slope, Brooklyn

Dumplings & Things is a block away from our kids favorite playground in Brooklyn.  They have great fried dumplings (pork & chive and veggie are our favorites).  I love their huge sweet green tea, iced; the perfect refreshment on a hot summer day. Almost like a little taste of the south.

This is where our kids fell in love with "chinese dumplin" (as they say). 

This is where we taught our daughter how to use chopsticks.  Our family of four can eat for under $10 here...great deal, especially in NYC.  

They have a couple of barstools and one table, which can hold about six.  It's mostly a carryout place, but we love to stay and sit at the table when the windows are open and enjoy the neighborhood.

Chinatown

Dumplings and ice cream

There are actually more authentic Chinatowns in Flushing, Queens and Brooklyn.  The Manhattan Chinatown is known as Canal Street to tourists.  Canal street is the tourist Chinatown but if you want the actual neighborhood where the chinese markets are and yummy food you have to get away from McDonald's and Burger King on Canal Street and head towards the Lower East Side.

Fried Dumpling is an amazing hole in the wall which has yummy dumplings and they're only 5 for $1! There are no seats but walk down the street to Columbus Park and enjoy the neighborhood.

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is a fun place to go and get ice cream in uncommon flavors like green tea, NYC cupcake, and chocolate bacon. 

Also, dear friends of mine make their first stop at Nice Green Bo, near the Ice Cream Factory, when they first arrive in NYC.  I haven't been yet so I can't write about it, but it comes recommended from multiple people I trust.  

If I were in NYC the next few days

Saturday, March 31st

Brooklyn Bridge Park Spring Fling 10:30-1pm located in the Empire Fulton Ferry section of Brooklyn Bridge Park: Egg decorating, music, dancing, yoga, face painting, egg roll

Upper West Side East Egg Hunt  10am-noon located in Riverside Park kids can enjoy arts & crafts and face painting

Sunday, April 1st

Luna Park  in Coney Island opens for the season- the first 100 people in line at the Cyclone, get a free ride!

A reading of children's book Lily's Victory Garden by author Helen L. Wilbus at Macy's 7th floor at noon.

"Talking Fiction, Talking Fact" series at the Brooklyn Heights Historical Society with writer Colm Toibin about his novel Brooklyn, whose protagonist travels from Ireland to Brooklyn in the fifties.  *I just finished this book: wonderfully written and gave a great picture of Brooklyn and Ireland in the 1950s. 

All weekend: take a spin on the Prospect Park Carousel for its 100th birthday as it opens for the season: $2

Alice's Tea Cup

I can be forever grateful for my friend Beth introducing me to Alice's Tea Cup in 2006.

When you enter Alice's from the streets of Manhattan it's as if you, like Alice, have stumbled upon a new world.  They are famous for their house made scones and hundreds of choices of tea.  Everyday the scones list changes, except for their signature TO DIE FOR pumpkin scone with caramel glaze.  

My favorite thing to order is only $10.  You get your own personal pot of tea and a choice of two scones. 

Choosing one savory scone and one sweet scone you will be pleasantly full.  They serve on mismatched plates, cups and saucers, adding to the whimsy of the experience.

We have been there to celebrate many of our friends' birthdays.  

When we lived in Brooklyn this was one of our favorite places to take visitors...it's just so fun!

So, if you visit NYC or live there make sure to check out one of their three locations.  Guys, don't be shy...my husband loves eating here, his favorite is the ham and cheddar scone.    

Don't forget to save room for dessert.  The chocolate cake with buttercream frosting is AMAZING!  Trust me, you have to try it.

Happy eating!

Lyle the Crocodile Tour

Did you know the children's book author Waber takes his inspiration from NYC?  His famous Lyle the Crocodile works are part of a self-guided walking tour Time Out New York Kids made.  So, if you want an insider's view to Central Park, Bloomingdale's, Astor Place and the East Village get your reading glasses out and your walking shoes on and follow Lyle.

August 20-21

Saturday, August 20th

Winnie the Pooh is turning 90!

3pm at the New York Public Library (42nd street and 5th Ave) they are having a birthday party for Winnie the Pooh.  Complete with face painting, balloons, crafts and a photo session with the bear, if I were in NYC I would definitely be taking Myra Grace to this.  I wonder if Tigger and other friends will make an appearance?

Kite Festival

Head to Riverside Park to watch or participate in this fun and free event between 11am-3pm.  There's going to be a kite making workshop, sponsored by the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.   

Sunday, August 21st

Food Truck Rally
Grand Army Plaza Food Truck gathering will last from 11am-5pm.


Kid Friendly Scavenger Hunt

The Brooklyn Historical Society is sponsoring a free family friendly scavenger hunt which you and your kids will learn lots of things about the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood.  This lasts from 12-5pm.  If your kids finish by 5pm, they are entered into a drawing for Brooklyn themed gifts.

Hudson River Park Blues BBQ Festival

Blues bands from across the country and samplings of bbq from NYC restaurants pack the park from 2-9pm.  My husband, Brandon, loves bbq so we would definitely get a babysitter and enjoy a great date for free.


Governor's Island Jazz Age Lawn Party
Our friend, Audrey, took us to this party in 2008.  It was so much fun.  If I were in NYC we would definately be attending.  The live music was great and the 1920s period dancers were amazing.  

I felt like I was walking around in a scene from the Great Gatsby, complete with vintage cars and clothes.

Bagels

The bagel was brought to the United States by immigrant Polish-Jews at the turn of the 20th century.  The New York bagel contains salt and malt and is boiled in water prior to baking in a standard oven. The resulting New York bagel is puffy with a moist crust.  Our favorite place to get bagels in NYC is in our old neighborhood of Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn.

Terrace Bagels has amazing bagels and housemade cream cheeses.  The secret is in the water- don't take my word, listen to Louis. If you are in Brooklyn in the fall, you have to try their pumpkin cream cheese and apple spice cream cheese.  Yummy!  If you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day in NYC, you have to go to Terrace Bagels for their famous green bagels.  Be ready to order when you step up to the counter, have your cash out, and step to the right while wait for your food.  The men running the store are very efficient.  Some people may think they are being rude, but I like to say, it's efficiency at its finest.  You should know the first few times I went there, still new to the neighborhood, I was a little scared.  If you are in the neighborhood the hour before they close, you can get the bagels made that morning for 50% off and have breakfast ready for the next morning.

Staten Island Ferry

Brandon and I went on countless dates on the Staten Island Ferry. As long as you have a Metrocard, you can ride. Our favorite time to do so is arrive at the terminal before sunset, ride over during the sunset, and take great shots of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Lower Manhattan.

By the time you exit the ferry and reenter, the city is all lit up and you can get great night shots!