New York City 1 // Brooklyn

Big news! I had a very exciting "first" this summer- I traveled all by myself. And the destination I chose was my favorite city in the whole world. The entire thing was an incredible experience, including the good and the bad (I missed a plane...but we'll talk about that later).  First, let's start with some adventures I had in Brooklyn the first couple days I was there.

I arrived in New York on a Friday. Flying into Newark International Airport was quite a bit cheaper than La Guardia or JFK, so that's where I went, even though I knew I would have to travel farther across the city to Brooklyn, where I was staying. From the airport, I took the New Jersey Transit Train to Penn Station, where I transferred to a subway train, and then another and another until I made it to Sunset Park, where I stayed for the first half of my trip. On Saturday, I met up with my friends Nick and Abby for lunch and exploring their part of Brooklyn.

The little boy above was sitting on that plastic chair on the patio of a restaurant called S'Nice on 5th Street. I was amazed at how he must be a NYC kiddo, because even though there were so many exciting things happening all around him, he was mostly just focused on balancing on that chair. He fell over the second after I snapped this photo, poor guy.

The City features some eclectic boutiques, including one that sells nothing but superhero supplies. Yes, that's a gallon of vengeance in the photo. It would have made a great souvenir if I could have fit it in my suitcase to fly home.

The food and drink in Brooklyn was excellent, and it was not nearly at pricey as I had expected. Most meals out ended up costing me around ten dollars. The meal in the photo was at a beautiful little place called S'Nice in Park Slope. They actually had vegan options on their menu and the one I had was delicious. And then there was this little place, the Savoy Bakery in Sunset Park.  The most incredible iced coffee of my life for $2.50.

On Sunday, Abby and I went to Coney Island. I love that this city has everything, including access to the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. It wasn't too busy that day, because although it was warm and beautiful, it was crazy windy! Abby and I got some great exfoliation thanks to the sandstorm we laid out in.

Abby wasn't afraid to try out this funky bench on the pier, where several people were sleeping. Seriously, do you think there's any way I could build one of these for my backyard?!

Those were just my first couple of days in Brooklyn, so I've still got to much to share with you! Stay tuned!