ADIML: AUGUST 23, 2015 (BROOKLYN, STATUE OF LIBERTY, VILLAGE VANGUARD)

This is Sunday, August 23, 2015!
A fully documented day in New York City! Brunch in Brooklyn, a walk through Williamsburg, sleuthing out the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and an evening being fancy and totally New Yorky in a jazz club.

Enjoy!

It’s been really tough to wake up in the mornings. Since New York is 3 hours ahead of LA, getting up at a reasonable hour means getting up really early in LA time.

Looks like another sunny day! We were forecasted to have a weekend full of thunderstorms, but it only rained once.

Struuuuuggling to get out of bed. Hot cheeto fingers from the night before.

Luggage explosion

Showered off, washed away the humidity

Managed to cut myself on something in the shower?!

Excited to wear my new Uniqlo dress I picked up the day before from the summer sale area for $20. I truly underestimated how warm NYC would be, so I needed another item of clothing (I sweated through everything else) that wasn’t pants or a sweater…

Iced coffee

Ran out the door, our uber was already there! We were running pretty late to catch the free ferry from Pier 11, Slip A. It’s a free service (on weekends) that runs between Manhattan and the IKEA in Brooklyn.

There are a lot of helicopters flying around Manhattan, Zach told me most are very very rich people flying to meetings (since traffic is always bad on the streets). IS THIS TRUE? AM I A TRUE GULLIBLE IDIOT?

We arrive to the Pier just in time to join a long ass line of New Yorkers ready to hit up the IKEA.

Pretzels lurking around every corner

Entering the ferry!

Pulling away from Manhattan! Lots of helicopters flying around…

There she is, green and nice. Thanks, France!

The ferry ride only takes about 20 minutes, it’s nice to get some water/windy breeze and views of the city.

Classic pirate ship intervention

I’d like to know the significance of this little doll being photographed against the Manhattan skyline, who is this mystery doll

Waiting inside for the boat to officially dock

And we’ve made it to Red Hook!

I wanted to get a nice view of Manhattan for a photo. We walked out onto the first little pier we could find.

I was taking photos of what I thought was Manhattan when Zach was like “Uh…Waldo…that’s New Jersey.” *Illusion shattered* I’M A MORON.

There’s Manhattan partially obscured by trees and buildings.

Just happy to be a fool

Reflective

Walking to the little main street stretch of Red Hook to find a restaurant that Zach’s sister recommended (she lived in Brooklyn for a stretch)

Sunflowers and Brooklyn are stored in the same brain file for me

It’s quickly turning into a very sweaty afternoon.

Found it! The Good Fork

Looking over the menu waiting for our special guest to join us!

She’s here! (It’s Iris)

Got a clam juice bloody mary, and honestly it wasn’t as clammy as I was hoping it would be.

Shoving a crispy pork belly sandwich into my face. As soon as I took a bite the whole thing fell apart in my hands

We rush off to meet Zach’s friend who lives in Brooklyn

I wish I could see Iris everyday!

She’s so perfect!

Zach giggling with his friend as we walk to find a place with some ice coffee and outdoor seating

Passing by some intriguing ceramic shops

Coffee located and consumed.

❤

My face after watching Zach take an accidental crotch picture

Zach and his friend talked about boy things and caught up with each other. Iris and I talked about who knows what but mainly decided we wanted to go to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and booked tickets online immediately.

We tried hurrying the boys out, explaining how we just purchased tickets…”come on come on” etc.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

Running late, another uber fare split ahead of us as we journey back over to Manhattan

Tenement Museum!!!

We got tickets for the “Hard Times” tour, there are a few tour options and you can only see the building on a guided tour. This one focused on telling of immigration to this area by looking at two families specifically who lived in the building. One in the late 19th century, and one during the 1930s.

Walking over to 97 Orchard Street, built in 1863. It was the first “tenement” on the Lower East Side (which just means multi-family living space basically), and nearly 7,000 people lived in the building during it’s “life”

We couldn’t take photos inside, but we did see spaces that were dressed to look like a 1870s apartment and also a 1930s apartment. They also left spaces that reflected the decay and distress the building was in when it was “discovered” in the 1980s.

I think this site offered a lot for those interested in the complex histories that are usually hidden in the big cities we know. The tour touched on anti-immigrant sentiments & policies (that sound too terribly familiar to today), the rough conditions for women during the rise of industry, poverty during the Great Depression, and more…

Me and Riri

Departing from the Lower East Side and making for our dinner plans with Zach’s family.

NYC Subway baby

Waiting for the train

It’s rude to fart on the train, okay

Well this looks safe

Out into the real world

I guess that’s the interesting thing about the subway, you go underground and when you come back out your environment totally changes. There’s something poetic in this, I’m just too tired to find it.

Now in Greenwich Village

A lovely dusky walk to Blue Ribbon

Fancy cocktail

Freshly baked bread (from the bakery that is actually in the same building downstairs)

Look at this beautiful avocado….

Catfish!

After a nice meal with Zach’s family, we walked over to what is apparently a renowned jazz venue. I’m terribly uncultured and know nothing of jazz.

Preeeetty

It’s crowded on the street this Sunday evening

And down into the Village Vanguard!

Dark and intimate, there’s no real “bad seat” in the house. A one drink minimum but the old fashioneds are stroooong. It was a totally new, but very warm experience.

Zach and his lil’ brother

We parted ways from the family, and made a stop at the nearby Big Gay Icecream Shop. We’ve passed this place a few times and there has always been a huge line out the door.