Day 3 : Brooklyn & Dumbo

On Day 3 my host took me to another borough, one that has been on my to see list ever since I read ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn ‘ as a teenager. This coming of age novel that was written way, way, way before I was born somehow is one of those classics that appeal to most teenage girls and one of the books that I have read again and again.

So even though it was beastly hot, we put on our hats and jumped onto the subway, changing trains and lines to take us to Brooklyn. The subway system is so simple that if one keeps one’s wits about, one can easily master it in two days! Or at least that’s what I thought as I confidently tapped my card on the turnstile.

Stepping out into the sunshine ( New York was having a heatwave that week), we made our way to the waterfront which was once again an area that had new life breathed into it . Passing some old warehouses now converted to trendy eating spots, we went down the steps of Squibb Park to get a great view of Manhattan and Wall Street on the other side.

This purely residential area of Brooklyn Heights with some of its streets named after quaint fruit names like Cranberry an Orange doesn’t encourage nosy photographers or peering tourists, so I didn’t take any photographs for fear of annoying the residents. I quite understand how irksome it must be to have strangers of all shapes and sizes crawling around your personal space, taking photos to fill up a travel blog!!!!

Walking through the shady park was a welcome relief from the blazing sunlight but I was quite amazed that there were several people sweating away at Pickleball , a game which combines tennis, badminton and table tennis and which was invented during Covid. This seems to be quite a popular sport is a popular sport and I saw many people playing it in various parks around the city.

Walking down the waterfront, we came to Park where I struck off another item on my bucket list ‘A Lobster Roll from Maine’. I wonder if the lobster was really from Maine but it hardly seems likely that I will ever visit this part of the world. This was my chance to grab a lobster roll and I wolfed it down, despite a heavy lunch just an hour earlier!

This gave us an opportunity to take a breather before we walked ahead and under the Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan Bridge and stepped into Dumbo.

Dumbo was a revelation. It was buzzing with people yet seemed peaceful. We went inside the Tin Building the brainchild of chef Jean Georges which has an array of cuisines to choose from. We settled down for a quick spot of tea before moving on to our last stop for the day- the 9/11 memorial.

9/11

9/11 has attained iconic status in the living memory of almost every human on earth. There have been horrific events before and after with many losses in various parts of the world but strangely this has instant recall .