The Paris Cafe

When we were admiring the Brooklyn Bridge last weekend, we realized we were very hungry!
So we walked across the street, and into The Paris Cafe.
As soon as I walked into this place, I fell in love. Its been around since 1873, and has the most incredible, hand carved bar that's original to the opening of the cafe.
We happened to stroll in during brunch, so we started our meal with a round of Bloody Marys.
Our meals were so lovely (and cheap by NYC standards)... and as luck would have it, we were seated next to a window- thank goodness for natural light! Here's a club sandwich...
Eggs Benedict...
And one heck of a burger!
Boy, looking at these photos make me HUNGRY! Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

A view of the bridge...

Over the weekend, I spent some time at the South Street Seaport.
I just love this area of Manhattan for a variety of reasons... but especially because of the amazing views you get of the Brooklyn Bridge.
On the day I was there, the weather was especially lovely- look at the sun glittering on the river!
Isn't the bridge beautiful? I just love the architectural details!
The area where I stopped to take pictures seemed to be a favorite perch for a flock of seagulls- I was able to capture one in mid flight... I like how the wings are a little translucent because of the sun's back-lighting.
Meanwhile on the shore below me, a mom and her child were looking over at Brooklyn, and I thought it was a sweet moment.
But those pesky seagulls kept catching my eye. Normally I shy away from bird pictures (because my head has been a poop-target way too many times), but this time I was sheltered by the bridge, so I could really enjoy the plethora of gulls.
And while I took a lot of bird shots that day, I think this one is my favorite!I hope you have a great Thursday- thank you for visiting my blog!!

Junk food in Chinatown

After our little excursion to the Doughnut Plant this weekend, SFS, his roommate and I strolled around Chinatown for a bit.
We were on the East side of the neighborhood, which offers a pretty neat view of the Manhattan Bridge.
It was a beautiful day, so we took advantage of the weather by walking around as much as possible.
And with a sky that blue, how could I NOT take a million pictures?
As we explored, we decided to check out one of our favorite shops- it's a grocery store located under the bridge. So, we bought some yummy treats...
And walked a few more blocks to the water, where we sat down and enjoyed our international junk food.
Here's what we got. SFS really likes these Jelly Cups- he used to eat them with his best friend growing up.
They come in a variety of flavors- this bag was full of fruity concoctions.
The containers are pretty little- enough for a single bite.
I asked SFS for a little demonstration- all you do is pull off the lid...
And suck the jelly out of the cup... totally appealing, right?
I think my treat tastes a little better... I first tried these yummy peanut crunchies on a trip to Hawaii a couple years back.
They're crispy and salty- and those little pieces of seaweed on the outside make me feel really cool!
SFS also got some Pocky sticks...
I mean, how can you turn down a cookie-stick coated in chocolate?
And finally, his roommate picked out Shrimp Crackers!
I was a little too much of a shrimp (ba-dum-dum) to try these, but the boys insist that they're wonderful!
Well that's if for today. Thanks for checking out these downtown treats- I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Water Taxi Beach

As you've seen, SFS and I had a really fun visit to the South Street Seaport. But I have to tell you, one of the reasons we headed down there was to visit Water Taxi Beach. All summer long I had heard about this great beach down by the Seaport, with carnival games, interesting food, and more. SFS was skeptical, but I showed him the website, and he admitted that I was right.
But things weren't exactly what they seemed. For example, check out this putt putt course. They really put the "mini" in mini-golf!
Just past the 9 holes is the food/game tent. Inside you'll find two skeeball games, a ping pong table, and a tiny little food bar.
Just past the tent is the eating/beach area.
Okay- I admit it... I was SO wrong about Water Taxi Beach. But what it lacked in size, it made up for with the amazing view!
Isn't that great?
As we were standing there, guess what drove by? A water taxi, of course!
So, yeah... Water Taxi Beach was sort of a bust.
Luckily for us, the storm held off long enough for us to walk around a bit more...
So we walked along the river and got even closer to the Brooklyn Bridge.
SFS was having a really good time! (Oh- and if you want to make his weekend, you can leave a comment about his great "vertical"...)
I know I've posted several already, but I hope you don't mind- I could take a million pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge!

So there you have it- the end of our visit down to South Street Seaport. Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great weekend!

Rambling along South Street

After a visit to the Seaport, SFS and I took a some time to explore South Street and the surrounding neighborhood. I love all the buildings down there- if I could convince myself that the neighborhood is just as lovely after dark, I would move in a heartbeat!
One of the places we came across was Pasanella and Son. Now, when I saw the store, I must admit I was SUPER stoked. I am by NO MEANS a wine connoisseur (quite the opposite actually), but the name Pasanella was immediately familiar.
In September 2008, Martha Stewart profiled an amazing loft in Manhattan. A husband and wife had turned a shipbuilder's warehouse into a home above the family's wine importing company. They had made some really interesting choices, and I remember looking at the pictures in the magazine A LOT. So when we walked past the store, I got so excited and tried to explain to SFS that I'd seen the apartment ABOVE the store in a magazine a year ago. He knows me pretty well, so the little (admittedly crazy) outburst didn't faze him and we ducked into the shop.
Don't you love it? From the details in the tile on the floor, to the exposed brick and fireplaces, I am in love with this store. To my great relief, Pasanella's has a table in the back with $15 and under bottles... I might have taken one home with me. Plus, how much do you love the car?
After Pasanella's, it was onto Beekman Street.
We stopped into Provisions, which sold all sorts of organic and local goodies. They also had 16 different kinds of olive oil for sale- and if you brought your OWN bottles, they'd fill them up and charge you less for the oil.
Back on South Street, we checked out the Fulton Stall Market. Fulton Fish Market used to be THE place where seafood came into NYC- but it was closed a couple years ago. The building has since been turned into a museum, and the stalls on the outside of the building have been turned into a little market. We stopped at the organic farm stand first.
I loved the peach that still had a leaf attached!
And wouldn't the tri-colored carrots look beautiful after roasting?
And in keeping with NYC tradition, there was also a cupcake stall. This guy was selling Cupcake Express- he delivers these cupcakes to companies for the LOW cost of $45/dozen... yowza!
Mmmm.... the bakery stall smelled SO good!
And as SFS pointed out, the half pies are the best- they're just so funny looking!
Walking around the Seaport was SO much fun- and the buildings/architectural elements were so interesting!
But this one made us stop and think... do you see what I'm talking about?
Yeah- not the most effective fire escape, right?
Thanks for stopping by my blog- hope you're having a wonderful Thursday!