Wednesday, June 18, 2008

New Home Soon


The R Train crossing the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn

Last Sunday I revisited the new home I will be moving into this Sunday. New roomie-to-be and I chatted, ate a bowl of blueberries, and measured every surface in my new room.

It had rained in the morning so the breeze was delicious, and following her directions I went on an exploratory walk. I will be living only a couple of blocks away from Shore Park which looks out onto Upper New York Bay and buffers Bay Ridge from the big parkway directly along the shore.


Trying to see the Verrazano Narrows Bridge through the trees as I enter the park


Little fountains dot the length of the park


It was too sunny for me to patch a panoramic together using the nifty function on my phone, so....


....there are simply two separate photos of the bridge running into the distance (Staten Island, actually)

Then I walked back "inland" and explored some of the neat little streets in the neighborhood. This is what I saw:


Some little Brooklyn whitestones, I'll show you brownstones another time


A quirky narrow Victorian


A real dollshouse!


Oliver Street, a good sign


This photo does not convey the peaceful villageyness of this street. Note the trees were trained to lean into the street and arch over it as you see in the next photo:


A pleasant green tunnel, again not well conveyed by the photo


And a rather Hollywood-style mansion across from a private school


Heading towards the shops on 86th Street, I came across a Cupcake Bakery!
I hope I remember where this was.....

So then I spent the entire remainder of the afternoon on 86th between 4th and 5th Avenues, never even making it to the center of the borough on Atlantic Avenue where the courthouse and even more amenities lie, including a new Target, a store I missed very much when I was in London.

There is every shop, bar, cafe, bistro, and convenience I could ever want right here in Bay Ridge, even some I hadn't expected - and all in one place - so I'd never need to go into Manhattan. Imagine if I got a job in Brooklyn too, my friends uptown would have to coax me into the City.

Tomorrow I will visit the Brooklyn IKEA that had its Grand Opening today in Red Hook, just north of Bay Ridge. There is a special ferry going between it and Pier 11 on Wall Street. Also, free shuttle buses servicing the nearby subway stops. But of course I want to take the ferry!

17 comments:

Selba said...

Gosh... you really make me want to move to the USA!!! So niceeeeee...

Glo said...

Sounds like you are settling in well ~ really enjoyed looking at your photos! Some exceptional homes!

I live on the west coast of Canada, but visited New York way back in 1986...fascinating experience :)

CafeMark said...

Great picture there Arty! I would never have guessed that Brooklyn had such nice houses. I had a totally different impression of the place. Cheers, Mark (CafeCortado)

Miss Dallas said...

I love Target. It is one of the most awesome retail chains on the face of the planet. I just wish Dallas had H&M, too. :(

Anonymous said...

Hey, we're getting an H&M in the mall near my house! Liv, these are such fun photos - we get to share your discoveries :-) I've been trying to follow your walk on google maps. One day, I'm coming to see you!

Anonymous said...

Liv lovely entry with terrific photos! It's so good to see you happy again. Now all you need is the job of your dreams to go with it! xx

Anonymous said...

Wow, I've never explored Brooklyn much, but now I will! I am so glad you moved to NYC.

Olivia said...

Selba - ha, thought you liked Germany!

***

Glo - NY is not the place it was 20 or even 10 years ago.
As for you, BC must be very picturesque. I'd prefer it to Ontario, where my relatives are.

***

Mark - I knew parts of Brooklyn were nice, and I saw the popular parts on my way to Bay Ridge - very residential, quite grand - but I prefer the villagey feel of BR.

***

Jo - Maybe if there's enough of a demand, there will be one in a few years. Which H&M did you buy your pea coat at? Was it NY?

I might go to Target today and get an air mattress, as my bed will not be delivered on time.

***

Nikki - all the more reason for me to get this air mattress!

See, if there is an H&M in Cali, Texas ought to be following.

***

Flighty - am working on that, but once I settle it'll be even easier. Couldn't really try before, without an account or anything.

***

Planet - hey, welcome back. I guess since Little Planet sleeps a lot, you have some time to tackle the blogs.

I am enjoying sharing these pics with you all! Stay tuned...

Anonymous said...

*sniff* I'm so glad you are happy chica but we do miss our livsybuttocks! But it's super to see you so radiant in full of bounce :o)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Olivia said...

Diva - xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Anonymous said...

Wow, Liv. I really, really enjoyed your photo walk through the neighborhood. It is wonderful that you will be in such a nice spot and near that beautiful park and all. The old houses certainly are charming--especially that doll house. It seems like it would be great fun to restore an old house but then, you have to have time and money for that don't you? I had to laugh at your comment about the bakery. Bakeries do add spice to life. We need more good bakeries here. I am sure you are so ready to settle into your new place. Can't wait to see photos of that too!

The Moody Minstrel said...

Wow....

(A whole mental album worth of preconceived notions falls to the floor and shatters into little, tiny pieces that roll and tinkle everywhere...)

Yes, I know I'm a West Coast sort who has never been anywhere near New York and has probably been spoon fed nothing but the worst of it, but this has to be the first time I've ever heard "peaceful" and "Brooklyn" lumped together! Not to mention anything like those houses and shops!

Prejudice can be such an ugly thing.

Anonymous said...

Maybe I'm going to be shot for this, but it's weird how much the Brooklyn Bridge looks like the Humber Bridge (Yorkshire, UK)...

Olivia said...

Mike - actually, you will be sort of shot. That is not the famed Brooklyn Bridge, which is north of here and connects Bklyn to Manhattan. The Verrazano connects Bklyn to Staten Island. Construction for the Humber Bridge began in 1973, while the Verrazano Bridge began in 1959 and was completed in 1964. It remained the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1981. It is still the longest in the USA, and parts of it can be seen from various spots in all 5 NYC boroughs.

Here endeth the lesson.

Anonymous said...

Lesson taketh on board and mild self-shooting in progress.

Mind you, I wasn't suggesting the Humber Bridge was "better" (its proximity to Hull would mean that even if it was fashioned from diamond and lapis lazuli, it'd still suffer in comparison to most bridges).

Is IKEA ("eee-kay-ah", as I learnt the other day) as massive is the US as it is in Europe?

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Rick Rockhill said...

charming! My aunt lives in Brooklyn in a neat old house.