i haven’t been out to coney island in a while, and this weekend is a perfect excuse as the weather is supposed to finally be decent (maybe) and it is time for the annual mermaid parade. this year’s king neptune is harvey keitel with his queen mermaid daphna (whoever she is) leading the way. started in 1983, the parade hosts lots of mermaid-like creatures, but it also seems like an excuse for a little bit of craziness in the clothing department (not much up top so be warned if you’re bringing your kids or just aren’t into that kind of thing).
and if you get bored with the parade, or it is just too crowded, there are plenty of other things to do and eat out by the seashore. see my mini guide below. starts this saturday, june 20th at 2 p.m. at west 21st street and surf avenue and runs along the boardwalk ending at west 15th street, coney island, brooklyn. see here for details.
with two small and darling kids and one lovely husband who all occasionally need some amount of tending to as well as a full-time job, this blog is an excuse for me to explore the streets of new york, with a focus on brooklyn -- my home -- and manhattan, for those great little finds that seem to appear randomly on all sorts of blocks around new york but are sometimes hidden from plain view. i gravitate toward small, beautiful, independent places with interesting things, fantastic and friendly service and mostly affordable stuff (or at least an excellent value) and food that is extremely tasty, reasonable and in a great space -- though taste will trump design every time. to help put all these ideas in one place, i also will provide a series of new york mini-guides. in each of these, i will highlight something fun to do and then give some food, shop and doing suggestions nearby. these mini-guides, soon to be accompanied by mini-maps, will help to fill an afternoon -- where to pick up a snack, what shops to check out nearby and is there a really sweet little park along the way for a much needed rest. and i am always looking for ideas -- so if you have any suggestions for where to eat and shop or what to do please let me know. . you can also follow me on twitter at cherrypatter.
and for those of you more interested in the photos, i have absolutely no photography training and while i have been picking up a few tidbits here and there, mostly i think the credit for the photos goes to my lovely camera. it is a canon rebel xti, and the lens i use most of the time is the 50 mm 1:1:8. i also have a 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 for longer views.
Excited that modern Chinese takeout spot (whatever that really means) might have a soft opening tomorrow in Gowanus next to fav 4&20 bbirds