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What's a nice Jewish family from New York to do as soon as they wake up in the city that always eats? DIM SUM! We hiked on over to Central HK to Lin Hueng Tea House at 8am (ok, we stopped at Starbucks to fight the jet lag, and yes we had been up since 4). This place hasn't changed since 1950 when it opened, but the shrimp dumplings were amazing and the pork bau unreal. Great way to get the day started.
We then hopped a ferry for the outer island of Chueng Chau. In under an hour you've left one of the busiest and most crowded cities in the world and decamped on a remote little town with only bikes for wheels, umbrellas to keep off the sun and wrapped all up in beaches. We walked a block or so to the edge of town and stumbled into the Pak Tai Temple; small but beautiful.
Besides the calm and cool ferry ride (deluxe means the top deck and better AC?) we needed some relief from the heat, better yet the sticky, thick air. Thankfully Kam packed bathing suits for Nic and the boys. We headed down to Kwun Yam Wan beach, bought a few towels and more drinks and the boys dove in. I tried hard to ignore the shark warnings and imagined these skinny little life guards wrestling jaws off my boys). Thankfully Nic went in to save the day.
We wrapped up our trip with a little lasagna (yeah, you read that right) for the boys at a little hipster ferry pier restaurant, the Pink Pig. I convinced Kam that the Cheung Po Tsai cave was not worth the two hour walk in 85% humidity and we jetted home on the ferry. She was really bummed to miss her first pirate cove. All the same, a great first day in HK!
It is no understatement to say that we moved back to the Slope for the Park. We spend every nice weekend day there, and often a sunny weekday afternoon too. The boys have gone to CBE day camp there, played SFX little league on the fields and both of us worked there for Brooklyn Heights Montessori summer back in the day. But the highlight by far is the Prospect Park Zoo.
A member of the Wildlife Conservation Society, it is smaller than it's more famous partners the Bronx and Central Park Zoos. It has fewer Sea Lion shows than it's other partner the New York Aquarium, but it is the perfect way to spend a beautiful afternoon with your two fav boys.
We rode over with my new Father's day bike. We hit the Farm animals first off, because who doesn't want to fee a Jacob four-horned sheep? I then lost Sydney to the Peahen (wife of the more colorful peacock), her little chicks and the amazing employee who filled my sons head with so many facts Liji and I couldn't retain them all.
But when push comes to shove, the Lewis Levin boys are primate fans. I love the Marmosets, Sydney wanted to take home the Golden Lion Tamarins, but Liji was smitten with the Hamadryas Baboons and their big pink tushies! But, just as we were leaving the red pandas behind we hit one of three daily Sea Lion shows. Now this is nothing compared to our backstage passes to the seals with Aunt Kathy at the New England Aquarium, but it was a great way to wrap up a perfect day. So bike on over or take the B61, but whatever you do, don't miss the best show in Brooklyn!
Pier 6
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn, NY
When we first moved to Brooklyn back in '04, nobody was hanging out at the piers. Then came Magic Mike and they transformed. Like Bloomberg or not, the waterfront is unrecognizable from the industrial days of the largest shipping port in the world. "On the Waterfront" was a great Brando flick to show to my students about union corruption on the docks, but I sure didn't want to hang out there.
Pier 6 was a pioneer, long before the Long Island city, Red Hook and Manhattan pier transformations. And it just keeps getting better. We first came to Pier Six years ago when the urban oasis of Governor's Island ferry launched from there. Then we started hoping the B63 for the amazing playground, especially Slide Mountain and the Waterlab. Where else can you climb a tower in Brooklyn, plummet down a hundred foot slide or get drenched all in view of the Manhattan skyline?
Today, with our friends William and Elle we stepped it up a notch. Elle's super cool dad Andy suggested the beer garden rooftop at Fornino's and neither the ice cream, the views or the beer disappointed. So whether you are heading off for a bike ride on the Island, a volleyball match at the piers, a free kayak spin or a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, stop here first or last, but don't miss Pier 6.
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