Smorgasburg, Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn, NY

Smorgasburg

Pier 5

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn, NY

I go to great lengths to avoid Williamsburg and to even further ones to explore Brooklyn Bridge Park with the boys.  So when I heard the one reason I ever ventured into hipsterville was now next to the bridge, I was sold. 

Our kids are evolving into foodies.  I know it's obnoxious, but I kinda don't care. Even before they hit the new Ample Hills stand, they ventured through Nic's bud's place at Ramen Burger, then onto the Lumpia Shack, some sticky rice at the Bamboo Bites stand and then we threw in some Bunna's Ethiopian iced coffee and Thai street roti for me and a Thai iced tea for mommy. 

We had also gotten really excited for the new features at Pier 2 this season. We desperately wanted to get our rollerskate on, but they were washed out.  So instead we old-schooled it with some shuffle board and bocce, free of charge. 

We even managed to get mommy and her preggers belly in in the action to earn a stop back at the food carts for blackberry People's Pops, bubble tea and delicious limeade. Hey, bocce is thirsty work!

Ample Hills of Deliciousness; Ample Hills Ice Cream, Brooklyn, NY

Ample Hills Creamery

623 Vanderbilt Ave  Brooklyn, NY

Houston, we have a problem.  And her name is ice cream.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good scoop of toffe heath or fresh strawberry.  But I married a icecreamaholic.  And what happens when you mix my recessive genes with her dominate sugartastic ones; a kiddo that loves the stuff.  "What do you want to do for your 8th birthday Sydney?"  "I want a party at Ample Hills, the best ice cream shop in the world!"  How does a parent say "no" to that?

Before opening this Prospect Heights bastion of the new "Brooklyn" cool, Brian Smith was a published Sci-fi author and producer for the Sy Fy station.  Clearly, giving up monster movies for cream was a genius career move.  Sydney got to go back stage to see the magic at work.  What makes that "cracked caramel" so good?  How many egg yolks go in that "egg nog" flavor? (uh, yeah 10!)  "I'm sorry, did you say the 'Munchies' has ritz, potato chips AND pretzels?"  He got to ride the ice cream bike, as did all of his friends.  Props to our friend Emily S ("Emily's Homemade" cookies, amazing!) for pioneering this outing in our circle, it was amazing AND delicious.

We used to walk the twenty or so minutes there every once and a while. It was a good buffer.  Today I discovered that they have an outpost at Pier 4 in the Brooklyn Bridge Park.  But then, on the way home I was reminded of something terribly sinister that I had read this spring.  There is now an Ample Hills factory and shop just down the street at Union at Nevins.   Oh no!

World Cup Fever in the City, Red Bulls Arena, Harrison, NJ

World Cup Fever in the City
Red Bulls Arena
Harrison, NJ

RED SOX NATION SPOILER ALERT:  My kids might be growing up to be Red Bulls fans.

I'm so sorry Sox Nation.  I tried so hard.  We go to Fenway every year.  They wear Dustin jerseys to school in Brooklyn and to the Bronx for games.  They know that the Manning brothers are no match for Brady, Bledsoe, Eason or Grogan.  They danced in the streets when the B's won the Cup.  We even live five blocks from the Barclay Center where we rooted for KG and Pierce BEFORE they were Nets.  They even hate the Lakers and they don't know why.  But, I think I lost them on soccer.  I'm sorry.  Truly, I am.

It was the World Cup summer that did it.  Like Newton, in Park Slope soccer is king.  Kids stroll the streets in Messi and Neymar jerseys.  The boys play in the fall with AYSO and in the winter and summers with Super Soccer Stars.  This Cup we chose Argentina.  Messi was easy to love, who doesn't like a South American team over those European moneybags (Yanks anyone?).  We were heartbroken when Neymar went out before the finals.  We were even sadder that Messi didn't realize his dream of winning a Cup, and had to lose out to those damn Germans.

But we couldn't go to Brazil, so what's a Sox fan to do?  Head to NJ.  It didn't help that we rooted for France when they won the Cup and the captain of the Red Bulls is Thiery Henry.  We were doomed when Red Bull midfielder Tim Cahill tore it up for Australia. Now Bradley Wright-Philips is tearing up MLS by leading the Golden Boot race with his 17th goal (that we saw live!).    But the final straw were the chants from the fans, let's go Red Bulls as the boys sung along "let's go Red Sox" and we distinctly heard others joining in.  It ain't Foxboro, the Garden and it sure ain't Fenway, but at least it's in Jersey, not the Bronx!