Brooklyn Flea Market

“Art is not a treasure in the past, or an importation from another land, but part of the present life of all living and creating peoples,” -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

To each thing belongs a creator, and to each creator a unique imagination, and not just a scattered, thoughtless, patternless imagination, but one of intelligence and precision. This is what the Brooklyn Flea Market comprises itself.

My good college friends and I took a weekend in Brooklyn to enjoy our as-much-as-possible get-togethers, being that we all live in different states. Since we resided in Brooklyn for the weekend, we just couldn’t pass up a trek to the weekend flea market. My hopes were high; that there would be unique treasures of old and new, creative minds manifesting themselves in the form of art and fashion and homemade food. I can gladly say there were all these things.

Jewelry vendors line the outskirts of the former Williamsburg Savings Bank. The building is frozen in time, filled with new life from the present age, buzzing and bustling with hagglers and onlookers. Clothiers are hidden within the former bank teller windows and a small food court is secured in the old vault. Upstairs you’ll find intriguing jewelry and cufflinks made from old typewriter keys. This is truly a place worth the visit, you will not be bored... only inspired.

I will not pass up going again this summer, as it seems to be a much greater event than in winter.

A Not-So-Far-Away Backyard, NYC

A "Not So Far Away Backyard" is what I think of NYC. It's not just any city, it's The City. A city of lights, one that never sleeps and is layed out like a beautifully orchestrated maze of wonder and surprise. There is more to NYC than Times Square and your kichy coffee shop or Hardrock cafe. If you're one who lives to eat, as I am, you'll appreciate the city for it's fine cuisine at an array of prices. Eating for triple digits a plate is quite available, but so are the single and double digit prices, just as delectable.

In the Month of November, several of my dear friends from College and I went to NYC for an evening. The train is readily accessable from my house to get to NYC Penn Station, and for me, the moment I set foot on that train, it's as if a small adventure is always beginning. Because of the perks of working at a hotel, we got a discounted rate at Marriott in Times Square for the night. Floor 2030 provided nothing short of an incredible view of the city that never sleeps (we were thankful for blackout drapes). People bustling about, coming from all over the world just to enjoy The City.

Our plan was to enjoy each other's company to the fullest. Larinda is from Michigan, Alyssa from Penn and Kena and I from NJ. Not easy distances to live from dear friends, but I will say being apart makes these friendships deeper. Larinda and Kena spent the earlier part of the day waiting in line for Broadway Musical Tickets at the TKTS booth. Jersey boys was our #1 choice, but being too expensive we chose the Musical Rock of Ages. We ate a light dinner (mostly pita bread and salsa, bananas and apples -- a lot of it) then got dressed and ready to see our show. We sang, we cheered, we laughed till we teared all in our discounted orchestra seats. They served us drinks and snacks, amenities that just added to the night being special, or should I say strange. It was a fun, yet strange musical.

After the show Dan the Man met up with us at the Sugar Diner (or some kind of similar name). Originally we planned to go out for dinner, but once we sat down at the diner for coffee, we decided to browse the menu and avoid more traveling just for tasty bite. Nothing beats a Jersey Diner, but this just might have. You win this one NYC -- NYC 1:NJ 478,895,214,364,45.... ;). After a hearty sandwich and soup, we all went for a little dancing. This filled us with laughter and gave us some silly stories.

Come Saturday, after a night on the town, we slept in till 11 and met Dan for brunch at 1:00pm. Hardly brunch, but our stomachs and sleepy bodies thought nothing else would suffice. Brunch was enjoyed around the Upper West Side at a little cafe; we all ordered the same plate, poached eggs, because they just looked so great. Not one of us was dissapointed with this predicament. To end our escapade we toured the Upper West Side and filled each others hearts with time. I must say I am blessed with these friends.

One Manhattan Day

I birthed the idea on Saturday afternoon from the conception of a desire to explore and a need to be with my family. A trip to Manhattan, SoHo to be specific and to be yet more precise... Dean and Deluca.

To all you masters of the mixers, sultans of the spatulas and czars of cooking I believe you comprehend the whimsy of gourmet and over-priced grocers. For some, it's more than just a knife. In fact it's a silver blade which smoothly spreads creamy, churned butter on the crisp on the outside, hearty, yet soft on the inside bread. Now let me just pause to say food is not an obsession of mine, just a part of my life that I take great joy and delight in.

Dean and Deluca welcomes you in with cathedral ceilings and fresh produce right at the entrance. Exotic mushrooms sit in perfect rows as if just picked fresh that morning and waiting to be prepared that evening. For Autumn, pumpkins line the front rows of the grocery garden and remind those who celebrate to be thankful for every scent climbing up your nose. Lying behind this produce garden is a vertical field of flowers, delicately arrange and mindfully prepared to please the eye. As my mom and I took a gander, a kind woman offered her assistance with pride. A glimmering reminder of how blessed she is to have employment she enjoys. Moving further into the jungle of exotic blends we find the coffee square with roasted beans from around the world. As I lift the lids from the coffee jars to breathe deeply, a fresh, crisp fragrance fills my lungs, leaving a calming after shock. Who would think coffee when roasted fresh and well could calm the senses and appease the taste buds. Making my way around the coffee corner is the candy and dried fruit; just looking at the apricots made my mouth water. Sniffing these fruits was all I did while passing them, but the delightful colors have painted a beautiful pallet in my creative mind. Onto the pastures of cheese was next on my list. The counter was high and marble covered with clean glass casings, but not too far to reach and ask for assistance. That day we delved into the purchase of new cheese; a sheep milk cheese, an delightfully aged gouda and a stinky bleu cheese for my dad.

A day worth while because it was spent with my parents and allowed my mind to explore the corners of the world via food through one small yet grand store. Food is a blessing; let us never take it for granted. May it always be used to bring people together and reveal care.

Cows Outside? Yes.

How can one not enjoy cheese?

Cheese! I’m not sure why we say it when we’re taking pictures, but I DO know that it’s a delicacy all over the world. One is able to experience it in a variety of flavors, sharpness, scents and textures. It is a food for the senses no doubt. Funny to think that in order to create it, bacteria has to be very hard at work. I believe that a little more healthy bacteria in all our systems would improve our lives more than we can understand.

But again on to the good stuff. Cheese. Kraft and store brands do not count, I’m sorry, but a cheese connoisseur would not approve of that as genuine. I’m talking about the kind that you only need a few bites to feel fully satisfied and the kind the French have for dessert. Several weekends ago my fellow lover of food, Dad, and I went to this cool farm called Bobolink Dairy to take delight in this thing we call Cheese.

Our excursion was sparked because we heard Bobolink Dairy had moved from Vernon, NJ to Milford, NJ [I cannot fathom how much work it is to move an entire farm, only Noah would have true empathy]. Bobolink Dairy is committed to raising and selling grass-fed beef, creating the delicacy of aged cheese and selling smoked duck. To put the cherry on top, they are quite seasonal, as a farm they have no choice. At Bobolink, one is able to purchase an entire calf and have it prepared by the farmers for the customers winter storage or summer if you choose. One is able to purchase fine cheeses (cave-aged cheddar is one of their bests in my opinion), and what cheese farm is complete without a brick oven to bake the crispiest and freshest bread.

While there, my dad and I bought about 3 pounds of excellent cheese; nearly perfect cheese, and some of the best I have ever tasted. Duck prosciutto, something I had never tasted before, was also made there. And BREAD! Again, not the store brand breads, bagged breads and precut loafs. This bread was freshly baked in a fire brick oven. We walked out of Bobolink with 5 ciabatta loafs and 2 cranberry-walnut sticks, though this clearly was not enough with the way my family enjoys authentic artisan bread.

On they way home, I just could not resist tasting one of the cranberry-walnut breadsticks. They were about 1.5 ft long and 3 inches in diameter. That breadstick was to me as blood is to a vampire... I ate the whole thing. Call me a glutton if you choose, I say I’m just treating my taste buds to what they’ve been missing all these years. While driving back home we enjoyed the drive, the smells of fresh bread filling the car and snacking on cheese that we could just not resist. Before reaching home, we picked up some farmstand grape tomatoes that were first sour then sweet in your mouth. Bodily chemistry is amazing how it reacts to food.

If bread and cheese is your particular thing, check out Bobolink Dairy in Milford, NJ. It’s a beautiful drive and well worth the excursion. As one of my closest friend’s grandmother says, “Food is Love,” which I do not beg to differ. Enjoy :)

NYC... So Much to See

Yesterday was a splendid kind of day.

As each of us know, jobs and daily living can retard us from going places that we'd like to whenever we'd like to, but this Saturday was not one of those days.

Several friends and I took a trip to the famous East Coast City, NYC. 5 of us piled into my friend Tiffany's cute mazda and drove East on 80 to take us to the big apple, singing random songs and laughing hysterically almost all the way there. It was a much needed trip for all of us.

We had lunch at Heartland Brewery near the Empire State Building and tasted some beer samplers. That was enough to satisfy our appetite along with some good pasta dishes and burgers. After this, we walked around for quite some time and found ourselves moseying on over to good old Times Square. We window shopped and then moved on. We pondered if we should pay for a horse and buggy ride, but decided against it and settled for a short stroll and rest in Central Park instead.

We finished the day in Greenwich Village with a delicious belgian waffle and warmed ourselves in the local starbucks where people watching is a sport. The end the day a man came up to me singing E-I-E-I-O... I like your hat!

What a refreshing day with loved ones.