Summer Vacation 2013

BROOKLYN

It has been a while since my family had gone back home. New York city and Massachusetts have been my home and my husband's.  Lets not forget New Jersey where my parents now live and where we stay when we come home to visit. My children (2 young boys) have been excited to do this trip to see grandparents , cousins and ride on the plane.

Speaking of the plane ride, my son who is six gave so many different facial expression of excitement as the plane started to ascend. My eldest had butterflies in his stomach :)  As we reached our destination at around 5:30 in the morning, the sky was just turning light. My little one woke from his sleep and looked out the window. The plane was soaring on top of the puffy, thick white clouds. What a beautiful view. Nothing, but whiteness of the clouds and the blue sky. It was pure and clean. I woke up my eldest son so that he, too, can look and witness this beautiful moment.

The plane landed safely. We got our bags and headed to rent a car to see my side of the family. As we arrived at my parents' house, hugs and kisses filled the room. My parents happy as can be when they saw their grandchildren once again. My little one, a non-stop talker, chatted away with his grandfather. Whether they actually understood each other, I don't know. A six year old who can tell his stories, most of the time in fragments,  and a hard of hearing grandfather.....well, it can get too funny.

A visit to Brooklyn, NY was a must. My husband and I have not been back to Brooklyn since 2001. We wanted to show the kids where I grew up  and where my husband and I lived. We visited several neighborhoods, all which looked the same as before.  Not much has changed. Sunset Park neighborhood on 5th ave, Brooklyn was one of our stop. This was our old neighborhood.  5th Ave, in Brooklyn is a busy, alive neighborhood filled with stores, street vendors and most of all filled with Spanish music (from 60th to about 40th street). Many people lingered the streets holding shopping bags; happy with their latest purchases.

                                                 The Verrazano Bridge going into Brooklyn

So, I had to have a beef patty. I haven't had this in years since we left the east coast and I was excited to have one. You would normally find these delicious, tasty beef patties in New York pizzerias.  It has yellow/brownish crust on the outside and a spicy mush beef on the inside. It doesn't  sound appetizing, but it is very good.  Once I had it, craving satisfied! The Italian ice were the next on our menu. Also, found in pizzerias in NY. One way to cool off from the hot humidity of New York city is having these delicious, cold Italian ice ( sorry there is no picture. I had trouble downloading it). They have cherry, rainbow and I can't remember the flavor of the white one. My favorite is the rainbow flavor.  These were a hit to my kids as I had expected. Last on our stop for foods were the Mexican panaderia. This is a Mexican bakery where they make Mexican pastries good for breakfast, snack or dessert. We went to the place where we used to go.  A narrow bakery filled with pastries. Trays and trays of pastries where you yourself pick out the ones you like with a tong on one hand and a tray on the other. Yummy in your tummy.

Next on our agenda while in Brooklyn -- visit the Barcklays Center - home of the Brooklyn Nets. My kids are a big basketball fans, so we thought it would be a good time to visit the arena.  As we drove into the area of Atlantic Ave in the Flatbush area bordering park slope area ( i think) of Brooklyn, my husband and I were amazed on how they transformed this area and put the the arena where it is.  As we turned to Atlantic Ave, coming from 4th Ave of Brooklyn and saw the arena, all I can say was --WOW!   My kids were excited. It was their first visit to any NBA arena.

The Barclays Center - Brooklyn Nets Arena

Unfortunately, we could only visit the gift shop and not the arena itself.  The arena was closed. But, the kids had a good time and that's all that mattered.

Our last stop was to eat at a Malaysian restaurant called JAVA in Prospect Park area of Brooklyn. My husband and I used to frequent this place when were living in Brooklyn and would always come out with filled bellies.  If you are adventurous with the kind of foods you eat,  I highly recommend this place if you are ever in Brooklyn. We were glad that this place is still standing despite the competitiveness in this area when it comes to restaurants. The dishes were still great, satisfying and my kids enjoyed them.

We got a lot of things accomplished in one day in Brooklyn.  On the way home, my eldest said "you have a lot of stories here".  We were glad to share these moments with our kids and share my husband's and I's past which was there current moment at the time.

There's is more to come from our vacation that I will be sharing with you. So stay tune - next stop -- New York City.