Our Visit to Brooklyn

We were on a mission, to deliver all the baby things to Kristen and Doug in Brooklyn, NY.  It is a long way from our home in the Chicago burbs to Brooklyn, and though I am a city girl, nothing prepares you for NY.
The last hour of our 13 hour drive took years off of our lives.  I have never seen my hubby so nervous driving.  The twists and turns, bridges and tunnels...the strangest right turns I've ever seen, all added up to a thrill ride that after all those hours of driving, we were not prepared for.  When our daughter Kristen met us on her street, I laughed so hard...with relief and at seeing our baby so PREGNANT!  I kissed her about a hundred times...

They live UP UP UP so many stairs! My honey with a bad hip, Doug with a bad back and me, the picture of health,(LOL) carried all the stuff upstairs.  We worked on all kinds of projects to help welcome this baby home, when the time comes.  We emptied a big bookcase, moved it and refilled it with books that seemed to multiply in the short time it took to move it.  Grandpa built a stand for some baskets for all the baby's clothes, blankets, socks and onsies  We cleaned,  and ate NY bagels, took a break to walk around the neighborhood, and had two kinds of NY pizza for dinner.

 This is where Doug's DooWop group sings songs on summer evenings...;-)...only joking. 

 A cool library...

 Churches that are now apartments!

The bakery that was in the movie Moonstruck... Remember when Ronnie Cammareri says, "Chrissy, over on the wall, bring me the big knife.  I want to cut my throat..." 

 It was in the basement of this building.  I thought it was cool to see it, I love that movie.

 Looks like a movie set, these rows of beautiful old homes. 

 I just loved this shrine in memory of someone named Tuddy Balsamo...

 It was in front of a home on a busy street corner.  Someone really loved Tuddy.

 I stopped Kristen so many times to take another photo of something cool.

 Like this chalk flower drawn on the sidewalk.

And this chalk memorial, in front of the home of Clothilde Terrnova who lived there in 1911.  She was just 22 when she died in the horrible Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in NY.  One hundred and forty six immigrant women died that day.  When the fire broke out,  many of the workers could not escape the burning building because the doors had been locked by the managers.  The fire brought about changes requiring factory safety, and helped make conditions better for sweatshop workers.  It  moved me to think that she is still remembered  101 years later.

Since we just had a couple of days, and so many things that needed to be done, we didn't do much exploring.  On Sunday we went out shopping for a coffee table and a rocker, and to a grocery store I need to explore on another visit.  I also finally got to see Lady Liberty and waved to her just like Yentl did from the ship.  Well, we don't get to see Yentl wave, but I bet she did!!!

More about our Sunday outing next time.  I saw this wall and thought...Wrigley Field!!  Yes, I was homesick.   There's no place like home!  (Three movie references in one post, a new record!)
Enjoy this beautiful day my friends.