NYC: Park Slope Livin'

After nine years of living in Manhattan, I finally made the trip across the pond (well, river) to Brooklyn. I was really nervous about the lifestyle changes I would have to make (mainly a longer commute), but it turns out that Brooklyn is even better than everyone said it would be. No, I didn't move to the hipster hoods of Williamsburg, Greenpoint, or Bushwick (or, as realtors call them, North Williamsburg and East Williamsburg). Instead, I moved to the family-friendly neighborhood of Park Slope, which conveniently contains one of my favorite places to run, Prospect Park (also home to the new Smorgasburg outpost!). The neighborhood consists of gorgeous blocks filled with community gardens, historic brownstones and boutique stores. Plus, there are about a million cute bars around us and even restaurants headed by Top Chef winners. I think I chose wisely.

Although Saturday and Sunday were moving days, Mike and I managed to escape the wall of boxes and explore a little bit of the neighborhood. Last night, I even got out for a run! Here are some quick glimpses at our new surroundings...

Before the big move, my friend Maggie (who graciously created a San Francisco food map for me) made a "where to eat" map of Park Slope -- a neighborhood with which she happens to be very familiar because she used to live there! I added a few recommendations I'd heard about from blogs and word of mouth to the map. The groceries, bars, and restaurants are primarily focused around Central and South Slope, because thats where we live. Happy to hear any North Slope recs!

Here's where the map currently stands:

I can't wait until we're fully unpacked and we can actually go out and enjoy our new digs. I'm really looking forward to summer concerts in the park, rooftop films at Industry City, the farmer's market, and the new Brooklyn Flea outpost! It almost makes the 45-minute commute worth it.

-Jen