Fall/ Doors/ Halloween

A quick post, sharing some fall love and Halloween excitement in our neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

Some of Meg's favorite houses on Verandah Place.

 

Doors in Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Park Slope.

Halloween Parade at Cobble Hill Park

Gregg "dressed up"

Kids don't even have to go to the doors these days.  Witches wait on the stoops for the kids.

 

House on the Upper West Side that went all out

 



Bear Mountain

Meg was talking with a co-worker about how she missed the greenery back in San Francisco and they suggested that we set out for a hike at Bear Mountain.  It's only about a 60 minute drive straight north of NYC so we decided to check it out one Saturday!

Bear Mountain Trail Map 

Drive up to Bear Mountain.  Even the trees along the highway are pretty.

We arrived around 10am and to our surprise, there was a lot more going on than we expected.  There was a ice skating rink, merry-go-round, a lodge, and signs announcing the Oktoberfest that they were hosting later that afternoon.

The Lodge

Checking out the gift store.  It was a little chillier than we expected, so we were looking for a cap to keep Gregg's bare head warm.  This was the closest thing we could find but fortunately it did not leave the shop with us.  

Inside the lodge.  Very cozy.

Big grassy field in front of the lodge. Apparently, they hold a bunch of events (concerts, fairs, runs) out on this lawn in the warmer-weather months.

Side of the lodge

Picnic area

Green, yellow, orange and red!

Serious hiker...comin' through!

Made it to the lookout at the ridge above the lake

The Hudson River

Perkins Memorial Tower

You can even see the Manhattan skyline in the distance

Gregg preforming his famous disappearing head act

Making our way back down to the lodge was just as eye-popping as the view from the top

After all the hiking was done we took some time to enjoy the live, lederhosen-clad band at the Oktoberfest event before heading back home.

Brooklyn Pour / Cal Game / Photoville / Natural History Museum

The summer weather snuck in an extra weekend in early October so we decided to take advantage.  Saturday early afternoon we walked over to Brooklyn Heights to grab lunch.  We have been searching high and low for a "go-to" sandwich spot and found a deli that looked popular so we checked it out and ordered some sandos to go.

Lunch on The Promenade 

Gregg enjoying the view of Downtown

They don't have sourdough rolls like SF, that's for sure.  The search continues...

Earlier in the week we purchased tickets to Brooklyn Pour, an Oktoberfest-themed brewing exhibition.  The event was from 3:00-6:00 which left us plenty of time to check out a bunch of brewers, which were mostly from the East Coast.  We were pleasantly surprised through by the wide selection of California-based brews and ciders.  Score!

Old bank building that the Brooklyn Pour took place in

Such a neat building

Enjoying our beer and sparkling rosé from an old teller's window

Whole Food's had a booth.  They were offering their versions of "black and tans": a chocolate rimmed glass with a mixture of Stumptown cold brew and an October Fest beer. 

One of the many vaults they had downstairs.  There is no breaking into that thing.  Look how thick the door is!

Old map of NYC behind us.  Brooklyn was named after the Dutch town, Breukelen, and that was the original name seen on this map.

~20 foot chandelier

Our admission passes and tasting glass

Getting silly near the end of our day of tasting

A map of over 200 vendors

Walked back to our neck of the woods, Smith Street, to watch the Cal game.

They have one TV that plays the Pac12 Network.. we'll take it.  

Had the bar to ourselves to watch the Cal Game... GO BEARS! 

Feeling jolly after our Bears won, we headed to Photoville.  Another event at Brooklyn Bridge Park.  We are so lucky that we live so close to an amazing park with tons of events :)

Expanding our photography knowledge.  

Lots of art

Recognize anyone? Beastie Boy besties!

Instagram photoville container

View of Lower Manhattan

Sunday, we headed up to the Natural History Museum where our friend from California, Lauren, showed us around.  The museum is so HUGE.  We saw so much and probably only made a small dent in all of the exhibitions that they had.  

The entire station had animals tiled on the walls

The front of the museum.  The statue is of Theodore Roosevelt who donated many of the animals within the museum.

Lauren hooked us up with some great tickets! We got to see a couple shows too :)

We headed back to Brooklyn and got off the Subway a couple stops early so we could check out Atlantic Antic.  Atlantic Avenue is usually bustling with cars so it was fun to see it crowded with people.  The festival is similar to ones we have been to before, Lafayette Art and Wine Festival, Union St Festival and North Beach Festival in SF, but on a much larger scale.  There was an array of local and national vendors intertwined with booths of trendy restaurants and boutiques. They had live music stages that showcased performances from various cultures. It is best known for its eclectic delicacies, the Antic highlights an array of food from around the world in addition to street fair favorites like funnel cake, sausage sandwiches, and roasted corn!

Taking a stroll through Atlantic Antic

Looked like a Katz sandwich, but cheaper :)

Smoked meat sando, right up Gregg's alley

Meg tried an Arepa - grilled corn bread with mozzarella in the middle, she added sriracha for a little extra somethin-somethin 

After Atlantic Antic, we headed to Trader Joe's to get our groceries for the week and were home in time for the Niner game to start.  The Niner's win was a cherry on top of an excellent weekend :)