A Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH 2009
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When exploring Williamsburg west of Bedford Avenue you will find that it is very easy to stray from the beaten path and find yourself surrounded by seemingly abandoned warehouses and factory buildings. However, if you look carefully you will see hidden hangouts, houses and glamorous warehouse lobby entrances. The streets are sunny and quiet, with the passing of an occasional hipster. The combination of building types and graffiti momentarily made me feel like I was back home in Cleveland.

Pier, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH 2009
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I am not exactly sure where I was along the riverfront when I came across this pier. I was attracted to its gesture, and also the shade, where I took a short nap amongst the fishermen in the hot afternoon.

Shopping In Williamsburg, Brooklyn
THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH 2009
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After brunch I embarked on a walking tour of Williamsburg with a short list of stores to visit and no set route. I generally only enter design stores, mainly because I cannot afford clothing and at least window shopping for decor is entertaining.

A&G Merch is an urban home furnishing store that has a nice balance of handmade and local products as well as mass produced items. I admired the little merchandise vignettes that allowed customers to pause and explore clusters of products rather than looking at items on linear shelves.

The Future Perfect (not shown) is a little shop full of design objects that I will never be able to afford. In their basement they sometimes have clearance and sample sales that are still mostly out of my price range.

Voos is a collective of local furniture designers and the showroom is full of eclectic pieces. It feels more like walking through a contemporary gallery than a retail store. This store is also way, way out of my price range - like most design stores!

Mast Brothers is a chocolate factory adjacent to Voos, and on this warm afternoon I could smell the chocolate wafting down the block - cacao shells were strewn about the floor when I walked in. The owners/creators - the Mast brothers - both rock amazing beards. Their chocolate is handmade in delicate batches.

Sprout is a sweet little modern garden store that has a beautiful collection of plants, accessories and gifts. I fell in love as soon as I saw the huge terrariums in the center of the room! They have a feature wall covered in tillandsias, too. Tassy spent a good deal of time with me explaining what I possibly did wrong with my terrarium and even printed out a guide for me to take home.

I could best describe Moon River Chattel as rustic chic. It offers reclaimed and vintage furniture and decor as well as contemporary accessories. I could easily decorate an entire cozy bed and breakfast in their merchandise.

Two Jakes (not shown) specializes in classic 20th century modern office furniture. If I recall correctly this store was stacked with furniture.

Portmanteau sells pricey vintage furniture and accessories. These glass vessels caught my eye and all I could think of was terrariums on the walk back to the subway.

Lunch at Blackbird Parlour, Williamsburg
THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH 2009
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I began my first excursion to the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn with a scrumptious brunch at Blackbird Parlour. I feasted on this massive spinach and mushroom frittata which was accompanied by a side of various types of potatoes - including sweet potatoes, surprise! - that were like tasting the food of the gods. Despite being very, very full, I topped off my meal with a towering piece of coconut cake that was fluffy and creamy and a perfect balance of cake, coconut and frosting.

The interior of the space was full of reclaimed charm. Everything looked noticeably worn, like a handed down piece of family furniture in slight disrepair. It was a sunny day and the dark space was comfortably lit by natural light. The people and the restaurant were hipsterific, a detail for which Williamsburg is known. This bothers a lot of people in NYC, but for me it simply reminds me of being in art school and I enjoyed being in a concentration of people my age.