Exploring Brooklyn
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17TH 2009
AREA MAP

After going to the market I took the subway to Borough Hall Station in Brooklyn, armed with a list of design stores. I wandered above and below Atlantic Avenue, stopping at planned destinations and discovering unexpected places.You can make out my path here.

As with stores all over NYC, the best shops were inconspicuous and easy to pass if you did not have a keen eye and took the time to search for them. When we first arrived here I was (foolishly) quick to dismiss storefronts that did not meet my "expectations" - nice signage, inviting displays, etc. - and I know now to give everyone a chance.

Abitare is a home decor store that is modern but with a soft, feminine touch.

I almost passed Sterling Place, and I am so thankful that I did not! It was filled with contemporary and vintage treasures, like the antique bowling set and the artfully crafted decanters.

Acorn has a marvelous collection of children' toys and decor items. The products are beautifully designed and are attractive to both kids and adults - which I think is ideal since they will most likely be strewn about the house, right?

Darr was one of my favorite unexpected shops. It was cluttered with some of the most interesting found objects, and I could equate it to a "grim" retail version of the outdoor Brooklyn Flea Market. Mounted animal heads and apothecary bottles were just some of their stock.

I went to both Greenhouse and Opalia, but I do not have photographs from the former. Opalia is a flower shop that has a nice collection of glass vases and dried botanicals, which I was contemplating for my terrariums.

Dig was packed to the brim with gardening supplies. They had terrariums sporadically placed throughout the shop. I liked their suitcase displays outside showcasing products.

Grdn was clean, modern gardening shop with a small but beautiful collection of housewares and gardening supplies. I bought a nice plant but I've forgotten what it is called.

Flight 001 has a great line of modern and vintage-inspired travel accessories. I bought a few items from them for my trip to Japan, like these luggage tags (the swearing one). Their store looked like the interior cabin of an airplane - loved it!

Blue Ribbon General Store is a great store for gifts and well-designed home accessories, like teapots, recycling bags and soaps. If you cruise the design blogs occasionally you might recognize some of their goods, such as the Stitch Postcard.

The Flower District, West 28th Street
MONDAY, JUNE 15TH 2009
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On 28th Street, between Broadway and 7th Avenue is what is informally known as the Flower District of NYC. You will find thousands of plants here, from freshly cut flowers to eight foot tall trees and shrubs. It is mostly wholesale, meant for events, weddings, et cetera, but a few shops will sell to the public. For an incredible selection, plan on being there between 5am and 7am.

I sauntered over around 10am to find that some shops were completely empty by this time. All that remained were a few trampled stems on the tile floor. The shops that still had stock were bustling, and I took only a few photographs because wherever I stood I was in someone's way. It was a tourist trip for me, after all, but a livelihood for them.

It seemed that every shop had a cat, which made me very happy and I spent a good portion of my time playing with kitties.

The smells remain most significant in my memory, even above the colorful blossoms and rare flora. The air was sharp and sweet with pollen and fragrance. Despite all the beautiful flowers, I was most drawn to the sections (large and small) of trees for purchase. I snatched up a 1" section of a birch tree for home decor.

I had two intents for the day: experience the Floral District and purchase succulents. The last photographs is where I purchased a beautiful selection of succulents, none of which I can name because I know nothing about them.

Terrarium Class With Tovah Martin
SATURDAY, JUNE 13TH 2009
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About a week before we moved to NYC I became infatuated with terrariums. The book release of The New Terrarium really set this mini obsession in motion, and I was delighted when I learned that the author, Tovah Martin, would be hosting a terrarium class at The Horticultural Society of New York only one week after our arrival.

The tuition for the class - $80 - was not steep by NYC standards, but was significant investment on our part. Justin was kind enough to pay it for me as a "welcome to NYC" gift. AW. It was a three hour long class and worth every dollar. There were nine students total, which allowed personal attention for every person and her questions.

I arrived late. Google Maps quite inconveniently located the HSNY about six city blocks away from the actual building, and I frantically called Justin when I realized that the sketchy area I was in most certainly did not look like the HSNY. He navigated me to the correct intersection and I ran through a light rain looking somewhat foolish. Luckily, all the plants they selected for the class were beautiful and healthy, so my lack of choice as the last student did not discourage me.

We sat through an hour and a half long lecture, a thirty minute demonstration and then set to work on our own terrariums. Aside from the supplied plants, soil, charcoal and rocks, we were also given a selection of random items to add to our terrariums as decoration - twigs, pine cones, feathers, acorns and in my case an animal bone. Students in the class were cheerful and it was nice to chat with strangers about a common interest. I took photographs of the other terrariums, but unfortunately it was difficult to capture the little environments behind reflective glass.

UPDATE

Alas, my terrarium has since died. I think the cute random items, along with too much moisture, did it in. After a week, white fuzzy mold appeared first among the "dead" items - pine cones and twigs - and then began attacking the plants. I removed the aggressive mold, threw away the extra objects, trimmed the dead sections of the plants and even washed their leaves, but it was too little, too late. Sadly, a lesson learned.