nyc day 4: pink lemonade snapple

Yesterday we spoke to a guide at the Harry Potter exhibition who recommended getting out of claustrophobic and touristy Manhattan and try Brooklyn, go over the river and visit a flea market. So we did. I discovered very quickly that I hate the New York subway but the key is just get on a train and hope it takes you to a station somewhere near your destination. It's not simple enough to just name the stations and have seperate lines which can be clearly marked on a map - no, there have to be an assortment of numbers and letters and hidden names for you to jumble through just to get a few blocks down. At least it is a cheap way to travel around the city.



As soon as we got to Brooklyn it became clear that actually, over the last three days Manhattan has become as much a comfort zone as strictly possible. The heat and clear skies seemed to exaggerate the stereotypical "Americanness" of Brooklyn, streets coated in yellow light, windows with bars, steps in front of every house. After walking many blocks (and coming across Cumberland St which I perhaps got too excited over) we found the flea market on LaFayette Avenue. Amazing vintage dresses in one off florals, retro designs and delicate lace offerings, old suitcases, armless mannequins, and fixie bike galore. But my favourite stall offered vintage cameras, old photos of England and religious memorabilia. Unfortunately none of this was cheap, and actually all the really interesting stuff I'd love to spend money on, the sixties kitchen tables and gorgeous old wooden drawers, wire chairs and decorative mirrors, are all the things I'd be unable to fit in my suitcase. Inspiring none the less.





Once again a few hours walking around Brooklyn left us knackered. We retired to our hotel for a few hours and found solace in Nick channel... we've developed a 'it's so bad it's addictive' syndrome over Victorious and iCarly. I also had my first cup of tea of my stay, I'm sure the cashier in Starbucks knew I was British and I appreciated his "Enjoy!" comment after I'd paid.

Our final trek of the evening led us to the Empire State building, a trip that bought us the first American to attempt a British accent in front of us. It was all quite amazing.



So, halfway through. England I hope you are still waiting for me.
Now I'm going to do some more soduku and reclaim my half of the bed.