Brooklyn Beckons for a Sizzling Summer Weekend
Editor’s Note: This is the first post in our new Travel Tuesday series. Each week Tiffani will share her insights on travel destinations around the U.S. for short weekend breaks from DC, or much-needed vacations. If you have a destination in mind that you would like to learn more about just let us know!
Rethink what you know about Brooklyn, New York – a city borough which has recently undergone a huge media makeover with the announcement of the under-construction Barclays Center and is currently a prominent city destination of the modern arts, culture and fashion scene. Prospect Park, Brooklyn Museum, and The Brooklyn Academy of Music are a few of Brooklyn’s famed attractions, along with the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal which has year-round sailings from the Queen Mary 2 and Princess Cruises.
Two boutique hotels in Brooklyn, NU Hotel and Hotel Le Bleu, can help you and a few of your pals relax in chic, understated comfort during your summer urban retreat. The NU Hotel even offers a package catered to girlfriend weekends, along with their loft-inspired accommodations, that includes a pedicure at a local spa and two glasses of champagne at their Nu Bar. Plan on enjoying the fabulous views at Hotel Le Bleu’s rooftop restaurant/lounge, considered one of the best in their Park Slope neighborhood. The hotel boasts among its many amenities a 42” high-def television with a BOSE state-of-the art surround sound DVD system.
Get up the next morning and put on your walking shoes because Brooklyn has many interesting sights and attractions to keep you occupied for hours. Check out an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, or hit the pavement running to snag some eclectic, vintage finds at the memorable Brooklyn Flea, an indoor flea market that houses a few Etsy.com vendors live and in-person. If vintage or flea markets aren’t really your thing, Brooklyn can hang with Manhattan boutiques in the form of Zoe, a huge epicenter of women’s and men’s designer clothing and accessories like Chloe, Rag & Bone, Miu Miu and Stella McCartney.
Once your shopping itch is satisfied, indulge your palate by making your own wine at Brooklyn Winery. Everyone in your group can join in the fun of making their own signature wine from grape to glass. You can even serve the wine at an event with a custom-designed wine label, or give away some bottles as a unique gift. Brooklyn Winery also offers private table tastings, if winemaking sounds too complicated for your crew, to enjoy their extensive varieties of red and white wines.
Dinner is served with a stunning, magnificent view at The River Cafe, a longtime Brooklyn favorite. Try to think of a better way to end an exciting day of shopping and wine-tasting than sitting with friends at the edge of the famed Brooklyn Bridge, lit up in all its glorious beauty while you feast on American classics. Don’t forget dessert either, the elegant restaurant features a decadent chocolate Brooklyn Bridge!
A Brooklyn weekend would not be complete without a little nighttime fun. You may be over the typical club scene, but who doesn’t love karaoke? Korean karaoke, called norebangs, are slowly making their way over to the US and gaining popularity. They feature private rooms for groups to enjoy their singing (or wailing) amongst themselves. Brooklyn is home to a playful venue, 100 Fun USA, which houses an amazing 32 private rooms to get your groove on with your buds, some rooms include a funky disco ball. Even the shyest member of the clan will be compelled to sing at least one tune and let her hair down. If you want to keep your weekend memories positive, just promise not to post the table-dancing photos on Facebook or Twitter!
Images via Flickr (creative commons) by TanmoyDas, Yelp.com and Kramchang
