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36 Hours on Brooklyn Waterfront

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Friday

Hotel Le Bleu| 11 am

After getting off the plane I took a cab to Hotel Le Blue. When I first arrived, I enjoyed the comfortable cozy touch to the hotel. Since I came at breakfast time I was offered free breakfast. I had a nice balcony view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. I enjoyed that the staff was very friendly and catered to my needs. Although the hotel isn’t the fanciest hotel offered in New York, I appreciate the small environment, because the staff is able to cater to my needs. After a long flight I decided to get comfortable and get ready to enjoy my night.

Stone Park Cafe| 8 Pm

The great thing about the Brooklyn community it that all the businesses are by each other. Walking a 5 minute walk from my hotel I went to visit the Stone Park Cafe. I enjoyed the nice environment that the restaurant had to offer. I did enjoy the nice hospitality that the staff had to offer. I ordered a prime dry aged NY steak strip with an order of french fries and buttermilk onion rings ($30). I also bought some vanilla ice cream which cost $4.00. Overall I enjoyed my meal and I would recommend anyone to try this meal one day when they visit the Brooklyn area.

Saturday

York Street| 10am

It is a short walk from the hotel to the F train. Take the train towards Jamaica and get off at York St. Though the walk from the train to the park is 13 minutes. It is still a beautifully sunny day, so the walk isn’t much. On the way to the park we found there were a lot of vendors selling breakfast items. We ordered egg sandwiches, doughnuts and orange juice from a food truck called Eggs Travaganza. Though it was from a truck it tasted amazing and was easy to eat once we arrived at the park and found a place to sit down. The meal overall cost $13.

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Free Kayaking| 11am

We arrived to the Brooklyn Bridge park, only an hour after it opened for the day. There were a lot of people, which I didn’t expect. During the wait you are informed that you can only be on the water for about twenty minutes, but watching others, you know it will be an experience that is worth it. You are taught the basics of kayaking by an instructor, who also keeps watch on you at all times while you’re on the water. The sun hits the water beautifully, and you can see the different parts of the park as you wait. The wait isn’t bad, especially when you have people to talk about the scenery with. The people waiting were just as excited for the experience and very willing to converse with us. Being on the water was an amazing and rushing experience. I wish it had lasted longer than twenty-minutes because I was having an amazing time with the people I traveled with. At first paddling was a bit of an issue because I couldn’t get the rhythm but after a short time of practice I got the hang of it and enjoyed it even more.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory| 2pm

The walk to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory wasn’t long, because it was right near pier 1 of the Brooklyn Bridge park. I had a scoop of vanilla chocolate chunk ice cream and a scoop of strawberry on a cone ($6), and it tasted like the best mixture of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate I had ever had, and I am not the biggest fan of chocolate and vanilla mix of ice cream. The inside is cozy, giving you more of a homemade feel of ice cream opposed to a franchise like Baskin Robbins. The outside of the parlor looks like a lighthouse and its location really resembles where a lighthouse could be located. We take our ice cream and walk back to the park, appreciating the urban yet calm feel Brooklyn gives you. We stay laying out on the grass until the sun goes down and everyone decides they’re hungry.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que| 7:30pm

New York is known for how unique they are, hearing about a restaurant called Dinosaur Bar-B-Que intrigued us to want to travel there to eat for dinner. A friend was always a big fan of dinosaurs, the idea of eating at a place called it, made him very happy. The restaurant had a unique steakhouse kind of feel to it. I had the Chicken Steak which was around seventeen dollars. I didn’t find the plate expensive because the food was beyond tasty. The chicken was seasoned perfectly, and the steak was tender and easy to cut; every dollar was worth it.

Woodland| 10pm

After having a great meal we decided to hit a lounge. The lounge had large windows that were opened letting the summer breeze in. You sat on high simple yet elegant black chairs with matching high tables, right next to the open windows. Having drinks and drinking wine (30$), the music set the mood to be a very serene and relaxed environment. We even met people who had been visiting from North Carolina; it was nice meeting people who had been experiencing Brooklyn for the first time as well. A difference between my town and Brooklyn is that the places stay open late, and you can easily take a train to where you stay.

Sunday

Smorgasburg| 12 pm

After enjoying a breakfast from the hotel who generously offered it complimentary; the meal consisted of egg, sausage, and pancakes and a medium coffee. We decided to visit the Brooklyn flea by N 6th St, which had a lot of food and entertainment. There were many stands selling a variety of options to buy. I decided to buy a chicken buffalo sandwich, which was absolutely amazing; it came with a side order of tater tots and a free beverage, which cost about $11. I also bought some dessert, and bought myself a chocolate macadamia ice cream cake, which was to die for! ($6). I enjoyed the free entertainment that was provided, and I enjoyed how there were many options to choose upon. We even bought some healthy snacks (10$) and walked to East River park and relaxed, enjoying the sun and the different things we all had gotten.I overall enjoyed my day here at the flea market, and hope to visit here another time when I visit New York.

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Lodging:

  1. Hotel Le Bleu: 370 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Details:

  1. Woodland: 242 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
  2. Stone Park Cafe: 324 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
  3. York Street: F train stop
  4. Brooklyn Bridge Park: 334 Furman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
  5. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory: The Corners of Old Fulton and Water Street Brooklyn, New York 11201
  6. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: 604 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
  7. Smorgasburg: 90 Kent Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211

Voulenteer Tourism

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Brooklyn Waterfront

members: Nicole Maldonado, Jason Zhang, Irene Papanikola, JiaJie Tan and Charlie Tripoli

The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative was a group that began planning in 2004, in which used 14-miles to create space between the neighborhood in order to get people involved in the area. Today, it has multiple volunteer opportunities in a variety of places within the community, from art to planting. The incredible project stands strong, continuing to involve ones of Brooklyn and any others whom would enjoy being involved in the project they continue to work on. It is an incredible way to gather the neighborhood to get involved within their community and also include other who are willing to lend a hand and time. 

A person who enjoys volunteering and happens to take a trip down to Brooklyn, New York can get involved in a variety of volunteer projects that are organized by the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI). The Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition (BWAC), is an organization that is ran by artists. They have a gallery in which does not have many restrictions on ones art.”BWAC inspires them to network with other artists, new collectors and a larger community.” (Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition Volunteer Opportunities – VolunteerMatch). The organization does what they can to help artist get started, volunteering for this organization would be perfect for a person whom enjoys art, and working with artistic individuals. Though many people appreciate art, they might not want to volunteer involving such. There are quite a few options in the variety of activities different organizations offer. The GBI continue connecting a 14-mile route leading to the Brooklyn waterfront. Another volunteer opportunity would be a nature related activity. The organization had volunteers clear our “English Ivy that was strangling native trees, ultimately cleaning a 10,000-square-foot area.” (Building Resiliency on the Brooklyn Waterfront.nd). People gathered together to clear a huge bed of land in order to have the route continue to be made to the waterfront. Even travelers can easily volunteer to help the organization continue to strive for their goals. A project that not only has to do with nature, but also music, is one which gives one the opportunity to help clean neighborhood around the Brooklyn waterfront, for the route making. Once volunteering, you will have the opportunity to win tickets to the waterfront concert. Traveling to different cities gives one the understanding that there are many ways to give back to a place that needs it; something people should do more. 

One may find volunteering a great experience, but one might not enjoy the nature like activities. The GBI also has a project in which has volunteer work encouraging people to recycle along the Brooklyn waterfront which goes to the Queens waterfront. While people ride their bikes for 40-miles, Opposed to being in the middle of the bed of land pulling vines, you help make sure people are recycling, and guiding them to doing so. A person who travels down here and enjoys watching races or attending fundraisers, volunteering to help this project could be a day of fun in a calm environment. Being by the waterfront itself will give you the ability to see its beauty, while you continue to encourage people along to recycle. After the bike event ends, the final destination is the beach, which everyone is encouraged to enjoy the food, environment, and ocean water. To tour the waterfront and swim in an ocean in one day is one great memory to create. 

Touring different places create unforgettable memories naturally, but visiting a new place and volunteering creates a great experience for others as well as yourself. A person is able to help a community build something of significance, making a difference in some way. Someone whom is interested in the Brooklyn waterfront can easily find volunteer activities in multiple areas, ranging from art to nature. You can also volunteer very close to the waterfront that is in plain view. The fulfillment in which volunteering brings is an incredible one, a person helps lives and enjoys a new adventure. A person who would like to see the Brooklyn waterfront and have a volunteer experience would have a very easy time finding a great one. 

 

Nicole Maldonado

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 I am a nineteen year old freshman attending New York City College of Technology. In my Academic years I have always obtained B’s and above. I attended a film high school where I studied the film curriculum for four years. I learned how to edit films, make music videos and I learned how to analyze a character. I am a freshman attending New York City college of Technology. I am majoring in Hospitality Management. I hope to open up my restaurant in the future. I came to this school for two reasons. One, because it had the major that I want to pursue. The second reason I came to this school is because of the community. I lived in Spanish Harlem all my life and I wanted to get familiar with this borough.  

Although I did enjoy the film industry it just wasn’t something I could picture myself doing everyday. Culinary has always caught my attention ever since I was a little girl. I grew up in a family with a lot of girls and I remember always seeing them cook food in the kitchen. As a young girl I watched cooking channels and cooked while the shows were playing. Although I am a big fan of cooking, I am not a huge fan of baking. I enjoy cooking for people and seeing their reaction when they eat my food. I hope this school teaches me how to differentiate the various foods and seasonings. I also want to learn anything else in the kitchen that’s going to enhance my experience. 

I personally would say that I am a strong person because I have had to build myself after going through various difficult issues. I am quite a character some would refer to me as a sour patch, because I am a genuine person who cares naturally for other but I can also be a very sour person in which stands up for herself when she feels disrespected and not always in the nicest of ways. I would say that a strength I have is the ability to talk to others and help them through any issues they have going on and motivate them to do what would be best for them. It is difficult and most times uncomfortable for me personally to express my strengths because I do not particularly like engaging about myself as much as I love to learn and engage in conversations to learn about others. I would rather talk about others and fix their problems then speak to others about my own and myself.Â