An Afternoon in Brooklyn: Williamsburg

Living in Philadelphia, we love to go to NYC for day trips. There are so many neighborhoods and places to explore in New York. We go there nearly every other month and I still feel like we will never uncover even a tenth of it. Philly used to seem so massive when I moved here seven years ago but after our frequent visits to NYC and my semester abroad in London, it seems so tiny! A few weeks ago we headed to Brooklyn to spend a day in Williamsburg. We haven't spent much time in this eclectic neighborhood so we were excited to check it out for the day.

First stop? Always coffee. In this case, Blue Bottle coffee. I had been to Blue Bottle once when I went to San Francisco a few years ago so I was excited to revisit it right in NYC. My choice was an almond milk latte to hold me over until brunch.

Our brunch reservation was at The Bedford, which evidently has the best chicken sandwich. Ever. (Thanks Instagram for this important knowledge!) So you know I had to go for that. And honestly, it might have been! The chicken sandwich was loaded with delicious purple slaw and was fried so perfectly. Messy? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely. Derek went with the fried chicken and waffles which looked equally as good. Bonus Points. You can get one $5 mimosa or bellini during brunch.

After brunch we strolled down Bedford Ave and stopped in so many unique shops. There was a bookstore, which - shocker, we had to stop in. We also stopped in so many fun boutiques and a record store. We eventually made our way into Greenpoint by accident after walking through McCarren Park and stopped in an adorable vintage shop where Greenpoint and Williamsburg meet called Awoke Vintage where I picked up a candle by the Brooklyn Candle company in the scent Sunday Morning. It's my new favorite and luckily a local shop in Philly sells them as well!

We also stopped in Artists and Fleas which is a massive warehouse filled with vendors on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 7pm. Artists & Fleas has everything you can think of - from bakeries, to vintage clothing, to soaps and beauty products and records  - there's really something for everyone there! Afterwards, we stopped for caffeine at Cafe Beit because we were feeling sleepy after so much walking around! I grabbed a cortado (yum!) and we were able to snag a rare seat inside and chill out for a few minutes.

Lastly, we made our way down to the river to take a look at Manhattan's skyline which was so dreamy. (I told ya, I really love New York!) Afterwards, we took the walk to Woops! for macarons and headed back to Manhattan to grab the bus back home to Philly. There were so many fun places to check out in Williamsburg and I already cant wait to go back again!