Oct 18 2013

A lovely autumn day in Brooklyn


Just a week ago, we were with our New Jersey family on a visit to Brooklyn for a modelling shoot which the grandchildren were doing. It was a beautiful autumn day as we headed into the Lincoln Tunnel.

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Then it was across the Brooklyn Bridge, towards the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, where the photo shoot was to be.

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We parked right underneath the bridge.

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The Brooklyn Bridge, which spans the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, was completed in 1883, and is the oldest steel-wire suspension bridge in the US. When it was opened in 1903, it was the longest in the world, with a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m).

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Around the corner is the popular ‘Ice Cream Factory’, which was opened in 2001 shortly after 9/11. It sits at the Brooklyn end of the bridge, in a landmark fire-boat house on a ferry landing, which is the oldest one in the city.

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The hibiscus were blooming beautifully in the autumn sunshine.

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From this boat landing, there is an impressive view of the Manhattan skyline. There are many padlocks on the fence along the dock, and I read that the pop cultural phenomenon that turned the Ponte Vecchio in Florence into a locksmith’s paradise, has jumped across the Atlantic and is threatening to cover the Brooklyn Bridge in lovers’ padlocks. Many couples come to this area for their wedding photos, and to fix an engraved padlock onto the bridge, before throwing the key into the East River.

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From here, you can see the 104-storey super-skyscraper, which is the ‘1 World Trade Centre’, formerly known as ‘Freedom Tower’. This is built on the site of the original ‘6 World Trade Centre’.

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The Statue of Liberty is also visible in the distance.

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We had a very interesting time, dressing the three children for their photo shoot. The two littlest were very excited.

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Sienna wasn’t quite so enthralled with the outfit she had to wear.

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After it was all over, we were rather hungry, so went across the road for pizza.

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Then it was back to the Ice Cream Factory for dessert. Extremely serious business. 🙂

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We really caught the traffic going home, and had to take a detour through the Brooklyn Tunnel, instead of over the bridge, which was now closed over the weekend for maintenance.

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We so enjoyed our lovely autumn day in Brooklyn. I hope you did too. Have a wonderful weekend.

89 comments on “A lovely autumn day in Brooklyn”

  1. Pingback: WPC: My Model Family | anotherdayinparadise

  2. So many memories for me to enjoy of my beloved Brooklyn. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was viewing them. I walked the Brooklyn Bridge a few times. It looks liek Brooklyn is becoming a better neighborhood from when I lived there. I understand it has become quite arty. I hope to get there in the near future.
    Incidentally, my husband had a custom ring made for me for my 25th anniversay that is the Brooklyn Bridge. He is very creative when it comes to gift giving.
    Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Your photos have wonderful subject matter and beautiful clarity.
    Issy xoxo

  3. I enjoyed this post so much. Great storytelling together with all those wonderful pictures. And the kids are so cute 🙂

    • Not a lot different, but the yellow cabs aren’t as bad as our mini bus taxis. They don’t want to risk a fine, as traffic enforcement in the city is very serious, and the fines are horrendous.

  17. Great photos … as always, when I was in NYC was it summer hot .. only 4 weeks ago. Love the photo of the “freedom tower” some impressive building. A very adventures day for the kids too … loads of ice cream – a whole factory.
    I wish you a great weekend and thanks for taking me to Brooklyn, never been there, but the place to live now in NYC – I was nearly there when we bordered the wrong underground train, but nearly doesn’t count.

      • Next time .. I will stay on, because Brooklyn has become the place to live and visit now – very trendy restaurants, some of the city’s best and hotel that cost a lot less than on Manhattan.

  21. When we visited NYC I remember the bridge and tunnel so well and this was a great reminder… the sky line was slightly different with the twins having collapsed 6 months before…

  25. Very nice photos, especially the Brooklyn Bridge ones. Pizza and ice cream! What a day in the City 🙂

  26. I’ve always enjoyed the bridges in NYC….not the traffic though. I guess the design and structure fascinates me. Your grandchildren are too adorable!

  28. Thanks for a fantastic tour ! … As usually, i appreciate your so informative text … I´ve never been to the US, but it´s on my want to do list 😉 .. // Maria 🙂

  29. Beautiful shots of the bridge and surrounding area. I didn’t know of the Ice Cream Factory. What a great spot and view to sit and have a scoop! I bet it’s extremely popular on a warm Summer’s day.

  31. You know Ad, I never liked skyscapers, but when they did that on 9/11… the skyline has to be full of them in pure defiance.
    Lovely family day out 🙂

  32. I always enjoy views of NYC, thanks for sharing your trip and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, which is all new to me … with those gorgeous children your photos are really special!

  36. All that crazy traffic. I went miles out of my way to avoid NYC traffic and ended up in bumper to bumper crawling along on the New Jersey Turnpike. Sigh. Couldn’t wait to get back to my wide open spaces….. 🙂

    • I can understand that, Gunta. The traffic is quite a nightmare. My son is so used to it, so I just sit there and close my eyes tight when I feel like screaming in terror. ;D

  38. As I’ll probably never go there its great to see ‘normal’ photos of those places as opposed to the usual magazine type shots of what they think we want to see – does that make sense? 🙂

    • That’s also one of the things I like about reading blogs too! Much as I like seeing some travel magazines, some of the stories and photos seem too perfectly posed. But with blogs you really get a chance to see how real people experience things.

      I’ve been to NYC many many times, but never crossed the Brooklyn bridge, I’ll have to try to get there soon!

  39. wow…AD, awesome photos….what a great way to spend the day…do the children do photo shots often? I’ve never been but my daughter and family were there this summer for a week…they absolutely loved it!

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