Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass

I love how so many places in New York City are named after the actual location - SoHo (South of Houston Street), TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal Street), NoLita (North of Little Italy), etc. But DUMBO is not only my favorite name of the sort (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), but it's also one of my favorite places to visit. The in-laws were in town last week, so we spent an afternoon making the roundtrip to this charming Brooklyn neighborhood and of course ended up with some delicious treats along the way! Here's the tour:

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge.

Eat the best pizza in New York at Grimaldi's (the new location next door, but the same great pizza!)

Walk around Pier One. Ride Jane's Carousel (the girls adored it!!!) - the most joy that could possibly be packed into 3 minutes!

Make a stop at the French patisserie Almondine on Water Street. My father-in-law lived in France for two years, so he enjoyed the very French atmosphere of this picturesque little bakery (so picture-perfect that we had to veer around the newlyweds taking wedding photos on the front steps!).

Serious Eats dubbed Almondine the winner of the Brooklyn leg of the best chocolate chip cookie contest, therefore, I had no choice but to try it. The cookie was the same size as my apartment and absolutely delicious! Like a good New Yorker, it was crispy and soft at the same time, and it had an almost caramelized flavor (but not to the burnt-tasting extreme like City Bakery). I was wishing for a little more chocolate (don't let the picture fool you, there are more than 3 chocolate chips, but still not quite enough), but overall, a winner!

Since you can't go to a French bakery without indulging in fresh macarons, my mother-in-law picked out several of the colorful two-bite macarons to try (not realizing that the size in no way correlates with the price!). They were wonderful - dense yet perfectly fluffy, flavorful, and filled with delicious creams and jellies. I loved the pistachio, James preferred the black cherry, and Hannah enjoyed the chocolate. There were a dozen other pasteries that looked delicious as well, which gives us every excuse to come again!

Finally, ride the East River Ferry home.

It was a perfect day!