Things I will miss about living in Brooklyn

(I started this post a while ago hoping that I would be able to add a few more thoughts and post it before packing up my computer for the big move. There was just so much packing, not to mention the fact that we were still in the middle of getting the house in move-in-ready condition, that there was little time to think about sitting down to get in a blog post. Now that we finally got the computer set up and everything, and everyone is asleep, here's my big chance to finally finish this post.)

I never knew this day would actually come. I always thought we would stay here and be the ones to see people off. Yet, we are the ones leaving.

Before I get into the list of the things I will miss about my neighborhood here in Brooklyn, let me just say that there are definitely things that we will NOT miss, so let me get those out of the way before I proceed. I will not miss alternate side of the street parking regulations. Bundling up Liam in the morning during the cold winter months for three years was a real sacrifice. We are also very happy to leave behind the cigarette smoke that seeps into our bedroom from our upstairs neighbor's apartment. Oh! Our creeky floors! Just about every floor board in our apartment creeks, I kid you not. Goodbye to the world's tiniest kitchen! Amazing how much we were able to cram in there. We are also very happy not to have to listen to the blaring music and smell the exhaust fumes from the cars waiting at the traffic light. Yuck.

We take the good with the bad, as they say. Needless to say there is so much more that I will miss about our neighborhood in Brooklyn. You know that I am a Queens girl. I was born there and I lived there practically my whole life. I never expected to like living anywhere else, except maybe Manhattan, of course. Not that my old neighborhood in Queens was spectacular, far from it, but I did really like living in Brooklyn, hence the reason why I am posting this. I came here as a newlywed to live in my husband's bachelor pad. I had our baby here in Brooklyn. This New York City borough, this neighborhood in particular, will always hold a special place in my heart.

I will miss:

• Shore Road
• walking along the promenade
• the fantastic views of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge
• watching the military ships come in for Fleet Week and how they majestically salute NYC
• kite flying at the park off the Belt Parkway
• the nearby playgrounds (the favorite being the one on Shore Road with the fantastic views of the bay)
• the nearby Church bells that play hymns at 12, 3 and 6.
• all the great stores that are all walking distance to our apartment (I'm pretty sure that I will never have a Century 21 walking distance ever again.)
• the one of a kind mom and pop shops
• the Haagen Daz with the cool jukebox
• the florist with the fun storefront window
• the comic book store that both my husband and Liam love so much
• the Halal food vendor car that my husband can't get enough of
• sitting with Liam at our favorite stoop to wait for the school children to be let out (just so that Liam can pretend to be in their class)
• walking over to the train station to wait for daddy
• the kid that plays his bagpipes on his front porch
• Noodles and Puppet! (the doggies that live down the block)
• chasing the Mr. Softee truck down the streets
• our favorite eateries: Pizza Wagon, Casa Calamari, Plaka, Hinsch's, Off Shore Diner, Fuel, Bagel Boy, Falafel King, Karam, Viva Latin Bistro, Tuscany Grill, Sophia's, Areo...
• our super clean apartment building (and the treasures we have acquired from the recycling room!!)
• having an elevator
• our walk-in closet (will I ever have one again?!)
• our extra long cast iron tub (aaaaahhhhh!!!!!)
• our ward

Most of all, we will miss our neighbors and friends terribly. You hear people say that  "Home is where the heart is". Well, a piece of my heart will always be here in this fabulous neighborhood, so I will always consider it home.

June, Emily, Shawna, Martha, Melanie, Lindsay (Naomi, not pictured)