As Debbie and I were wandering around Brooklyn one day it occurred to us that we should have a podcast about Brooklyn. There are so many great places to see that taking the time and writing about everyone would be very time consuming. We visit all the parks and visit many of the restaurants and having a podcast can really help tourist and locals learn all about Brooklyn.

Our first podcast is a about some of the best restaurants in Brooklyn. We have two favorite places where we like to eat. One is in Park Slope and the other is at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The restaurant in park Slope is called Magnolias and I really love the place. Besides being a nice place to sit down and just have a great meal the decor of the restaurant is amazing. We visit there whenever we go to Prospect Park. You can visit their website Magnolias and look at the menu and the place. You will fall in love with it just like we have. Connect with Roger the owner on Twitter at @MagnoliaRest

Our second place is Petes Dowtown. This place has amazing views as it is right under the Brooklyn Bridge. Their meals are amazing and their prices are very reasonable. The staff are very friendly. Connect with them on Twitter @Petesdowntown.

Yesterday we went down to the Brooklyn Botanic garden to look at the roses and stumbled upon a red-tailed hawk. I had to stop taking pictures of the roses and focus on the hawk which was way too high to get a good shot of him.

It is always a nice surprise when you see something that is unexpected. Although I found out later that the hawks are quite common it took me by surprise. Below is a small video I took of the hawk flying around. I am sorry it really isn’t good but it was the best I could do.

Here are some videos that I took during my trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is an amazing place and you really forget you are in Brooklyn. This was shot in late April and there is really something to see here no matter what time of year you go.

Here is a Robin taking a bath in a waterfall. Yes it is in Brooklyn lol

Turtles all lined up in the Japanese Pond.

Yellow Daffodils

Japanese Pond : Water animals and beauty

Shakespeare Garden : Herbs and flowers mixed

Pretty Flowers : They are all over the place as you can imagine.

Brooklyn Conservatory : There was a wedding going on inside. Probably one of the best places to get married in Brooklyn.

That is enough for today. If you are going to the gardens they are free on Tuesday. You can take the Franklin shuttle train to the Botanic garden stop or take the B or Q and get off at Prospect park. Walk towards the Wendys and enter the gardens there.

Met these nice people last year when they paddled up to my summer home near the Rockaways. They had about 15 kayaks and they went and got pizza for lunch.

Who knew that Brooklyn had such a club.

Just started listing some homemade jewelry and key chains on Etsy. You can see my shop here. Brooklyn Etsy Shop.

Bookmark the page as it will soon be loaded with some cool Brooklyn themed items.

Today I am standing on a subway platform in downtown Brooklyn, A Japanese guy with only a duffle bag ask me how to get to the airport. As I am giving him directions I ask him where he is flying to and he tells me Japan. I say you don’t have much luggage for such a far away destination he says he flew in this morning from Japan to see the place where Mr Matsui plays before they tear it down.

The guy had a subway map detailed with exactly how long it would take to go stop for stop on the train all the way to the Bronx. He came all the way from Japan to see Yankee Stadium. He didn’t even stay for tonight’s Yankee game. Fly in and fly home and that is it.

He says to me that he was amazed that there was not a big statue of Mr Matsui outside of Yankee Stadium. I just chuckled under my breath. I don’t think there is even a statue of Babe Ruth at the stadium and this guy was expecting a Matsui statue.

I made sure he got on a Far Rockaway bound “A” train that will take him to the Howard Beach station for connection with the Airtrain to JFK Airport. After such a long trip I wanted to make sure he got home ok.

I was down by the Brooklyn Academy of Music last night and they have an amazing little light show outside on the building. It was really an amazing show and this video does not do it justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL3uYbUSTYs

After filming the video I headed over to Franks Lounge for a nice cold beer and some good music. Franks Lounge is a great place and the people are so friendly.

I am sure you have heard all about the parrots that call Brooklyn New York home. No one really knows how they came here and there are many theories on this subject. I don’t really care how they got here I am just surprised they have adapted to the climate so well.

I use to see these all the time down near the subway yard at ave X and Mcdonald ave. They have a shed on the southbound platform near the first car where they hang out and I am guessing mulitply as well.  I have found a great video on youtube that shows all about these parrots. It is quite captivating.

You can see it on the forum.
Brooklyn parrots

Just started a new section on the forum that deals with facts about Brooklyn. The first post is about the first Miss USA Jackie Loughery. She won a movie contract and had a screen name and even married a famous actor.

You can see more on the forum in the new Brooklyn Facts section http://www.vinnyfrombrooklyn.com/forum/index.php?topic=38.0  

I am really trying to get more people to contribute to the forum. If you have any Brooklyn facts or trivia  please chime in on the forum.

A few weeks ago I took a walk through the Brooklyn Botanical garden and I was amazed at the beauty and the size of the place. Actually I am shocked I never been there before. Maybe its like the Statue of Liberty most New Yorkers know its there but they never go to the statue because they never find the time.

On the way I took the “C” train and then the Franklin avenue shuttle and discovered some of the treasures that you rarely take a look at but you see all the time in the subway. When you go upstairs at Franklin avenue to take the shuttle they have the most amazing stained glass. If you are a fan of stained glass you can easily spend an hour there taking pictures of it.

Took the shuttle to the Botanical Gardens stop and had no idea where to go after leaving the train station. They should have a helpful map or a sign for people to follow. I walked down Eastern Parkway and passed by the Brooklyn Musuem and found the place.

Although it was a gloomy day and the flowers were well past blooming due to winter it was still a good day to take in the  sites. As you enter the gardens from the Eastern Parkway entrance you are in a huge garden and the place to walk is along the fence to the left as there is a replica of the Statue of Liberty in the nearby Museum backyard.

Then I passed a huge bank of cherry trees and an overlook that makes you forget you were in Brooklyn. Then it was on to the Japanesse garden which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and it was in Brooklyn. I took over 400 pictures during this little trip. I met a few nice women who came from Baltimore just to see the garden. I had no idea it was such a popular place. Sometimes it surprises me what we take for granted as nyer’s.

I sat in the Japanese garden and took pictures of a few ducks that called the pond their home, it was very relaxing! As I walked around I seen the many varieties of herbs that grow in the garden and that amazed me.

Then it was off to the conservatory that had many tropical plants in the rainforest. Yep thats right there is a rain forest in Brooklyn. There is actually three conservatories in all and they have a desert and even a bonzi room. I took a break and had some lunch and that was amazing. It was a tomato, mozzarella and basil on a hero. It was worth it that I may go back just to have lunch lol.    

I consider this place as a MUST DO if you are coming to Brooklyn or you live here.