On my previous visits to New York City, I never made it across the East River to Brooklyn. When I started planning my most recent short visit, that was something I wanted to rectify. For my first foray into Brooklyn, a grey, dreary and humid Saturday morning, I hopped a subway to lower Manhattan, then popped above ground and headed for the Brooklyn Bridge. Sometimes when you travel, experiences don’t live up to the hype, but walking across this span over the East River was everything I hoped for. Crowds of joggers, families and tourists like me. All of us (except the joggers) stopping every few steps to take pictures and to take in the Manhattan skyline. The bridge itself is also spectacularly beautiful.

When I am traveling by myself, these are some of my favourite times. Urban hikes and wandering can fill entire days for me. And really, the time I was setting aside on this trip to explore Brooklyn didn’t have much structure or an itinerary. Leaving things a bit loose, the walk across the bridge and then this postcard and movie famous view were about the only things I had pinned down for my day.

While earlier in my trip I had used the High Line as a bit of an escape from the hustle of Manhattan, this side of the river on a Saturday morning felt much the same. To be able to see New York from a distance, over the water, yet still hear the faint hum of one of the world’s great cities was a serene experience.

Brooklyn put me at ease in a way I wasn’t over in Manhattan. I stopped to say hi to a few dogs and had great chats with their humans. Everyone over here was friendly and relaxed and the pace was more my style. Maybe it was the difference of being on this side of the river, or maybe it was because it was the weekend… I was in my element.

After walking under the Brooklyn Bridge, I took up a bench a little further down the boardwalk to watch ferries and boats on the river and to take in the skyline. It was sitting here when I decided where I’d be off to next.

It’s hard for the Maritimer in me to not get out on the water when I have the opportunity, so I took a ferry a few stops further north in Brooklyn. On the top deck of the boat, the views were exceptional.

I had a general idea that I would stop by a couple of breweries in Williamsburg. What I came across en route there made me very happy. Something called “Smorgasburg” operates every Saturday during the summer in East River State Park and is essentially an open air food hall. This was going to be good…

After a few laps to scope out all the food stalls and doing my best to avoid the rookie mistake of filling up on things before I had fully surveyed the offerings, I made my first selection at Mao’s Bao. These fried dumplings were little pillows of heaven.

Deep fried mozzarella sticks from Big Mozz were probably the best thing I ate during the entirety of my New York trip. Juicy, salty, hot and cheezy, I devoured these and resisted getting another order so I could leave room for something else.

I could not resist making that last something from Atlantic Canada. These New Brunswick caught my eye and were so fresh that if I closed my eyes, I could almost be back in my former stomping grounds.

After a bit more wandering around Williamsburg looking at street art, I made my way to Brooklyn Brewery. Brooklyn Lager, their flagship beer, was probably the beer that got me interested in craft beer many, many years ago. After a couple of samples at the bar, I ordered a pint of “Defender IPA” and rested my feet.  Saturday in Brooklyn was a great call and I kept thinking as I made my way back to Manhattan that I’d need to sneak another visit in before I left for home.

That other visit came after doing a bit of craft beer research that turned up Tørst, a Scandinavian-inspired craft beer bar in Greenpoint. This place was a great find and a true beer geek’s beer bar.

My dinner was both pretentious and down to earth at the same time. A hot dog with pimento cheese, green onion, house cured bacon and a fresh baked brioche bun was delicious and would have been enough alone to compel me to visit. But the star of the show was the beer, and most especially, this Suarex Family Brewery Homespun pale ale. A hoppy spelt ale, it was soft and subtle and delicate and hands down the best beer of my trip to New York. I’m so glad I made that one extra trip across the river to Brooklyn.