Run to Brooklyn's History

Saturday November 7th was a gorgeous day. Sunny skies and crisp air made for a perfect day for a running adventure to Brooklyn. A Manhattan landmark, the United Nations, was the starting point.

Then down the East River running path, through the streets of lower Manhattan and across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Once in Brooklyn, we made our way to Flatbush Avenue and after a few miles, into Prospect Park, past the market and to the running loop. The grass was bright green and foliage beautiful as we ran down the west drive, across the central drive and north on the east drive.

Once out of the park and past the droves of strollers, we continued East and then a few blocks North to our destination, Tom's Restaurant.

Tom's is a neighborhood institution which has been around since 1936. I hear that the lines are typicalon the weekends as we experienced (see the picture) but they move pretty quickly and you are treated to delicious snacks...first sausage came by, then strawberries with fresh whipped cream, then cups of coffee, followed by chocolate chip cookies and lastly orange segments...all while waiting to be seated.

The menu was extensive...my friend and I finally settled on two orders of eggs with grits and a pumpkin nut waffle to share. A hot cup of endlessly filled coffee warmed us up while we waited. The portions were substantial and the food was deliciously tasty and freshly cooked. We were given three types of butter- brown sugar, citrus and strawberry (my favorite) which I used not only on the waffle, but also on the crispy whole wheat toast. All of this food for extremely reasonable prices! The staff was also very friendly, despite the subtle and not so subtle hints to leave once we finished eating. So if you need or want to get in a long run, part of a run, or just a delicious Brooklyn brunch....this is the place!

Run to treats in Brooklyn!

Yesterday was Columbus Day and I thought that the perfect way to celebrate was to grab a friend and explore Brooklyn- running and eating style! The crisp Fall air was perfect for a short run so we headed to Prospect Park for a 3.35 mile loop. After tackling those Brooklyn hills, we headed nearby to Blue Marble Ice Cream.

Their ice cream is made from local organic ingedients and they had about 8-10 flavors to choose from. First, I sampled my friend's choice, ginger (delicious), and then the Culture frozen yogurt (too icy for my liking). I had wanted to try a flavor with balsamic vinegar topping but the employee could not locate it. Instead, I settled on Mocha Chip...scrumptuous!

It was creamy and chocolatey but not overly sweet. I will definitely run back to Blue Marble to taste some of their other flavors and exotic toppings.