the someday hotelier

Yesterday, I had the amazing opportunity to attend Hands-On DUMBO, a great event in northern Brooklyn sponsored by Etsy, who’s HQ lies there (and has been compared to Pixar’s Emeryville wonderland), and the DUMBO Improvement District. Guys - it was awesome.

While I love hotelier…ness, one of my main toutings of this blog is the amazingness that is Brooklyn. And DUMBO is definitely one of our finest attributes.

My friend Kate (the other lady in the picture) and I started off at the photo booth under the famous Archway, where famous artists like Florence & the Machine have rocked the bridge. The Archway will also have a version of the Brooklyn Flea Thursday and Friday during lunchtime, of which I am SUPREMELY jealous of those that work in the area. You lucky ducks.

We obtained our maps, and headed to our first location, Brooklyn Roasting Company to learn to make our own ice cream in coffee cans! It was great to see an actual outpost of this company, whose coffee I purchase in cans at Steeplechase Coffee, just down the street from me. A sustainable and fair-trade company, Brooklyn Roasting Company also has coffee which is just ridiculously delicious.Note:making coffee ice cream will freeze your hands off. But the delicious ice cream you get at the end is a fair consolation.

We then headed over to the DUMBO outpost of One Girl Cookies, a shop that until only recently was only in Cobble Hill. Here, we learned how to “marble” sugar cookies, which, judging from the picture, I clearly need more work in. This gorgeous location ALSO serves beer and wine in addition to some delicious breakfast options, and, of course, the cookies.

Other outposts we visited included Neighborhoodies, Dewey’s Candy, Gleason’s Gym, and after, went to dinner at a small Mexican joint called Pedro’s.

While we had a lotta fun and learned some interesting things, what’s most heart-warming to me is how committed both DUMBOBID and the businesses in the area are to attracting people to the area. Their interactive web site is a fantastic tool for those looking to visit. And in years to come, hopefully this area will continue to see tourism increase. I mean, c’mon, they have cookies, coffee, and candy. And just a few blocks away, the park has movie viewings with a Manhattan skyline backdrop. What more do you need?

Yeah. You should probably visit.