Fleming Fun: Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made Of...

This past weekend we were in New York with my uncle julian and aunt rene for the final, closing party for their art gallery-metaphor.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend as we drove up to Philly on Friday right after work, spent the night at my parent's house, the four of us woke up early on Saturday and drove to the big city.

First stop-the Statue of Liberty. My father was born in New York and lived there until college and had never visited this famous monument and jeff had also never been. No brainer. The weather was perfect for such an activity-sunny, near 60 and not a cloud in the sky. The ferry ride and view of the city were beautiful and our brief visit to the statue was just enough to get some great photos.

Next stop-Williamsburg to Bacci and Abbracci for some fantastically authentic Italian pizza and beer. It took us an average of 15 minutes to devour an entire pizza each. It was that good. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Williamsburg along with what seemed like the rest of the citizens who live there.

Third stop-Brooklyn Brewery. We approached expecting a quiet tasting room, a sample flight of the beers they offer and a glass purchase. We were met with a giant party. A line to enter the brewery because it was one in, one out and then a line for beer once we made it inside. We purchased 6 beer tokens and waited our turn to order which types we wanted to try. Around us were tables filled with people, drinking, eating and playing games. Apparently Brooklyn Brewery's tasting room is used as everyone's living room where you meet up with your friends, sit around, socialize and play cards, catch phrase, etc.

After the Brewery, we were lucky enough to receive a personal tour of the neighborhood of Brooklyn where my dad grew up. We saw the apartment building he lived in, rode down the street where his grandfather's television repair store was, and did a driveby of his elementary school. It was really neat for me to imagine my dad at eight years old playing on the city streets-a stark contrast to how I spent my childhood.

this was my first time driving in the big city. i loved every minute of it.

Our next to last stop of the evening was Downtown Atlantic restaurant in Brooklyn for some martinis for mom and dad, a glass of bubbly for me and a beer for Jeff before making our way to the art gallery for the party.

Last stop of the evening was Metaphor for the Black and White Ball. Julian and Rene have owned and run Metaphor for the last 10 years and it is now time for them to close this chapter. We were so excited to be there to see the gallery and celebrate with them and their friends. Rene prepared all the food and everything was black and white...and delicious!!

The party was fantastic and close to 140 people showed up to say farewell to Metaphor and to find out what is next for Julian and Rene. The party was lively and continued until after 2am. In true Courtney fashion, I took a little mid party nap in Julian's studio but rallied for the short afterparty that took place in the car on the way home and at Julian and Rene's apartment.

This morning, we woke up slowly and then enjoyed a delicious lunch at a French Brasserie in Brooklyn. We were sad to leave NY, especially after such a short visit but we had lots of fun.