Where Brooklyn At?

Another lovely weekend here in the big apple- me and ma gurl (roomie, partner in crime...and co-worker hehe) decided to go on yet another adventure. To where you ask? The BK, no not the Burger King Lounge- yes, we went to Brooklyn. To most, this doesn't sound like a big deal and to others, don't hate but when it comes to the boroughs I am definitely a Manhattan girl (unless of course it's to granmother's house I go to Queens most Sundays). Having lived here for a year and half I will admit that I have never walked over the BK bridge; I know, such a sin. With a pep in our step and the sun shining we took the 1.34 mile walk over the bridge. Through the wind, we were able to enjoy the beautiful views and mildly fresh air. Once landing in our destination, we felt like fish out of water and quickly became lost. Somewhere between Brooklyn Heights and Schermerhorn (not only a sweet St. name in BK but apparently a well-known wealthy family from back in the day, according to Gangs of NY) we realized that once exploring outside the city walls things seemed very different. As a person who is always down for adventure, I was a bit bothered by how helpless I felt just because we had left the main island. And on top of that, I felt as if we stuck out...like everyone could secretly tell "we" were from Manhattan and "they" were from Brooklyn. In a huge city with 5 great boroughs, why does it always seem to turn into a "we" vs. "they" scenario? For all of the comradery NYC is known for- the bright lights, long nights, city of dreams- why is it that we sometimes seem so divided culturally when we only are geographically? Once we posted up at a great bar (Barcade = American craft beer and 1980s video games- a man's dream? I think yes, and mine too!) I started looking around at the other boozing gamers. We all seemed pretty similar, even if we dressed differently or maybe even spoke differently. We were all there for one thing- to have some good old Saturday afternoon American fun. I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy when our subway made the cross over back into Manhattan later in the evening- but if anything, I felt like Brooklyn taught me something. Not only how to better use a map, but to also live and let free. Sometimes its nice to take in a deep breath of semi-fresh air, post up next a few hipsters at a bar, or just do your own thing. I hope that this BK Manhattan rivalry doesn't last for ever- but even if it does, at least we can all learn a little something from each other...and having a new experience every now and then :)
xoxo AA