It's been a while since the Mr. and I had explored a new neighborhood, so this past weekend we took advantage of the nice weather and headed out. We've been to South Street Seaport several times before (like when we took these pictures) but we realized we had never truly explored the area or taken pictures of the pretty architecture. Also, on weekends they offer a free ferry service from our Brooklyn neighborhood straight to the seaport so it was a no-brainer to boat on over to Manhattan to explore this historical area. Being in South Street Seaport makes you feel like you are actually in Boston, or even an old fishing town (minus the tourist-y shops in the center of the seaport, of course). My heart swoons over the cobblestone streets, the old brick buildings, and the many nautical touches. Though we weren't hungry, we did discover quite a few restaurants (like this, this & this) that looked so yummy they were immediately added to our list of places to try. There's also a beer garden if you're thirsty (their food looks pretty tasty, too), and, in the summer, they offer lots of free entertainment (that I definitely want to check out next year). Of course, Mr. RC and I are always intrigued by any historical tidbits we can pick up as well (yes, we are those nerdy history people). We've been watching a show about the history of New York City so we found it especially exciting to be in this area with fresh (historical) eyes. Another favorite thing of ours is walking along the path by the water, looking at the old ships docked there. We had planned to rent bikes so we could actually bike the path this time but the strong winds quickly changed our minds, so we settled into two adirondack chairs, with some ice cream, and finished the afternoon with the warm sun streaming on our faces, thoughts of how lucky we are to live here running through our minds, and the view of the water and Brooklyn in our sites.

For more history on the Seaport see here, here, here, and here. You can also check out the South Street Seaport Museum. For other restaurant recommendations I suggest looking here. To find out more about the Seaport in general (and for current activities) go to the websiteand follow along on Twitter.