Brooklyn Brings it Home

Although I was not able to bus it down to see my family (and partake of my mom's homemade mac 'n' cheese) for Easter, I was able to be downright at home with some fabulous friends to celebrate, in a couple of Brooklyn's trendiest neighborhoods.

My girlfriend, Ashley, lives in Greenpoint, which is not too far from the first stop into Brooklyn on the E/W-running

L line (or "gray", for DC metro hoppers; just don't get caught referring to colored trains here). The menu included my fillo-wrapped asparagus with parmesan and walnut fruit salad with honey dressing (thanks, Paula Deen), various types of homemade pierogies and sausages (you can find the best ones here in Greenpoint, a historically Polish neighborhood); marinated ham steak from acclaimed butcher shop, the Meat Hook; and mac 'n' cheese with broccoli (got my fix after all).

Check out her cute shelving; what a great way to utilize a small kitchen space, hooks under shelving with coordinating steel utensils and containers. She said she got the look straight outta Ikea; check out their style pages and see how their schemas and organizational tips might

work for your own lifestyle.

Meanwhile, a mile down the road in Williamsburg, a buzzing backyard barbecue was in full swing. I pushed open my buddy, Tejas's, back door to reveal a colorful agglomeration of boho-hipsters enjoying the hell out of the beautiful day. Amp wires and clotheslines full of thrift-store finds weaved around the crowd like streamers, a flatmate roller-skated by in a tiny neon romper, others, barefoot, swayed to the music from the self-made stage and touted yellow solo cups full of bloody mary. In the yard next door, what could only be described as a red and white lotus tree, was in full-bloom (later, the band would request a moment of silence to admire it in all its splendor).

I drank in the scene with the gusto of a culture-starved suburbanite and helped myself to one of those bloody mary's. I bought half a box of candy-colored Indian bangles for $20, and shook 'em around as I moved to the sounds of the Desert Stars, a multi-talented group of girls based out of Brooklyn. At one point, the lead singer, Janelle, clad in a string bikini and Janis Joplin shades, pulled out the cello and rocked. that. thing. out. Up there with one of

the coolest things I've experienced in NY yet. Something else that made the list that day? A little ragtag group of neighbors from across the

street complimenting us on the noises they heard. We invited them in to enjoy them at a closer view.

Right now, "Home," by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros