Yesterday saw the end of our time in Midtown and our move into Brooklyn. A lot of the reason we took this new place was the bargainous price (less than half what we paid in Manhattan, for a two bedroom rather than a studio) but I'm also a strong believer that we should experience as much of what NYC has to offer as possible while we're here. Midtown Manhattan is great and I love it but it's not how most New Yorkers live, being somewhat detached from families and people who aren't earning a crazy wage. Our new place is in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, ten minutes walk from Prospect Park (Brooklyns Central Park equivalent) and from the subway into Manhattan. The other advantage of this place and part of the reason it was so cheap, is that we have temporary responsibility for a cat, Harrison. Harrison is very friendly although somewhat stupid, as most cats seem to be (I realise with age I am more of a dog person, unfortunately I'm also a lover of the city and these two things don't meld well). Here's some pictures of him, doing what he do. Sadly, I can't demonstrate pictorially the amount of time he spends pawing and headbutting us for attention. You'll just have to trust me on that one. I promise I won't turn into a crazy cat lady who posts endless numbers of these. This is a baptism of cat picture fire and probably the last you'll see of him (maybe, possibly).

Sleeping.

Having crazy-ass paw hair.

And more sleeping.

One of the best things about this area is the huge, cheap shops. We happened upon an enormous beer warehouse five minutes walk away that has every type of beer and ale a heart could ever desire…. And so so cheap. A six pack of standard Heineken in midtown cost $15, here beers from around the world (we're currently stocked with Singha and Asahi) are $8-10. Boozy.

Just around the corner from that is Phat Alberts, a massive warehouse stocking everything you could ever need, except food… Which is lucky as the place has a strong stench of rat piss. I never knew I even knew what rat piss smelled like but it must be innate or something because I do and it smells like Phat Alberts. I'm still going to frequent it though, it's cheap as chips and I don't mind holding my nose for a bargain.

Just around the corner from there is Western Beef, an enormous supermarket, which also stinks. Hooray! This time, though, the smell is of fish from the enormous fishmongers section, forgivable in my books. We've moved to the area at just the right time of year, as this weekend is Brooklyn Carnival, all held within walking distance of us. It's a West Indian festival and New York's equivalent of Notting Hill Carnival in London.The main difference here being its smaller size and that most participants actually live in the area. Western Beef was pumping this afternoon, with a Soca DJ outside the entrance and free hotdogs for all.

Tomorrow is the main parade and tonight, Dimanche Gras and later, J'ouvert. The former is a concert, held at the Brooklyn Museum, showcasing the best Calypso and Soca artists from around the world. Mr and I are considering going, although the price (almost $40 each) might preclude that. J'ouvert is due to start at 2am, though anyone who knows about Carribean time will know this is unlikely. This parade is much more relaxed than the one tomorrow, soundtracked only by steel drums (no sound systems here) and a danger for anyone in fine clothes (as flour, sparkles and paint are thrown liberally). The parade is due to go past the end of our street but probably not until about 6am, so it's unlikely I'll see it, what with me being an old bird now. One of our neighbours asked us earlier whether we were ready for carnival and invited us to a BBQ from about midnight (though, again, Carribean time probably stands), so maybe we'll pop along to that. Maybe we won't. Tune in to my next post to find out. I bet you can hardly contain your excitement.

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