Williamsburg with the Founders of Eskayel
Shanan Campanaro and Nick Chacona

Explorers, Foodies, Design Hotel Junkies

We would spend our perfect day in Williamsburg, Brooklyn because we love living here (and it beats Manhattan!). Our most memorable moment here was when we kissed for the first time outside a house party in a loft building. Our earliest travel memory together was in Chicago in the winter - not ideal, but it was for business, and we stayed in a really nice place. These days, our travel cravings are for deserted beaches, snow covered mountains, and well-designed luxury hotels. In Williamsburg, we would stay at a cool loft from Airbnb, preferably on the south side.

The activities not to be missed

1. Eating - Williamsburg has SO many good restaurants, it's almost better dinning than in the city. Recently, we asked Suri where we should eat while in the neighborhood, and 12 of the 15 restaurants closest to us were award-winning - including Marlow and Sons, Peter Luger, Fatty Cue, BrisketTown, St. Anselm, El Amacen, Roebling Tea Room, and so many more.
2. Biking - Brooklyn is not completely well connected by subway. Biking is a great option because there are tons of bike paths and the roads are less crazy than in the city. We love biking to Coney Island annd eating at L & B Spumoni Gardens on the way home.
3. Shopping - Williamsburg has great shops like Bird, Thousand Picnics, Bodhi, Stella Dallas, Beautiful Dreamers, Night Wood, The Future Perfect, Task, Pilgrim, Mocien, Moons River Chattel, and Brook Farm (with more opening up all the time!). It's great for vintage and modern furniture, clothing, and so many other things, but design and furniture and other home accessories are definitely a highlight in the neighborhood.

Williamsburg with the Founders of Eskayel
Williamsburg with the Founders of Eskayel
Our favorite places to eat

1. ISA - Love the kale salad, the atmosphere, and the design of the place. The pizza and meatballs are good as well. The chefs are out in the open and cook a bunch of stuff on an open fire.
2. Extra Fancy and PT - two of our staples.
3. Rabbithole - Our new favorite place. Everything is pretty good!

The places you should definitely see

1. Bike to Prospect Park - it is gorgeous and makes you forget you are in the city.
2. Swim at the McCarren Park Pool.
3. Visit the Williamsburg Flea and Smorgasburg, which brings together food from restaurants, food trucks, health food markets, and coffee places like Blue Bottle, Black Brick, Oslo, etc.
4. Go to Nitehawk Cinema for a brunch movie - eat at your seat!

Williamsburg with the Founders of Eskayel
Williamsburg with the Founders of Eskayel
Our favorite hidden gems

1. Fritzl's Lunch Box - A new place in deep Bushwick that features a new twist on the classic luncheonette menu.
2. Greenhouse Market - On Broadway by the Marcy stop. It's a Korean grocery with amazing prices and all kinds of homemade things like tofu and kimchi.
3. A Thousand Picnics - A tiny little shop on South Fourth and Driggs St. with great home decor and accessories at really good prices. We plant hangers from there, and Shanan loves the jewelry from Cold Picnic, which shares the space.

The places we are most excited to go eat at next are OTB (a French restaurant), the new place from the owners of Post Office, and Vinegar Hill House, which has been there for a while and we've just not made it down. We are also planning on finally riding bikes around Govenor's Island this summer.