Views of the City

I was in New York last week working in the main Etsy offices and wanted to share some snapshots and favorite moments while in the city.

All images snapped with my FxCamera App

The Etsy offices are located in DUMBO, Brooklyn right on the park and water which lends itself for great views of the Manhattan bridge wherever you may be (rain or shine - which it did both of last week).

NYC Tip: DUMBO stands for "down under the Manhattan bridge overpass" - what a name for a neighborhood, right?

My time living in NYC introduced me to the classic food truck and more trendier gourmet modern versions popping up which use social media to determine their route. The latest food truck craze in DUMBO has been the Morris Grilled Cheese Truck. I'm naturally a sucker for grilled cheese sandwiches so had to give it a try, especially with their menu boasting artisanal combinations like Gouda & pork jowl with ramp butter and provolone dolce with pickled cabbage. What's great is the fact you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter to find out where they'll be located throughout the week and make requests for your area.

While my work trips are short, always busy and primarily contained to Brooklyn, I did have enough time this go round to squeeze in an early morning visit to some of my favorite jewelry supply warehouses located in the diamond district of the city. While I can mail-order some regular stock from their online shops, particular warehouses house complete dead-stock collections of vintage findings and oddities - right up my alley and always worth the trip in person since you never know what you might find hidden among those rows and rows of tiny plastic bins.

One tip I've learned the hard way while shopping dead-stock vintage collections as a jewelry maker: should you come across something you love and have that gut feeling about, definitely purchase the full lot on the spot if you're able to swing it. The bittersweet part about such amazing treasures is their rare quality and chances are the collection will be gone the next time you come back (plus what can beat that feeling of knowing you have the full lot of goods to get creative with and be able to knowingly speak to their limited nature).

It wouldn't be a good trip unless I had a little time to grab either lunch or after work drinks with my coworkers. Pictured above: Heather, Emily, Christina, Yours Truly, and Michelle. Good times.

Oh! A hilarious side note: In my rush out the door to catch the Monday red-eye flight, I actually forgot the bags I packed. When we got to the airport, Tim and I realized we both thought the other one had packed the bag. In a moment of panic and quick decision making, I decided since I had my laptop in my carry-on purse, I'd just fly up sans bags. As you can see, I had to make due without my contacts, makeup, and was lucky enough to score an off print Etsy t-shirt from the labs to wear during my stay. Luckily it was a quick 3 day trip so I was able to make due but you can bet I won't forget my bags ever again!

Finally - a short while ago, TechCrunch made it out to Brooklyn and filmed an episode of their TC Cribs series featuring the Etsy offices. The portions of the video between 5:19 and 5:24 show the corner of the office where I work with the Marketing team while in town. Hope you have a few laughs and enjoy: