My daughter and I travel all over the world, the premise of this blog. Sometimes though we have the most fun right in our own backyard. We took a day trip to Brooklyn to see what the city had in store for a five year old looking to get into a little mischief and get outside of the City. We cheated a bit, and stayed local at our own home in Manhattan. I took a day trip to Brooklyn with a 5 year old!

Day Trip to Brooklyn: Changes Within

There are a lot of misconceptions about Brooklyn and it’s changed a lot in recent years. Many new hi-rise’s have begun to shape the city and small mom and pop stores from the past have been replaced by Starbucks, much to locals dismay. It’s understandable why Hipster’s have been leaving in droves and many going to the “country”. Young professionals have been moving in and taking over the new high rents. Still, my then-5-year-old and I found a few things to do on a day trip to Brooklyn!

Beautiful Stained Glass

First up.. finding photos of the most beautiful subway stations in New York (IMHO!) My kiddo thought so too and helped get the angles of the photographs just right.

Botanic Gardens

Then we headed to the Botanic Gardens; a sight to be seen.  We enjoyed roaming around together, although it was fall and quite cold. My daughter had a great time running through the lawns as fast as she could (which was okay as we were practically the only ones there)! It was very cold and we kept bundled up most of the trip, but the fall colors were worth the trek.

Flea Market

Next up.. the good ole’ flea market.  Brooklyn is home to a notorious treasure trove of fun things to look at or procure for adults and kids. We went upstairs to eat (aka find ice cream in the cold), and then rummage through things below. We found a lovely Moroccan goods store pictured here. My daughter had fun finding new things and asking questions about how and why people use furniture in different ways.

Shopping and Down Time

Finally it was time for a little shopping for the kiddo to find some school clothes .. and for me to look (downright) exhausted and to catch up on email.

This was a worthwhile day trip and if you are creative enough and not looking for “traditional kid things” to do, your youngster can have a little fun and then head back to the City for the posh accommodations!