A Dreary New York Winter

I've got a bad case of the winter blahs.

By my calculations, I haven't left Brooklyn on a Saturday or Sunday since mid-January. That isn't to say we haven't done anything. There was the Chinese New Year celebration, for example, and our own dinner party last weekend. But it's still unusual for us not to go into Manhattan for at least dinner for so long.

Paul says that Manhattan's sparkle has finally worn off. I denied this at first, but maybe he's partly right. When we first moved here, a drop in temperature couldn't keep me away from a museum or interesting restaurant. But now we've been there and tried that, and it takes more to whisk me to a subway platform for a 20 minute wait for a train. And as Paul reminded me, I work in Manhattan. A trip to the city doesn't necessarily equal excitement when it's so routine.

I suspect the fog will lift when spring arrives. Ever since we moved here, I've loved combining a walk through Central Park or a Manhattan neighborhood with dinner in the city. But that's certainly not easy to do when it's 40 degrees and dark at 6 p.m.

Until warmer weather and longer days arrive, however, we're reacquainting ourselves with Bay Ridge restaurants, all within walking distance. After all, the perks of living in New York aren't limited to your proximity to Broadway and the ballet. It's also the proximity to good take-out hummus -- across the street.