I'm at Raaka looking for Nate because we've had some back and forth about buying some cocoa powder --- organic, non-alkali, 10-12% fat, non-dutched. I can't walk into just any store looking for this stuff, and I figure I've hit a home run when I find this place because otherwise I'm ordering cocoa from Massachusetts with a hefty shipping charge attached. Problem is, Nate is out 'sick', and nobody else knows his job or anything else about selling me some cocoa powder.
I keep going back but leaving empty-handed, so I make the best of it by riding a CitiBike around Red Hook where I find a distillery instead of the other chocolate factory that was supposed to be there.
Plus, I find myself riding all over Brooklyn including the length of Court Street from Red Hook through Park Slope north into Brooklyn Heights where I can buy an ice-cold apple cider to quench a thirst developed over that slightly uphill ride.
Back at Raaka, people who have signed up for the factory tour are sampling the various concoctions including pieces of their line of chocolate bars which include lemon coconut cream, maple and nibs, pink sea salt, oat milk, bourbon cask aged and even a 100% cacao free of cane sugar, their normal sweetener. No corn syrup here.
Their substitute for cane sugar is either maple sugar or yacón --- both organic.
All unique flavors of single origin, unroasted but still fermented chocolate.
Find your way with 304 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
Its bright neon sign is easy to spot. Stand Up NY feels like a proper theater as it has a street-level entrance and the programming is mad extensive,
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This year's "NYC Pride March", World Pride, will be held in the city to commemorate the Stonewall Riot of 1969. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime event!
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A walk through Central Park in New York is probably your best way of appreciating the folliage change colors. I recommend walking along the allée of elms.
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The American Folk Art Museum in New York hosts free live jazz and eclectic concerts, with thoughtful exhibits and a folksy gift shop worth browsing.
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"Sisters" in New York is a Jamaican restaurant. Let's put it like this: when I go to Jamaica, I don't seek a restaurant until I come back!
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"Patisserie des Ambassades" in New York has extensive opening hours and prepares dishes & desserts for every time of day. It's refreshingly old-fashioned.
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"Loeb Boathouse Restaurant" in New York's Central Park is in the vicinity of the Bethesda Fountain and I think it's best for a warm-weather drink...
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In the lobby of 1166 Avenue of the Americas in NYC hang some significant tapestries by Lichtenstein & a large bronze homage to capitalism by Otterness...
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The MTA in NYC offers subway "nostalgia rides" during the summer months on old cars from the '30s and '40s. Book your ticket now!
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"Teranga" in New York City, in the Africa Center, is a restaurant as well as a library. It feels musical and maintains a feeling of communal comfort...
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"Grand Bazaar" NYC is the city's largest outdoor market, also with an indoor section. Here you can find absolutely everything and for bargain prices!
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S&P Sandwich Shop, opened in 1928, serves Jewish classics like matzoh ball soup and latkes in a nostalgic setting that feels like stepping back in time. A must-visit!
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