No one lives in Manhattan anymore. Wall-Street types may sleep over at the office on busy evenings and Sarah Jessica Parker refuses to leave, but I'm convinced the only people who actually live on the Upper East Side are fictional Gossip Girl characters. Everyone else packed their bags and moved to Brooklyn. 

And with good reason. Brooklyn is cozy. The rent is (relatively) cheap, the food is tasty, you can buy records on the street corner and there are well dressed twenty-somethings as far as the eye can see. Dundas West: I love you, but you have nothing on Bedford. 

Here are three of the best things I discovered on my first trip across the L train and into Brooklyn:

1. Dive bars. There are many choices of dive bars around Bedford. We found one that served cheese puffs and supplied patrons with Jenga. Another that was designed like a cafeteria, complete with picnic table seating that forces you to make friends. And one that played 50s and 60s and served Blue Ribbon for two dollars. Kasandra had three. Or Four.. Or Five... 

2. McCarren Park. There is always something to watch in McCarren Park. When the baseball game gets boring, you can make fun of the bad outfits. Then when you feel guilty, you can stare in awe at the good ones. Plus, the bar on the corner serves beer for $3 in giant white cups. 

3. The shopping. I found the white dockers I've been dreaming about all summer at a little shoe shop my room mate discovered. Alex bought an old promo vinyl copy of an N.E.R.D. album, and we hit up a 70% off closing sale. Plus, you can buy t-shirts with naked chicks on them, courtesy of vice's frequent photographer Richard Kern. We all need a little more nudity in our lives.