10 years

Ten years ago today, Daniel and I got married. It was sort of a secret wedding since we had a bigger celebration seven months later and didn't tell many people about this one at first. I remember getting dressed that morning and how my roommate Marie urged me to wear something white. She even pulled out a curling iron and did my hair which was blonde back then. We took a taxi to my Mom's office and when we arrived, my brother was waiting outside. He'd flown in from California to surprise us and was holding a bouquet of flowers for me.

A few friends served as our witnesses and one even picked up a wedding band from a street vendor for Daniel. I remember us laughing a lot in the waiting room before it was our turn to go in. Afterward, they all had to go back to work, but my Mom took us to The River Cafe for lunch, an interesting choice since we moved to Brooklyn three months later and have lived here ever since.

We refer to our City Hall ceremony as wedding #1 and I'll admit I really like celebrating twice per year. This anniversary tends to be low-key and for our October one, we like to make a bigger deal. Since we're marking a big milestone this year, we want to do something special. We're dreaming about a trip to Italy, a place we both love, but have never visited together. But that's not going to happen for a while, and when it does, we'll have two little ones in tow. I really loved that bicycle wedding I mentioned last week, so last night, Daniel and I spent some time thinking about ten of our favorite places in Brooklyn—one for each year we've been married. We thought it'd be fun to visit all of them on one day, maybe for a special 10-year anniversary scavenger hunt with friends. On bikes, preferably. Here's what we came up with.

1. Superfine: A really fun restaurant in DUMBO where we've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, played pool with our friends, and eaten the best breakfast burritos.

2. Vinegar Hill House: We've had some amazing dinners here—upstairs, downstairs, and in their small outdoor garden. I could eat a slice of their Guinness chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting every day.

3. Saul: One of our favorite restaurants on Smith Street that's perfect for a special occasion.

4. Bar Tabac: Before we had kids, we ended up at Bar Tabac for late-night foosball a lot. It'd be fun to go back and get a game going.

5. Robin des Bois: We love the secret garden, French food and quirky decor.

6. Franny's: An ideal place for a long, leisurely lunch with lots of wine, pizza, and some of the best salads I've ever eaten.

7. Trois Pommes: We discovered their jelly doughnuts while taking long walks when I was pregnant with Nico and have been fans ever since.

8. Brook Vin: We've had a few dates here since becoming parents. We like to sit at the bar and split a bunch of tartines and some glasses of wine.

9. The River Cafe: The atmosphere might be a little too stuffy, but nothing beats the view. It'll always remind me of wedding #1.

10. Bklyn Larder: If we lived closer, we'd eat their sandwiches more than we already do. The toasted almond gelato, too. And if Bklyn Larder existed back in 2001, and we'd had a big budget for wedding #2, it would have been fun to surprise our guests with baskets full of their amazing foods.