Enjoying the Weather While it Lasts: Drunk Shopping in DUMBO

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Welcome to Drunk Shopping, our feature celebrating the time-honored tradition of getting totally wasted while the sun's still shining before buying a bunch of debatably useful stuff that the sober you would be too timid or too restrained to take home. Each Friday we'll cobble together a new itinerary starting you off with a boozy Saturday or Sunday brunch before meandering through a few neighboring retailers and happy hours notable for seasonal specials, limited time availability, fantastic deals, recent openings, or new shipments.

Congratulations! You just survived a surprise hailstorm, a totally random tornado and the resulting utterly-crippled MTA (who wouldn't want to live here?)—not to mention Fashion Week. But! The weekend weather is supposed to be pretty pleasant—great for recovering from the flash floods and fashion parties sapping our collective wills to live. Might as well enjoy it before the weather is awful, drinking outside isn't an option, and it's already getting dark by the time you ask for your check at brunch.

Which brings Drunk Shopping to DUMBO. We suggest a stop at Almondine for fabulous baguette sandwiches, pastries and their famous pretzel bread. They don't have booze, but pour a little something into your juice and set off to Brooklyn Bridge Park. It's mostly new and dogs are forbidden from peeing all over everything so the grass is still plush enough for laying around. Soak it all up—some of the best views of the city in the city, the sun and, of course, the booze (the carbs will then in turn soak all that booze up). That said, you can only sit around in the sun for so long. Either you'll get bored or the flask will run dry. So, shop this way.

There's a lot to shop in DUMBO so we'll let you map it out on your own. Obviously, we have plenty of suggestions. Zakka is one of those great afternoon browsers—quirky books and magazines, toys and gadgets, design and novelty. NOS Boutique—a recent addition to the neighborhood—features designer footwear that doesn't take itself too seriously. Blueberi carries a revolving roster of emerging designer wares and vintage pieces. Zoë is ground zero for coveted ready-to-wear and denim from Chloë, Golden Goose, Miu Miu and Vena Cava. It's just so New York, right? Funny thing is: The shop's first location and flagship in Princeton is one of New Jersey's best boutiques.

For gifts and housewares ranging from high-design steel wallets to classier-than-Kmart trash cans, there's Stewart/Stand. For all that plus vintage leather furniture, linens, home accents and design services—with a mannish bent—visit Modern Anthology. Feeling peckish? Get organic snackies at Dumbo General Store Café and Bar, decadent chocolate-covered things from Jacques Torres Chocolate or nostalgic confectionery from Dewey's. Feeling bookish? P.S. Bookshop has newer, larger digs and powerHouse Books carries a wide assortment of art and design titles and hosts gallery shows. Oh, and there's always West Elm.

If that didn't leave you feeling all hip and Brooklyn then you probably just need a drink. We like Rebar. Big enough to disappear in and appropriately post-industrial, the massive second story space features chichi cocktails and a bunch of cheapo easy-drinkers so both the classy and the trashy amongst you can drink satisfied. Remember, brunch only cost as much as a pastry, so toast frugality and get wasted.

Enjoy! And please do share your Drunk Shopping tips, tales, and war stories in the comments.

· Modern Anthology: For Outfitting a More Sophisticated Man Cave [Racked NY]
· Brooklyn's P.S. Bookshop Dives Into Fancier Digs [Racked NY]
· Now Open: Dewey's [Racked NY]
· Drunk Shopping [Racked NY]