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Mother Hoods

Mother Hoods: Cary Vaughan’s Brooklyn

Written by James Kicinski-McCoy

Photography by Photography by Maia Harms

We brought you Lisa Maycock’s Brooklyn faves last month, and now it’s Cary Vaughan’s turn to be your guide to the busting borough. Here, she shares her go-to spots in one of NYC’s hippest hoods. To learn more about the Ace & Jig designer and mama of two, click here.

What are your favorite places in your city to…


Eat with the kids?Ample Hills Creamery in Prospect Heights. They have the best ice cream!”

Eat with adults?Vinegar Hill House. It’s a good excuse to go out in this industrial area located along the East River by the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It’s seasonal, but the cast-iron chicken is amazing and the whole place is just good vibes”

Shop for kids? “Second hand kid clothing from Lulu’s Then and Now.”

Shop for yourself?A Cheng and Bird are my two favorite local stores. A.Cheng has been carrying our line forever and is a strong supporter. I just bought some white Birkenstocks there this spring. They both have a well curated selection of things I want to wear.”

Play with your child?The Brooklyn Textile Arts Center. I want to take every class they offer and they have an excellent after-school program and camp program for kids that introduces them to the loom, dyeing, printing, and 3-D felt sculpture, among other things. Also, Alice and I took an indigo dyeing class with Isa Rodriquez from TAC at L’Ecole Des Beaux Arts and she is an indigo expert.”

Play with your adult friends?The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Gowanus. It has a drive-up window with rotating food trucks. It’s amazing!”

Get out in nature?Prospect Park, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and kayaking on the East River in Redhook.”

Any good flea markets/thrift shops?Brooklyn Flea and Housing Works.”

Any good museums? “The Brooklyn Museum for both adults and kids. They have a wonderful youth art studio program. Also for the kids: Transit Museum and Brooklyn Children’s Museum.”

Where do you take out-of-town visitors?Brooklyn Botanical Gardens! We are members and it’s a stunning setting to have some solitude in nature. Also, Dumbo for the view and the carousel and Williamsburg for boutique shopping and The Flea.”

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