What: The Brooklyn Flea
When: Every Saturday, starting April 18
Why: Dear Flea-ites, I have a confession to make. I’m a Flea-aholic. I am one of the bazaar’s nearly 500 followers on Twitter. I visit its blog daily, and I’ve made more cameos to the market than I’m willing to admit. Before the Flea went indoors last winter, I was a clock-work flea bee. Every Sunday, I traveled to Bishop Loughlin High School whether I got caught in the rain or held a parasol to escape inglorious sun.
Once summer gave way to cooler months, I still enjoyed the indoor Dumbo markets but felt like I was suffering from outdoor-flea withdrawals. (Yes, there is such a thing.) I missed frolicking on the steps and chatting up strangers while standing in food lines. But most of all, I just wanted to feel the energy of a diverse, collective community.
And finally, staring this Saturday, we will once again belong to an outdoor flea when The Fort Greene Brooklyn Flea returns with its staple of top notch vintage and antique vendors. To celebrate the Flea’s reopening, new partner Brooklyn Botanic Garden and its Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival will decorate the main entrance with a “Sakura Set” inspired by five flea vendors who have crafted items for sale only at the market: Bonbon Oiseau’s jewelry, Foxy+Winston Stationery, and kimonos by Kimono Lily to name a few.
New culinary treats will include grilled cheese sandwiches from Saxelby Cheesemongers, Early Bird Granola, and Miss Amy’s preserves. The Dumbo Pop-Up markets—the flea’s now famous cousins at 76 and 81 Front Street—will respectively showcase vintage antiques and wares from new vendors on Sundays. I can’t wait to train hop to Fort Greene, scour the 40,000-square-foot schoolyard and burn a cheap hole through my wallet. See you there.
Cost: Free
How to get there: Take any train that goes to Atlantic Ave. or Pacific St. in Brooklyn, including the C train to Brooklyn. Other options include taking the G to Clinton/Washington or the F to Lafayette Street. Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School is at 357 Clermont Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn. For public transportation directions from anywhere on Manhattan, click the HopStop link below.
Photo: Courtesy of the Brooklyn Flea
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram