In Brooklyn you should make reservations to eat at Gwinnett Street, La Vara, Antica Pesa, and brunch at Brooklyn Star and AllsWell. For shopping in Brooklyn you should visit Williamsburg around the Bedford stop on the L, Franklin Ave. in Greenpoint, and Smith Street and Atlantic Ave (between Hoyt and Henry) in Cobble Hill. Brooklyn is the best for shopping and food, you'll love it!!!

The hotel is probably fine and the price is right, but please budget yourself some taxi rides for the evenings and get the number of a local car service. The location is not that great (see Google maps for some street view photos of the immediate blocks) and subway stations are a few blocks away.

For brunch you can wake up and WALK to Rose Water and Flatbush Farm, or take a short car ride to Talde, Clover Club, or Bar Tabac ... some of my favorite brunch places!! You're also very close to Al Di La, a great Italian restaurant in Park Slope. You're walking distance from Prospect Park, and the walk will be very cute once you get to 5th Ave. Very quintessential "brownstone Brooklyn". The R train is pretty good but you should always try to switch to the Q at Atlantic Ave b/c the Q is express and will save you soooo much time getting to Union Square and beyond in Manhattan. Car service that's great in Park Slope / 4th Ave area is Arecibo.

For shopping: what kind of shops do you like?

Thanks for the responses. Am making notes on the restaurants and neighborhood which look lovely and I thank you hpluss1.

I'm not reckless about safety. I spend a lot of time in downtown DC. Got chided for staying at the Serrano Hotel in SF for being too close too the Tenderloin which I thought was silly. My reaction to looking at Google maps for this hotel was "hmmmm." Trip advisor reports say the immediate area is industrial but most had no issue with walking to/from the subway or to shops & restaurants. We have money in the budget for cabs/car service but want to use public transport when possible and reasonable.

I called the hotel directly and they said that the Atlantic Terminal near the Barclay center was a transportation hub and cabs were generally available. Do you agree?

Returning from Manhattan later at night I think we'll arrange for a car service or take a cab. Took notes from another thread about cabs in Brooklyn. Thank you, hpluss, for the Arecibo rec.

Shops? Paper, stationary, fabric, letter presses, high end craft, ceramics, vintage, one off fashion, books, jewelry.

I think you have some practical ideas. For example. try to get to the "better" main avenues (like 5th avenue) using the bigger/more populated side streets to get to them. 3rd avenue is an old industrial area (a newspaper printing plant, auto repair) and there's a big public housing project that's a block or so from your hotel. 4th avenue is a wide boulevard with lots of gas stations and the like, though it's getting nicer looking all the time. 5th avenue is where it starts to look like a real neighborhood with stores and restaurants and people walking around.
I do recommend that you take a car service to the hotel entrance at night.

The Atlantic Terminal is a hub, but it's about 10 blocks away.
Also when there's an event at the new Barclays Center, cabs would be hard to get.

Thank you, nyer -- really appreciate your insight.

For a great stationary, letter press, and paper store you should go to Lion In The Sun which is actually quite near to your hotel: http://www.yelp.com/biz/lion-in-the-sun-brooklyn

For ceramics there's a shop on North 4th and Wythe in Williamsburg, but I forget the name.

For vintage: Beacon's Closet in Williamsburg (there's also one in Park Slope I think) is the real mecca for vintage. Best to go during the week when it's not insanely crowded. Also in Williamsburg is L Train Vintage on Bedford Ave.

Jewelry:
- Williamsburg: Catbird, on Bedford between North 4th and North 5th. on North 3rd between Wythe and Berry is a beautiful jewelry shop that's only opened on weekends. Also a jewelry shop on North 4th and Bedford.

Books:
- Williamsburg: Spoonbill & Sugartown on Bedford Ave. http://www.yelp.com/biz/spoonbill-and-sugartown-booksellers-brooklyn#query:bookstores%20used ;

Fuego 718 on Grand Street http://www.yelp.com/biz/fuego-718-brooklyn#query:spanish%20books

- Greenpoint: WORD http://www.yelp.com/biz/word-brooklyn-2#query:books

Fashion: (my faves. don't know what style you're looking for).
- Williamsburg: Bird, Pop Shop, Paul Smith Sale Shop, - on Grand Street. Jumelle, Pinkyotto, Pema - on Bedford Ave. Jane's Closet - on Grand Street and also on North 6th Street.

- Cobble Hill: Dear Fieldbinder, Bird - on Smith Street
Steven Alan, Barneys Coop - on Atlantic Avenue

- Greenpoint: Alter, In God We Trust, a bunch of other cool shops - on Franklin Ave.

Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Art (MOCADA) and Weeksville are part of NYC Black history month www.nycbhm.org

Brooklyn Museum still has an exhibit of the winners of the Go Brooklyn Art festival last August (I am glad I went then because Coney Island will never be the same. More ideas here:

http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/explorenyc/2013/02/february-2013-stay-warm-activities-1.html

Here's a great article about the shops in Williamsburg and also restaurants and bars in South Williamsburg. I forgot to mention a few shops I love: Joinery, A Thousand Picnics, and SPROUT HOME !! You'll love Sprout Home and Joinery I think.

Also, restaurants I forgot: Traif, Briskettown (arrive at 6:30pm, they sometimes sell out by 8), and Extra Fancy.

Here's the article: http://nymag.com/realestate/features/south-williamsburg-2012-9/index1.html