I?m looking for a good walking itinerary for Brooklyn neighborhoods to get a better idea of what each one is like. Specifically Williamsburg, Park Slope, Ft. Greene, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, & Brooklyn Heights to name a few. We have a whole week to accomplish this, but I?d like to try it in only a couple of days.

Me and my BF are moving to Brooklyn in May and we are trying to get as prepared as possible in advance. So any other advice on relocating would be extremely helpful.

I know this isn't exaclty a travel question so I want to thank all of you wonderful fodorites in advance for any help you can provide me with, you?re the best!!

Jibboo-
Where are you moving from? I moved to Brooklyn (DUMBO, which is just north of Bklyn Heights) three years ago after 9 years in Manhattan. I like it better, mainly because you get much more space for the money, and it's more "quaint" and not packed with people. However, it's nearly impossible to catch a cab out here - that's my biggest gripe.

As for a walking itinerary...Henry Street is kind of the center of Brooklyn Heights and Montague is the main shopping drag, but it's all the back streets that give the neighborhood its charm. Like Monroe Place and Remsen Street.

My recommendation is that you see all the neighborhoods by bicycle, if you have one. Seriously! That's how I explore around here. There's no way you can see all that in just a couple of days by walking, even if you take subway from place to place (there seems to be a lot of weekend track work lately...check the MTA site to see what lines are running). And hey, it's supposed to be nice and warm this weekend.

Well suzanne, I'm moving from Western NY. I'm originally from Putnam County so i'm pretty familiar with Manhattan but not Brooklyn.

I have a few friends there now and the whole reason we decided on Brooklyn vs. Manhattan were all the reasons you had mentioned, kinda funny.

Ok I'm Brooklyn born and raised here, and work in Manhattan.

Williamsburg is kind of funky and artsy, mostly all lofts now with some lounges and bars popping up all over as well as a lot of ethnic food. It used to be mainly spanish, so you will see hints of this here and there.

Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights is what I consider yuppie central. Park Slope has a lot of bars, restaurants, shops, and nearby you have Prospect Park and the Botanical Gardens. It's also where a lot of ex Manhattanites have chosen to move to in Brooklyn. Brooklyn Heights is more picturesque with the brownstones, the Brooklyn Promenade with views of Manhattan, and the small restaurants and specialty shops. However, parking is a big pain in this area.

Ft. Greene has been under change the last few years now. Used to be a VERY bad neighborhood but is now one the hot spots to live so to speak. Don't know much about how it is now as I haven't been through there in a while. Same for Cobble Hill.

Carroll Gardens is similar to Park Slope, being just north of it. The only thing is be careful what street you pick here. If you go a few blocks in the wrong direction, you end up by projects on Bergen Street.

As for a walking tour, my suggestion would be to walk around the neighborhoods but travel between them by train. For Williamsburg the closest trains are the L and G. I would say take the L to Bedford Ave and walk around North 7th Street and the other side streets. Brooklyn Brewery is also in this area on No. 11th St.

Park Slope, Carroll Gardens can be done together with maybe even Cobble Hill as they are all close by. For Park Slope, get off the N train by 25th Street and walk north on 4th Avenue. Brooklyn Heights can be combined with Ft. Greene. For Brooklyn Heights get off the 2 or 3 trains at Clark Street and walk north or east.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Jibboo-

Listen to Missjanna, she knows Brooklyn!

I have been to Fort Greene recently on my bike, and though it's still a bit gritty, it's shaping up more and more. There are big old houses being renovated all over the place, and the park is nice. The lack of subway service is a problem though. You'd have to transfer to a bus.

If you're driving in, there's a lot you can see by car here, too. The traffic is not that bad on local streets. However, taking the subway to all these places will give you a feel of how your commute would be, assuming you had a job in Manhattan. For example, though I love Park Slope if I moved there it would double the length of my commute - which to me is unacceptable.

BTW, I grew up in Putnam County too!

While you're in Williamsburg, check out Greenpoint which is just to the north up Bedford Ave past the park. It's less overrun by the Billburg hipster Eadt Village refugee types. A huge Polish neigborhood with lot's of cheap places to eat and plenty of shopping along Manhattan Avenue. Downside is the long walk or short busride from the L train. You can get the G train transfer to the L.

I was born in Manhattan and grew up between Manhattan and Queens, but I've been to Putnam County! ;-)

cheers

Anymore advice on which specific streets have all the action. Shopping, Bars, restaurants, bookstores etc.

Ahh...wasn't sure if you were looking for this type of thing, or where the pretty residential sections are.

The main bar/restaurant/shop streets are:

Bklyn Heights: Montague St (Henry Street too, but less so)

Park Slope: 7th Avenue

Carroll Gardens: Smith Street

Hi Jibboo,

I've been in Ft. Greene for several years now. I love it. I don't know from which direction you'll be arriving, but the main blocks/streets to see are on Dekalb Ave., Fulton St., and Myrtle Ave. if you want to see more, particularly more of the less gentrified parts of Ft. Greene.

On Dekalb, b/w say Vanderbilt Ave. and Washington Pk. is the neighborhood coffee shop, a nice hat store, a pet spa, an antiques store and a large number of restaurants (large for such a small distance). On Saturday mornings, on the corner of Dekalb and Washington Pk., at the southwest entrance of Ft. Greene Park, there's a farmers' market. Past Washington Pk. is, again, Ft. Greene Park to the north and tree-lined streets w/ beautiful brownstones to the south. If you were to continue all the way down to Flatbush you'd see Carol's Daughter, a great business of handmade bath and body products. You'd pass a number of bodegas and pizza shops and also Jacob's Eye, which features fashion, accessories and housewares of independent designers. Great handbags, but expensive.

Oh, also, you will pass a lot of real estate offices, which may or may not be helpful to you.

Now on Fulton St., from Flatbush up to Vanderbilt Ave., there are also a bunch of interesting restaurants and, again, several real estate offices. There are a couple of bookstores. There's also a bakery or two -- inclding Cake Man Raven, which has the most incredible layer cakes -- and shops of independent fashion designers. 4W Enterprises (or something like that) features the wares of several entrepreneurs (sp?) under one roof.

Myrtle Ave. is on the north s

Hi Jibboo,

I've been in Ft. Greene for several years now. I love it. I don't know from which direction you'll be arriving, but the main blocks/streets to see are on Dekalb Ave., Fulton St., and Myrtle Ave. if you want to see more, particularly more of the less gentrified parts of Ft. Greene.

On Dekalb, b/w say Vanderbilt Ave. and Washington Pk. is the neighborhood coffee shop, a nice hat store, a pet spa, an antiques store and a large number of restaurants (large for such a small distance). On Saturday mornings, on the corner of Dekalb and Washington Pk., at the southwest entrance of Ft. Greene Park, there's a farmers' market. Past Washington Pk. is, again, Ft. Greene Park to the north and tree-lined streets w/ beautiful brownstones to the south. If you were to continue all the way down to Flatbush you'd see Carol's Daughter, a great business of handmade bath and body products. You'd pass a number of bodegas and pizza shops and also Jacob's Eye, which features fashion, accessories and housewares of independent designers. Great handbags, but expensive.

Oh, also, you will pass a lot of real estate offices, which may or may not be helpful to you.

Now on Fulton St., from Flatbush up to Vanderbilt Ave., there are also a bunch of interesting restaurants and, again, several real estate offices. There are a couple of bookstores. There's also a bakery or two -- inclding Cake Man Raven, which has the most incredible layer cakes -- and shops of independent fashion designers. 4W Enterprises (or something like that) features the wares of several entrepreneurs (sp?) under one roof.

Myrtle Ave. is on the north side of Ft. Greene. There are a large number of less expensive resturants, some bars, a lot of bodegas, dollar stores, barber shops. There are at least two fashion designers with shops on Myrtle, the proprietors of which gladly make things to order. Both are owned by really nice men, Amadou at Tres Eelgante and Elijah at, I think, Elijah Fashions.

If you'd like further details about the many, many resturant offerings, let me know!

I apologize for the accidental double-posting!

Thank you all for the help, this should make deciding which Neighborhood we like the best easy!

Hi, this might be too late for your upcoming walking tour, but hopefully not for your decision on where to live. As a long-time resident of Clinton Hill (sister commuity to Ft. Greene just to the East), I can say that the neighborhood is very accessible by subway -- even more so, I think, than the Slope. The A and C run through the whole south end of it along Fulton. The G line runs through the middle (with connection to the L, which then takes you to 14th St. in Manhattan) and the 2-3-4-5 and several other lines (N and R and maybe Q??) are available on the western edge of the neighborhood on Flatbush Ave., a quick walk to the center of Fort Greene. Good restaurants to try A Table in Ft. Greene on Lafayette and Adelphi and Vinni i Oli in Clinton Hill on Gates and Cambridge Place.