Mike

I've been to Manhattan a bunch of times and want to go to Brooklyn for the first time. Can someone recommend where to go, what stop to get off? where there is a lot of stuff in walking distance - shops, restaurants, views,coffee shops, ethnic shoping, etc? Like something similar to SoHo/E Village? I'll be toting a camera so if there is somewhere for interesting street photography, that would be cool. I guess I'm looking for an area that's Manhattan-like but perhaps a little different than the same old places I seem to end up at... Will probably be coming from Little Italy area as we'll be grabbing lunch at San Genarro fest on Saturday.

thanks,
Mike

Elfie

Mike, the best place to start in Brooklyn is Brooklyn Heights, the neighborhood just over the Brooklyn Bridge. You can walk there over the Bridge from little Italy, or by subway, take the N or R to Court Street, the 4 or 5 to Boro Hall, or the A train to High Street. Montague Street has a lot of nice cafes and some shops and if you walk all the way up the street to the end (not a long walk), you'll come to the Promenade, which has probably the single finest view of Manhattan anywhere. Really not to be missed. Brooklyn is not really "Manhattan-like" as you wrote; it's its own world really, a separate personality entirely from Manhattan so don't expect that. Brooklyn Heights is a mix, it's has a downtown where we have city government offices and courts but it's mostly residential and the homes are largely beautiful old brownstones in fantastic condition. It's an expensive place to live but most residents really love it and think it's worth it, because it's truly a neighborhood. Walk along the Promenade and then wander around the quiet, quaint old streets of the North Heights, then maybe go down to Grimaldi's for the best pizza in the city (it's near the foot of the Bridge). That should take up an afternoon. Enjoy your time in Brooklyn!

Mike

Sounds perfect!

Thanks for the advice.

kevin

Juniors for the BEST cheesecake

James

Hi Mike:

Brooklyn is absolutely wonderful. It's kind of a shame that most people who visit NYC never venture off Manhattan island. Brooklyn Heights never fails to impress, especially the views from the Promenade. You might want to get a Streetwise map or Brooklyn (it's $7 and I found mine at a Barnes & Noble in Manhattan)

I have a few other neighborhoods I would recommend to you:

1) Park Slope is a wonderful area to walk through. It's been gentrified and is a very family-friendly area. Lots of strollers, pets, familes, etc. There is a lot of foot traffic along 7th Ave from 14th Street north to around Union street (or even up to Flatbush). Any of the tree-line side streets are filled with gorgeous 19th century townhomes. Two streets west of 7th Ave is Prospect Park. It's Brooklyn's version of Central Park (also designed by Frederick Law Olmstead). Prospect Park West is akin to Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. At the corner of Prospect Park West and Eastern Parkway (the NW corner of the park) is Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Public Library. The plaza has seen better days, but the arch and the Art-Deco library are stunning. After that, I'd take a walk down Eastern Parkway. The best subway stop for Park Slope is the 7th Ave stop on the F train. For Grand Army Plaza, take the 1 or 2 to Grand Army Plaza or the Q to 7th Ave.

2) Williamsburg is probably the hipest neighborhood in Brooklyn. A lot of artist-types moved there when they were priced out of the East Village. It's not nearly as "beautiful" as Brooklyn Heights or Park Slope, but it's very vibrant. Catch it now before it's chainified. Take the L train from Manhattan to Bedford Ave. Most of the stuff is on Bedford, surrounding the subway station.

3) Carroll Gardens is relatively close to Park Slope. It's a little funkier, but has definitely been gentrified. The stretch of Smith Street between Caroll and Bergen is filled with restaurants and stores. The side streets have set-back homes with well maintained gardens (some of the streets, anyway). Take the F train to Bergen or Carroll. You can walk between Carroll Gardens and Park Slops along Carroll or 3rd Street in about 20 minutes or so, and it's a safe area.

There is also a great book called "Brooklyn: A soup to Nuts Guide" by Ellen Freudenheim. It's very dense and thorough, but it'll give you an idea of the neighborhoods. Also, pick up a copy of the Subway Map so you know where the different subways take you (if you haven't already... hehe)

I hope you have a great time. Brooklyn is still so underrated and undiscovered by tourists. Any more questions? Feel free to ask

Rachele

I like Brooklyn Heights also, but if you want a more "East Villagy" thing, check out Williamsburg. It's become a very artsy twenty something neighborhood. Take the L train to Bedford St. (1st stop in Brooklyn). Some really good restaurants and shops are right on Bedford -- Veracruz is great if you like mexican.

Rachele

James, you and I must have been writing about Williamsburg at the same time! And I was just going to write another post about Park Slope! Small world. By the way Mike, you can get the L train at 14th St. (it runs along 14th St. east/west). If you grab the N/R or the 6, you can change to the L at 14th St., then it's 3 stops to Bedford.

Have fun -- Brooklyn is diverse and cool.

suzanne

Mike,
These are all great responses.

Another neighborhood you may want to check out is DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass), where I live. It is right down the hill from Bklyn Heights, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges (basically, behind Grimaldi's Pizza).

There is not much shopping in DUMBO, but boy, is it photogenic! Most of the streets are still made of the original Belgian blocks (aka cobblestone) with the old train rails still embedded in them. Skeletons of 1800s brick warehouses still stand. There is an incredible view of the Manhattan Bridge (2nd most beautiful bridge in the city) from Washington Street...photographers set up their cameras nearly every day here, and on weekends there are wedding parties being photographed here.

Many companies got their start in Dumbo, such as Brillo, Grand Union Tea Company, and A&P, and their signs still appear on the sided of buildings or the floors of lobbies. It's kind of fun to discover these things.

There are a few decent restaurants down here besides Grimaldi's, such as the Water Street Bar, Kino's, and Superfine (which was recently converted from an auto garage. Also, the best chocolate I ever tasted is made right here on Water Street, at the Jacques Torres Chocolate Factory. You can actually watch it being made. It has a shop attached, which sells the candy as well as coffee and pastries. It's closed Sundays.

To get to Dumbo, take the F train to York Street, take a right out of the station and down the hill towards the water. Take a left anywhere and walk under the bridge, and you'll be here.

Or, take the A/C train to High Street. Walk across the park, then veer left and you'll be on Washington St.

Or...walk across the bridge from Manhattan.

Enjoy your trip!

Jim

Mike,
You could take the F to Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens, walk back toward Manhattan along Smith Street, cut through Cobble Hill to admire the brownstones, take a short walk along Atlantic Ave, then head into Brooklyn Heights.

lawren

If you do get to Williamsburg ( and you should) make reservations for Peter Luger's Steakhouse. Best steak in NYC.

Boris

Go to Brighton Beach. You will think you have arrived in Moscow.

sammy

Nobody has mentioned Coney Island. Take a walk on the boardwalk, visit the aquarium, ride the amusement park rides, go to Nathan's for a few hot dogs.

Mike

Thanks for all the great suggestions and details-I'll have to plan a route to get to see as much as possible though I'm sure I'll be back many times. One question to add, any suggestions for dinner? I know Peter Luger's is great but I'm not a beef/pork person. We'll be eating Italian for lunch, always seem to get Japanese in Manhattan so maybe something french/seafood/raw bar or something on the ecclectic side; we're kinda sick of Greek as we've been to a few festivals lately so not looking for Greek/kebab. We were thinking about going to Artisanal in the city for fondue but might switch over to something in Bklyn for convenience. Any suggestions? Nothing too upsacle (i.e. not River Cafe)as we'll be dressed fairly comfortably and rolling in with at least a couple backpacks. Price range 40-50 pp + booze is fine. I tried checking chowhound but with my lack of knowledge of the outer boroughs, it's tough to really tell where anything is when they just describe it by streets.

thanks for all the help,
Mike

Flynn

Mike, there's a bunch of restaurants on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens; take your pick.

La Boullabaise on Atlantic Avenue has gotten high marks but the place is small so there may be a wait on a Saturday night. Noodle Pudding in Brooklyn Heights is terrific (Italian) and there's a place right next to it ('Mike' something I think) that's very good.