More Brooklyn questions
 

As I mentioned on another thread, I grew up in NY, but have lived in California my entire adult life. We're in NY usually once a year, and these days it's as tourists with a little friends and family thrown in. Anyway, we'll be there for 4 days over Thanksgiving weekend and only have specific plans on Thanksgiving Day, Saturday morning and Saturday night. Would love to do something "different". We have tickets for the tenement museum on Saturday late morning. Just wondering if you'd recommend a trip across the Brooklyn Bridge (we have no Brooklyn experience, I was born there and my grandparents and aunt and uncle lived there until I was 10 -- that's it)and lunch at Grimaldi's? I can't think of a neighborhood in Manhattan that we haven't at least walked around (not that we mind repeating; I'm a true NY-o-phile).

What about a tour of greenwood cemetary? It's beautiful and there are a lot of interesting people buried there.

Prospect Park is also very nice.

Where is Greenwood Cemetery?

Well, if you can fit it into your Saturday, Big Onion walking tours is doing a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and through Brooklyn Heights:

Brooklyn Bridge & Brooklyn Heights:

First we cross the Brooklyn Bridge and recount the dramatic story of how it was built. Then we stroll the tree-lined streets of the Heights exploring the rich architectural, social and literary history. Stops include: Henry Ward Beecher's Plymouth Church, many exquisite examples of 19th century architecture, and sites associated with Walt Whitman, Truman Capote, Arthur Miller and John and Washington Roebling. Tour concludes on the Promenade on Brooklyn Heights with a spectacular view of downtown Manhattan.

http://www.bigonion.com/schedule/

wow, that Big Onion tour sounds interesting. If you do take it, be sure to walk back to Manhattan across the bridge, too, because that direction gives the better views.

Unfortunately, we can't fit the Saturday walk into our schedule. Maybe next time, though, it sounds great.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge is considered a highlight for many people. If you can manage it time wise and the weather isn't too bad, absolutely do it. Lunch at Grimaldi's is liable to be time consuming b/c lines tend to be long. On a holiday weekend I'd imagine they'd be really long. I'd subway over, have a walk along the esplanade in Brooklyn Heights for the views of Manhattan, maybe eat in Brooklyn Heights and then walk back.

I must add (because this is so often the case) that I have lived in San Francisco for 34 years and have never walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. Maybe next weekend!

Also visit Brooklyn Museam, Botanical Gardens and Park Slope (all right near each other0, besides a walk in Brooklyn Heights.

If one wants to "tour" Brooklyn, as suggested by bayridge, can one just walk or is car/subway necessary?

Brooklyn, the borough, is quite large, but the places mentioned by bayridge are reasonably near each other. Hopstop.com is a website that shows you distances and offers options on getting from point a to point b.

Green-Wood Cemetery was desiganted a national historic landmark for its ground-breaking design. Here's a quote from its web site and the landmark designation news release:

" Green-Wood Cemetery . . . is the largest and among the most influential of early American rural cemeteries, carefully sited with dramatic views of the city and harbor below. Established in 1838, Green-Wood has the most extensive and intact landscape created following the principles of Andrew Jackson Downing, the most prominent landscape architect of the antebellum period. It is outstanding for its cohesive, picturesque character, integrated Gothic Revival architecture, and high integrity." Lots of magnificent monuments and famous people too.

http://www.green-wood.com/

Lots of cities have their Chinatowns and Little Italys, but for "different" how about taking the subway over to Brighton Beach aka "Little Odessa." It is all Russian now - Russian signs, stores, restaurants, clubs, etc. It is a unique neighborhood.

dm,
I was just in NY and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side. That way I facde lower Manhattan.

It was morning so rather than a Pizza I had an ice cream at the Ice Cream factory. There was a line at Grimaldi's but not unmanageable.

I also took the Staten Island Ferry. It passes quite close to the Statue of Liberty and gives excellent views.

Myer, sounds great - where's the Ice Cream factory?

We did the Staten Island ferry last time we were in NY.

If you want to do something really random but so cool, try taking the tram over to Roosevelt Island (from 59th Street). It only costs $2 each way and the view- especially at night- is absolutely incredible.
http://www.roosevelt-island.ny.us/
Once you are there, you can take a bus for $0.25 to the end of the island (and check out the Octagon, which used to be an Insane Asylum and is now high-end residential) and walk back along the very lovely riverside promenade, for incredible views of Manhattan's Upper East Side.
If you are hungry there is a little restaurant called Trellis on Main Street (which is the only street in town, really) that is cool because it's like a little small town diner right there in Manhattan.