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WELCOME TO THE PLACE WE CALL HOME - BROOKLYN
Bay Ridge is a residential area that celebrated its 150th birthday in 2003. Originally called "Yellow Hook" because of the yellow clay in the soil, the name was quickly changed in 1853 after New York suffered a Yellow Fever epidemic. Bay Ridge is from the outstanding views from a ridge overlooking the New York Harbor.
You can explore Fort Hamilton, New York City's only active Army post, located beneath the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the second longest single span suspension bridge in the world.
Bedford-Stuyvesant is Brooklyn's largest African-American neighborhood, was formed after a merging of two rural communities: "Bedford" and "Stuyvesant Heights" in 1931. Famous past residents include baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Bed-Stuy is home to the Simmons African Arts Museum, (718/230-0933) which hosts an amazing private collection of contemporary African art and masks.
Bensonhurst
Bensonhurst natives consider their neighborhood the true "Little Italy". One of Bensonhurst's historic landmarks is the New Utrecht Reformed Church, (718/236-0678) the oldest church in Brooklyn, dating back to the 1700. TV nostalagists note, Bensonhurst was the setting for Welcome Back, Kotter and The Honeymooners.
Borough Park serves as home to the largest orthodox Jewish population in the U.S. A boon for discounts shoppers. All shops observe the Sabbath and close from sundown Fridays to sundown on Saturdays. The Bobover Hassidic World Headquarters, is located on 15th Ave. The Bobover sect is one of the larger and more charismatic Hassidic sects in Borough Park.
Brighton Beach known as "Little Odessa" and brought to life in Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs," is a Russian enclave. Cyrillic signs are the norm and Russian is spoken everywhere. Brighton Beach is known for its over-the-top nightclubs and restaurants where you'll have a dance on the tables and keep the vodka flowing type of experience.
Brooklyn Heights is New York's first historic district. Stroll along the Promenade for breathtaking views. Brooklyn Heights offers dozens of excellent restaurants, historic churches, shops and the Brooklyn Historical Society, (718/624-0890), an excellent resource for anyone interest in anything about Brooklyn's history.
Downtown is across Court Street from the Heights and offers the busy pedestrian Fulton Mall, (718/858-5118), a draw for shoppers with its over 200 stores and famous Junior's known for its world-class cheesecake.
Carroll Gardens was named after Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. Smith Street is the draw here with some of New York's hottest restaurants.
Cobble Hill in addition to being home to many land marked buildings, has a strong Middle Eastern presence particularly along Atlantic Avenue.
In its markets like Sahadi's (718/624-4550) you can buy fresh hummus, a variety of olives and excellent cheeses. The historic district includes the Kane Street Synagogue, Brooklyn's oldest synagogue and Verandah Place where author Tom Wolfe once lived. Court Street is fun for shopping at vintage shops or dining in excellent Italian food at restaurants.
Coney Island is a great way to spend a summer day, taking a ride on the famous Cyclone or Deno's Wonder Wheel Park (718/372-2592), AFTER the crazy rides, enjoy
a Nathan's hot dog or a slice pizza at Totonno's
An A-Z Intro: DUMBO to Marine Park
DUMBO stands for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. It's a goofy name but awesome artist-owned loft spaces that spawned a number of top galleries. In the fall the d.u.m.b.o. arts center (718/624-3772) sponsors a festival promoting the work of the neighborhood's local talent.
East Flatbush is a hub for Caribbean immigrants to Brooklyn. You'll find spicy Caribbean fare at places such as Badoo's (718/345-7654) and Cheffy's Jamaican (718/363-9515). Every September, the neighborhood hosts a sizzling West Indian Carnival Parade packed with music, floats and energy.
Flatbush the neighborhood starting from the area closest to Prospect Park, was one of Brooklyn's original six towns and its history is reflected beautifully at the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church established by Peter Stuyvesant in 1654. Its Tiffany windows are worth seeing. Also worth the trip is the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts (718/951-4500) on the Brooklyn College campus. The Center is renowned for excellent musical and theatrical shows.
Fort Greene is named for Revolutionary War Gen. Nathaniel Greene and is one of Brooklyn's most diverse neighborhoods. It is where you'll find the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) (718/636-4100) and the Pratt Institute (718/636-3600). Past residents include Spike Lee, author Richard Wright and Walt Whitman.
Gravesend is one of Brooklyn's original six towns and the only one founded by the English and by a woman, Lady Deborah Moody in 1643. According to local lore, even the grumpster Peter Stuyvesant sought the Lady's opinion on various issues.
If Brighton Beach is "Little Odessa", Greenpoint is Brooklyn's "Little Poland." The main drag is Manhattan Avenue along which you'll find traditional Polish bakeries which sells terrific known cheese danishes.
Marine Park is a residential area in southeastern Brooklyn. There is an 800-acre park, the largest in Brooklyn, of the same name at its center. (718/965-8900). In the park you'll find Brooklyn's largest golf course. Marine Park is also home to Kings Plaza, Brooklyn's first enclosed shopping mall.
An A-Z Intro: Park Slope to Red Hook
Park Slope is one of Brooklyn's most beautiful neighborhoods, boasting blocks of well-preserved brownstones and the gorgeous Prospect Park. In the summer, the Prospect Park Bandshell is the stage for the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival featuring live music and outstanding dance.
Adjacent to Park Slope is Prospect Heights where you'll find cultural hotspots like the Brooklyn Museum of Art (718/638-5000), second largest museum in the U.S., and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, (718/622-4433), (you'll want to say "Botanical Gardens", but don't!). Also at Grand Army Plaza, you'll find the magnificent Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch built for $250,000 in 1902 to honor Civil War heroes. John Duncan whom designed Grant’s Tomb designed the Arch. In spring/summer, you can climb up the six-story spiral staircase to the top of the Arch for a view of the Central Library (718/230-2100) with its unique structure designed to look like an open book from above.
Red Hook is across the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) from Carroll Gardens and is considered "the wrong side of the tracks" or in this case, the expressway. For the intrepid willing to go there (it's difficult to get to via public transportation) Red Hook is a treasure in the rough. In Red Hook, Columbia Street is the place to be with restaurants rivaling Carroll Gardens' Smith Street. Places like the Mexican restaurant, Alma and the Thai restaurant, Teeda have are garnering rave reviews. Shopping is also a boon here with new clothing stores and cafes. Red Hook offers rewards for those willing to venture out.
An A-Z Intro: Sheepshead Bay to Williamsburg
Sheepshead Bay is a seaside residential neighborhood. It's named for the sheepshead fish that sadly no longer exist there. Found in Sheepshead Bay is Kingsborough Community College (718/368-5000), a cozy college with its own private beach and offers various summer concerts for you to enjoy.
Also there is the Holocaust Memorial Mall Park, (Emmons Avenue and Shore Boulevard) New York's first public memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. There are many excellent seafood restaurants in Sheepshead Bay .
Sunset Park in south Brooklyn is where the historic Green-Wood Cemetery is located. It's an architectural haven from its Vicotrian Gothic entrance gate to the ornate mausoleums. Famous "residents" include Mae West and Leonard Bernstein. If you prefer to let the dead, even the famous dead, lie undisturbed, there are a host of delicious bakeries in Sunset Park to keep you busy and many Chinese restaurants including delicious dim sum at Ocean Palace Seafood
Williamsburg is Brooklyn's hipster artist enclave. Originally a mainly Hasidic neighborhood, the new element of East Village types is a contrast to the traditional orthodox Jewish community. There are also strong Latino and Italian presences here making for a true melting pot. One of New York's best known steak houses, Peter Luger Steakhouse , perhaps the best steak in the country is located here as is the Brooklyn Brewery where you can take a free tour and sample fresh brews.
A Brief Orientation to the Most Diverse Place on the Planet - Queens
Queens is both a county of Long Island (along with Nassau and Suffolk Counties to the east and Brooklyn, or Kings County, to the south and west) and a borough of New York City (the others are Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Manhattan).
Although New York City includes these five boroughs, when New Yorkers say "the City," they are referring to Manhattan. Queens takes up 109 square miles, the largest area of all NYC boroughs (about 35% of NYC's total land area), and is the second largest after Brooklyn in population. More than 2 million people call Queens home.
The people of Queens count the rest of the United States and the world as their homelands. Immigrants have been settling in Queens for more than a hundred years, and they give no sign of letting up. Today more languages are spoken in these 109 square miles than anywhere else on the planet. The vast majority, followed by Spanish, speaks English at home. Rounding out the top ten most common languages are Chinese, Korean, Italian, Greek, Russian, Tagalog, French, and French Creole (according to the US Census 2000, SF3, PCT10).
The US Postal Service divides Queens into five areas: Long Island City (west), Flushing (north central), Jamaica (south central) Far Rockaway (south, and Floral Park (east). Each of these areas contains many neighborhoods. For example the neighborhood of Briarwood is in the Jamaica postal area; you can put either Briarwood or Jamaica as the city when sending mail, and it will reach the same destination. Residents refer to their neighborhood names when describing where they live.
Queens is bordered by Brooklyn to the west and south, and Nassau County to the east. It reaches the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the south (the six-and-a-half-mile Rockaway Beach), the Long Island Sound to the north, and the East River to the west. Manhattan lies just across the East River, and is connected to Queens by the Queensboro Bridge, the Midtown tunnel, the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), and Queens is not set up in a convenient grid, as much of Manhattan is, but in general the blocks adhere to the following pattern:
Streets run north-south, and the numbers get higher the further east you go.
Avenues run east-west, and the numbers get higher the further south you go.
Jackson Heights- Although Jackson Heights is farther east than other neighborhoods in western Queens (such as Woodside and Sunnyside); it's an easier commute to Manhattan because the E and F subways run express to its commercial heart. It's less than 15 minutes from Midtown Manhattan to Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights. Similar to Astoria, there are great dining and shopping options in the neighborhood. Although Roosevelt Avenue is thoroughly congested and loud, the residential streets are quiet.
Jackson Heights is known for its Little India section at 74th Street, north of Roosevelt. But the neighborhood is much bigger and diverse than this one area. Immigrants from Latin America, India, and Pakistan predominate. It's also the center of the gay and lesbian community in Queens.
Housing near transportation tends to be in large apartment buildings. Many are advertised as pre-war, which should mean the apartments are larger and better insulated (less noise) than in newer buildings. Other streets are lined with row houses and less often with multifamily and single-family dwellings. Rental prices run $1,000 and up for one bedroom; two bedrooms start at $1,200.
Sunnyside and Woodside- Along the 7 subway, these neighborhoods are cheaper and very popular with Irish immigrants. There is more Guinness on tap per block than anywhere else in Queens.
Middle Village and Maspeth- The rental markets in the Queens neighborhoods of Middle Village and Maspeth have started to cool off. In these areas most rentals are in small apartment buildings and single units in owner-occupied houses. Rents range from $800 to $1,200 for a one bedroom, and up to $1,500 for a two bedroom, but most landlords are accepting a little less these days. The top of the market has been especially hard hit.
Middle Village and Maspeth are true family neighborhoods, with plenty of local restaurants and hangouts. There are several excellent pizzerias, bakeries, and vegetable markets in the area, reflecting a strong Italian community. Recently more Polish, Irish, Korean, and Middle Eastern couples and families have moved into Maspeth and Middle Village. The M subway starts in Middle Village, near the Maspeth border, and runs through Brooklyn to lower Manhattan.
Astoria- Due to Astoria's proximity to Manhattan, more professionals have been crossing the water to seek cheaper rents, thereby pushing up rental prices in the neighborhood. While other parts of the borough have seen a considerable cooling off in rental prices, Astoria is still a hot spot.
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