Bryce’s guidebook
Food scene
Amazing ice cream (made right there) Imaginative flavors
Friendly atmosphere
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Ample Hills Creamery
623 Vanderbilt AveAmazing ice cream (made right there) Imaginative flavors
Friendly atmosphere
My favorite bagels, period. Best if you get them fresh from the oven - soft and warm inside, chewy outside, you don’t even need cream cheese, they’re so delicious (though I get it anyway)
Lots of spreads and toppings, including lox, capers, whitefish, etc.
Muffins too.
But don’t even think about asking for a blueberry bagel.
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Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe
645 Vanderbilt AveMy favorite bagels, period. Best if you get them fresh from the oven - soft and warm inside, chewy outside, you don’t even need cream cheese, they’re so delicious (though I get it anyway)
Lots of spreads and toppings, including lox, capers, whitefish, etc.
Muffins too.
But don’t even think about asking for a blueberry bagel.
Dough Doughnuts
5th AvenueGreat doughnuts
Cheryl's Global Soul
236 Underhill AveGreat food, particularly brunch.
Brooklyn's Homeslice Pizza
567 Vanderbilt AveTerrific pizza. Chewy crust with big bubbles.
White Tiger
601 Vanderbilt AveTerrific Korean food
Chuko
565 Vanderbilt AveGreat Ramen
Authentic Italian style pizza - thin, crispy crust, minimal toppings. As I recall, the owners are from Naples.
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Cataldo's
554 Vanderbilt AveAuthentic Italian style pizza - thin, crispy crust, minimal toppings. As I recall, the owners are from Naples.
Home made Caribbean food. Jerk chicken is to die for. Curried goat too. I also highly recommend the Pepper Pot Soup.
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The Islands
671 Washington AveHome made Caribbean food. Jerk chicken is to die for. Curried goat too. I also highly recommend the Pepper Pot Soup.
Nourish Thai
637A Vanderbilt AveGreat Thai food plus a bar. Really nice ambience, soft lighting, big windows
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Muse
689 Washington AvenueGreat Thai food plus a bar. Really nice ambience, soft lighting, big windows
Gen
659 Washington AveSuper fresh sushi, our local favorite
Homemade ultra gourmet ice cream. These are the folks who started Ample Hills (also in my guidebook) but had to sell due to financial troubles in the covid lockdown. They opened this new place - great ice cream, ,ping pong, a pinball machine, nice place to sit..
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The Social
816 Washington AveHomemade ultra gourmet ice cream. These are the folks who started Ample Hills (also in my guidebook) but had to sell due to financial troubles in the covid lockdown. They opened this new place - great ice cream, ,ping pong, a pinball machine, nice place to sit..
Groceries
Clean and well run, with good prices, fresh produce (including organic) and meats (including grass fed/organic). The best place for groceries in the neighborhood.
Family run - the owners (Frank and Abdul) are often around, very friendly, seem to know everyone. Their kids and cousins also help run the place.
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Foodtown of Prospect Heights
632 Vanderbilt AveClean and well run, with good prices, fresh produce (including organic) and meats (including grass fed/organic). The best place for groceries in the neighborhood.
Family run - the owners (Frank and Abdul) are often around, very friendly, seem to know everyone. Their kids and cousins also help run the place.
Nightlife
Tooker Alley
793 Washington AveGreat cocktails and ambience
Bearded Lady
686A Washington AveWeather Up
589 Vanderbilt AveCraft beers on tap, cider too (no liquor). Great vibe with lots of outdoor seating on a corner with not a lot of car traffic but lots of foot traffic. Every time I go there, I see people I know. One of my favorite summer nightspots.
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Gold Star Beer Counter
176 Underhill AveCraft beers on tap, cider too (no liquor). Great vibe with lots of outdoor seating on a corner with not a lot of car traffic but lots of foot traffic. Every time I go there, I see people I know. One of my favorite summer nightspots.
A little further afield than my other nightlife listings - in Fort Greene, so you have to cross the the awful Carlandia that is Atlantic Ave. But if you do make it over there, Doris has a nice vibe with a garden out back and a mostly broken but still somehow usable ping pong table
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Doris
1088 Fulton StA little further afield than my other nightlife listings - in Fort Greene, so you have to cross the the awful Carlandia that is Atlantic Ave. But if you do make it over there, Doris has a nice vibe with a garden out back and a mostly broken but still somehow usable ping pong table
Neighborhoods
Quintessential Brownstone Brooklyn
Dates to the 1880’s, it occupies the slope to the west of Prospect Park.
The most elaborate mansions and brownstones tend to be in the named streets (North Slope) and further up the slope (closer to the park). My favorite streets include Montgomery, Garfield, and Carroll (as well as the short streets Polhemus and Fiske).
7th Ave and 5th Ave are commercial, with shops and restaurants.
Very nice to just stroll around.
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Park Slope
Quintessential Brownstone Brooklyn
Dates to the 1880’s, it occupies the slope to the west of Prospect Park.
The most elaborate mansions and brownstones tend to be in the named streets (North Slope) and further up the slope (closer to the park). My favorite streets include Montgomery, Garfield, and Carroll (as well as the short streets Polhemus and Fiske).
7th Ave and 5th Ave are commercial, with shops and restaurants.
Very nice to just stroll around.
Cobble Hill
Prospect Heights
Windsor Terrace
Brooklyn Heights
Red Hook
Fort Greene
To the east of Prospect Heights and the Botanic Garden, Crown Heights is a vibrant neighborhood. It covers a much larger area than Prospect Hts and could easily be divided into distinct neighborhoods.
Eastern Parkway is lined with 1920’s era apartment buildings, some of them very grand (if a little faded).
To the north and south of Eastern Parkway are blocks of brownstones, some of them rivaling Park Slope.
Franklin Ave, particularly north of Eastern Parkway, has nightlife and eateries. Nostrand too (though less yuppified)
A huge variety of restaurants - Caribbean, Indian, Korean, Thai, brunch places, pizza, burgers, whatever you want, you’ll find it.
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Crown Heights
To the east of Prospect Heights and the Botanic Garden, Crown Heights is a vibrant neighborhood. It covers a much larger area than Prospect Hts and could easily be divided into distinct neighborhoods.
Eastern Parkway is lined with 1920’s era apartment buildings, some of them very grand (if a little faded).
To the north and south of Eastern Parkway are blocks of brownstones, some of them rivaling Park Slope.
Franklin Ave, particularly north of Eastern Parkway, has nightlife and eateries. Nostrand too (though less yuppified)
A huge variety of restaurants - Caribbean, Indian, Korean, Thai, brunch places, pizza, burgers, whatever you want, you’ll find it.
Dumbo
65 Plymouth StSightseeing
I-Aquarium yase-New York
602 Surf AveThe High Line should be on every visitor’s must see list. It’s kind of other worldly, gives you a fresh perspective on the city
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High Line Park
The High Line should be on every visitor’s must see list. It’s kind of other worldly, gives you a fresh perspective on the city
In the Hudson River, near the south end of the High Line, Little Island is an artificial island, built out of giant concrete golf tees set into the river bottom. Super cool, well worth a visit.
It’s free but as of this writing, requires that you reserve a timed ticket.
Ok, to be honest, done of it’s a little over designed to my taste, particularly the too many meandering paths, some of them right next to each other, but still, it’s pretty great, a gift to the city (and I should not look a gift horse in the mouth).
Really nice at night, with the arches lit up.
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Isiqithi Esincinci
West 13th StreetIn the Hudson River, near the south end of the High Line, Little Island is an artificial island, built out of giant concrete golf tees set into the river bottom. Super cool, well worth a visit.
It’s free but as of this writing, requires that you reserve a timed ticket.
Ok, to be honest, done of it’s a little over designed to my taste, particularly the too many meandering paths, some of them right next to each other, but still, it’s pretty great, a gift to the city (and I should not look a gift horse in the mouth).
Really nice at night, with the arches lit up.
The Met Cloisters
99 Margaret Corbin DrBrooklyn's Central Park; even had the same designers - Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. Olmstead considered Prospect Park his masterpiece. More naturalistic than Central Park, with sweeping, painterly vistas.
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Iphaki yaseProspect
Brooklyn's Central Park; even had the same designers - Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. Olmstead considered Prospect Park his masterpiece. More naturalistic than Central Park, with sweeping, painterly vistas.
Isitshalo saseBrooklyn Botanic
990 Washington Ave
I-Museum yaseBrooklyn
200 Eastern PkwyBrooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge Promenade
I-Brooklyn Bridge Park
334 Furman StSpectacular views of lower Manhattan and the harbor. A short walk from the 2/3 subways at Clark St.
From the promenade, you can take the Squibb Park Bridge down to Brooklyn Bridge Park (down on the waterfront) and from there, you can explore DUMBO, a picturesque neighborhood between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. There's a carousel on the waterfront, historic buildings, art galleries, eateries, shopping, etc.
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Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Pierrepont PlaceSpectacular views of lower Manhattan and the harbor. A short walk from the 2/3 subways at Clark St.
From the promenade, you can take the Squibb Park Bridge down to Brooklyn Bridge Park (down on the waterfront) and from there, you can explore DUMBO, a picturesque neighborhood between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. There's a carousel on the waterfront, historic buildings, art galleries, eateries, shopping, etc.