Brooklyn 101 - Cobble Hill and Park Slope

If you're thinking about the best things to do in New york city but going through Manhattan-fatigue, look no further than Cobble Hill. Cobble Hill is one of Brooklyn's eldest communities, originally settled by the Dutch during the 1600s, and deriving its title from the cobblestones that used to cover its thoroughfares. Unfortunately for pedestrians, those cobblestones are no longer there. Thankfully for motorists, those cobblestones are no longer there. (Spend a few hours motoring through Red Hook to learn what I mean.)

In any event, here's why you should care: Brooklyn has a number of these "postcard" areas - Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, and even Bedford Stuyvesant to a degree - each with its own quality. Wandering the tree lined streets of Cobble Hill (we propose Bergen or Pacific between Smith and Hoyt streets to help get the idea - see map below) instills a similar zenlike tranquility to that of Park Slope's rows of brownstones, but architecture buffs will detect nuanced stylistic differences between the two neighborhoods' buildings and lots. Start on the Carroll Gardens side (F to Carroll), and you will view the neighborhood's unique element - real front yards. Stroll down President Street from Smith to Bond to get your archetypal Carroll Gardens sightseeing adventure.

The beauty of these areas is more than skin deep. The stores, bars and restaurants that dot Court, Smith, and Henry Streets will take your breath away. In case you are feeling daring, try what's arguably Brooklyn's best Sushi restaurant (among stiff competitors), Ki Sushi. On the other end of the spectrum, both geographically and stylistically, is one of Brooklyn's finest New American (yelp's term for "chef-driven, artisanal") places to eat, Buttermilk Channel. In between is an diverse blend of merchants that features anything from family-owned-generations-old salami merchants to upstart cheese providers, and a lot of craft and design. If you are seeking boutiques, you'll find a few on Smith Street, though not really the density you'd see in Williamsburg or round the corner along Atlantic Avenue. Here, it's specialty food oddities (often tinged with Carroll Gardens' Italian American heritage) and kitsch that rules the day.

A ride on the F train to 7th Ave puts you within the thick of postcard Park Slope. Why would you worry about this area? If you're looking at this website it's probably because you're either completely disinterested in Times Square and the Empire State Building or have experienced them before.

Know what makes The Big Apple different from Shanghai or Desmoines?

Its hundred-plus-year-old walkable areas. I could write all day long, but once you hop off the train at 7th ave and 9th Street you'll understand it. The slope adjoins Prospect Park on its west side, and drops smoothly in height down to 3rd Avenue. For this excursion, we've stuck to between 6th ave and Propect Park West, and between Grand Army Plaza and Park Circle.

Flying to New York?? You owe it to yourself to investigate Cobble Hill and Park Slope, a couple of the U.S.'s most famous. Slower-paced and less "tousisty" than Manhattan, these nabes boast some of New York's best eateries, hippest shopping, and most photogenic sightseeing.

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