cathygreen

We have spent alot of time in nyc (family of 4- incl. 2 daughters 20 & 22). We want to spend a day wandering around Brooklyn - where we have never been. Any suggestions for us? we are travelling to nyc next week. interesting shopping (clothes for twenty somethings), crafts, museums,fun place for lunch, interesting areas to wander? Thanks!

skatedancer

Cathy, I have never been, but apparently there is a neighborhood called Dyker Heights where all the houses have incredible lighting displays, if you want to extend your visit to the evening. I am planning to make the trip myself, so would also love to hear from people here on their suggestions on where to go for dinner, either in the Dyker Heights area, or elsewhere in the borough. I think it's in the Bay Ridge section. Here's a link on how to get there: http://gonyc.about.com/od/christmass...ker_lights.htm.

mclaurie

Brooklyn is huge, larger than Manhattan. I don't know the lay of the land well enough to give you an itinerary, but I can tell you the highlights generally fall into 2 areas, Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO near the Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Park/Park Slope area. There's more info on options for getting from one area to the other on these previous threads
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34895179

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34656726

Highlights are:

Prospect Park-this was designed by the same person who did Central Park and he evidently was said to fix mistakes he made in Central Park.
http://www.prospectpark.org/
They have holiday lights and a trolley tour on weekends.

The Brooklyn Museum is world class and currently has a display of Annie Liebovitz photos that are terrific.
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/

Brooklyn Heights is one area just over the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan. The Promenade along the water is very picturesque with fabulous views of the Manhattan skyline.

Montague St. is one of the main sts. in Brooklyn Heights. Here's a walking tour I found online.
http://brooklyn.about.com/cs/seventh...klyn_Hghts.htm

The restaurants that are destinations near the bridge are Grimaldi's for pizza, the Brooklyn Ice Cream factory, Jacques Torres for chocalate (and he has a bakery across the street). Bubby's is a good place for breakfast if you wanted to start out there. Also near the bridge on the Brooklyn side.

NY Magazine gives you a rundown on each neighborhood including dining and shopping advice. go to nymetro.com/realestate and select the neighborhoods on the bottom right of the page.
Here's an article about fashion in Brooklyn http://nymag.com/guides/brooklyn/style/16782/

ekscrunchy

I would certainly visit Williamsburg, where you can find the interesting craft and young clothing shops and cool place to eat. This is considered now one of the more cutting edge areas of NYC in terms of style; many young people and artists live here. Not too far from there is Greenpoint which is a Polish neighborhood and ineresting to wander around in as well. And that, together with the info above, is just scratching the surface...

PamSF

I think DUMBO is a good place to begin your exploration and go from there. I did like pizza at Grimaldi's but other folks have since recommended DiFaro's.

Whatever you do..I certainly recommend walking back to Manhattan across the bridge. It was great!

bill_boy

Dumbo is nice, but Di FarA's is not anywhere near Dombo. It's in Midwood, Avenue J to be precise. A lot farther. It's at least 3 times better than any of the tourist guide-referred pizza places in the NY area and it's always been the pizza that every other pizza here is compared to. Locals wait for at least an hour juxt to have a slice of Dom Di Fara's creations.

lizziea06

A very fun place to have dinner in Brooklyn is at Sea. It's a Thai restaurant in Williamsburg, which was featured in the opening scene of "Garden State" (your 20-something daughters prob know this movie). It's decent Thai food, but a very cool atmosphere, and a great nabe in which to wonder. Take the L train to Bedford (one stop past 1st Ave) and it's a quick walk.

Governator

If you're going to Brooklyn Heights you can also do the NYC Transit Museum and Cobble Hill (a trendy neighborhood) all within walking distance. If you're going to the Brooklyn Museum , you can go to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and Park Slope (another trendy neighborhood) , all within walking distance. I don't think there's enough in Williamsburgh to occupy a whole day.

Another idea is the Brighton Beach neighborhood to explore the Russian stores, the beach and Coney Island nearby.

Dohlice

Without a car Dyker Heights would be difficult because it isn't convenient to the subway. If you can get there, though the Christmas lights are spectacular and then if pizza is your thing, you can go to Spumoni Gardens. Grimaldi's isn't anything anyone from Brooklyn would consider pizza. Bay Ridge is right next to Dyker Heights and is also a great little neighborhood with excellent restaurants. It's got a great waterfront and sits in the shadow of the Verrazano bridge with views of Manhattan.

Without a car, and looking for museums I would do the Brooklyn Museum and the Botanical Garden. Williamsburg is fun, too but not very "Brooklyn". Lots of great little shops. I would go to Mugs for a drink and there is a restaurant called Relish that is great.