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Within its central location and diverse population, Prospect Heights delivers both huge cultural institutions and quiet family friendly streets.

Parks and Rec . . . and Culture, too
At Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Heights offers the grandest entrance to Prospect Park, a 526 acre Brooklyn gem replete with a zoo, an Audubon center, a botanical garden, an ice rink, a band shell, a carousel, an intricate waterway system, and dozens of recreational and athletic facilities. The Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Library are located at the edge of the park in Prospect Heights and hold a plethora of events and classes. In the northwest corner of the neighborhood sits the Barclay’s Center, a sports and entertainment arena that‘s home to the Brooklyn Nets basketball team.

Eat Hip, Shop Hip
Along Vanderbilt and Washington Avenues are charming eateries like Chuko Ramen and Ample Hills as well as a unique nighttime spots like music venue and nerdvana The Way Station and kitschy neighborhood cocktail parlor Bearded Lady. Independent label-filled boutiques like 1 of a Find keep the vibe unpretentiously hip.

Prospect Heights Real Estate
The section north of Grand Army Plaza has been zoned a Historic District to preserve the beautiful brownstones that line the streets. Here and in the many brick row houses of the neighborhood live an ethnic mélange of families who have lived here for generations and newcomers building their own families. Sprinkled here and there, developers have inserted modern 4-5 story buildings into the mix to attract professionals of every bent.

Subway Lines:

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With almost 9,000 buildings built before 1900, Bed-Stuy has a vast collection of intact Victorian architecture that is luring pioneers to this neighborhood. As it is only now emerging from a long period of economic woe, these treasures have not been destroyed by misguided trends of the past. Little by little, they are being snatched up and restored, along with the neighborhood, to their full glory. Critically acclaimed restaurants, wine stores, and bars have followed.

An eclectic mix of students, architects, lawyers, and long-time residents gives Stuyvesant Heights color. Block parties, street festivals, and Sunday morning church services all showcase the strong community spirit. Culinary choices mirror the diversity of the population; Ali’s Trinidad Roti Shop sits next door to a new American restaurant. Ownership of David’s Brisket House was passed from Jewish immigrants to a Muslim partner.

The neighborhood is made up mostly of three and four story brownstones and row houses, with the occasional new condo development squeezed in. Sections of the neighborhood have been designated landmarked historic districts. For now, money goes farther here than in other brownstone-laden sections of Brooklyn.

Bed-Stuy is served by the A, C, G, J, M, and Z subway lines. It’s about 20 minutes into Manhattan from the subway, but some parts of the neighborhood are a bit of a hike to the subway.

Filed under: Brooklyn by Laura Edelman
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Williamsburg has settled comfortably into its uber hip identity. Once an affordable outpost packed with artists and musicians, it has morphed into a well-kept industrial-chic amalgam of unique shops, bars, and restaurants that cater to the young creative professionals and families who can still afford to live there.

Shop, Sip and Savor

The vibe in Billyburg encourages individual expression in both work and play. Small shops sell goods about which their owners are passionate: from hand-crafted, beautifully wrapped chocolates at Mast Brothers, to a carefully chosen selection of whiskey at The Whiskey Shop. The world’s largest collection of sketchbooks is available to peruse and even to contribute to at The Sketchbook Project. Williamsburg Flea is an extremely popular, tightly curated outdoor market of furniture, jewelry, art, and crafts made by local artisans. It runs from April–October every Sunday at the East River State Park on the waterfront, with beautiful views of Manhattan. On Saturdays at the same location, Smorgasburg peddles lobster rolls, amazing BBQ, ramen burgers, and much more from top vendors. Foodies are inundated with delicious possibilities at the many acclaimed restaurants spread out over the entire neighborhood. Wood and brick set the scene for the carefree attitude at the bars in Williamsburg, which are filled until dawn. A pop-up party might take over a parking lot, a rooftop, or a park. There’s always a hot new band playing at Brooklyn Bowl, Music Hall of Williamsburg, or one of the neighborhood’s many smaller venues. A vibrant club and bar scene on weekend nights around Bedford Ave. attracts revelers from far outside the neighborhood.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, coffee shops and sidewalks are dotted with strollers and the parents who stayed here after getting married. They may head toward the 35-acre McCarren Park, which borders Greenpoint at the north end of Williamsburg and includes an outdoor pool and recreation area. During the summer, the park hosts films and concerts as well as a Saturday greenmarket.

A Residential Potpourri

There are luxury high-rises with sweeping views of Manhattan and converted industrial buildings closer to the waterfront, but much of Williamsburg consists of walk-ups and row houses. The southernmost section and the section east of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway approaching Bushwick are still a bit gritty, and a bit less expensive. Prices in Williamsburg are some of the highest in Brooklyn, along with Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo.

Subway Lines:

The East River Ferry has 2 slips in Williamsburg.

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Twenty minutes from midtown via subway, relatively affordable Astoria has become an enclave of fresh, youthful energy happily co-existing with a strong Greek community. As recent graduates and young professionals have been priced out of Williamsburg, the relaxed vibe of the many new and older local hangouts has welcomed them to this corner of Queens.

A Sense of Place
Residential streets lined with 2-3 story brick and wood frame multifamily townhouses cover much of the area, while commercial hubs cluster around the main thoroughfares: 36th Ave., Broadway, 30th Ave., Ditmars Blvd., and Steinway St. The section surrounding Ditmars Ave., which has a more tranquil feel compared to the bustle of Broadway, has become especially popular with young professionals, prompting the steady increase in cafes, restaurants, bars, gyms, and shops. At the western end of Ditmars Ave, along the East River, Astoria Park offers views of Upper Manhattan and the Hell Gate and Triborough Bridges. It also contributes the city’s largest outdoor pool, tennis and basketball courts, a bandstand, a butterfly garden, a bocce court, multiple trails, and playgrounds.

A Cultural Melting Pot
Greek restaurants are ubiquitous throughout the neighborhood, and have been joined by cuisines from many other cultures as Brazilians, Bangladeshis, Columbians, Eastern Europeans, and Egyptians have discovered, and put their mark, on this convenient and pleasant part of the city. Bohemian Hall is a true European style biergarten and popular outdoor gathering spot. Just next door, Astoria Market features local artisans and craftspeople. The lauded Museum of the Moving Image screens silent films with live music, restored prints from leading archives around the world, and top films from the international festival circuit.

In With the Old, In With the New
While most of the housing stock consists of multi-family semi-detached row houses and townhouses with a few small walk-ups, tax abatements have spurred the development of newer, tall condos.

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Filed under: Queens by Laura Edelman
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Only one subway stop from Midtown, Long Island City has a more open, less hectic, neighborhood ambiance; for anyone from artists to investment bankers, it’s a fun and convenient place to call home. The views of Manhattan are awe-inspiring from the wide green waterfront expanse of Hunter’s Point South Park or the beautifully landscaped Gantry Plaza State Park, which features piers jutting out into the East River and Adirondack chairs and hammocks sprinkled about. The city provides a dramatic backdrop for outdoor movies, concerts, and dance performances. Farther north along the waterfront, there is always an engaging exhibit at Socrates Sculpture Park.

Hunter’s Point: Food, Fun, and Family-friendly
Hunter’s Point, at the southern tip of LIC, south of 45th Ave, offers a relaxed vibe with family-friendly brick townhouses and low-rise buildings sharing the blocks with low-slung industrial buildings and new sleek amenity-laden high-rises. Popular shops and eateries draw locals to Vernon Blvd. and Jackson Ave. Beer enthusiasts come from near and far to spend the day doing the popular LIC Brewery Crawl. Every Saturday and Sunday during the warmer months, LIC Flea & Food hosts a bevy of well-curated local vendors. Art plays a big role in LIC, and many early 1900s industrial buildings have been transformed into galleries, studios, and performance venues. Renowned MoMA PS1 provides exhibition space for the most experimental art in the world and also hosts regular “warm-up” dance parties among interactive art displays on its huge outdoor patio.

While prices in Hunter’s Point are higher than the rest of LIC, this area offers more affordable options than Manhattan.

Subway Lines:

The G Line runs south into Brooklyn.

The East River Ferry also serves the neighborhood.

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A Sense of History
The glass and steel skyscrapers of the Financial District, or FiDi, proclaim the might of the nation’s financial markets. Situated on the narrow southernmost tip of Manhattan, it is also where settlers first disembarked in the 17th century and built low solid brick buildings along cobblestone streets; all beautifully maintained over the years. It’s this juxtaposition that charges the energy of this neighborhood; each is more spectacular next to the other. By day, the area is bustling with activity. At night and on the weekends, it’s a quieter, peaceful seaside oasis.

One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the U.S., proudly anchors this neighborhood. Its thoughtfully designed observatory offers stunning views and an incredible ride up in the elevator. Powerful and moving, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum occupies the exact location of the towers that fell. Designed by Santiago Calatrava to resemble a bird being released from a child’s hand, the award winning Oculus is an impressive modern transportation hub. The new WTC also boasts a performing arts center and plenty of retail space at the shops of Brookfield Place. The imposing 1903 neoclassical façade of the New York Stock Exchange is just a few blocks away.

At the South Street Seaport on the East River, historic sailing vessels are docked in the harbor, the merchants at the indoor Fulton Stall Market hawk their farm fresh produce, and the shops on Schermerhorn Row, built in the early 1800s, give the feel of having stepped back in time. The pier that juts out from here offers the perfect view of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. Plans underway to transform Pier 17 include a public open space with outdoor summer concerts and films as well as a glass enclosed retail space. Stone Street, a charming old brick-and-mortar block in the heart of the neighborhood, explodes with life from happy hour into the wee hours with bars and restaurants of every variety and a hidden picnic table-lined cobblestone back alley that links them all.

Parks and Rec
At the confluence of the East and Hudson Rivers, this neighborhood is awash in waterfront parks, with vistas of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and much more. Bike paths continue all the way up the entire west side of Manhattan to the George Washington Bridge. During the summer, a ferry transports New Yorkers to Governor’s Island, a walking and biking only park of artistic landscaping right in New York Harbor. The island also hosts concerts and other events.

FiDi Diversity
As with Battery Park City right next door, because FiDi is a bit removed, new and converted high-rise buildings with all the amenities offer a more affordable option compared with other neighborhoods in the city. Walk-ups in older buildings offer even more attractive pricing. FiDi appeals not only to people who work in finance, but also to families looking for more space for their money.

Getting Around
The Financial District is the most convenient neighborhood for getting anywhere else in the city. Almost every subway line goes here, including most express trains. In addition, the neighborhood is served by the NY Waterway Ferry, Staten Island Ferry, and the PATH. The architecturally lauded Fulton Center and Oculus transportation hub are a pleasure to walk through, and a destination in their own right.

Subway Lines

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Fun, Food and . . .
Aesthetics figure strongly in desirable Flatiron. The iconic triangle-shaped Flatiron building is a marvel of early 20th century architecture and the whole neighborhood is rife with many more striking facades. Every spring, anticipation runs high about what this summer’s art installation will be in Madison Square Park. It’s always something engaging to be savored while enjoying lunch on one of the benches lining its winding paths, or picnicking on its lawns. A free concert or a BBQ festival may be happening there, too. The Olmsted and Vaux designed Union Square Park, NYC’s answer to the European piazza, holds the city’s largest greenmarket 4 days a week as well as a holiday market and a steady stream of impromptu yoga classes, chess games, and free music.
Visual treats tempt from the storefronts along Broadway as well. To wander through ABC Home is to be immersed in a magical land of curated vignettes, at the rear of which are some of the most enchanting and acclaimed restaurants in the city. Across the street is Fishs Eddy, a fun and funky shop that sells old-time restaurant dishware and other nostalgia inspired items. Eataly is a stunning Italian food market/eatery where it’s tempting to either pick up fresh ingredients for a lavish feast at home or sit and enjoy a meal either at one of the ground floor market area restaurants or at the Birreria on the roof.
During the day, the streets are packed with professionals who work at the many office buildings in Flatiron. At night, the mood is more upscale fun at places like Society Billiards and the many fabulous restaurants and well-appointed bars that dot the neighborhood.
Flatiron Real Estate
With so many commercial buildings, apartments are scarce in this very hot neighborhood and come at a premium. Vacancies in the recently developed, amenity-laden luxury buildings get snapped up by families and professionals who can afford the hefty price tag. There are also a few smaller doorman buildings and slightly more affordable walk-ups. The area north of Madison Square Park, or NoMad, has more apartments, both new and old, on the market and is somewhat less pricey.
Flatiron has easy access to all parts of the city and Brooklyn by subway. It’s also an easy walk into Midtown, Chelsea, or Gramercy, and downtown into Greenwich Village or the East Village.
Subway Lines:

The neighborhood is also served by the PATH.

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