Brooklyn, New York —

Looking at a map of the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, no one could blame you for thinking that it is a fairly mountainous affair.  You have Clinton Hill, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Vinegar Hill and these are surrounded by Prospect Heights and Brooklyn Heights.  We’ve spent a fair amount of time over the past month exploring these neighborhoods and they are well worth a visit.  They cover a wide gamut of moods from scrappy to elegant, bustling to serene, hip to traditional.  The only thing missing was a hill of any sort.

We’d like to share with you our favorite Brooklyn neighborhood ramble.  Take any A or C train from Manhattan heading downtown and get off at the second Brooklyn stop, which is Jay Street/Metrotech.  You will rise out of the subway right into the middle of the scrappy, bustling heart of downtown Brooklyn.  This feels a lot like the Gotham City of a Batman movie.  There is a lot of spectacular architecture, both old and new, both pristinely restored and terribly gone to seed.  Find Smith Street and head south.  You’ll know you are heading in the right direction if you see a string of bail bonds houses on your left and the Brooklyn detention center on your right.  This is where you cross Atlantic Street and enter Boerum Hill and this is where everything changes.

Smith Street in Boerum hill is 20 blocks of  cafes, restaurants, delis, boutiques and tattoo parlors.  It is always entertaining, a great place to hang out and it leads to some of the nicest brownstones in New York.  At the top of Boerum Hill, you enter Carroll Gardens.  Take a right on 3rd Place.  This is the only neighborhood in the city where the brownstones were built away from the street to allow for a type of urban front yard.  It is really nice and almost makes Manhattan’s Upper East Side seem second rate.

In a few blocks you will hit Henry Street.  Take a right again.  This will take you back in the direction you came but this time through Cobble Hill which is a low key version of Smith Street.  Henry Street also leads directly to our favorite Brooklyn neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights.  After walking the 25 or so blocks back, you will hit Montague Street and this is a fine place to stop at a sidewalk cafe for a well deserved rest and some people watching.

To top off the perfect Brooklyn afternoon, stroll over to the Promenade along the East River to enjoy the spectacular view of lower Manhattan.  If you are truly ambitious, after this exploration of five different neighborhoods, you can walk back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge.  All in all, a great afternoon’s walk!