Park Slope

Know those tree-lined brownstone blocks from Bored to Death? That’s Park Slope. (Some of them, anyway – others are Fort Green) There’s a reason the Slope is called the Portland of NYC – just spending some time walking its streets on a nice day is usually enough to induce bliss (and a thirst for a pint in one of its pubs).

There are neighborhoods you visit for something they have, for instance Woodside for Sripraphai, Elmhurst for Hao Wei (Taste Good) – hmmm…so pretty much the entirety of Queens (which we’ll get to) – then there are hoods that you would want to walk through even if there wasn’t one decent joint to patronize.

Luckily Park Slope gives you both – it’s the brunch capital of the east coast, and from April to November you’ll find casual diners sitting at its sidewalk cafes. No less worthwhile are its pubs and wine bars, which offer an eclectic mix of high-concept beer/wine-o-file and good local dive.

But it’s the miles of treelined avenues adorned with brownstones and the adjacent Prospect Park that’s worth the $2.50 train fare. Eat or don’t eat, drink or abstain, but make sure you have a walk along 7th, 6th, or 5th Aves between Berkeley Place and 9th St (that’s a huge area) and just take it in.

If you’re not allergic to pollen, best time to visit Park Slope is mid-late spring (April and May), though it is photogenic in June and July, when its foliage is in full bloom. If you have a day, make sure you make time to hit Prospect Park as well.

Read on for our recommendations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Get There

Seventh Ave on the F train puts you right in the thick of postcard Park Slope. Why should you care about this neighborhood? If you’re checking out this website it’s likely because you’re either totally disinterested in Times Square and the Empire State Building or have seen them before. […read more]

 

 

Where to Eat

Park Slope is the home of the brunch, and you’ll find no shortage of spots to indulge your steak and eggs jonze and wash it down with a mimosa or bloody mary. Still, we’d like to suggest some less-than-obvious places. […read more]

 

 

Coffee

We wrestled over whether to make this a standalone category, but decided that with the coffeehouse culture of Park Slope and the Third Wave of Williamsburg, Brooklyn coffee was worth it. […read more]

 

 

 

Bars/Music/Nightlife

Park Slope has all three types of watering hole – pub, music bar, and dive. Here are the ones we recommend. […read more]

 

 

 

 

Miscellaneous

For those things that don’t fall neatly into any other category – window shopping, people watching, great grocery stores or bakeries, or just scenic walks. […read more]