Reading "Local's Guides" to Williamsburg and Bed-Stuy

Condé Nast Traveler recently published A Local's Guide to Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and How to Spend a Perfect Day in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Those are signs that, beyond "Brooklyn"--a huge and amorphous category--as a destination, people are targeting specific neighborhoods. That's a good idea, as I always advise to approach exploration in adjacencies.

So what do I think of the articles?

(Let's put aside the fact that the first article--at least as initially published--makes a basic geographical error, classifying establishments in the western part of Bed-Stuy, closer to Classon Avenue, as "East Bed-Stuy." C'mon, Fan Fan Doughnuts is almost in Clinton Hill, and there's a lot more of a backstory to the shop and the location.)

Well, they're all about consumption--eating, drinking, and shopping--and to a lesser degree, experiences, such as nightclubs. Those are surely part of most visitors' itineraries, so these lists are useful, especially for younger travelers.

However, a lot is missing, some of which I try to convey on my walking tours: a larger sense of neighborhood evolution; key buildings and architecture, including houses, schools, and places of worship; local politics; civic and community crusades; social services; public murals; and, of course, real estate development.

Each neighborhood is a rich "text" to read. There's much to see in between the locations of consumption, and so many stories along the way.