Brooklyn 202 tour
This tour expands on Brooklyn 101, adding adjacent neighborhods. We see row houses, mansions, parks, colleges, and a great sculpture garden.
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This extensive tour of neighborhoods in the Brownstone Brooklyn belt combines major segments of the Brooklyn 101 tour (Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights), plus the Fort Greene & Clinton Hill tour and/or the Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens tour, and/or the Atlantic Avenue & Downtown Brooklyn tour.
Brooklyn tour highlights Sculpture at the Pratt Institute,
Brooklyn 202 tour
We typically meet near Brooklyn's magnificent Grand Army Plaza, the psychic center of Brooklyn. We'll see some marvelous architecture and get a feel for Park Slope, the city's most livable neighborhood, according to New York magazine, an epicenter of the borough's gentrification yet also boasting the country's largest co-operative grocery.
But we can also do the route "backwards," starting in DUMBO/Fulton Ferry.) We'll visit Brooklyn's most famous park, Prospect Park, a cousin to and contrast with Olmsted & Vaux's earlier Central Park, and see the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. On Saturdays, there's a Greenmarket outside the park. If it's open, we'll step into the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library, which always has local art or photography exhibits. We'll continue past the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (maybe go in) and see the Brooklyn Museum's imposing facade. We subway to Fort Greene and explore this fascinating neighborhood (arts, black culture) and possibly its neighbor, Clinton Hill, including the Pratt Institute and its magnificent sculpture garden. Both have fantastic architecture. We then travel by subway to the institutional heart of Brooklyn, home of Borough Hall, Brooklyn's old City Hall, and see part of Downtown Brooklyn: older skyscrapers, new developments, and an array of governmental buildings. We can dip into Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens, two charming but very much not undiscovered neighborhoods near Downtown Brooklyn, which have historic churches, good bakeries, and tree-lined streets. Our route takes us into Brooklyn Heights, the city's first historic district and still a vital residential neighborhood. At the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, we find glorious views of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. After a look at Brooklyn's most famous church, we descend to Fulton Ferry and adjacent DUMBO for a quick survey. There are numerous options to snack and eat. And you're near the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. That means we'll have seen several of the borough's great--and increasingly pricey--neighborhoods. |
Distance from Midtown Manhattan: 25-35 minutes, by subway
Basic tour length: 5+ hours (see fees), longer if we stop for lunch Starting place: B/Q to Seventh Avenue, 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza; can also start at Brooklyn Museum/Botanic Garden Ending place: Varies, but typically near Fulton Ferry Highlights: History, architecture, waterfront views, parks, arts institutions, civic life Before tour: Visit Brooklyn Museum or Brooklyn Botanic Garden After tour: Eat in Fulton Ferry/DUMBO: ice cream, pizza. Walk Brooklyn Bridge. Take NYC Ferry to Wall Street, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Long Island City, 34th Street Potential tour extensions with me: DUMBO, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Brooklyn Bridge, Atlantic Avenue Why I like leading this tour: Brooklyn is still too big to capture in four or five hours, but this puts a lot together in a vigorous walk. We'll earn our lunch/snacks! |