Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Heights is one of the most popular tour destinations in New York City. Big buses bearing the logos of familiar tour companies park on the narrow streets while their riders are sheparded past the lovely Victorian brownstone-fonted townhouses to The Promenade for the view of the Manhattan skyline made famous by dozens of TV shows and movies among them NYC Blue,Moonstruck, and Pritzi's Honor. It is not at all unusual to see film crews and popular stars hard at work in the streets and buildings of Brooklyn Heights.

In addition walking tours lead by groups such as Big Onion and the Urban Park Rangers emphasize the famous people who have lived here among them Truman Copote, Clark Gable, Lillian Russel, W.H. Auden, and Norman Mailer.

People visiting on their own can also enjoy the many excellent ethnic restaurants, which include Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Spanish Tapas, Middle Eastern, Isreali, Irish, Polish, Italian, Mexican, New Orleans, typical New York coffee shops as well as gourmet coffee houses. On Tuesday and Saturday in the plaza in front of the court house on Court Street there is a farmer's market offering just picked produced and freshly baked pastries.

Montague Street, the shopping center for both residents and visitors, is unique in that it perserves Victorian buildings with stores on two levels accessible from the street by antique iron stairways.

Quick Tips:

Wear comfortable shoes so you can explore the galleries, antique shops and exotic Middle Eastern groceries on Atlantic Avenue before walking across the Heights and down the big hill to the floating concert hall, avant garde galleries, and Fulton Federal Park under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transportation is the way to go! It is fast, cheap, and easy. Brooklyn Heights is the first stop in Brooklyn on the south bound subways number 2, 4, 3, 5, A, C, M, and R trains.

Once in The Heights it is easier and more interesting to walk. The neighborhood covers an area of about forty blocks, six blocks from the Deco Court buildings to the Promenade overlooking Manhattan, and seven blocks from the Middle Eastern district on Atantic Avenure to avant garde galleries under the Brooklyn Bridge. Every block has some visual delight to offer the observer: Spanish tiled lobbies; gargoyles peering from roof; wrought iron fences hiding secret gardens; elegant antique filled, Victorian-style interiors glimpsed through partially open curtains.

The Tut Cafe serves delicious Middle Eastern food. Their baked-to-order pitas arrive as steam-filled balls with delicate surfaces that have no resemblance to the flat, leaden bread served in most Middle Eastern establishments. For less than ten dollars they prepare a generous five "salad" platter with humus, babaghanous, tabouleh, foul, and stuffed grape leaves, which makes a lovely summer dinner for two hungry people. And if you are there on a hot day, be sure to try the iced hybiscus drink which is not sold in any of the dozen other neighborhood Middle Eastern restaurants. Another unique dish is the pitza-like lambajin, baked bread dough topped with lamb and tomato flavored with cinnamon and other spices.

If you sit inside, the decore suggests that you are in a tent in the desert looking toward an oasis. Outside there is great people watching from any of the four sidewalk tables.

In summer the huge air conditioner is almost powerless against the heat from the ovens. One hot night, when the outdoor tables were full, our waiter noticed that I was sweating. He leaned over, picked up our table one-handed like a tray, carried it outside, and placed it on a breezy bit of sidewalk.

Occationally, The Tutt Cafe has belly dancers in the evening. The Tutt Cafe is located two blocks west of the High Street-Brooklyn Bridge subway stop of the A and C trains. It is the first stop in Brooklyn. If you ride at the back of the train you will be at the Cadman Plaza exit. Walk past the round planter and follow the path between the townhouses. Cross Henry Street, walk one block to Hicks and turn left. The cafe is the second building in from the corner.

Causal dress and gourmet cuisine, the best of both worlds!

The bare brick walls are covered with Brooklyn themed art. And if you sit toward the back of the narrow restaurant you can watch the chef's faces while they work. Each of the personable staff members seems to take a genuine interest in your meal choice and responses to it.

Henry's End has an excellent selection of wines and beers and a delicious basic menu that offers full and half portions. But what makes the restaurant unique is changing daily menu of wild and exotic foods such as elk or kangaroo steaks. And if you are there, be sure to leave room for the exquisite desserts.

The only drawback here is that when the place fills up (and it does every night!), it is noisy.

Park Plaza Restaurant is a huge diner-type restaurant with giant menus offering foods of every sort from almost every culture. You can choose Italian pasta of any shape in tomato, pesto, or Alfredo sauce. Pot roast, meat loaf, and roast chickens that taste just like grandma used to make. While the Greek salad, spinach pie, musaka, or gyros are made from the recipies that were used by the owener's mother.

They serve generous breakfasts at any hour. Be careful not to let the bread basket and pickle tray that arrive before the meal become the meal. I carry home a "doggy bag" almost everytime I eat dinner here.

Even the baked goods are enormous! Muffins are the size of grapefruits; chocolate chip cookies are like saucers; and a slice of pie could replace a meal.

The smoked mirror and yellow-toned plastic decore is pure 1960's. But they have tables that comfortably seat as many as ten people. And there is a lovely view of the park across the street.

Feel the romantic ambience as you climb the antique, iron stairway that leads from the street to this second-floor restaurant. This is one of the last of these unique two-level, Victorian commercial buildings that exist only on this one street in Brooklyn Heights. The lovely Amin Indian Restaurant serves excellent Indian food at reasonable prices. There is a wide selection of appetizers and breads as well as curries and tandoori dishes. The menu is notable for the large number of vegetarian options. And the somewhat English impared staff works hard to please customers.

If one of the tables in the bow window is free, grab it and enjoy first rate people watching on the street below. Montague Street is the primary local shopping area for residents of Brooklyn Heights.

Fascati Pizza, the name says it all! This is the best Italian pizza in Brooklyn Heights. The crust is crewy, sauce is tangy, and the cheese is thick and stretchy. If you like New York style pizza, this is as good as it gets! A slice is $1.50; a pie is $9.50 small or $11.00 large. They also do all the new gourmet styles with vegetables, fresh garlic, pineapple, and anything else you can think of for topins, $1.25 to $2.50 more per item on a pie.

The Italian countermen are cheerful and fast. Everything they serve is generously portioned. They make delicious hot heros for $5 to $6, calzones for $4, and rolls for $3, as well as traditional veal $9 and pasta dishes $7.

The decor is traditional. There are eight Formica topped tables that seat six people each on one side of the long mirrored room. On the other side of the room there is a long white counter behind which are the ovens.

The only downside here is that the room can get hot and noisy.

Fascati Pizza is located a half block from the Clark Street subway station where the #2 and 4 trains stop. If you get off at this station be sure to look at the tiled murals.

Brookly Heights is famous for The Promenade. This six-block long, flagstone-covered walkway along The East River shore faces lower Manhattan and has been the setting for dozens of movies and television shows.

Another place to see The Promenade depicted is the arcade leading to the Clark Street Subway Station; this is the closest stop to The Promenade, number 2 and 4 IRT trains stop here. These wonderful tiled-murals show images of local people and their pets enjoying a sunny summer afternoon on The Promenade.

Do not miss the beautiful mini-gardens that volunteers and the Parks Department personal have created on the median that separates the public space of the flagstone walkway from the private gardens of the expensive homes that back onto The Promenade. People living in these homes are subjected to the noise and fumes from the highway under The Promenade as well as the curious stares of passing strangers; but none of these problems effect the astronomical prices they pay to have one of the most exciting views in the world.

Since the World Trade Center attack, The Promenade has become a major memorial site. Flowers, candles, photographs, and other offerings decorate the wrought iron fences that mark the edges of public area.

Every New Year's Eve my friends bring champagne and noise makers to The Promenade where we watch the fireworks burst over the Brooklyn Bridge at midnight. On the Fourth of July, when the fireworks explode around nine, we bring beer, buy hot dogs from the local vendors, and watch the display over The Statue of Liberty.

Today Plymouth Church of the Pilgrams looks elegant and sedate. Outside it consists of two, Victorian Era, red-brick buildings joined by a windowed arcade that passes behind a lovely garden courtyard. Inside the sanctuary has the pure white walls and simple architecture that typifies traditional early American churches.

But in 1847, it was the pulpit of the famed orator Henry Ward Beecher. He drew crowds of 2,500 every Sunday with opinionated sermons that opposed slavery, and favoured temperance and woman's suffrage.

At the center of the tree-shaded courtyard between the church and the school buildings there is a statue of Rev. Beecher holding the mock slave auction with which he raised northern consciouness.

He also raised funds to supply weapons to those willing to oppose slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska territories. These rifles became known as Beecher's Bibles. John Brown and five of his sons, were some of the volunteers who headed for Kansas.

His sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, which was called the book that started the Civil War.

The courtyard with its statue is visible through the wrought iron gate that runs along Orange Street.

While the church is not open for tours, it is possible to see it during services which are held at 11 on Sunday mornings.

There are also a variety of social and entertainment programs which you can attend. Call 718 624 4743 to check on dates and fees.
Monthly organ concerts at 5 on Sundays, $5.
Twice monthly dinner and cinema series at 6:30 on Fridays, $10.
Two or three times a year craft and rummage sales.
And in the summer the courtyard is used for "teas" and "ice cream socials".

The Brooklyn Woman's Exchange is run by volunteers for the purpose of raising money for charity. It is located on a residential street. Do not be fooled by the small front window, the shop runs deep.

Nothing sold here is available anywhere else in the New York area and many of the items are exclusive.

The shop sells lavishly laced and hand embroidered baby gifts including bonnets, robes, and christening gowns; exquisite housewears that make lovely gifts such as tea towels, salad bowls, and gourmet jams, mustards, teas, etc. in baskets. There are also wooden toys (blocks, rocking and hobby horses), sweaters, silver jewelry, and china.

The labels include the names of the people who made the items; and sometimes the shop volunteers have additional information. For example, I recently bought a ballet tutu for my seven-year old niece. The cashier told me that it was made from scraps left over after the manufacture of costumes for the American Ballet Theater by one of that company's designers. My niece was delighted to know she was wearing a miniture version of a real ballet costume.

The only drawback is that the volunteer helpers are slower than professional salesclerks so do not expect to be checked out of here quickly. You might use the extra time to look for some little thing for yourself.

Be sure to notice the elaborate decorative elements on the face of the building that houses the Woman's Exchange.

Brooklyn Heights was the first architectually landmarked area in the United States. In the 1950's ten blocks of beautiful hundred-year-old brownstones were destroyed to make way for Cadman Plaza, a complex of four 35 story-high concrete apartment towers and many cement-faced townhouses surrounded by barren private plazas. In response the residents of Brooklyn Heights formed a neighborhood association that fought for and achived legal protection covering all of the remaining brownstones.

Prior to the Civil War, Brooklyn Heigths had the same wrought iron railings and balconies that make New Orleans so charming. And they were created by the same New York State foundries. However during the War Between The States, patriotic Brooklyn homeoweners donated their metal decorations to be melted down and used for weaponry. The iron railings that exist today are modern replacements most installed during the neighborhood's affluent upturn of the last twenty years.

In addition to the Victorian townhouses, The Heights has two eccentric Queen Anne style homes on Willow Street. Also there are more than twenty wooden, Federal Era buildings, many of which are scattered along Hicks Street. The oldest home in The Heights is on the corner of Willow and Cranberry Streets. It is notable because it is the only wooden house that still maintains the separate back building that once housed servants.