IgoUgo

Brooklyn Journals

Brooklyn I call home

A travel journal to Brooklyn by horizont

Quote: Walking the streets of my neighboorhood - some call it Park Slope, some Gowanas, some MetroTech, and I call it home - feels like a new experience every day, yet so comforting and familiar. There are daily hangouts I visit, almost like a ritual, and secrets I discover along the way.

Brooklyn I call home

Overview

Quote:
Lounging over a cup of espresso for hours at Bergen Beat cafe/music shop, listening to jazzy sounds blasting from the inside and chatting with neighbours. Catching an offbeat movie at the BAM Rose Cinema. Grabbing a caipirinha at Liquors restaurant/bar in Fort Greene just across Flatbush Ave. Strolling through the leafy brownstone-lined side streets. Smoking a cigarette on a rooftop with vistas of Manhattan's skyline on one side and sprawling Brooklyn on the other, on a hot starry summer night.Quick Tips: Best Way To Get Around: To get to this area of Brooklyn, you can take a number of trains from Manhattan - W to Pacific Street, 1 or 2 to Bergen St or Q to 7 Ave...Read More

Long Tan

Restaurant

Quote:
A relatively new spot in Park Slope, this loungey restaurant/bar offers a refreshingly decent choice of Thai dishes that the neighboorhood ached for. The stylish decor, reasonable prices, relaxed atmosphere and open kitchen until 2am seven days a week, make it a great spot for a late-night dinner. It gets a little loud on the weekends, when DJs spin by the bar. On warm nights, the back patio is a lovely romantic place for a glass of wine.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 24, 2001

Long Tan
196 5th Ave
Brooklyn, New York 11217
(718) 622-8444

Liquors

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Quote:
This tiny but super friendly Fort Greene restaurant has an eclectic array of delicious dishes, such as spicy catfish served with mouthwatering cornbread and sauteed spinach, new Mexican quesadillas, mahi mahi with sesame rice, and many more. Their caipirinhas are delicious and desserts to die for. There's live music several nights a week (usually local jazz and blues performers) and a leafy candlelit back patio, which is my favorite in Brooklyn. A lovely spot for a romantic meal or a night out with friends, and worth making a special trip for.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 24, 2001

Liquors
219 Dekalb Ave
Brooklyn, New York 11205
(718) 852-7273

Bergen Beat Cafe

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Quote:
This cosy neighboorhood hangout serves great coffee and delicious sandwiches. Its funky interior of mismatched furniture and laid-back atmosphere make it a perfect spot to sit over an espresso for hours at a time. There's always excellent music playing, local DJs gather here and if you want to find out about cool parties, this is the place to be. Unfortunately, it closes at 10 nightly (8pm on Sundays), but a beer and wine license is on the way, which hopefully means longer hours and open turntables in the evenings.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 24, 2001

Bergen Beat Cafe
440 Bergen St
Brooklyn, New York
(718) 623-1934

Cafe Lafayette

Restaurant

Quote:
This lovely and very French cafe is my favorite Sunday brunch spot, with a nice selection of omelettes and sandwiches. Sitting at one of the few tables in the street, you can easily imagine yourself in Paris, sipping their strong coffee and observing the lively street life of Fort Greene. Be prepared for super slow service, just like in France!

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 24, 2001

Cafe Lafayette
99 S Portland Ave
Brooklyn, New York 11217
(718) 624-1605

Madiba

Restaurant

Quote:
This charming South African restaurant, in the heart of Fort Greene's restaurant row, has become one of the most popular neighborhood hangouts. Boasting a colorful and eclectic array of African and unclassified decorations, such as the ingenious chandelier made of recycled Coke bottles, this restaurant/bar has an incredibly friendly and accommodating staff and great upbeat music. As for food, it's an entirely interesting experience that will take you down the adventurous road of sampling pickled mangos, ostrich carpaccio, bunny chow (a vegetable/chicken/mutton curried stew served in a dugout loaf of bread), and a plethora of other traditional South African dishes. Make sure to save space for a desse...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 20, 2002

Madiba
195 Dekalb Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11205
(718) 855-9190

BAM Rose Cinemas

Attraction

Quote:
My favorite place to catch a movie in the whole of New York, BAM is a super comfortable cinema with four screens showing a wide repertoire of foreign films, new independent releases, and retrospectives. There are Q&As with directors on a regular basis. Basically, this is a film buff heaven.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 24, 2001

BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, New York 11217
(718) 636-7605

Fort Greene Park

Best Of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Quote:
This small and beautiful park in the heart of Fort Greene is never as packed as Prospect Park nearby - you'll mostly brush shoulders with the diverse local community playing sports, lounging on the grass and strolling around. There's a lovely little area with several benches that are perfect for quiet meditation or a good conversation with a friend. In the streets around the park, you can often find impromptu jam sessions by just about anyone who wants to show off their musical skills, or lack of. If you want to spend a nice Sunday afternoon off-the-beaten track, come to Fort Greene Park.

My friend's rooftop

Story/Tip

Quote:
There is nothing better than sitting on my friend's rooftop on a balmy summer night, with the views of the bright city lights of Manhattan on one side and endless Brooklyn sprawling on the other. Surrounded by this urban panorama, I can't help but feel that I've finally come home.

About the Writer

horizont

horizont
New York, New York

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