Walking Brooklyn: 30 Tours Exploring Historical Legacies, Neighborhood Culture, Side Streets, and Waterways
Second edition, first printing
Copyright © 2017 by Adrienne Onofri
Project editor: Ritchey Halphen
Cartography and cover design: Scott McGrew
Interior design: Annie Long
Photos: Adrienne Onofri
Copy editor: Erin Mahoney Harris
Proofreader: Rebecca Henderson
Indexer: Sylvia Coates
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Onofri, Adrienne, author.
Title: Walking Brooklyn : 30 tours exploring historical legacies, neighborhood culture, side streets, and waterways / Adrienne Onofri.
Description: Second edition. | Birmingham, AL : Wilderness Press, 2017. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017015019| ISBN 978-0-89997-803-1 (pbk.) | ISBN 978-0-89997-804-8 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)—Tours. | Walking—New York (State)—New York— Guidebooks. | Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)—Guidebooks | New York (N.Y.)—Guidebooks.
Classification: LCC F129.B7 O56 2017 | DDC 917.47/2304—dc23
LC record available at lccn.loc.gov/2017015019
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An imprint of AdventureKEEN
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Distributed by Publishers Group West
Cover photo: Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Manhattan Bridge (Walk 1)
Frontispiece: Elegant rowhouses on Stuyvesant Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant (Walk 20)
Page 134: sculpture by Sung Ha No; page 162: mural by Nicer Tats Cru. Both appear in this book with the permission of the artists.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.
SAFETY NOTICE Although Wilderness Press and Adrienne Onofri have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while following the walking trips described here.
Acknowledgments
If I were to name names, I might inadvertently leave someone out. So, to everybody who provided me with assistance or answers, a great big thanks—for that contribution and for your contribution to the life and culture of Brooklyn. Thank you to the Wilderness Press/AdventureKEEN team for their support and patience. This book is dedicated in memory of my mother, who passed away while it was in production—a proud New Yorker, she instilled my curiosity and affection for the city. Finally, thanks and kisses to Daniel, my husband and favorite fact-checker.
Author’s Note
Try as I might, I cannot include every place that’s interesting, eye-catching, or otherwise worthy of note in a book that must be light enough to carry around as you walk. I encourage you to make your own discoveries to supplement what I share on these tours. Look at buildings I don’t describe, examine ornamentation on buildings, read historic markers and interpretive signs I haven’t pointed out, check out eateries and shops . . . you’re bound to see things that I had to omit to keep the book portable. While I do mention some restaurants and bars, I leave it to you to find what appeals to your taste (I also avoided extensive restaurant and bar coverage in the interest of keeping the book current). Consult blogs, message boards, and guidebooks for recommendations.
Also seek out information online about special events like music festivals, historic-house tours, artists’ open-studio weekends, and free outdoor performances and screenings, as well as the weekly and seasonal food, vintage, and/or artisan markets (Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg chief among them). They’re a great way to enhance your experience in a neighborhood. If you plan to visit museums, historic sites, or galleries, check in advance when they’re open—some have limited hours, and even the major ones aren’t open seven days a week.
On most of these routes, you pass subway and bus stops, so you can curtail a tour and do the rest of it another time. Pick up a Brooklyn bus map (available free at most subway stations), see it online at mta.info/nyct/maps/busbkln.pdf, or use an NYC transit app for guidance in such situations. A neighborhood map—on paper or your phone—will come in handy in case you wish to veer off-course to see something that catches your fancy. You’re in the most walkable of cities, so get yourself some comfortable shoes and have fun! —Adrienne Onofri
Table of Contents
1 Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Riverfront
5 Barclays Center, BAM, and Boerum Hill
6 Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill