{"id":7800,"date":"2009-10-20T19:13:27","date_gmt":"2009-10-20T23:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=7800"},"modified":"2019-11-04T14:55:16","modified_gmt":"2019-11-04T18:55:16","slug":"walk-through-brooklyn-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/7800\/walk-through-brooklyn-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"A Nostalgic Walk Through Brooklyn Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My wife and I took a day to walk and walk and walk in all of the neighborhoods we once knew. Starting with the Heights, we noticed that new tall apartment buildings had arisen on the fringes of the community where zoning gave developers the freedom to expand.\u00a0 The old housing stock, some dating back more than 200 years, has been renovated to its prior graciousness. On many streets, if you took away the cars, you would be unable to tell the year was no longer 1845.\u00a0 Wood-framed houses and boot scrapers can still be found on many of the tree-lined blocks.<\/p>\n

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Walk up from the low lying waterfront areas and you will pass by the pedestrian access path to the Brooklyn Bridge walkway.\u00a0 Don\u2019t hesitate to climb the steps and stroll the half mile to the center of the span.\u00a0 As someone who regularly used to run over the generally empty bridge walkway 25 years ago, I was delighted to see many hundreds of people walking and taking in the sights.\u00a0 Look right to the Manhattan Bridge and the pointy skyline of midtown Manhattan; look left at the towers of lower Manhattan, the pulsing New York harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Governor\u2019s Island, and even the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.<\/p>\n

Walk back down to Brooklyn, turn right up the short hill and walk into Cadman Park<\/strong>, a tiny jewel covered with mature trees and friendly places to stroll.\u00a0 A few blocks south to the other end of the park brings you to one of the grand old post offices in all of New York.\u00a0 Now a national landmark, the building merits a few moments of admiration. Another couple of blocks south brings you to Borough Hall, the former seat of government for the City of Brooklyn before it merged with New York in 1898.\u00a0 This Greek Revival style building was built in 1848 and is surrounded by more subway lines than any other location in all of New York.<\/p>\n

Walk four blocks down Court Street<\/a> to Atlantic Avenue which has Brooklyn\u2019s answer to Zabar\u2019s \u2013 Sahadi\u2019s<\/strong> (187 Atlantic Ave., sahadis.com<\/a>). It\u2019s the real deal if you like Middle Eastern foods such as stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and the best babaghanouj this side of Beirut.\u00a0 Fresh nuts, superb coffee, dates, dozens of varieties of olives, freshly-baked pita, and wonderful people to help you find what you need. And the prices are surprisingly reasonable.<\/p>\n

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If you have the energy, walk back to the Promenade for one of the world\u2019s great nighttime vistas. The ferries, water taxis, helicopters, jets (from Newark and LaGuardia), cruise ships, luxury yachts, and that magical skyline will leave you with special memories of the fourth largest city (i.e., if it were independent) in the United States.<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/strong> Take the 2, 3, 4, or 5 subway train heading South to Borough Hall.<\/em><\/p>\n

Map of Featured Brooklyn Heights Locations<\/strong><\/p>\n