If you’re a Brooklynite, you’re gonna laugh. If not, please feel free to be intrigued. It turns out Brooklyn is awesome. OH GAHD I SAID IT. Manhattan was my home for almost 6 years, but I made the move to Brooklyn in January and can’t believe what I was missing.

First of all, all I knew of Brooklyn was Williamsburg. A cute neighborhood, but at this point, pretty much as expensive to live in as Manhattan, and not much of an upgrade in terms of space. Williamsburg has really exploded in popularity since I moved to NYC.

But then I found out about Boerum Hill/Downtown Brooklyn. It’s near a multitude of neighborhoods within walking distance including Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Fort Greene and Gowanus. It’s the heart of cultural venues like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Barclay’s Center, and only a couple stops from Prospect Park. Oh and did I mention it has ALL the trains? It’s so easy to get to.

My fave thing is to walk around my hood and discover, so I put together a day-long itinerary of awesomeness if you feel like venturing this way.

11:00 a.m. – Breakfast in Boerum Hill at Rucola. Super classic brunch foods in a relaxing rustic environment – get the baby Dutch pancake and some delish coffee.

1:00 p.m. – Boutique and specialty food shopping in Cobble Hill. There’s a ton of cool places to shop, from Anwaar, an organic beauty products store, to the five floors of refurbished furniture at Horseman Antiques. Don’t forget to grab hummus and appetizers from the Middle Eastern grocery store, Sahadi’s, cheese and crackers from Stinky’s, sandwiches from The Butcher Shop, or fresh smoked fish from Shelsky’s for a picnic lunch.

2:00 p.m. – Make your way to the Brooklyn Historical Society in Brooklyn Heights. Learn about the significance of the area, and give some purpose to your walk. The Transit Museum is nearby as well but I haven’t gone yet! I hear it’s cool and has old train cars you can go into.

4:00 p.m. – Take a break at Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery on Smith Street. Pick-me-ups include fresh hot coffee, cheesecake, cupcakes, fruit tarts, or decadent chocolate desserts.

5:00 p.m. – Walk to Gowanus, spend some time at L Train Vintage, one of my favorite thrift shops. Choose from a variety of activities in the neighborhood from beers and bocce at Union Hall, rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders, shuffleboard at The Royal Palms, or beer and Axe-throwing at Kick Axe.

8:00 p.m. – Dinner at Bricolage. A Vietnamese Gastropub with the cutest backyard – get the crepe!

10:00 p.m. – Grab an ice cream at Ample Hills in Gowanus. It’s Brooklyn made, super decadent and maybe one of the best ice creams out there today.

11:00 p.m. – Check out The King’s Beer Hall or Pig Beach for a larger group, and Robert or Grand Army for something more intimate. There are great dive bars up and down Smith Street as well.

Pick a sunny day and spend some time discovering a part of Brooklyn you never knew about! DM me on Instagram with questions on what else to do in the area! @maryinmanhattan.

Places I Mentioned:

Bars:

Robert
King’s Beer Hall
Pig Beach
Grand Army
Union Hall
Royal Palms

Specialty Food:

Mia’s Bakery
Sahadi’s
Shelsky’s
Stinky’s
The Butcher Shop

To do:

Brooklyn Historical Society
Transit Museum
Shopping on Atlantic Ave: Anwaar, Horseman Antiques
L Train Vintage
Kick Axe
Brooklyn Boulders

Restaurants:

Bricolage
Rucola
Pig Beach (also has superb BBQ)
Ample Hills