Brooklyn's Best: Sightseeing, Shopping, Eating, and Happy Wandering in the Borough of Kings

One hundred years after the Great Mistake of 98*, the borough is thriving. BROOKLYNS BEST: Sightseeing, Shopping, Eating & Happy Wandering in the Borough of Kings, by Alfred Gingold and Helen Rogan is the first witty, opinionated, wildly inclusive and current guide to the borough. Join Gingold and Rogan, two devoted Brooklynites, for a tour of the place thats big on the map and even bigger on the groundmade up of miles and miles of low buildings, trees, and a vibrant mix of 93 different ethnic groups settling into neighborhoods that are tight-knit, proud, and full of character.

Brooklyns full of contradictions and, despite its metropolitan buzz, theres plenty of bucolic calm. Explore the Botanic Garden and keep an eye out for Godzilla, the giant turtle wholl amaze the kids. Wander through Green-Wood Cemetery, where Lewis Comfort Tiffany and Jean-Michel Basquiat, among others, are famously resting in peace. Check out Gateway National Recreation Area (the only legal campground in New York) and fabulous Floyd Bennett Field (scene of flights by pioneers such as Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes). There are even fishing possibilities in Sheepshead Bay!

BROOKLYNS BEST will show you the art scene, from the Brooklyn Museum of Art (amazingly, the countrys second largest collection!), to the new galleries and festivals in Williamsburg (not yet SoHo, despite what youve heard), DUMBO, and Red Hook. Youll also learn about busy hands at lively crafts shops (UrbanGlass, Brooklyn Artisans Gallery), where to find the two dozen Tiffany windows in Brooklyn Heights and how to locate the fifteen Dutch houses in South Brooklyn, including the oldest building in New York State.

Explore Brooklyns rich ethnic diversity, from its African-American churches to the four historic, wood-framed Weeksville Houses, representing one of the first free black communities in the country. Visit the smoky, rowdy Russian nightclubs of Brighton Beach (wear all your jewels!) and the secluded Hasidic world of Crown Heights. And dont foAlfred Gingold & Helen Rogan have published numerous books and articles, including The New Ultra Cool Parents Guide to All of New York. They live in Brooklyn (where else?) with their son.