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

Alfred Gingold (Author), Helen Rogan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alfred 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: City and Company (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885492650
• ISBN-13: 978-1885492654
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,264,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's More to New York Than Manhattan, April 21, 2000

By 

Frank Karabotsos (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brooklyn's Best: Sightseeing, Shopping, Eating, and Happy Wandering in the Borough of Kings (Paperback)

The world's oldest subway tunnel, the second largest art museum in America, and the greatest concentration of historic houses in New York. These are just three of "Brooklyn's Best" described in this book. Every time I visit New York I always spend time in Brooklyn and with this excellent guide in hand, I now have even more reasons to visit. Brooklyn is huge-it would be the fourth largest city in the States on its own. The authors, both Brooklyn residents, manage to pack an enormous amount of information in its compact 160 pages: shopping, sightseeing, restaurants and "happy wanderings." Few guides to New York City spend much time covering Brooklyn except for the three "B's"-the huge Brooklyn Museum (which has a real mummy), the Botanical Garden (go in May for the cherry trees), and the most famous bridge in New York (which happens to be named after Brooklyn.)

The book's chapters are short-usually two pages-and conducive to browsing. Before you know it you've read half the book and learned that Brooklyn has 93 ethnic groups, the Park Slope area has one coffee shop per adult resident, and the tallest building is the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower which, by the way, is every bit as impressive as anything in Manhattan. You'll also learn where to find the colonies of parrots that thrive in Brooklyn, or the floating barge that hosts chamber music recitals. From its colorful cover to its list of web sites, this is a handy and attractive guide to the best of Brooklyn.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This nearly 10-year old book is nearly unusable, January 12, 2007

By 

annulla "annulla" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brooklyn's Best: Sightseeing, Shopping, Eating, and Happy Wandering in the Borough of Kings (Paperback)

This book might have once served as a good guide to my favorite part of New York City. But things change rapidly in Brooklyn and "Brooklyn's Best," published nearly a decade ago, is now so outdated that it is misleading.

Many of the shops, restaurants, galleries and venues lauded in the book have closed their doors; others have fallen in quality. Buildings that the book touts as "must-sees" have been torn down or closed to the public, landmarks have undergone major renovations and entire neighborhoods have changed in character and population.

There are good, new guidebooks to Brooklyn out there with much more current information. Until or unless the authors decide to issue a new edition of this book, do yourself a favor and avoid it.