Welcome to Lefferts!
April 5, 2012 9:50 AM
I'm moving to Prospect Lefferts Gardens! Tell me what's cool! Tell me what sucks! Tell me anything I should know! I'll also be a new Brooklynite after living in Manhattan for twelve years, so more generalized info could be nice, too.
I'll also be a new Brooklynite after living in Manhattan for twelve years, so more generalized info could be nice, too.
1. BAM has dance and film as well as theater and music.
2. You are close(ish) to the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The Brooklyn Museum has free evening hours on the first Saturday of every month, and coordinates some kick-ass special programs on those nights, including lectures, music performances, and a dance party.
3. Strongly consider a membership to the Botanic Gardens, just because it'll let you swan your way through the gates on the weekend of the Cherry Blossom festival without having to stand in the block-long line. And, you DO want to do the Cherry Blossom Festival; the cherry trees are ASTOUNDINGLY beautiful, and there are always cool-ass performances all through the garden and a ton of photo ops. The Botanic Garden also has an equally-cool, but less-well-known, chili pepper festival in fall, which isn't as much of a photo op but will bring you the chance to taste more hot sauce, Thai food, and combinations of chocolate and chili than you ever thought possible (and you may also get to judge an amateur food cookoff that Mefi's own Greg_Nog has won a time or two).
4. Prospect Park does its big "Celebrate Brooklyn" festival every summer, with a free concert every night by some highly decent folks. (I"ve seen Swell Season, Lou Reed, Bill Withers, and Dr. John for FREE.)
5. Promise me you will ride the Cyclone.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:01 AM on April 5, 2012
1. BAM has dance and film as well as theater and music.
2. You are close(ish) to the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The Brooklyn Museum has free evening hours on the first Saturday of every month, and coordinates some kick-ass special programs on those nights, including lectures, music performances, and a dance party.
3. Strongly consider a membership to the Botanic Gardens, just because it'll let you swan your way through the gates on the weekend of the Cherry Blossom festival without having to stand in the block-long line. And, you DO want to do the Cherry Blossom Festival; the cherry trees are ASTOUNDINGLY beautiful, and there are always cool-ass performances all through the garden and a ton of photo ops. The Botanic Garden also has an equally-cool, but less-well-known, chili pepper festival in fall, which isn't as much of a photo op but will bring you the chance to taste more hot sauce, Thai food, and combinations of chocolate and chili than you ever thought possible (and you may also get to judge an amateur food cookoff that Mefi's own Greg_Nog has won a time or two).
4. Prospect Park does its big "Celebrate Brooklyn" festival every summer, with a free concert every night by some highly decent folks. (I"ve seen Swell Season, Lou Reed, Bill Withers, and Dr. John for FREE.)
5. Promise me you will ride the Cyclone.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:01 AM on April 5, 2012
Looks like the MTA 49 to the 35 will get you to Green Wood Cemetery, which is a stop for me whenever I visit NYC. You can walk for miles in there and discover the graves of a lot of notable people.
posted by Danf at 10:13 AM on April 5, 2012
posted by Danf at 10:13 AM on April 5, 2012
This is more in Prospect Heights, but definitely check out Tom's Restaurant, an old-school diner for weekend brunch. It can get super crowded, but they give you free (!) cookies, orange slices, and coffee while you wait, and the atmosphere is really home-y and cheerful. Delicious pancakes and cherry-lime rickies. It's on Washington Ave, by Sterling Place. Used to go there all the time when i lived in Prospect Heights, albeit 7 years ago.
posted by dysh at 8:21 AM on April 6, 2012
posted by dysh at 8:21 AM on April 6, 2012
If you're going to be closer to the Flatbush / King's County Hospital area, there's some excellent Caribbean food around. Exquisite Delight makes jerk chicken for very reasonable prices, and Immaculee Bakery does Haitian meat patties. Nostrand Donuts, on Nostrand and Church, is delectable.
West Indian Day (around Labor Day) is a huge deal--like a neighborhood-wide party in some places, and very hectic.
It is incredibly difficult to get good cheese without going to north Brooklyn (where you will be stymied by the lack of a north-south subway line) or Manhattan. The same goes for a lot of specialty food items, though craft beer has actually got a decent foothold now. On the other hand, dollar stores are great here, and you can find a surprising amount of things for low prices. If you're looking for nearby food trucks or bars, it's a short bus or subway ride up to Park Slope.
If you're white (as I'm seeing from your profile, possibly), it can be a little jarring to suddenly be an obvious minority in the neighborhood, although I've never had a problem with it. Hairdressers may be mildly nonplussed, but that's about it.
There are a couple local blogs that cover PLG:
The Q at Parkside
Hawthorne Street
posted by Tubalcain at 8:49 AM on April 6, 2012
West Indian Day (around Labor Day) is a huge deal--like a neighborhood-wide party in some places, and very hectic.
It is incredibly difficult to get good cheese without going to north Brooklyn (where you will be stymied by the lack of a north-south subway line) or Manhattan. The same goes for a lot of specialty food items, though craft beer has actually got a decent foothold now. On the other hand, dollar stores are great here, and you can find a surprising amount of things for low prices. If you're looking for nearby food trucks or bars, it's a short bus or subway ride up to Park Slope.
If you're white (as I'm seeing from your profile, possibly), it can be a little jarring to suddenly be an obvious minority in the neighborhood, although I've never had a problem with it. Hairdressers may be mildly nonplussed, but that's about it.
There are a couple local blogs that cover PLG:
The Q at Parkside
Hawthorne Street
posted by Tubalcain at 8:49 AM on April 6, 2012
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Not sure how close you are to the train, but it's a nice walk or hop on the shuttle to the cafes and shops on Franklin Ave between Eastern Parkway and Fulton or so.
(I live in Ditmas Park which is just south of PLG. Take a walk down there for delicious food and fabulous Victorian Houses.)
posted by mlle valentine at 9:57 AM on April 5, 2012