What's fun for preteens near the New York City Transit Museum?
December 4, 2016 3:25 PM   Subscribe

Chaperoning several pre-teens to this area of Brooklyn where none of us have ever been; we're out-of-towners. What are some quirky, offbeat stores, ethnic restaurants, haircutting places--no tatoos, or piercings--that some 13-14 out-of-town kids might find fun within, say, 20 minutes' walking time from the NYC Transit Museum at Boerum and Schemerhorn in Brooklyn Heights? Yes, we'll be doing the Brooklyn Bridge separately.
posted by Elsie to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
If you are OK with walking in the opposite direction from the Brooklyn Bridge, towards Atlantic Avenue, you'll find some interesting streets. Atlantic Ave itself is pretty good, with a few Middle Eastern stores and restaurants as well as a variety of quirky stores, bakeries, coffee shops etc. If you walk west, Atlantic Ave will take you to Barclay Center and the Knick's NBA store.
posted by maggiemaggie at 4:27 PM on December 4, 2016


Is it on a weekend? Brooklyn Flea!
posted by 1970s Antihero at 4:36 PM on December 4, 2016


Smith Street south of Atlantic has about 10 blocks worth of food and shops, some of which are quirky. Bedouin Tent on Atlantic and bond is a great Middle Eastern restaurant and Yemen Cafe is also on Atlantic. Court Street could also be good and Brooklyn Bridge Park and promenade (which is a different experience from walking he bridge itself). Also Brooklyn Heights might be the best neighborhood in all of New York to meander around aimlessly in.
posted by Jego at 4:55 PM on December 4, 2016


You could get to Pok Pok in around 20 minutes if you hoof it.
posted by saladin at 5:07 PM on December 4, 2016


Yeah, you're a few blocks north of the Little Syria area on Atlantic. Check out Damascus Bakery for baked goods (they have the best baklava in the city IMO), and Sahadi's for an amazing speciality grocery store full of stuff like more fried fruits and nuts then you ever knew existed for sale by weight, which makes the main room look like something out of a Middle Eastern souk.

There's also a cat cafe on Atlantic but it's pretty small; 13-14 people is probably too much.

(+1 Brooklyn Flea, their current winter location is in the old Williamsburg bank building which is right by Barclays, so about a 15 minute walk from there. It's a little crowded to bring a dozen+ preteens, though)
posted by Itaxpica at 6:46 PM on December 4, 2016


Brooklyn Superhero Supply. I went with a friend and her 10-year old son and he loved it. (FWIW, I was in my mid 30s and I loved it too.)

If you take the subway from the museum to the shop, the F train goes high above ground halfway there, giving you one of the coolest subway rides there is.

Be aware that BSS is a volunteer organization and its hours vary; best to call ahead and make sure they're open.
posted by Cranialtorque at 11:02 AM on December 5, 2016


Alamo draft house and the Fulton mall?
posted by jennybento at 8:00 PM on December 5, 2016


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