Wander the streets and enjoy...

To look at the blocks and blocks of brownstones, just turn and walk on any side street. This neighborhood, which is still, I believe, the largest landmarked district in NY, has some of the best examples of mid- to late-19th-century row houses in the country and certainly in the city. Many are now multi-family rental apartments or co-ops, but many are still one-family homes. If you turn left from Seventh Avenue on Union Street, and go "up" the Slope, you will soon come to the entrance to Prospect Park, which was built by Calvert and Vaux (who did Central Park) and much beloved by Brooklynites.

Lots of hip new places...

The "prime" Slope runs from Flatbush to 9th Street, and from Prospect Park West down to Sixth Avenue. But the boundaries of Park Slope are spreading as more and more people move in, and the hottest areas, with lots of hip new places is the so-called South Slope, from 9th Street on, and the lower Slope, along and around 5th Avenue. Two superb Italian restaurants are Cucina and Al Di La (Venetian food, which is fairly unusual), both on Fifth Avenue. A lot of terrific new restaurants have opened on Fifth Avenue, including a Thai "fusion" place called Long Tan and a bistro-type place, Vaux. Also, there are a bunch of very hip bars the younger folks may enjoy, such as Great Lakes and a gay women's club, called the Rising Cafe.

I realize I have gone on at some length -- but those of us who live in Park Slope are big boosters of the area. Seeing it will give JourneyWomen a glimpse of a real NY neighborhood, albeit (I believe) one that is more lovely than most. Have fun everybody and don't forget to try your Jamaican patty at Christie's. It's well worth the stop!

Still have more time...

If there is time available, let me suggest some of Brooklyn's best cultural and recreational institutions which are nearby: Prospect Park Wildlife Center, the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. These can be found on a map of Brooklyn, and all are within walking distance. However, if visitors have already walked around Park Slope and want to do the museum and/or botanical gardens later, they should take a 1 or 2 subway from Grand Army Plaza station to Eastern Parkway (one stop) to conserve their energy. Anyone can give them directions to the subway station.