A (half) day in…Prospect Heights

Sandwiched between the trendy Park Slope and hip Crown Heights, Prospect Heights is often overlooked. It offers access to many events and fun activities such as Saturday morning farmers market, numerous great restaurants, and a lot of cultural institutes that will keep you occupied for days.

Morning:

Start your morning off with a coffee from Hungry Ghost (253 Flatbush Ave) before making your way to get a bagel from Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shop (645 Vanderbilt Ave) my personal favorite is the lox sandwich. If you want a true brunch there is an old-school diner called Tom’s (782 Washington Ave), swanky Olmstead (659 Vanderbilt Ave) or affordable and quaint Cheryl’s Global Soul Food (236 Underhill Ave).

If you chose a bagel and coffee, walk with your breakfast to Grand Army Plaza (colloquially called “GAP” to locals) and Prospect Park. Prospect Park was created by Fredrick Law Olmstead and Calvin Vaux (who designed Central Park). Find a sun drenched spot to enjoy people watching and eating your bagel in nature. Walk through the Farmers Market for snacks from local (mostly upstate New York) farmers. 

One block from GAP houses the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, and the Brooklyn Museum, respectively. Based on your interests I would recommend spending a few hours in either the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens or Brooklyn Museum. To get to either of these sights you must walk past the Brooklyn Public Library, the austere building is more functional than beautiful on the inside, don’t bother entering unless you intend to borrow a book. 

After spending some time in the cultural institutes, santer down the main drag of Vanderbilt Avenue. Browse some Vintage Home Goods at 1 of a Find Vintage (633 Vanderbilt Ave), scope out vinyl records with beer at BierWax (556 Vanderbilt Ave), or indulge in a scoop of homemade ice cream from Ample Hills (623 Vanderbilt Ave).

Spend an evening of culture or learning: The Barclay Center (620 Atlantic Ave) calendar of events can be found here for a basketball game or concert. Brooklyn Brainery (190 Underhill Ave), offers adult classes in anything from whisky tasting, history, to painting. Murmrr Theatre (17 Eastern Parkway) located on the third floor of a synagogue (not too sure on the fire codes in this old venue) is a great music venue.  

Prospect Heights has received more of a name for the recently budding restaurant scene. I would recommend ramen from Chuko (565 Vanderbilt Ave), falafel from Zaytoons (594 Vanderbilt Ave), Mexican from Alta Calida (552 Vanderbilt Ave), a local staple for no-frills Jamaican food at The Islands (671 Washington Ave), or slightly more elevated American from James (605 Carlton Ave) or Olmstead (659 Vanderbilt Ave). 

For those looking for a nightcap, the speakeasy, Weather Up (589 Vanderbilt Ave) offers superb cocktails. 

While this is a stand alone article, you can easily combine Park Slope, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, and I would recommend in that order if you are doing one day (starting your morning in Park Slope and ending your evening in the vibrant Crown Heights.)

If you enjoy learning more about Brooklyn, consider checking out some of my A Day In itineraries in Crown Heights, Red Hook and Downtown Brooklyn.