Best of Brooklyn: People & Places
From the best secret park to Bushwick’s best bouncer, here are all our favorite people and places right now.
photo by David Shaw
Best Secret Park: Bush Terminal Park in Sunset Park
This waterfront park is tucked away in Sunset Park’s industrial district, yet has a seriously bucolic feel, what with areas of greenery gone wild and an abundance of water birds swooping down on the hunt for fish. Just don’t climb on the boulders bordering the water’s edge; seemingly out of nowhere a park employee will descend, yelling GET OFF THE ROCKS.
Marginal Street, Sunset Park
Best Unpronounceable Name for a Truly Excellent Discount Massage Parlor: Zrelax
265 Union Avenue, Williamsburg
Best Unintentionally Parodic Instagram Account: Books of Park Slope
Maybe we shouldn’t judge books by their covers, but it turns out it’s pretty easy to judge a neighborhood by the books abandoned on local stoops. Where else but Park Slope could you reliably find titles like Of Cats and Men, Global Warming for Dummies, The Good-for-You Marriage, and Writing Your Authentic Self?
Best House in Brooklyn: Michelle Williams’s New Mansion
The actress’s Prospect Park South mansion that actually looks like something out of The Shining—in the best way possible
Best Bouncer in Brooklyn: Jay from Bossa Nova Civic Club
Rare is the bouncer that is professional yet playful, stern yet kind, a faithful employee yet a pal of the patrons, and always a truly classy gentleman. Just another reason to love Bossa Nova Civic Club.
1271 Myrtle Avenue, Bushwick
Best Place to Try Out (and then Deflect?) Living in LA: The Brooklyn Mirage
Is this what LA is like? Big outdoor spaces with potted plants where people are always partying? Maybe. Sure. Why not? Try it out, and if you like it, we’ll expect your Goodbye to All That letter shortly.
99 Scott Avenue, East Williamsburg
Best Place to Get a Flat Tire on Your Bike: Lafayette and Bedford avenues
Look, there’s nothing good about getting a flat tire, but, if you have to break down, this isn’t a bad place to do so. Why? Well, you’re right near Bike Slug, an awesome bike shop which can fix you right up, and you’re also not far from Do or Dine, so you can go hang out in that restaurant’s backyard, eating creamy, savory hummus and drinking a Genesee Cream Ale while you wait for your tire to get fixed.
Bike Slug: 1050 Bedford Avenue, Bed-Stuy
Do or Dine: 1108 Bedford Avenue, Bed-Stuy
Best Hairdresser That Can Make You Look Like Natalie Portman in
The Professional (If You Want): Acasia Rose at Self Salon
42 Wilson Avenue, Bushwick
Best Impractical Means of Communication: Rapchat
Instead of just talking to your friends or texting them, why not communicate via… an app that turns your words into a rap? Ok, it might not be that practical, but it is really fun.
Best Bar to Color in Pictures of Naked Women Alone Without Fear of Judgment from Society (or God): Boobie Trap
308 Bleecker Street, Bushwick
Best Brooklyn Comedian to Host a New Cooking Competition Show on Bravo: Max Silvestri
We’ve long-loved Brooklyn comedian Max Silvestri, and he loves food… so we couldn’t be more excited to see what he comes up with on his very own cooking show.
Most Multifunctional Bike Shop: Red Lantern
345 Myrtle Avenue, Fort Greene
Best Decor Revival: Neon Signs
Best Replacement for Third Ward: The Common
This multi-purpose space in Bushwick was started by artist Joseph Woolridge, who also founded the New York Studio Factory, and hosts everything from classes to events to co-working spaces. It’s a valuable resource for people all over Brooklyn, particularly those in the borough’s creative community.
2 St. Nicholas Avenue, Bushwick
Best Place to Go in Brooklyn to Forget You’re in Brooklyn, But Then Be Reminded of the Fact that You May Never Leave: Green-Wood Cemetery
500 25th Street, Greenwood Heights
