Crown Heights

Crown Heights fulfills its promise as an up-and-coming neighborhood with its proximity to subway stations, farmers markets, host of restaurants, upscale housing, and vibrant late-night spots. However, it is Crown Height's original charm that remains the jewel in its crown. Turn-of-the-century mansions line Crown and President Streets, drawing dreamers and architectural enthusiasts alike. Synagogues and corner bodegas are right at home next door to each other, and aromas wafting from ethnic diners wend their way into the street to create a distinctive sense of the place.  

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Museum, and Jewish Children's Museum can each be reached by taking a short stroll down Eastern Parkway. On the easternmost edge of town, at 158 Buffalo Ave., is the Weeksville Heritage Center, a stunning museum of contemporary art. Coffee shops – like Marker Coffee on Rogers Ave. and Café Coffee Bean on Bergen St. – abound, organic grocery stores are sprouting up, and a reliable bus schedule makes getting around easy.

Gastronomes are in their element in Crown Heights, with access to food like curry goat roti from Gloria's Caribbean Cuisine, fresh baked biscuits from Lazy Ibis, and brunch from Tom's on Washington Ave. -- so good people happily wait in line to get in. In fact, waiting to get into Tom's is a treat of its own. Smiling employees routinely make trips out to give those in line treats like cinnamon French toast, orange slices, cookies, and hot coffee. 

If you have children or are considering the notion, there is Prospect Park Zoo, family sewing classes at the Owl and Thistle General Store, LaunchPad Community Center, arts and crafts at the Crown Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, quirky art exhibits at Five Myles Gallery, and Brower Park Playground off St. Mark's Ave. 

And then there is Crown Height's signature event: the West Indian American Day Parade, an event that draws nearly four million people every Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the music, absorb the ambiance, or simply pull up a stoop and people watch. 

When you are a neighborhood within a borough, within a major city, it is easy to lose your identity. Not so with Crown Heights. Somehow, residents here have managed to create a one-of-a-kind community that once experienced, is tough to forget.