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1. Prospect Park
My favorite spots:
The Peninsula – close to the lake. My students found a turtle skeleton in some bushes once.
Dog Beach – My students and I often sit on the grass by Dog Beach to watch dogs plunge into the pond to cool off from the summer heat. They call it the “Dog Beach Movie,” and we eat pretend popcorn as we watch the dogs. This area is also close to some wooded trails and bridges that go over a stream and waterfall.
Midwood has nice, shaded trails, very green.
The Picnic House – little coffee shop and some of the nicest public bathrooms in the park.
2. Haircut at Mutiny
I’m always compelled to chop my hair in the summer. Mutiny is “a collective of queer and trans barbers focused on gender affirming haircuts.” Many of Mutiny’s stylists operate on a sliding-scale, and this was one of the more reasonably priced haircuts I could find. I went in to get my haircut touched up, and loved their colorful furniture and welcoming atmosphere.
Their studio can be a little tricky to find since it is in a warehouse-type office space, so arrive early to navigate the maze.
Mutiny is also near The Bell House, which is a great concert and comedic venue. I saw and loved Exploration Live and The Moth’s Story Slam here.
3. Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
Go to the Botanic Gardens in the spring to see the long-awaited blooms. This is near Chavela’s Mexican restaurant, and I love their ceiling.
Adults $22
Seniors (65+) $16
Students with ID $16
Children under 12 Free
4. Pier 2 Roller Rink
Roller skate at Pier 2 for amazing views of the Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. I loved being able to skate right next to the water. The floor is bumpy, so be sure to lace up your skates tightly to avoid falling. They also give and require patrons to wear wrist protectors, which I’d never seen before.
You’re not allowed to bring outside food in since they sell it there, but they were pretty accommodating to us.
Admission is $8 and rentals is $12.
5. Brooklyn Bridge Park
I love to eat dinner in Brooklyn Bridge Park, listen to the boats on the water and read. Evenings are especially nice.
6. Food Festivals
Japan Fes in Prospect Heights was so much fun. The food was very, very good. Several other food festivals were also happening at the same time, so we got to check out other cuisines including Filipino and Spanish.
Queens Night Market is not in Brooklyn, but worth the journey. There were Fujian, Trinidadian, Brazilian, Ukranian and Cambodian vendors just to name a handful. The lines weren’t too long, nearly all of the items were $5, and both the vendors and the attendees were in a great mood the night that I went. If you time it right, you can stop here right after a Mets game since the stadium is just one MTA stop away. There was also a row of art vendors.
7. Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach is also not in Brooklyn, but it’s very easy to get here from Brooklyn. There are so many surfing communities at Rockaway, and I’ll create another post on who to go to for equipment and fun times.
There are parts of the beach that are off limits to swimmers. Park security patrols the beach pretty thoroughly and will blow whistles at you if it looks like you’re going in past your ankles. But it seems like unless you’re surfing, some of these beaches are more for sunbathing, games and picnics.
The restaurants in the area remind me of California’s Central Coast.
8. Brooklyn Grange
This one I haven’t actually gone to yet, but Brooklyn Grange offers yoga at sunset on Tuesday evenings. They also host farm dinners and workshops.
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