Brooklyn Heights is arguably the most historic and bucolic of the Brooklyn neighborhoods. It was defended by George Washing against the British armies during the Battle Of Long Island in the Revolutionary War and became the first commuter town in Brooklyn when steamboat service was established at Fulton Ferry Landing, and in 1965, under threat of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway being built straight through the neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights became a protected New York Historic District, the first under the Landmark Preservation Law that was created in the wake of the original Pennsylvania Station being demolished. Since then, the neighborhood's trajectory has never changed. Populated with beatific brownstones and some legitimate mansions, the always upscale Brooklyn Heights remains one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city.
Not surprisingly then, you'll find the
Brooklyn Historical Society Museum in Brooklyn Heights, where visitors can steep themselves in the museum's well-documented history of the borough, including seasonal exhibitions on the changing face of neighborhoods, famous Brooklynites, and permanent collections like photographic exhibits of the borough's inhabitants, landmarks, and geography throughout the years. As for famous inhabitants, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Norman Mailer lived in Brooklyn Heights, near the 70 Willow Street residence where Truman Capote wrote the novel
Breakfast At Tiffany's, and not too far from the former 102 Pierrepoint Street residence where fellow Pulitzer Prize-winning author Arthur Miller wrote
All My Sons. Miller lived for a time with wife Marilyn Monroe at 62 Montague Street, where he wrote
Death Of A Salesman.
Because of its proximity to downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights has some of the best views of the looming buildings in the Financial District. Sitting quietly atop the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and stretching from Remsen to Orange Streets, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade also affords the strolling visitor views of the East River, the
Statue of Liberty, and a large portion of New York Harbor. The Promenade is also a favorite viewing area for the city's many fireworks displays, like the Macy's
Fourth of July fireworks and the annual New Year's and Diwali fireworks. And just a short walk from the north end of the Promenade is the entrance to the
Brooklyn Bridge and its promenade, which offers similarly brilliant views of Brooklyn and Manhattan and various waterways and waterfront institutions.
As for shopping, one of
Housing Works Thrift Shops' most popular branches is in Brooklyn Heights, serving up New York thrift in charitable fashion. From apparel to paper,
Heights Books offers the literary equivalent of Housing Works with quality used books and rare editions in a quintessentially quaint storefront. The neighborhood reads so much that a Brooklyn Heights location of Manhattan favorite
St. Mark's Comics opened just down the street from Heights Books. Once your eyes and feet are tired, give your stomach a workout at
Noodle Pudding, Brooklyn Heights' best Italian eatery, or
Teresa's for some of the best Polish food in the borough.
Finally, Brooklyn Heights has the grand sentinels on its eastern border in the
Marriott Brooklyn Bridge and the swank
Nu Hotel.
