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History

The present neighborhood of Park Slope is built on land that was owned by railroad owner and land speculator Edwin C. Litchfield and sold block by block to developers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. 526 acres of land was bought by the city to design Prospect Park, eventually giving the neighborhood its name.

A bit about the history, geography, and some landmark buildings of Park Slope in the WPA Guide to New York City.

Though Park Slope was settled relatively recently, the geography has a long history, going back to the Revolutionary War that you can read about at The South Brooklyn Network.

In 1960, a United Airlines jet collided with a smaller commuter plane and crashed on Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place. Read the article on brooklyn.about.com.

 

Cultural Institutions

Park Slope has many fine cultural institutions to boast of. Here are some of the best:

The Brooklyn Public Library central branch is right over the border from Park Slope at Grand Army Plaza, and there is also the Park Slope Branch at 6th Avenue and 9th street. Their website has the usual information: locations, hours, events, etc, and a wealth of information about the borough itself.

The biggest draw, of course, the eastern border of Park Slope, and the namesake of the neighborhood is Prospect Park. Designers Olmstead and Vaux made their names designing the more-famous Central Park, but they considered Prospect Park to be their masterpiece, and it's hard to disagree.

The Brooklyn Museum of Art is just past the central library and has a small but impressive collection and many exciting exhibits. The picture on the right shows what the museum will look like in 2005, after major renovations.

Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture can help solve problems.

Celebrate Brooklyn is a program every summer that sponsors concerts in Prospect Park.

Another great venue, on the other side of the Brooklyn Museum, is the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. It's free on Tuesdays!

The Park Slope Civic Council lists these websites and many more cultural places.

 

Local Government

The Park Slope Civic Council is very active in the neighborhood and organizes lots of events.

You can view a list of local and state officials.

Park Slope is an active political community that takes local politics seriously.

 

Local News Sources

GO Brooklyn: The Brooklyn paper online. Has a dining guide where you can search by neighborhood, but there are 3 Park Slope's listed, so make sure you check them all.

The New York Times is also known to be fairly comprehensive.

For a weekly list of the happenings in Brooklyn and beyond, check out Time Out New York.

Brooklyn's got plenty of cable access shows that you can read about on BCAT.

Want to know more about who your neighbors will be? Here are the demographics from the 2000 census.

 

Schools

Here is a comprehensive list of daycare centers, public and private schools in the Slope.

GoCityKids encompasses many Brooklyn neighborhoods, but most events or venues are in or near the Slope.

 

Real Estate

A good starting place is New York Metro. There are lots of real estate links and tips.

Here's a list of real estate agents in the area. Call them up and tell them what kind of place you're looking for, and they'll let you know what they have.

And there's 2000 census information about real estate in Park Slope.

Food, Drink, and Shopping

There's so much to do in Park Slope, you may never want to leave!

Food & Drink

Here are websites that list restaurants and bars for Park Slope:

The Park Slope Business Directory sorts them by restaurant "type," e.g. pubs, cafes, bakeries, etc., but offers no descriptions.

It hasn't been updated recently, and has lots of annoying pop-up ads, but Park Slope Parent has some helpful restaurant tips if you have young children in tow.

Zagat's.com is the online version of the famous restaurant guidebook. They have a Brooklyn guide in print, but online you can look at Park Slope restaurants grouped together. You can see a listing, but if you want the famous cut-quote descriptions, you have to be a member. It's not expensive, but it's not free. If you don't want to join, print out the list, head to a bookstore and check out the restaurants in the Brooklyn guidebook. The book itself is incredibly handy, so you might want to consider buying it, either on their website or Amazon.

Hello Brooklyn, a great general site, has a very comprehensive list of restaurants, but again, no descriptions.

Park Slope has great restaurants, but you can't eat out all the time. So where do the locals buy their groceries? At the usual supermarkets, yes, but anyone interested in organic food will want to become a member of the Park Slope Food Coop. You have to work a few hours a month if you want the privilege of shopping there, but few complain: the fresh food and produce are worth it!

Shopping

Anything you need, you can find it here!

The website of the Park Slope Chamber of Commerce is absolutely comprehensive.

Brooklynease.com also lists tons of stores, but it's not as easy to use as the Chamber of Commerce site.

Maps

This street map is very detailed, though it doesn't encompass all of Park Slope.

The handy Brooklyn Streetwise maps are easy to use and carry. Buy it!

Here you can select a subway map of Park Slope from the drop down neighborhood menu.

The entire subway map might also be helpful to give you a sense of where Park Slope is in relation to the other boroughs.

It's easy to get lost in Prospect Park. View a map of the park.

 

Books

The books below link to Amazon.com for convenience, not as an

endorsement of their services. You can also try the following subject

headings in your local library:

Travel guides:

If You're Thinking of Living in... All About 115 Great Neighborhoods in and Around New York, by Michael J. Leahy. Buy it!

Brooklyn : Where to Go, What to Do, How to Get There, by Ellen Freudenheim. Buy it!

Not for Tourists Guide to Brooklyn. Buy it!

Illustrated Guidebook to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, by Richard J. Berenson. Buy it!

Brooklyn! 3rd Edition : The Ultimate Guide to New York's Most Happening Borough, by Ellen Freudenheim. Buy it!

History and Picture books:

Brooklyn's Park Slope: A Photographic Retrospective, by Brian Merlis and Lee A. Rosenweig. Buy it!

Brooklyn: A State of Mind, by Michael W. Robbins. Buy it!

The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, John B. Manbeck. Buy it!

Brooklyn: People and Places, Past and Present, by Grace Glueck. Buy it!

Old Brooklyn in Early Photographs, 1865-1929, by William Lee Younger. Buy it!

Brooklyn Then and Now, by Marcia Reiss. Buy it!

Brooklyn!: An Illustrated History, by Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier. Buy it!

Education and Culture in Brooklyn: A History of Ten Institutions, by Carole Lopate. Buy it!

Beyond Park Slope

Of course, Park Slope is just one part of Brooklyn. For information about the rest of the borough, and the other four that encompass New York City, see the sites below.

Brooklyn: Go to Coney Island, have authentic Russian food, and take a cruise from Brooklyn.com.

Manhattan: Everything in the world is available at your fingertips from the Manhattan User's Guide.

Queens: See a Mets game, go to the races, and check out the temporary Museum of Modern Art building from Discoverourtown.com.

Staten Island: Check out the city's best beaches, great views, and the only museum of Tibetan art in the country at Staten Island USA.

The Bronx: See the Yankees, a giant zoo, and historic Riverdale from I love the Bronx!

Use the subway map to figure out how to get to these great places.

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