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Court St. has it all -- independent book stores, indie movie theater, bistros and cafes, all the way on up to the big store shopping and chain restaurants, depending on exactly what part of the street you walk. I prefer the Cobble Hill section, home to beautiful classic brownstone architecture and somewhat cleaner streets. Yes, it's a little snooty over there -- not too many of us can afford to live in this area -- but I love to visit for dinner, a movie, or a little shopping and walking around. And although it's certainly upper-middle class at the very least, it's a lot cooler than the more upscale neighborhoods of Manhattan.

I went to Brooklyn College right off Flatbush Ave, and grew up not far from there, so I have a special place in my heart for this crazy area called "the Junction" where Flatbush and Nostrand cross. Like the rest of Flatbush Ave, it is lined with shops, mostly small stores and not big chains. Retail spills out into the street and you can probably purchase just about anything you might possibly want somewhere on this block, likely for a discount! You have loads of public transit options here - at least 4 or 5 buses, and the terminal station for the 2 & 3 subway trains. Whenever I visit this area now, I get myself a Jamaican beef patty or a bagel and take walk around the Brooklyn College campus. That is not open to the public, you do have to get a temporary badge from one of the security gates, but all you have to do is show ID and tell them where you want to go (e.g., registrar, history department office). One other thing to mention about this neighborhood -- there's a Starbucks right off the Ave. These coffee shops may have taken over Manhatten, but not Brooklyn, and it is mighty hard to find a good cup of coffee in the surrounding areas. I go there often when I'm in the neighborhood.

Metropolitan Ave runs through Williamsburg, a neighborhood now famous for hipster artists and musicians. Once upon a time, this area was super-run down, cheap and kind of scary because of all the crime and poverty. But as these things happen, things changed with time. Now, you have tons of great restaurants and boutiques in the area. I especially like some of the design stores -- you'll find cool and unique objects, sometimes made by local artists. As cool as it is around this part of town, there are some major negatives. First off, it has become very pricy, both in terms of living here and in terms of the retail and restaurants in the neighborhood. Second, it's extraordinarily difficult to park your car around here. Which is important because third, public transit here is limited. Sure, you have the L train, which gets you to Manhatten in minutes, but you can't really go anyplace else from here. All in all, though, it's always fun to come down here for dinner/drinks and a walk around the neighborhood.