Hi there! My name is Kara, and I live in Brooklyn Heights. I moved here in November 2015 with my fiancé Austin (we were just dating then) and we've been in the same 400 square-foot apartment since. This place is the best. I’ve been petitioning to be on this blog and represent Brooklyn Heights for a while! I just really love my neighborhood.

OUR ROUTE

Jack the Horse: 66 Hicks Street

Chip Shop: 129 Atlantic Avenue

Clay House: 229 Smith Street

Dekalb Market: 445 Albee Square W

Bevacco: 60 Henry Street

Colonie: 127 Atlantic Avenue

Long Island Bar: 110 Atlantic Avenue

Sahadi’s: 187 Atlantic Avenue

First we’re going to go this oyster bar that doesn’t really have a name, but has the most amazing oysters and yummy happy hour drinks. It’s the best place for summer, and a great spot to go after work. Jack the Horse is the exact opposite, its perfect for when there’s a blizzard out and you want someplace cozy. But winter’s over so maybe stick to the oyster place for now (laughs).

WHERE THE STREETS ARE NAMED AFTER FRUIT

Brooklyn Heights has a lot of great architecture, and a really fun history. There’s a street called Middagh Street, named after the wealthy Middagh family. Back then, all the rich families that lived in the neighborhood had streets named after them. But Mrs. Middagh didn’t like some of the other families (laughs). So she would literally go up and replace the street signs with her own names: Pineapple Street, Orange Street, and Cranberry Street. The city would take them down but she would just put her signs back up, so eventually they gave up. And that is why we have the cutest street names: Pineapple, Orange, and Cranberry.

When Austin and I first moved here, we didn’t know much about the neighborhood. There was this place called the Brooklyn Heights Promenade I’d heard about, but it took me awhile to get the time to walk down there. When I did, I was like you’ve GOT to be KIDDING me. THIS is the promenade? It’s basically the waterfront on the East River and you can see ALL of Manhattan: The Empire State Building, the Freedom Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s so incredible. We’re used to it now, but it’s the best view in the whole world. It's also where Austin proposed to me.

JUST A QUICK WALK AWAY

A really fun place that I like to go to is Chip Shop on Atlantic Avenue. It’s this British fish and chips shop and its so authentic. One time Austin and I went there on Good Friday and we saw a priest eating there (laughs). He was just eating his fish and chips.

I take a pottery class in Cobble Hill at Clay House. They offer classes and weekend studio hours. Have you been to City Point? It’s a brand new building with stores like Target, Century 21, and an Alamo Draft House. But the real gem is when you go to the basement and there is the most insanely massive food court you have ever seen in your entire life. It’s called Dekalb Market. It has 50 vendors, and they’re all packed in this dark basement and all you can see are their neon signs. It’s modeled after the markets in Vietnam. There’s mostly ethnic food: pierogis, banh mi, there’s great Korean food, and a Katz’s Deli. This is the type of place where every time you order something you’ll get mad, because as soon as you order you’ll find something better. I have to make four rounds before I can decide what I want.

OUR ITALIAN RESTAURANT HACK

There are a lot of Italian restaurants near my apartment. Noodle Pudding is so good. It has a reputation because its cash only and has been here for a long time, and people like Lena Dunham go there. But true story, if you have to wait for a table at Noodle Pudding you should just walk down the street and go to Bevacco. It’s actually really, really good and its really underrated. They have the best cacio e pepe, and a duck spaghetti carbonara. They have a fun bar where I get the aperol spritz. This is the best hack – don’t go to Noodle Pudding. Walk down the street to Bevacco. It’s better.

STAN FOR KERI RUSSELL

Fortune House is also on Henry Street. It’s a very reliable, dependable Chinese food place that is featured in a lot of TV shows like The Americans, because its in a very old-looking building. In fact, they film The Americans at The St. George Hotel as well. The St. George Hotel was this very iconic place, they shot The Godfather there. Frank Sinatra would go there all the time.

Keri Russell lives in this neighborhood too (laughs). She has the best hair in the entire world. Its so effortless, she’s always looks cool, not just pretty. She’s my style icon. We once saw her with Matthew Reese, her co-star on The Americans, and their child. They’re together! I’m so obsessed (laughs). I stan her so much. Did you know that Eminem started that word? Now its like a verb.

WHERE TO GO FOR A BRUNCH

Colonie is really good. It's a restaurant on the north side of Brooklyn Heights. Colonie is so good, if you go for brunch you have to get the duck hash. Its potatoes, shredded duck meat, and an egg on top and chipotle spicy aioli. Its so good, its imprinted in my memory. La Vara is technically Cobble Hill but its my favorite place. Floyd is fun, and Elsa’s is great for drinks.

Oh my god, we have to talk about The Cat Café. They have these rescue cats that you can adopt. You pay 10 dollars and you can sit and relax and play with the cats. Or you can look through the window and you can just watch the cats. This is the place to go if you ever want to adopt.

Long Island Bar is great. Inside there is a sign that says no dancing, its so Footloose. On the outside it looks like a shitty diner, they left up the original façade, but inside is so cool. And they have my favorite drink in all of Brooklyn: a shaken passion fruit tequila cocktail. And there are cheese curds. Very Important.

THE NOT-BASIC TRADER JOE'S

Sahadi’s is an incredible grocery store. It’s the best, but they’re closed on Sundays so plan ahead. Saturday is the day to go. They are amazing, its heaven on earth. Their milk chocolate almonds are to die for. You know how Trader Joe’s will have chocolate candies? Don’t waste your time there. Sahadi’s has the best chocolate covered things, and dried fruits, and dried nuts. Everyone who works there is so nice, they’ll give you samples and stuff.

Living in Brooklyn Heights feels so different than anywhere else. I love working in the city and getting off the train everyday and taking a deep breath and just having all this fresh air and space, and seeing all the families and kids. It’s the best neighborhood ever, I’m not trying to get anyone to live here, but you totally can (laughs).

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