North Brooklyn is the Brooklyn I know best. Well, I suppose it’s the part of New York City I know best, since I live here. There’s no place I have spent more time solo and I still so enjoy it. It’s a comfortable and convenience place to be a home base. Separated by water from the chaos of the city, but still being a pretty active place with trendy shops and restaurants popping up every month. Sure, parts of Williamsburg seem to resemble Soho more and more these days, and the sidewalks of Greenpoint get crowded on warm weekends, but there are still pockets that feel remarkably like a neighborhood.

Everything I need is here. I have gotten to know these streets so well because I often spend days (and during pandemic times, weeks) not leaving the neighborhood, going only so far as my feet will take me, choosing to opt out of the subway and of Manhattan. Whether it’s running errands or taking myself on a walk, whether I have plans or a glaring lack of plans, there’s never a shortage of things to do without venturing far. So on a day off, on a lazy day off, sometimes, often, I choose to stay close. There are a dozens of ways I could do a day in the neighborhood, and my habits evolve with the seasons. But this is how I’d spend a day if I had tomorrow off.