Brooklyn is BIG

I stopped in one of my favorite book stores in the city the other day, McNally & Jackson on Prince street.   In the age of disappearing shelf space, I LOVE this store's collection of New York City topic books.   I usually always come away with something new and something that I will actually read and use.  The staff is always friendly, and it's just a fun place to browse.  If you happen to be in New York, definitely check them out.  Today's find was this gem about my home borough, Brooklyn and the secrets within.

Secret Brooklyn holds many treasures even for long time residents.  I've lived in Brooklyn for 21 years and this little book has revealed a lot of new discoveries for me.

I consider myself an explorer and try to do something new and different once per month. Still, I haven't come across quite a few of these secret finds. That's how big Brooklyn is.

Both of the authors currently live in Brooklyn and reveal new items, and shed a lot of light on things we might see every day.

Brooklyn is so big, that the book is broken down into 4 quadrants.   North, South, East and Brownstone belt. (which is actually Brooklyn Heights and downtown Brooklyn)

I happen to live in the South portion and was surprised to find new and familiar sites.

Diversity of sites, just like Brooklyn

This book covers everything from the smallest cemetery in Brooklyn (2 people buried there) to a working monastery that is open to the public.  Sports is another threaded theme within these pages and covers trivia about the Brooklyn Dodgers and the lesser known Brooklyn Tip-Tops. The Tip-Tops were owned by a large bread manufacturer in Brooklyn that sold his goods under the same name.

In addition, World War II remnants fall into place nicely. Examples include radio towers at the Brooklyn Navy yard  and guard towers at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.  These are all things that you might have seen before, if you live here, but now will have new historical context.  I like the brevity of the descriptions and the photography too.  Each item is only a page or 2 and includes the closest subway stop, clearly listed at the top of each page.

Regardless of what interests you, you'll find something that is interesting and fun within these pages.  A nice reminder to never stop exploring.

ISBN: 9782361951672