Be Brooklyn Bound When Winter Fades

Floridians and New Yorkers have a symbiotic relationship. Many of us are New York transplants (old and new) who often travel back and forth, either on business or to visit with family and friends. We have our favorite hangouts but are always on the lookout for something new. So, if you frequent New York City or have never been, this story will have you Brooklyn bound.

Growing up on Long Island (or, in native speak, “Lawn Guy-land”), I took the LIRR into “the city” as often as possible to hang out with my aunts, who lived on West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, right around the corner from Carnegie Hall and a short walk to Central Park. That’s where I learned that the West Side was the best side. Brooklyn was not a destination in those days, but times have radically changed.

Where to Stay

A great vibe and convenience are what I look for when traveling to NYC these days – by convenience I mean being close to great dining and the best transit options that make getting around easy. That’s why the Ace Hotel Brooklyn at 252 Schermerhorn St. is a find.

The well-priced boutique property in the Boerum Hill neighborhood on the edge of downtown Brooklyn oozes cool and warmth with a modernist-inspired industrial look – think large sculptural beams complimented by earthy woods, leathers and other textures, including colorful mosaics. It calls to those with a bohemian streak. The first-floor décor extends to the rooms, which share the same appeal and are even adorned with art made by roughly two dozen local textile artists.

Lovers of 1970s music will enjoy the lobby playlist and the weekend DJ spinning modern mixes of classics from that era, but make no mistake, even my 20-something children talked about coming back on a Friday night. The lobby bar has great nibbles and unique cocktails like the spicey “Fire & Desire” or my favorite, “The Layover,” made with tequila, aperitivo, tangerine, rosemary and lime.

Not yet 3 years old, this Ace property is just down the block from the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets subway station, where you can hop on an A or C train to go downtown in the blink of an eye. A few blocks in the other direction and you’re at the LIRR Atlantic Terminal, where you can catch a train to Long Island.

What to Do

The often-overlooked Brooklyn Museum is a gem worth exploring. It just closed an exhibition of filmmaker Spike Lee’s personal collection, but on permanent display is “The Dinner Party” by Judy Chicago, which – if you’re unfamiliar – is a bucket-list must for every declared feminist. “The Dinner Party” depicts a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of 39 place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history with a central motif based on vulvar and butterfly forms rendered in styles appropriate to the individual women being honored. Visit the museum’s website to learn more about it, as well as its other permanent and rotating exhibitions.

Next door to the museum is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is especially worth visiting in spring when the cherry blossom trees are in bloom. Their collection is an unforgettable bonanza of pink and white blooms, which don’t take away from the plentiful display of daffodils and other spring flowers sprouting everywhere else.

The Okame cherry trees with their tiny pink flowers and red calyxes are generally the first to bloom in New York around mid-to-late March. They are followed by the more famous Yoshino with their white and light pink flowers. Finally, the fluffy pink flowers of the Kwanzan cherry trees usually blossom in April through mid-May. Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is another spot where you can revel in the gorgeous blooms for free. Visit NYCGovParks.org to watch for what’s blooming where all around the city.

Williamsburg is a gentrified and trendy Brooklyn hot spot, replete with restaurants, boutiques and nightclubs that are reminiscent of Wynwood’s early renaissance. It’s worth a stroll day or night, but I especially love the skyline view from the waterfront boardwalk in Domino Park, named for the site of the former Domino Sugar Refinery where the park now sits.

Readers who have enjoyed my previous reviews of immersive van Gogh and Monet experiences in Miami, made possible through cutting-edge projection technology, will want to catch two immersive experiences in lower Manhattan, which is easily accessible from Brooklyn.

“Chagall, Paris – New York” and “Kandinsky, The Odyssey of Abstraction” have been extended at Hall des Lumières through April 6, 2024. The range of techniques Marc Chagall experimented with throughout his career in Russia, Paris and New York are all part of this tour de force, as is an exhilarating selection by Wassily Kandinsky, one of the fathers of abstractionism.

The paired exhibitions are now alternating with a space-themed experience called “Destination Cosmos,” so check for showings on the Hall’s website, where tickets are available for $30 for adults and half that for children – a much more affordable price than what is charged in Miami for similar exhibitions.

The 49 Chambers St. venue was once the former vault level and teller hall of the landmarked, historic Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank just across from Manhattan’s City Hall Park, which has been converted to showcase these multisensory experiences.

Of course, a visit to New York is never complete without taking in a Broadway show, especially for theater lovers. There is an abundance of new openings on the horizon, many of which are adaptations from books or films or both. “Water for Elephants,” scheduled to open Feb. 24, is my top pick to become a musical hit in the coming months. Yet another revival of “Cabaret” is headed our way April 1, but this one is with acclaimed actor Eddie Redmayne as emcee, straight from a smashing success on London’s West end. And if you’ve never experienced a stage production of “Doubt,” The Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play returned to Broadway this month for the first time in nearly two decades. Don’t miss it. Stay abreast of openings and closings on Playbill.com.

Where to Eat

The As You Are restaurant at the Ace has an eclectic menu. I highly recommend the turmeric granola and house yogurt with puffed chickpea and raspberry-hibiscus jam for breakfast, and the poached black bass for dinner. Another hotel breakfast or lunch option is Black Seed Bagels, where bagels are crispy outside but light and fluffy inside, unlike what we’re used to in Miami – doughy discs that can feel like lead in your stomach.

Off-site, my favorites are Bacchus Bistro for magnifique French dining at 409 Atlantic Ave. and El Zasón for authentic Mexican food at 491 Atlantic Ave. For the best three-tiered afternoon tea service complete with finger sandwiches, scones and bite-sized desserts, make a reservation at either the Park Slope (69 Seventh Ave.) or Prospect Heights (611 Vanderbilt Ave.) locations of Brooklyn High Low. If you really want to spoil yourself while taking in history and grandeur, visit Gage & Tollner at 372 Fulton St., which was once frequented by icons like Truman Capote, Mae West and Jimmy Durante. The building in which it sits was built in 1875.

If you make it to lower Manhattan, meander toward Wall Street and have a drink or dine at Trinity Place, a former bank vault built at the turn of the century and owned by Andrew Carnegie at 115 Broadway. Ask for a table near the Wall Street bear, bull and wolf.

View a full complement of photographs of many of the sites featured in this story at BiscayneTimes.com.