Brooklyn, New York City

This is a great place to visit. On Saturdays they have free tours of the place at 1,2,3 and 4PM followed by a sample of one of their beers. However, there are the those who have been know to stay for 4 tours to get the free beer at the end each time. They aiso have other pay events such as a music festival or book signings with unlimited beer. My friends were scared of since this place was in Brooklyn, but not me I had to see it myself. It is located in a better part of Brooklyn with artist etc. I haven't told my friends this info yet since they should have come with e the first time around!

During the months of July and August, you can enjoy an outdoor movie with the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop. The films are shown outdoors at the Brooklyn Bridge Park every Thursday night at dusk. Bring your blanket or a chair and enjoy the free movie. There are usually some food venders near by for a quick snack.

Also, the Brooklyn Bridge Park is easy to get to from Manhatten since it's the first subway stop from Manhatten to Brooklyn. The area is known as Brooklyn Heights and it's a very good neighborhood.

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Like Manhattan's Central Park, Prospect Park can be easily walked through within an hour, making it not terribly impressive for an urban getaway. Nevertheless, Prospect park has plenty of wide open lawn areas for ball games and kite flying. Also, the roads through the park are very popular with cyclists, some of whom seemed ready for criterium road racing. This is also a better place to rollerblade than Central Park. There are a number of other recreational activities here sponsored by the New York Parks and Recreation. Like all New York City Parks, Prospect Park is closed from 1-5AM daily. See link for directions, depending on where you are coming from and where in the park you want to go, but an easy stop of the Metro subway is from the Grand Army Plaza station, then simply walk south.

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My personal favorite bronze artwork in the Grand Army Plaza is the Bailey Fountain, originally created by in 1932 by architect Edgerton Swarthout and sculptor Eugene Francis Savage, to replace the dysfunctional if spectacular "electric" fountain that existed from the late 19th century. The fountain is named after Frank Bailey (1865–1953) who funded it as a memorial to his wife Mary Louise. There is an grouping of allegorical and mythical figures, including the god of water Neptune and a pair of nudes, one male, one female, representing Wisdom and Felicity. See the Wikipedia link for more details about this fountain

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The 11 acre Grand Army Plaza is an oval of monuments surrounded by the largest and busiest traffic circles in Brooklyn. There are some tall column statues and interesting curved architecture around the plaza.

In addition to the the huge soldiers and sailors Civil War monument, Grand Army Plaza also features a bronze bust tribute to President John F. Kennedy. Created by Brooklyn-born sculptor Neil Estern in 1965, the monument was for a time removed from the plaza, renovated by the sculpter, and then rededicated in 2010.

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The Grand Army Plaza metro station is the best way to begin a walk through Brooklyn's Prospect Park on the first visit. The Grand Army Plaza, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1867, has some outstanding memorials and statues. The most significant is New York's version of the Arc de Triomphe--The Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch. Designed by John H. Duncan with sculptures by Frederick MacMonnies, this civil war memorial arch was built between 1889-92, with MacMonnies's huge bronze sculpture added on top in 1898. The two groups on the south pedestals representing the Army and Navy were added in 1901. The memorial includes images of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. See the web link for more details about this memorial.

For a change of pace, consider checking out the hip Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. Brooklyn Bowl is a great venue where you can go bowling, listen to live music (check their schedule - they have some really incredible acts play here and the space is small, so it lends some intimacy) or grab some yummy comfort food and beer. Food is provided by Blue Ribbon (think fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, etc.) and beers are from Brooklyn Brewery (which is located around the corner, so stop by for a tour and beer tasting!). There are also some great boutiques and consignment shops in the neighborhood.