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Living green in Brooklyn is a breeze...a cool ocean breeze drifting toward the Coney Island boardwalk, in fact. Further proof that Big Apple fun during the holiday madness doesn't require a car, lots of cash, or a deep carbon footprint.
To get things flowing, all you gotta do is put one foot in front of the other as you stroll across the infamous Brooklyn Bridge toward...
16 Ways to Enjoy a Staycation in the People's Republic of Brooklyn
Even if you have to bundle up a bit, this is a 1.13 mile walk (5,989 feet) you'll never forget with camera-friendly views of the New York skyline and even the Statue of Liberty. To get started on the Manhattan side, take the 6 train to City Hall.
2. DUMBO
An acronym for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass," DUMBO is one of New York's top arts destinations. It's also home to Bargemusic http://bargemusic.org, a floating venue for classical music; Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park; and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Closest Subway: A or C train to High Street station
3. Brooklyn Heights Promenade
A 1/3-mile long exclusively pedestrian walkway from Remsen Street to Orange Street along the East River, perched above the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Whether you walk, jog, or roller blade, you'll enjoy views of downtown Manhattan, the East River, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Closest Subway: 2 or 3 train to Clark St. or M, R, 2, 3, 4, 5 train to Court Street / Borough Hall.
Eight million visitors a year enjoy this 585-acre urban oasis located in the heart of Brooklyn. Features: the 90-acre Long Meadow, the 60-acre Lake, Brooklyn's only forest, the nation's first urban Audubon Center, the Prospect Park Zoo, and the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival.
Closest Subway: F train at 7th Ave. station, 15th St./Prospect Park station and Fort Hamilton Parkway station. 2 or 3 train at Grand Army Plaza station.
5. Brooklyn Museum
Located alongside the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and just steps from Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum is the second-largest art museum in New York City with permanent collections of more than one million objects housed in a 560,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts building.
Closest Subway: 2 or 3 train to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum
6. Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
A 52-acre living museum founded in 1910 and featuring more than 11,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. Check out these video samples and get ready to plan your visit.
Closest Subway: 2 or 3 train to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum
7. Coney Island
Although the name has long become synonymous with the rides and the beach, Coney Island is a peninsula neighborhood (formerly an island) in southernmost Brooklyn with a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. With developers threatening the history of this must-see venue, it's more crucial than ever to visit and lend your green support.
Closest Subway: D, Q, N, or F train to Stillwell Avenue (last stop)
8. Brighton Beach
New York Magazine calls Brighton Beach "a kind of double-blind guess--a Jewish immigrant's idea of what an American's idea of Russia may be. And that's what makes it arguably the most fascinating ethnic enclave in New York: It looks just as exotic to the ethnicity it enclaves.."
Closest Subway: B, Q to Brighton Beach
9. Williamsburg
Where old school immigrants and hipster interlopers meet. Pretentious East Village wannabe or artsy Mecca? Walk down Bedford Avenue and let us know if you love it or hate it. There's pretty much no in-between.
Closest Subway: L train to Bedford
10. Sunset Park
Sandwiched between the better known Park Slope and Bay Ridge, Sunset Park boasts New York's second largest Chinatown and Green-Wood Cemetery, the final resting place of Crazy Joe Gallo.
Closest Subway: R train to 25th Street
11. Bushwick Art Galleries
Located on the Brooklyn-Queens border, Bushwick has seen it all and is now home to abundance of art galleries and initiatives in addition to parks, playgrounds, and pools.
Closest Subway: L train to Morgan Avenue
12. Valentino Pier in Red Hook
A 2.22-acre park named after a beloved fallen firefighter, Valentino offers excellent views of the Statue of Liberty, Governor's Island, Manhattan's skyline, Staten Island, and the New York Harbor, along with canoe and kayak launch sites.
Closest Subway: Take the F/G to Smith/ 9th Street. Transfer to the B77 bus (heading away from Park Slope) to the Conover Street Shop at the corner of Coffey Street, walk west two blocks to the park pier
13. Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
The city's youngest bridge and the hemisphere's longest spans 6690 feet between Brooklyn and Staten Island. Since there's no pedestrian access on the bridge, you can take in the views from the 27-acre Owl's Heads Park. If you're lucky, you might catch sight of a humpback whale.
Closest Subway: R train to Bay Ridge Avenue
While you're in the aforementioned Owl's Heads Park, don't miss the scene at Millennium. You'll skate, bike, or blade into the park down a 12-foot wide concrete "waterfall" to the floor, approximately six feet into the "Street Bowl." Even you haven't the slightest idea what any of that means admit it: You're curious.
Closest Subway: R train to Bay Ridge Avenue
15. Rooftop Farms
A 6,000 square foot organic vegetable farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Yes, you read that right. If you'd like to take a class to learn more or volunteer your time or simply buy your root crops from a rooftop, get to Greenpoint before winter hits.
Closest Subway: G train at Metropolitan Ave-Lorimer Street
16. Vegan TV Dinner
Stop in any of Brooklyn's many vegan restaurants--take-out vegan fast food from Foodswings is a fun choice--and end your staycation chowing down while catching some Green Vision TV.
Video: Wa$ted Online Clips: Brooklyn Girls
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