In Brooklyn

It's easy to link visits to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and Prospect Park, since they're all an easy walk from one another, just off Grand Army Plaza. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a suitably grand entrance to their Prospect Park, it boasts a grand Civil War memorial arch designed by John H. Duncan (1892-1901) and the main Brooklyn Public Library, an Art Deco masterpiece completed in 1941 (the garden and museum are just on the other side of the library, down Eastern Pkwy.). The entire area is a half-hour subway ride from midtown Manhattan.

An Arts Party Grows in Brooklyn -- First Saturday is the Brooklyn Museum of Art's ambitious and popular program that takes place on, you guessed it, the first Saturday of each month. It runs from 5 to 11pm and includes free admission and a slate of live music, films, dancing, curator talks, and other entertainment that can get pretty esoteric -- think karaoke, lesbian poetry, silent film, experimental jazz, and disco. On a recent Saturday, events included a traditional Irish dance performance, a panel discussion on contemporary black photographers, a screening of Hair, and a dance party featuring a funk-and-soul DJ from Brooklyn Underground. As "only in New York" events go, First Saturday is a good one -- you can always count on a full slate of cool.

Brooklyn Heights Historic District

Just across the Brooklyn Bridge is Brooklyn Heights, a peaceful neighborhood of tree-lined streets, more than 600 historic houses built before 1860, landmark churches, and restaurants. Even with its magnificent promenade providing sweeping views of lower Manhattan's ragged skyline, it feels more like its own village than part of the larger urban expanse.

This is where Walt Whitman lived and wrote Leaves of Grass, one of the great accomplishments in American literature. And in the 19th century, fiery abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher railed against slavery at Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims on Orange Street between Henry and Hicks streets (his sister wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin). If you walk down Willow Street between Clark and Pierrepont, you'll see three houses (nos. 108-112) in the Queen Anne style that was fashionable in the late 19th century, as well as an attractive trio of Federal-style houses (nos. 155-159) built before 1829. Also visit lively Montague Street, the main drag of Brooklyn Heights and full of cafes and shops. On Water Street, under the Brooklyn Bridge, is the River Café (tel. 718/522-5200; www.rivercafe.com), where a drink or dinner at twilight, as the lights of Manhattan begin to flicker on, will offer an unforgettable view.

Getting There -- Bounded by the East River, Fulton Street, Court Street, and Atlantic Avenue, the Brooklyn Heights Historic District is one of the most outstanding and easily accessible NYC sights beyond Manhattan. The neighborhood is reachable via a number of subway trains: the A, C, F to Jay St.; the 2, 3, 4, 5 to Clark Street or Borough Hall; or the R to Court Street.

It's easy to link a walk around Brooklyn Heights and along its promenade with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, a tour that makes for a lovely afternoon on a nice day. Take a no. 2 or 3 train to Clark Street (the first stop in Brooklyn). Turn right out of the station and walk toward the water, where you'll see the start of the Brooklyn Promenade. Stroll along the promenade admiring both the stellar views of lower Manhattan to the left and the gorgeous brownstones to the right, or park yourself on a bench for a while to contemplate the scene.

The promenade ends at Columbia Heights and Orange Street. To head to the bridge from here, turn left and walk toward the Watchtower Building. Before heading downslope, turn right immediately after the playground onto Middagh Street. After 4 or 5 blocks, you'll reach a busy thoroughfare, Cadman Plaza West. Cross the street and follow the walkway through little Cadman Plaza Park; veer left at the fork in the walkway. At Cadman Plaza East, turn left (downslope) toward the underpass, where you'll find the stairwell up to the Brooklyn Bridge footpath on your left.

Brooklyn Tours

When you're heading for Brooklyn, look up New York Like a Native Tours (tel. 718/393-7537; www.nylikeanative.com). There are New York natives and there are Brooklyn natives -- please don't confuse the two. Norman Oder is the latter and proud of it. His tours cover the borough, the fourth-largest city in America, as extensively as anyone, from his "Brooklyn 101," which takes visitors to the heart of Brooklyn, Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park, Park Slope, and Brooklyn Heights, to the more neighborhood-specific tours like that of the Polish-populated Greenpoint and the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish Borough Park. Tours run from 2 to 3 hours and prices range from $15 to $18, not including food.

How to See Brooklyn Like a Native -- Here are five Brooklyn sights that, according to Norman Oder of the above-mentioned New York Like a Native tours, are often missed by guidebooks but much appreciated by Brooklyn natives.

1. Williamsburg Art & Historical Center. Located in the stately, 1867-built Kings County Savings Bank, this is the largest gallery space in what once was gallery-heavy Williamsburg. The shows here are funky and diverse. Not far from Peter Luger Steakhouse, browsing the museum is a good way to work off one of Luger's porterhouses.

2. Williamsburgh Savings Bank. Built in 1929 on the edge of the up-and-coming Fort Greene neighborhood, at 512 feet, is Brooklyn's tallest building. Brooklynites have checked the time on the tower's clock for years. It is currently being transformed into luxury condos.

3. Prison Ship Martyrs Monument. In Fort Greene Park (www.fortgreenepark.org) this oft-overlooked monument, designed by the legendary architectural firm of McKim, Meade & White, was dedicated by President Taft in 1908 and commemorates the sacrifices of more than 11,000 patriots during the Revolutionary War. (Open for outside views during daylight hours.) Subway: R, Q, B to DeKalb Avenue or 2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins Street.

4. Pratt Institute (www.pratt.edu). Before Brooklyn native Pete Hamill went on to a celebrated writing career, he studied art here. The campus has a terrific sculpture garden and a wide array of works, surrounded by buildings both modern and classic. Subway: G to Clinton-Washington.

5. Brooklyn Lyceum (227 Fourth Ave.; tel. 866/GOWANUS; www.brooklynlyceum.com). On the edge of the very residential neighborhood known as Park Slope, this quirky and cavernous performance space for music, theater, and more was once a public bathhouse. Subway: R to Union St.