Park Slope was named the most desirable neighborhood in New York by New York Magazine in 2010, because of its recreation, dining, nightlife, shopping, and high-quality housing, and it remains extremely popular today. The neighborhood covers the gentle hill that falls from the edge of Prospect Park and has a historic charm. The neighborhood’s unofficial borders are Flatbush Avenue on the North, Prospect Park West on the East, The Prospect Expressway on the South, and Fourth Avenue on the West.

 

Park Slope has a mix of long-time residents and recent arrivals, and is always a popular choice for those moving to and around Brooklyn. Many are drawn to the area because of its central location, historic beauty, excellent schools, and the famous Prospect Park, 585 acres of green that includes the last remaining patches of original forest in Brooklyn. Designed by Olmsted and Vaux (who also created Manhattan’s Central Park), Prospect Park contains, besides its vast areas of woods and open lawn, seven playgrounds, a zoo, an Audubon center, a skating rink, a lake, ball fields, and a band shell that holds popular free concerts in the summer.

 

Just across Flatbush Avenue are the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the world-class Brooklyn Museum. Grand Army Plaza at the north end of Prospect Park is home to one of the largest and liveliest farmer’s markets in Brooklyn every weekend. The neighborhood has highly ranked elementary schools, such as the P.S. 107 elementary school and the consistently acclaimed M.S. 51 for older youth, along with many options for private schooling, including Poly Prep’s Lower School and the Berkeley-Carroll School. For more information on Park Slope schools visit www.localschooldirectory.com. 

 

In Park Slope, there is housing to meet almost every need. There are many single- and multi-family homes, large apartment buildings and co-ops, along with low- and mid-rise condominium buildings. Grand Army Plaza is bordered by many exquisite pre-war apartment buildings and Richard Meier’s iconic glass-faced condominiums. Modern and historic sensibilities mix harmoniously in streets lined with Queen Anne, Romanesque, Italianate, Brownstone, and Red-Brick townhomes. Wide streets, eclectic architecture, and lush plantings make Park slope a highly sought after place to live.

 

Retail shopping can be found on Fifth and Seventh Avenues, where one can enjoy charming cafes, old-style apothecaries, and boutiques featuring the work of designers and craftspeople. The Park Slope Food Coop, an alternative to the traditional concept of supermarket shopping, was founded in 1973 and now offers its organic and eco-conscious options to over 14,000 members.

 

Fifth Avenue is also home to many of Park Slope’s great restaurants. El Viejo Yayo gets high marks from restaurant reviewers and serves Spanish cuisine with nuevo flair at both of its Park Slope locations. The Stone Park Cafe is a warm stylish bistro in the North Slope that serves New American cuisine. Al Di Là Trattoria is a staple for Italian dining in Park Slope and offers select bar beverages and pasta creations at its neighboring bar, Al Di Là Vino. Elsewhere in Park Slope, Talde is consistently packed, as are nearby Hugo and Sons and Scalino, and the 12th Street Bar & Grill has been a highly regarded Eighth Avenue dining spot for many years.

 

Transportation to Park Slope is provided by the F, G, D, N, R, B, Q, 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains.