Travel Note
Unfortunately we have been unable to secure any blocks of hotel rooms in these crazy times, but there are a few hotels within walking distance of The Bell House: Hotel Le Bleu La Quinta Downtown Brooklyn Holiday Inn Express New York-Brooklyn. If you would prefer to go the AirBnB/VRBO route for your stay in Brooklyn, or wish to find a hotel elsewhere in Brooklyn, then we'd suggest you check out the following neighborhoods. Keep in mind that the venue is located off of the 4th Ave/9th Street stop of the F/G/R trains. For walking distance to the venue: Gowanus For a long walk OR easy public transit to the venue: Boerum Hill (this is the neighborhood where we live!) Carrol Gardens Cobble Hill Park Slope For easy public transit to the venue: Brooklyn Heights Clinton Hill Downtown Brooklyn Fort Greene South Slope Windsor Terrace
Train
If you're new to the NYC Subway, then the MTA website is a good place to start to learn the basics. (If you're already familiar with the MTA, by all means use Google Maps/any other wayfinding app, because their website interface is not the best.) The things you need to know: A single ride costs $2.75. An MTA card is $1, but it is refillable! A 7-Day unlimited metro card is $33 (the equivalent of 12 rides). NOTE: if you purchase an AirTrain metro card at the airport then you can add money to the card but cannot purchase blocks of time.
Travel Note
If you're looking for something fun to do while you're in town, but don't just want to go to the Statue of Liberty again, here are some things that Jenny + Max think are pretty darn cool: In Brooklyn Prospect Park (great for people watching & picnics) Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Museum (fully digestible in a couple of hours) Brooklyn Bridge Park Walk the Brooklyn Bridge Superhero Supply Company In Manhattan The Highline Crif Dogs & PDT (hot dogs and a speak easy, vegetarian friendly) Museum of Natural History (dinosaurs!!) Boating in Central Park (a surprisingly fun activity) If you can't get enough of local bookstores, our favorites are: Books are Magic (Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn - around the corner from us) Greenlight Bookstore (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) The Strand (Union Square, Manhattan) The Drama Book Shop (Midtown, Manhattan) And if you're looking for more, Atlas Obscura has a list of 367 unusual things to do in Manhattan and 214 things to do in Brooklyn.