Prospect Park is a great place to have a water balloon fight, a picnic, a jog, and play with other people's dogs.

Offering 20% off on current “indie bestsellers” (and 10% off picks from their well-read staff), you can still get a good deal while supporting one of the city’s last independent bookstores. They also carry an impressive selection of magazines and literary journals that you can flip through in their café. McNally’s event calendar is packed with appearances and readings by authors like Zadie Smith and Chris Kraus, but they're perhaps best known for their in-store printing press and self-publishing services.

Tucked away on the second floor, it’s easy to forget you’re in the middle of Manhattan. Order the Ika geso (squid legs) and the nankotsu (chicken cartilage), my personal favorites. You might notice people waiting around a nondescript door inside the restaurant; this is actually the entrance to the speakeasy bar Angel’s Share.

It's a sweet agave bar hidden in the fridge of a Mexican grocery store that use to be a laundromat. It doesn't get more Brooklyn than that but the tourists haven't found it yet so I highly recommend it. Music is really good and they have a great selection of mezcal. Felipe, the owner, also owns the adjoining restaurant Cerveceria.

I love enjoying some Amazing Vietnamese food at this place before heading out to the different bars around Jefferson on L. The restaurant is just behind Elsewhere so you have a nice mix of things to do if you start your night here.