Perfectly Imperfect x Ace Hotel: The Local’s Guide to Brooklyn
A guide to the places people actually return to.
We turned to our friends at Perfectly Imperfect to build our Local’s Guide to Brooklyn — an ode to the borough’s never-ending nooks and crannies, spotlighting newcomers alongside the stalwarts we still love. PI’s community of in-the-knowers helped fill it with the good stuff, stretching from the blocks surrounding Ace Hotel Brooklyn to far-flung pockets worth the MTA fare.
In their words: “One minute you’re waiting under the glow of the Brooklyn Paramount marquee, the next you’re sprawled out in Prospect Park’s Long Meadow watching the sunrise, arguing about the best scallion pancake breakfast sandwich in Williamsburg.”
The guide’s print release was celebrated with a raucous Lobby party featuring live performances by ideasforconversations and smush and DJ sets from jauwshewuh and Gavin Oswald. As the night wound down, everybody spilled out into the street, stopping for one last chat on the stoop. All in all, the perfect spring night in the city.
Equal parts practical and whimsical, the Perfectly Imperfect x Ace Hotel Brooklyn guide yours to consult round the clock when you download the full guide here. Or, get a taste of their taste below.
BROOKLYN PARAMOUNT
WALK: ~0.2 MI / 4 MIN
LOCAL TIP: Grab cheesecake at Junior’s across the street before the show. Arrive early to take in the restored 1928 interior and the vintage Wurlitzer organ.
IDENTITY: For the music lover chasing gilded-age grandeur.
ROYAL BAKERY
CROWN HEIGHTS
WALK: ~2.3 MI / 45 MIN
TRANSIT: A OR C FROM HOYT-SCHERMERHORN → NOSTRAND AV, ~10-MIN WALK (~25 MIN TOTAL)
LOCAL TIP: Get the doubles (Trinidadian curried-chickpea flatbread). Ask for “slight pepper” if you don’t want it too hot. Closed Mon & Sun.
IDENTITY: For the traveler who knows Brooklyn for its Caribbean culture.
BABY BLUES LUNCHEONETTE
EAST WILLIAMSBURG
WALK: ~2.3 MI / 45 MIN
TRANSIT: G FROM HOYT-SCHERMERHORN → BROADWAY (~20 MIN), 5-MIN WALK
LOCAL TIP: Order the baklava banana waffles or the Zorba plate. Tiny space — aim for a weekday to avoid the Saturday-noon crunch.
IDENTITY: For the brunch-hunter with a soft spot for Greek-diner nostalgia.
MELODY LANES
SUNSET PARK
TRANSIT: D/N/R FROM ATLANTIC AV-BARCLAYS → 36TH ST OR 25TH ST (~20 MIN), SHORT WALK
LOCAL TIP: Every Tuesday is ladies’ night with discounted lanes and shoe rental if you are on a girls’ trip!
IDENTITY: For the traveler who wants to live like a true local.
PROSPECT PARK
TRANSIT: 2 OR 3 TRAINS FROM NEVINS ST → GRAND ARMY PLAZA (~15 MIN)
LOCAL TIP: Enter at Grand Army Plaza and head straight to Long Meadow for a picnic. In summer, check the lakeside splash pad; in winter, LeFrak Center for ice skating.
IDENTITY: For the traveler who wants to live like a Brooklynite for an afternoon.
MOLASSES BOOKS
BUSHWICK
TRANSIT: L TRAIN FROM UNION SQ (VIA 2/3 FROM HOYT-SCHERMERHORN) → HALSEY ST (~30 MIN), 5-MIN WALK. OR M TO CENTRAL AV
LOCAL TIP: It’s a used bookstore, café, AND a wine bar where you can trade books for store credit. Grab a coffee or natural wine and stay for hours.
IDENTITY: For the bookish wanderer who likes their third place slightly feral.
Note: All transit times and directions calculated from Ace Hotel Brooklyn.
Illustrations by Callum Abbott. Photography by Dylan DeJong Doughtery.
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