NewYorkology bought up a copy of the Lonely Planet’s new “Blue List The Best in Travel 2007” just to see why exactly it was calling Brooklyn one of the top travel destinations for the year.
Surprisingly enough, the whole book rocks. It’s completely worth the $20. It’s about 250 pages of places you’ll want to go in the world, mostly off the beaten path. In no way is this a traditional guide book, but rather a series of colorful lists – most-deserted islands, the best micronations (“self-proclaimed, unrecognized countries,”) cities on the rise and dark tourism (“travel to sites associated with death, disaster and depravity.)
Brooklyn gets two pages, but other New York spots are mentioned throughout: Chelsea Hotel (hotels where famous people have died;) Washington Square Park, (best places to people watch;) weekly on-stage rap battles at Demerara’s and Club Pure, (best music and place combinations;) the Library Hotel, (most eccentric places to stay;) Wollman Rink, (the middle of somewhere;) Rise at the Ritz Carlton, Battery Park, (best bars with local flavour;) riding the subway, (best journeys;) and Ground Zero (famous memorials.)
As for Brooklyn, it makes the 2007 "Go List" along with spots such as Central Bulgaria, New Orleans, Portland in Oregon and La Mosquita in Honduras.
Brooklyn’s tourism center is located in the back of Borough Hall, directly upstairs from the Borough Hall subway station (4/5, 2/3, N/R and M; and a block or two away from the Jay Street/Borough Hall station: A/C and F)
Here are a few other NewYorkology posts about Brooklyn:
