UFO Info Week-End

From the airport a free bus marked Long-Term Parking Lot connects the

From the airport, a free bus (marked “Long-Term Parking Lot”) connects the arrivals area of each terminal with Howard Beach subway station. Pay $1.50 (£1) and take the A-train to Jay Street-Borough Hall station, at the hub of Brooklyn. GET YOUR BEARINGS Brooklyn occupies the south-west tip of Long Island; the area was named Breukelen, meaning “broken land”, by the early Dutch settlers, who first arrived here in 1636. The historic neighbourhood of Brooklyn Heights faces Manhattan across the East River; just to the east is downtown Brooklyn. For maps and guides, call in at the Brooklyn Tourism Council, 647 Fulton Street (001 718 855 7882 extension 42, /tourism). Most of the subways that slice through Broadway run east-west towards Manhattan. A more useful way to get around is the comprehensive network of buses; subway stations give away bus maps.

A “Fun Pass”, price $4 (£2.60), is valid all day on all New York City subways and buses. CHECK IN Absurdly for a place of its size, Brooklyn has hardly anywhere to stay. By far the largest hotel is the New York Marriott Brooklyn at 333 Adams Street (001 718 246 7000. ), which advertises itself as “minutes from Manhattan”. For a weekend night in January, you can expect to pay $227 (£150) a night including breakfast. I paid $18 (£12) a night at the comfortable and jolly New York Connection hostel at 187 Humboldt Street (001 718 386 5539) in Williamsburg. Even if you stay across in Manhattan, Brooklyn is easy to reach – notably by walking across Brooklyn Bridge.

TAKE A VIEW The best place to take stock of the borough and its more celebrated rival is the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge, the elegant link between the two. When it opened in 1883, the bridge’s 1,596-foot span was the longest in the world. The pedestrian entrance from Brooklyn is at the point the approach road crosses Prospect Street. TAKE A HIKE Start at the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian access point, but head west to the top of Henry Street and into Brooklyn Heights – a Historic District that occupies 50 blocks between State and Cranberry Streets, close to the East River. Turn right along Orange Street, and admire the handsome Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, built in 1849.

Turn left along Hicks Street for a block, and you will see the vast bulk of the Hotel St George. Go right then left into Willow Street, with some European touches at 102 (the Danish Seaman’s Church) and 128 (English emblems). At the foot of Willow Street, turn right along Pierrepont Street and follow it to the end for a famous sight of Manhattan. “There may be finer views than this in the world,” said Abraham Lincoln, “but I don’t believe it.” Then make your way past the flagpole to the start of Montague Street, one of Brooklyn’s many Greenwich Village-like thoroughfares; as you walk east you can enjoy a $15 massage or have your clothes refreshed at the Chinese Hand Laundry. The walk ends at the junction of Montague and Clinton Streets, where grand buildings such as St Ann’s Church and the former Brooklyn Trust Company crowd in; the nearest subway station is at Court Street, which also has plenty of eating, drinking and shopping. LUNCH ON THE RUN On a cold, crisp winter’s day, the branch of Hale & Hearty Soups at the corner of Court and Remsen Streets (001 718 596 5600) is a good place to refuel.