Living in Park Slope: A Real Estate and Lifestyle Guide to Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York

Park Slope, Brooklyn—Green and Grand Urban Oasis

One of the most affluent and coveted neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Park Slope has everything for the luxury urban lifestyle: elegant homes, scenic parks and family friendly recreation areas, arts and culture, high-end retail outlets, and a diverse mix of eclectic environmentally conscious businesses so residents can live and work locally. Park Slope tops many of the city’s best neighborhood lists: it’s one of the city’s safest neighborhoods and has some of the city’s best schools.

Where is Park Slope, Brooklyn, located in NYC?

Park Slope is in the borough of Brooklyn, between Boerum Hill, Gowanus, and Prospect Heights.

East to West Boundaries: Prospect Park West to 4th Avenue
North to South Boundaries: Flatbush Avenue to Prospect Avenue
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, F, G, N, Q, R
Ticket out of the City: The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the west, the Gowanus Expressway to the south, and Battery Tunnel into Manhattan.

What to do in Park Slope?

Park Slope’s biggest draw is Prospect Park, with its rolling meadows, ballparks, playgrounds, ice skating rink, and biking and running paths. In the summer, the park offers free outdoor movies and music events. Fifth and Seventh Avenues are considered Park Slope’s commercial hub for excellent dining, nightclubs, live music venues, and quirky shops, selling everything from handmade ceramics and antique books to vintage fashion and even superhero costumes, courtesy of Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., part of the 826NYC children’s nonprofit organization.

There is no shortage of attractions for families. The vast Brooklyn Botanical Garden is nearby as is Prospect Park Zoo, a 12-acre area featuring animal exhibits, gardens, and nature trails. Puppetworks, a nonprofit theater in Park Slope, has been performing classic puppet shows since 1980.

What to See in Park Slope?

Many of the finest homes, brownstone townhouses and Romanesque Revival mansions, with classic stoops and lovely gardens, and elegant condominiums and cooperative buildings, are in the Park Slope Historic District. The neighborhood also has a few brand-new luxury residential high-rises and beautifully refurbished prewar apartments with white-glove amenities and services. Among them are Novo and The Argyle, 9 Prospect Park and 35 Prospect Park West, and 580 Carroll Street.

Park Slope’s other treasures include the Brooklyn Museum, which offers exhibitions and cultural events, and the famed performing arts venue BAM (the Brooklyn Academy of Music), which has been featuring progressive and avant-garde music and theater productions since 1908. Park Slope has become home to many actors, creative artists and politicians, including, among many others, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Senator Chuck Schumer, actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Patrick Stewart, and the writer Paul Auster. Former residents included the artists Jean-Michel Basquiat—and Al Capone.

Where to Eat in Park Slope?

The neighborhood has a wide variety of top-rated restaurants, such as Blue Ribbon Brooklyn, the elegant French brasserie; Fonda, for on-trend Mexican cuisine; Al di La, one of New York’s finest Italian restaurants; and Gristmill, the Italian-American hotspot. For brunch, locals head to Miriam, Rose Water, Krupa Grocery, and Stone Park Cafe. Park Slope also boasts three pizzerias (including the famous Patsy’s) and the best lobster roll in the city (courtesy of Luke’s Lobster). There’s also an eclectic blend of organic food markets and cooperatives, artisanal coffee roasters, cozy wine bars, local breweries, and gourmet bakeries and ice cream parlors, such as Culture: An American Yogurt Company.

What Schools are in Park Slope?

Park Slope is known for its top-ranked schools, including the coveted PS 321 William Penn elementary school, the private Berkeley Carroll School (prekindergarten through 12th grade), and Poly Prep Lower School. The overall quality of Park Slope’s education system is one of the best in the city with one of the city’s highest high-school graduation rates.