A big, old, green smorgasbord: Brooklyn

BROOKLYN - Sam's, a family-owned fixture on Court Street in the Cobble Hill neighborhood here for almost 60 years, is the definition of old school: lackluster decor, an Italian menu that predates retro, and Mario and Louie Migliaccio running the show, a father-son team straight out of central casting.

But the pizza, with its thin, brick oven crust, fresh toppings, and perfect ratio of cheese to sauce, gives the better known Grimaldi's in Brooklyn Heights a run for its money. While we waited for our pie one Sunday, events took an interesting turn. It happened that the Rev. Clement Machado, a Vatican priest known for his globe-trotting healing ministry, was also having a late lunch, after Mass at St. Paul's around the corner. After dispensing a blessing to Mario across the bar, he came to our table and blessed us, along with our hopes, our dreams, our baked clams - he didn't miss a thing.

Even to an admitted cynic, it was a quintessential Brooklyn moment. Because while I visit Manhattan for a dose of big city glam, I come to Brooklyn for a dose of reality, a sense of place and neighborhood that is becoming more and more rare.

"Brooklyn doesn't have a hard edge to it," said Vince Emilio, 68, who grew up on Henry Street in Cobble Hill. "It's authentic. My neighborhood was 100 percent Italian and we had everything we needed on our block. Everybody knew everybody. It's not like that anymore. But it still has flavor."

Long a haven for Italian immigrant laborers for its proximity to the docks, Cobble Hill abuts Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens, leafy neighborhoods known collectively as BoCoCa. Bordered roughly by Atlantic Avenue, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and Third Avenue, this area has seen the emergence of Smith and Court streets as dynamic dining and shopping destinations, and the rediscovery of Atlantic Avenue, with its plethora of antiques stores, home fashion boutiques, and family-owned Middle Eastern food stores. There's even a new hotel at Smith and Atlantic, the 93-room boutique Nu Hotel (nuhotelbrooklyn.com), a sure sign that not all visitors feel the need to cross a bridge at the end of the day.

Brooklyn measures 73 square miles, and with 2.5 million people, is New York's most populous borough. It would be the fourth-largest city in the country - if it were its own city. It was until 1898, when it was absorbed, in a hotly contested vote, into New York. Chartered by the Dutch as Breuckelen in 1646, Brooklyn has always been a melting pot, a place of ethnic complexity and vigor. Neighborhoods like Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint have been home to singers Lena Horne and Barbra Streisand, directors Spike Lee and Woody Allen, poet Walt Whitman, and activist and author W.E.B. Du Bois.

Yet while Brooklyn as a borough seems vast and bigger than life, its neighborhoods are intimate places defined by storefronts, bodegas, boccie courts, and front stoops. In recent years, neighborhoods like Cobble Hill have been discovered by families in need of more elbow room, and by the young and impossibly hip, who mostly gather in Williamsburg, just a few short train stops from the East Village.

Somewhere along the way, Brooklyn became a byword for cool. It's a place where old school is still in session, but the new wave is gaining ground. For an authentic New York experience, Brooklyn-style, put these 10 spots at the top of your list.

Brooklyn Museum

With a permanent collection of more than 1.5 million objects, museum highlights include Egyptian artifacts and complete 19th- and 20th-century rooms taken from Fifth Avenue apartments. brooklynmuseum.org.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

This 52-acre oasis of flowers, plants, trees, and gardens blooms with themes from rose and rock to Japanese, and is open year-round. bbg.org.

Prospect Park

Connect by free trolley from the Botanic Garden to Brooklyn's 585-acre heart of green, with a lake for boating, carousel for riding, and farmer's market for shopping. prospectpark.org.

Brooklyn Academy of Music

Explore a mecca of avant-garde performing arts, the place where composer Philip Glass and choreographers Mark Morris and Bill T. Jones had their starts. bam.org.

Fifth Avenue

Not that one, this one - in Prospect Park. Formerly gritty, now super cool, shops include Goldy & Mac for chic women's fashion and Cog & Pearl for jewelry and home decor.

Court Street

Home to shops and restaurants old and new. Hit Sam's for pizza and baked clams, Court Pastry for divine cannoli, and D'Amico Foods for fresh ground coffee that won't break your budget.

Junior's

You've seen it on QVC: cheesecake so dense, so cheesy, so rich, that it surely must be a sin. 386 Flatbush Ave. juniorscheesecake.com.

Smith Street

Ever since The Grocery was called one of the best restaurants in the city by The New York Times, Smith Street has exploded with terrific dining, from new American cafes like the recently expanded Chestnut to breezy Italian at Savoia. Best newcomer: The Clover Club, a glam hideaway for cocktails made the old-fashioned way, but better.

Atlantic Avenue

Start in Cobble Hill, where you'll find amazing Middle Eastern markets, cafes, and bakeries, including Sahadi Importing, Damascus Bakery and Bread, and Yemen Cafe. Continue on for chic home furnishings spots, including Camila Boutique for eco-friendly home goods and City Foundry for mid-century, industrial furniture.

Walking tours

Brooklyn is famous for its architecture, from the elegant brownstones of Brooklyn Heights to the sprawling Tudors and Queen Annes of Ditmas Park. The Brooklyn Historical Society offers walking tours led by well-versed neighborhood guides. 718-222-4111, brooklynhistory.org.

Neighborhood parties

Funky Sunday afternoon parties, low-key affairs held at various venues, are so totally Brooklyn. Admission is usually less than $10, DJs spin electronic dance music, there's homemade food and beverages for sale, and the dance floor is full of tattooed moms, cute toddlers, and locals from the 'hood. theyard.ws or e-mail info@meanredproductions for the latest schedule.

For more information about Brooklyn tourism, go to visitbrooklyn.org.

Beth D'Addono can be reached at bethdaddono@comcast.net.