Prospect Park is a gorgeous green space in the heart of Brooklyn. Many of Brooklyn's major attractions are on its edges (the Brooklyn Library, Brooklyn Museum, and Grand Army Plaza, to name a few). We started our second day in Brooklyn with a run around the "exercise highway" loop of the park (seen above, although our trip was not in autumn). It's a pretty perfect escape from the city- you can't hear any cars or see any buildings, and the paved exercise path is wide enough for a fair bit of traffic. The loop is about 3.5 miles, and you can see some of the "jewels" of the park, including the lake, and some of the older park buildings.
After our run, we went to Rose Water Restaurant for brunch. If you are in search of a perfect brunch in Brooklyn, this is it. $16 for the price fixe brunch menu, which includes a non-alcoholic beverage, and just amazing food. We had the baked polenta, frittata, and the daily special of corn cakes. All were delicious, but the polenta was just amazing. I also highly recommend the bread basket- the challah and muffins really started the meal out on a high note. I was highly tempted by the Plum Ginger Bellini, and regret that I didn't order it. We did have to wait a little while to get a table for our party of five, but never felt rushed or crowded once we were in the restaurant. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and serve brunch from 9:30 to 3:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.
We split our afternoon between two attractions, the Brooklyn Flea and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The Brooklyn Flea has multiple locations- we visited the Fort Greene one, which is held in what looks like a school parking lot. The lot was full of vendors, with a pretty large focus on food, jewelry, and vintage clothing. If you're looking for antiques or glassware, there isn't much to look at. If you've never been to a flea market, it'd be fun for a browse. If you've been to established flea markets I wouldn't say this was so amazing that you have to make the trip.
Now, I'm a sucker for botanic gardens, and I'll visit basically any garden that my companions are willing to go to, so take my review with that in mind. The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens are just around the corner from the Brooklyn Museum. We did not stop at the museum, but have heard that it has a fabulous art collection, and collection of mummies. If you're looking for an easy pairing of activities, these two might be it. I'd suggest the botanic gardens for a leisurely wander, and possibly a picnic lunch, ideally in spring, when the cherry trees are blooming. The gardens are very well established, and spread out- we spent over an hour here, and could have easily spent double without eating or dawdling. Don't expect the dense plantings of newer botanic gardens- this is really more like a park with themed areas (some greenhouses, rose gardens, Japanese garden, cherry trees, etc.).
We finished the day by wandering through Grand Army Plaza to dinner at Sheep Station, and drinks at Koelner BierHalle (KBH). Sheep Station is an Australian bar, and had a very serviceable bar menu- we ordered burgers and vegetable curry pies. Both were tasty, and could come with a salad or sides (fries with the burgers, and mashed potatoes with gravy and peas for the pies). I would go there again, but probably wouldn't seek it out.
I've never been to Germany, but KBH is exactly what I'd expect to find in a typical German beer hall- long trestle tables, good beer in large glasses, and minimal staff keeping everyone happy. It's a fun experience, but I recommend ordering the 1/2 L for your drink (regardless of how much you think you'll eventually get)- the L comes in a glass mug, and is a serious workout to lift.
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