Three Fab Spots In Southern Brooklyn, Easy To ReachNow
Reporting across Brooklyn can be challenging without access to a car. The time it takes to get to the scene of a story, then to the 3-4 others on a given day can easily be eaten up in just travel. ReachNow offered a test drive to BKLYNER and we gladly accepted, so now I can take you along to check out three (or four) really great spots in Brooklyn that are not super accessible by public transportation.
The day before I went to Coney Island to cover the official opening of Feltman’s, you know, the original hot dog. I was running late, so I took a car service ($20) one way.
On Wednesday, I reserved the nearest available car through the ReachNow app, which turned out to be a reddish mini cooper clubman. Yay!
Finding the car was easy, as was unlocking it using the app. (Just a heads up – you need to download the app a few days in advance and set it all up so you can be ready in a snap.)
I did ponder my transportation choices as these two rode by me while I was getting the car started, but my unicycle skills are non-existent.
I had a number of assignment spots to check out, all in Southern BK, so that’s where we are going.
First, I took the car to Avenue U, and if you get a chance, you should too. It’s a change of pace from the more densely built up Brooklyn, you can smell the ocean, and there is Safir Bakery.
Located on the corner of East 27th Street and Avenue U, this truly great Turkish bakery sells the best baklava outside of Turkey that I have had.
Their boregi (spinach is my favorite) and tea, brewed properly, are excellent as well. Did you notice the mural?
It is but two blocks from Brennan & Carr, a classic that should be on your Brooklyn bucket list of meat sandwiches.
Paid 50 cents at the meter for parking. The app texted me the location of where I parked the car! Neat, especially when you wander off and get distracted by things you notice.
The next was a trip to Sheepshead Houses, and the surrounding commercial strips. Decided to detour through Emmons Avenue (which is where you should be this summer) and found a spot smack in front of Randazzo’s. Need I say more?
My next destination was in Bay Ridge. I decided to check out the built in navigation, which was easy enough. Put on the radio and hit the traffic on the Belt Parkway.
After reporting on the healthcare rally, I headed back to the office, but the weather was so nice I could not resist and stopped to take in the view of the the Bridge from the tip of Shore Parkway at Bensonhurst Park by Cesar’s Bay Shopping center.
The views are spectacular! Easy to get to by car, and the walk along the shore is always perfect. Sunrise, but especially sunset.
Checked my phone and noticed I had missed a dozen texts from my kids, who were begging to be picked up from after school in Gravesend. The car seats five, so I did.
They LOVED the car. The sunroof!!! The controls! The navigation! How zippy it was on Ocean Parkway. Asking why I picked this one, and trying to see on the phone what other cars there were that we could test ride. You’d think they’ve never been in a car before.
Parked back in Ditmas Park, and I was bit hesitant to see how much this would have cost me, and was pleasantly surprised.
The bill came to $50.00 and $9.94 in taxes. Right now there is a promotion available which charges flat $25 per 3 hour block during weekdays. With a bit of planning, it’s a great deal.
The car was nice, and a pleasure to ride, even on the Belt, which I usually avoid. I managed to cover a lot of ground in a short time. Being able to pick up my favorite baklava was priceless.
