Public space

McCarren Park

McCarren Park is the crown jewel of Brooklyn’s great cultural outdoors (sorry, Prospect Park), with craft fairs, kickball leagues and a diverse lineup of free shows on Sundays at the huge drained pool. Follow the smell of grilling kielbasa east to McGolrick Park (at Nassau Avenue and Russell Street), where Polish families, not Strokes haircuts, dominate the landscape. In theory the waterfront is inviting for soaking up the summer breeze, and the Java Street docks are a popular hang—if you’re willing to walk. But when you’re downwind from the Newtown Creek Sewage Treatment Plant, the fecal bouquet of the night air makes the hike a little less inviting.

Your guide to Greenpoint:

• Eating and drinking: Manhattan Avenue is still the main drag, but a slew of new places have opened on Franklin Street.
• Clubs and venues: Old-school Slavic clubs pack in the locals, but there are a couple of joints that pull in outsiders.
• Shopping and services: There’s still a healthy nexus of 99-cent stores and Polish pharmacies, but a new crop of tony boutiques is emerging.
• Transportation
• Public space
• Real estate

• Greenpoint's future: How a sewer line, an oil spill and Magic Johnson will help shape the years to come.