Michelle Haimoff, author of Secret New York: Exploring the City’s Hidden Neighborhoods is featured in the New York Times City Room. When asked what her favorite “Gilded Era beauties” are she answers:
New York Times City Room: I know you asked about Manhattan, but I find the row houses in Brooklyn Heights to be exceedingly charming (and the neighborhood is only a five minute subway ride from Wall Street). With hundreds of houses that date from 1820 to the Civil War, the Heights became the first area to be designated a historic district by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1966. The streets are largely residential, and I challenge you not to fantasize about owning one of the mansions on Pierrepont Street or Pierrepont Place. While you’re there, stroll the Promenade where Diane Keaton and Woody Allen gazed at the Manhattan skyline from a bench in the eponymous movie. Just make sure to download “Rhapsody in Blue” onto your iPod first.