Brooklyn Museum    (Photo: Justin Van Soest/Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum)

Day Three: Brooklyn
It’s no knock to say that Brooklyn is a poor man’s Manhattan. Your buck really does go further here.

10 a.m.: Enjoy one of the city's best photo ops. Start your day by taking the 2 or 3 train to Clark Street, then walk west until you reach the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The pedestrian walkway has panoramic views of the East River, the Manhattan skyline, and New York Harbor.

Noon: Stroll to pierogis. From the northern end of the Promenade, walk south along Henry Street and ogle Brooklyn Heights’ beautiful, nineteenth-century brownstones. Turn right onto Montague Street and find Teresa's—a cheap, tasty Polish diner—with plates of aromatic sauerkraut, mushroom pierogis, and boiled onions that’ll set you back a mere $6.95.

1:30 p.m.: See Brooklyn's Central Park. Make your way back to the Clark Street subway station, and take the 2 or 3 train to Grand Army Plaza, entryway to Prospect Park. Zoom around Brooklyn’s backyard on the free Heart of Brooklyn Trolley, hopping off at the Boathouse, where you can splurge on a $5 electric-boat tour.

2:45 p.m.: Pair New York's second biggest museum with its first-rate botanical gardens. Buy a $14 combined ticket to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and Brooklyn Museum, both near Prospect Heights. Don’t miss the botanic garden’s Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, and in the museum, be sure to check out Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party in the recently opened Center for Feminist Art.

6 p.m.: Sup and slurp outdoors. Catch the 2 or 3 train again and head to Atlantic Avenue, turning right onto Lafayette Street and right again onto Fulton Street, where you can enter the gated picnic area at chic, cheap Habana Outpost. Jump on the bike-blender to knock a dollar off your smoothie and order some corn on the cob with a hot mess of cheese and mayo.

8:30 p.m.: Catch the next wave in music. Backtrack on Lafayette to Brooklyn Academy of Music for BAMcafé Live. Every Friday and Saturday night, there’s a free live show—with no drink minimum—from some of the area’s best emerging artists. Or check out BAMcinématek @ BAM Rose Cinemas for rare screenings of repertory films and artier first-runs.