Greenpoint

The pavilion McGolrick Park

Photograph: Cinzia Reale-Castello

Greenpoint has a classic middle-child complex: It’s often overshadowed by younger, hipper Williamsburg or the more mature Park Slope. Dangling out on the G line, the Brooklyn enclave abutting Queens is a two-train commute to almost anywhere, but that’s exactly what keeps this place authentic and uncrowded. The Polish influence is palpable in the ubiquitous smoky kielbasa, pierogi and E. Wedel chocolates. A landmarked area features block after block of quaint, dollhouse-like townhouses. And the name is apt, as three leafy parks line its borders. It’s easy to spend a day with the kids in the place where Mae West picked up her swagger and Margaret Wise Brown first said “goodnight” to the moon.