Arguably, these two boundary-breaking bearded brothers now make the best chocolate in America.

Innovation through Simplicity: Rick and Michael of Mast Brothers Chocolate

Mast Brothers Chocolate, 111 North 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249, 718-388-2625, open daily 12 noon – 7 pm. [Yelp | NY Mag]

Mast Brothers Chocolate: A Family Cookbook – Google Books

A new YouTube video – “Land of Dreams” – featuring Rosanne Cash and other musicians, shows different tourist experiences in the United States.

From Discover America.

More

• Chinatown Bus
• Amtrak
• AirTran U Program
• Hostels.com
• hostelworld.com
• CouchSurfing.org
• U.S. National Park Service – Experience Your America
• Visiting Washington, DC

We’ve not tried any of the food from the Red Hook taco vendors, but if it’s sold around a soccer field we’re confident that it is worth trying. Thanks for the tip Ed!
Ikea Hack: Free Ferry and Bus Service Will Give Easy Access to Red Hook Ball Field Vendors,” Ed Levine’s New York Eats, May 16, 2008

Peter Luger’s Steak House in Dumbo, Brooklyn, was established about a century ago in the style of a Bavarian beer hall with grumpy male waiters. You will eat very good juicy, medium-rare, greasy and tasty porterhouse steaks, creamy spinach (an acquired taste), fresh tomatoes and fried potatoes. I would drink a bottle of red wine to lower my cholesterols! A shrimp cocktail with horse-radish sauce is optional. No other choices are necessary.
The bad thing is that you will have to wait at least an hour or more for a table. Beware cash only for the very big tab. Steak-lovers go there very religiously.
Inside tip: I prefer to eat there for lunch … no wait for tables and they offer a delicious juicy hamburger, French fries and a tall glass of beer. A bargain, too.
Afterwards, you can walk across the East River via the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan. What a sight.
Peter Luger Steak House, web site, 178 Broadway Street, between 6th Street and Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-387-7400 [Yelp | openlist | NY Mag | MenuPages | Gayot]

Jason Perlow has an excellent review, with many pics, of the square pie at Di Fara Pizza … and pics of other great looking dishes …
“NYC Dining: DiFara Redux — Its Hip to be Square,” Off the Broiler, September 21, 2006
DiFara, 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, 718-258-1367 [slice | A Year in Food | NY Mag | NYT | in praise of sardines | eating for brooklyn]

First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, Brasil Carnival will be lots of fun for the whole family …
Target First Saturdays – FREE

At the Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturdays, thousands of visitors enjoy free programs of art and entertainment each month from 5–11 p.m. All evening long, the Museum Café serves a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, and beverages, and a cash bar offers wine and beer. Parking is a flat rate of $4 starting at 5 p.m.

March 4, 2006
(these are just some of the events on March 4 – see web site for more)
6 p.m.–8 p.m.: World Music
Hall of the Americas, 1st Floor
Jeff Newell’s New-Trad Octet of Brooklyn plays New Orleans Mardi Gras music with a twist.
6:30 p.m.: Performance
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Drama of Works and 2 Punks Puppet Theatre combine overhead projection and traditional shadow puppetry to tell a Cajun fairytale in which the hero goes in search of that one special ingredient for a Mardi Gras gumbo. Free tickets available at the Visitor Center beginning at 5:30 p.m.
8 p.m.: Free Dance Lessons
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Get ready to move those dancing feet to the rhythms of samba music led by Stepping Out Dance Studio instructors.
9 p.m.–11 p.m.: Dance Party
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Twice voted the best Brazilian band in the U.S. by the Brazilian International Press Association, Grupo Saveiro will perform high-energy Brazilian music—just like at Carnival in Rio!
Brooklyn Museum, web site, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000
previous post: “Brooklyn Museum of Art – free first Saturdays,” February 14, 2006

the Brooklyn Museum of Art on the first Saturday of the month is free and provides so much entertainment for the whole community with films, musical concerts, DJ”s playing dance music, and art history lectures.
A rainbow of the whole world can be seen on that evening … the museum has succeeded to bring into their halls the whole community of Brooklynites with all their children in tow … what a wonderful sight. A free, safe and peaceful enviroment for everyone to enjoy the evening.
The last time I was there I concentrated on the archeological artifacts of the Egyptians during 3,000 B.C. – 1,000 B.C. … the Brooklyn Museum has one of the finest collections of Egyptian art in the world …
Target First Saturdays
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000 (directions)

The Brooklyn Jazz Series kicks off a ten-week run this weekend … with a FREE session on Sunday, September 18th, 2005 …

• 12:00 noon: The Brooklyn Jazz Series kickoff
• 1:00 pm: Marcus Strickland Quartet
• 2:45 pm: Rudresh Mahanthappa Quartet
• 4:30 pm: Mark Turner Trio
• 5:45 pm: All three musicians will partake in a jam session

After that, every Wednesday, September 21st through November 23rd, 2005, 8 to 11 pm …
from the great folks at Water Street Restaurant & Lounge … site of the Tiger Beer Singapore Chili Crab Festival (Third Annual coming next August!) … DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn, 66 Water Street, between Dock and Main Streets, 718-625-9352 [Citysearch]
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Subway MTA map | Straphangers interactive map | schedules | HopStop

Artists Aid Orleans is a benefit art sale raising money for the charities Habitat for Humanity and America’s Second Harvest … Tuesday September 13th, 6 to 9 pm … NYC Stories has details …

Coney Island … the birthplace of the hot dog … has many attractions … classic wooden coaster … great minor league baseball … the last 10-in-1 circus sideshow in America … aquarium … 150-foot tall Ferris wheel …

Coaster
The Cyclone, at Astroland – THE classic wooden coaster …
Review in New York metro.com
CoasterFanatics.com photos
Aquarium
New York Aquarium at Coney Island
10-in-1 circus sideshow
Sideshows by the Seashore … “the last place in the USA where you can experience the thrill of a traditional ten-in-one circus sideshow. They’re here, they’re real and they’re alive!”
Baseball
The Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets affiliate, play in KeySpan Park … fireworks at Friday night games …
Ferris Wheel
The Wonder Wheel at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park … has both swinging and stationary cars

Coney Island Tourist FAQ
1000 Surf Ave. (Corner of West 10th St), Brooklyn, NY
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop: D, Q, F train to Stillwell Avenue (last stop)