Park Life

A decade ago, the 2.4-km stretch of Fifth Avenue that forms the western edge of the Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, was the grim preserve of drug dealers, thugs and the demimonde. Not anymore. Thanks to the city's skyrocketing real estate market, some campaigning locals and a few pioneering investors, a once bleak thoroughfare of boarded-up shops and unsavory bodegas has been transformed into one of the hippest shopping and dining destinations in the Big Apple. Today, this section of Fifth Avenue, dubbed "Restaurant Row" by some, is luring visitors and locals alike with top-notch cuisine and cool boutiques.

Uppercut, tel: (1-718) 851 0045, is entirely typical of the new Park Slope. Just seven months old, it retails samples and seconds from hard-to-find designers, including Illinois native Cynthia Rowley and Italian outerwear

manufacturer Moncler. Down the block is Candice Beltran's equally new accessory boutique, Sö Charmed, tel: (1-718) 369 8302, selling jewelry that would cost three times more in Manhattan. You'll find the same kind of savings in street fashion too. Check out the menswear at Brooklyn Industries, tel: (1-718) 789 2764, and cult denim labels like Yanük and phBnyc at Razor, tel: (1-718) 832 0717.

If you're jazzing up the house, you'll find big-ticket, mid-century modern furniture at Matter, tel: (1-718) 230 1150, and handcrafted pieces by Jonathan Adler and Angela Adams at Living, tel: (1-718) 499 0098. The eco-conscious should head for 3R Living, tel: (1-718) 832 0951. Here, many of the stylish furnishings have been made in accordance with the motto "Reduce, reuse, recycle."

For some sustenance, break up the day with a meatloaf sandwich or the veggie ruben at brand new café Perch, tel: (1-718) 230 1150. At Lobo, tel: (1-718) 636 8886, you can try a chipotle grilled shrimp fajita that has been called New York's best. After dark, choose from popular spots like live-music venue Southpaw, tel: (1-718) 230 0236, or minimalist Thai bar and restaurant Song, tel: (1-718) 965 1108. There's also plenty of bonhomie to be had at nearby brasserie Belleville, tel: (1-718) 832 9777.

Finally, there are three restaurants that gastronomes shouldn't miss. The one-year-old Stone Park Café, tel: (1-718) 369 0082, serves a daring menu that includes tempura oysters and marrow bones; Convivium Osteria, tel: (1-718) 857 1833, marries Spanish, Italian and Portuguese dishes; and the Northern Italian Al di La, tel: (1-718) 783 4565, which is famous for its tripe appetizer, is the epitome of a cozy neighborhood restaurant. Do note that Al di La doesn't take reservations, so if you want to be sure of a table, get there early. With all the buzz surrounding Park Slope, there are hordes of like-minded sophisticates heading across the Brooklyn Bridge these days to revel in the area's newfound charm.