Carroll Gardens Staycation Guide: Troy Farmer

With the arrival of summer comes the annual exodus of New Yorkers to various vacation destinations. But just as many out-of-towners will be heading to the Big Apple in exchange—especially Brooklyn!

To give visitors an inside look at some of the best places in our neighborhood, we asked local tastemakers to share their personal faves. Kicking off the Carroll Gardens Patch Staycation column is Troy Farmer, Founder and Creative Director of raven + crow, the design studio he runs with his wife Katie Frichtel. 

1. Where do you like to go in South Brooklyn (Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Gowanus...) for your morning coffee and what breakfast treat would you recommend there? We like Maybelle's in Carroll Gardens for coffee if we're sticking close to home, Black Gold Records if we're feeling like perusing the fresh batch of used vinyl (plus, they have Rook coffee—roasted in Jersey—which is nice), or the ever-misspelled Van Leeuwen if we're on our way to work. What's this about food for breakfast?

2. If you’re in need of a little retail pick-me-up, what is your neighborhood go-to? Smith + Butler for a nice balance of men's and women's clothing and fancy bric-a-brac, Article& (formerly Dear Fieldbinder) for nice designer women's clothing at not bad prices, and Bird if we're feeling flush.

3. What is the best street for taking an afternoon stroll and why? Court's nice because it's busy but still a little secluded; we love our street, Union, specifically our block, just because we know so many of our neighbors and it's nice to catch up with everyone; and our favorite picturesque block is Verandah Place behind Cobble Hill Park—it's always so quaint and peaceful...unless there's a movie shoot going on.
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4. Perfect dinner al fresco destination in the ‘hood? There's not a ton on the menu that's vegan-friendly, but we still like Bar Tabac for the fresh air dining—some fries and a nice wine. Then, it's not sidewalk dining per se, but Buschenshank's windowed walls open up so much that you're essentially outside in nice weather—again, fries, a pint of the Paulaner Salvator, and one of their superb pizzas sans the cheese. Pok Pok's backyard area is wonderful if you're up for a little bit of a wait and we hear outdoor dining is coming to one of our favorite neighborhood spots, the ramen joint, Dassara. 

5. What local summer event are you most looking forward to this year? We love Bastille Day, when they shut down Smith Street and cover part of it with sand for the Pétanque. Then the return of the outdoor movies at Brooklyn Bridge Park is always exciting—they're playing Ferris Bueller's Day Off this year!