Clark St Between Cadman Plaza and Henry St

   

The first segment of this block has a hint of Roosevelt Island-style architecture as you walk by a row of modernist apartments. They flank each side of the block, connecting on the east side with a pedestrian bridge over the street. Feeling completely out of place amongst the beautiful classic Brooklyn Heights buildings, it's a shame they had to be built here. In another context I wouldn't mind something so bizarre (I can sometimes appreciate otherwise ugly buildings for their unique style), but in this case it really detracts from the neighborhood.

The remainder of the block is thankfully true-to-form as both the small and large buildings all fit in with the accepted style of the area. The most notable one is the Hotel St.George – which now operates as a combination of student housing and a co-op. Built around the turn of the last century, the main building on the corner here is only the most visible of a handful of structures which used to fill the entire block. Once the largest hotel in New York City it boasted such features as the largest salt water pool in the country and the largest banquet room in the world. Sitting directly atop the 2/3 Subway station, it's incredibly easy to get back to Manhattan from here.

The stores in the area are all rather quaint and appear locally-owned. One of the businesses is a video rental store which is a category that, to me, has officially transitioned over to the likes of shoe shiners, umbrella salesmen and cafeterias as a humble relic of a bygone era. So, it fits in perfectly here.