Outpost

Photograph: Dave Sanders

Situated at the crossroads of Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, this area is the gateway to a thriving, ever-diversifying microcosm that includes Middle Eastern and Caribbean immigrants, a new crop of gentrifiers and one of the largest African-American communities in the city.

Hayes, a 20-year-old student and U.N. intern who lives on Classon Avenue, tries to give me a free bottle of water as I exit the station into the 98-degree heat; instead I ask him for a good place for iced coffee, and he directs me to Bushbaby (1197 Fulton St between Bedford Ave and Spencer Pl, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; 718-636-5336). The café hosts open mikes and live music, but the real draw is the selection of inexpensive, tasty vittles (many vegetarian or vegan) and house-blended coffees. “They have a pretty awesome brunch,” Hayes had said, and he’s right: Southern specials like salmon croquettes and fried whiting are tasty—and under $10.

Not Just Vintage

Photograph: Dave Sanders

The fabulously attired waitress at Bushbaby tells me about Not Just Vintage (1256 Bedford Ave between Fulton and Halsey Sts, Bedford-Stuyvesant; 347-526-3504) just around the corner. With an eclectic selection of pieces—many from co-owner LaMonica Peterson’s hometown of Kansas City, Missouri—the shop, which opened last August, is stylish and inexpensive (prices range from $5 to $40). Co-owner Maya Furbert says, “People are coming in a lot for accessories—you can really funk up an outfit with them.” Especially if it’s Free-Up Friday: Buy two accessories and get one free. Next, Furbert sends me to new boutique About Time (736A Franklin Ave between Park and Sterling Pls, Crown Heights; 718-638-3404, abouttimeboutique.com), which co-owner Kevin Phillip stocks with pieces from his line, Krow Hill (the nabe’s original name), as well as hip tees from Chilly-O and Kallusive.

Thirsty again, I take Bushbaby owner Milton Jemmot’s suggestion and stop by bar and local art gallery Outpost Lounge (1014 Fulton St between Classon and Grand Aves, Clinton Hill; 718-636-1260, outpostlounge.com), where Mondays feature $1 PBRs and Tuesdays see film screenings in the large backyard. Try the Bed-Stuy Mimosa, a bizarre but delicious combo of fresh-squeezed O.J. and Red Stripe—a nod to the area’s large Caribbean population.

Bed-Stuy has experienced a recent restaurant boom; a place to check out, according to everyone I ask, is Le Toukouleur (1116 Bedford Ave at Quincy St, Bedford-Stuyvesant; 718-622-0607). On my way, I spy the Broken Angel at 4 Downing Street, famously featured in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. Without its glass-and-wood rooftop structure, removed after a fire in ’06, the house looks forlorn, but it’s still a sight to behold. Le Toukouleur’s loopy, black-and-white window paintings aren’t too bad either: They’re the work of a local Senegalese artist also responsible for the mosaics inside. French-African cuisine is the speciality here, with delicacies like yassa (a spiced chicken stew) and the Dakar-Nice salad. Needing to cool off, I try a glass of spicy, refreshing ginger juice; it hits the spot, just like every other stop I’ve made today.

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