“Church to church, life to death” may not (yet) have entered the all-time mnemonic canon, but it’s the fun one longtime Windsor Terrace resident Emily Flake offers when defining her neighborhood for the uninitiated. The churches are Holy Name and Immaculate Conception, at the neighborhood’s north and south boundaries; Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery, at its east and west, represent the rest of the equation. But as she describes, what’s in between makes the place special.
Flake, a New Yorker cartoonist, comic and writer, moved to the area with her husband in 2011, looking for somewhere suitable to raise a child. With pretty residential streets, friendly people, compact stretches of commerce and easy walkability, it fit the couple’s criteria. Flake, who grew up outside Hartford, Connecticut, says, “It’s like my entire hometown condensed into a tiny wedge of Brooklyn.”
A big Windsor Terrace fan, she does plenty in and around the confines of her neighborhood—organizing a monthly stand-up show that highlights local comedians (and on occasion musicians) as well as making appearances at a nearby bookstore—and still finds time to run St. Nell’s, a writing residency in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for women and nonbinary humorists.
We talked to Flake about what her home base has to offer those looking for a slice of everyday New York City life. Read on for her recommendations of the best of Windsor Terrace—including, of course, those two outdoor “life to death” attractions. —Andrew Rosenberg
Emily Flake at Le Paddock
Favorite Restaurants: Syko and Le Paddock
Syko is a Syrian-Korean place up at the top of Windsor Terrace. It’s fantastic, and the people who run it are the loveliest family—just great people. They also opened a little store, Dukan Syko, where they sell goods from Syria and Korea. I love that place.
I love Le Paddock. I used to live above there. The building was sold, and we got kicked out, and now we live above a different pizza place. The food and atmosphere are excellent. For me the standouts are the Forrestiere pizza with mushrooms, pancetta and truffle oil—I’m still a sucker for truffle oil, sue me—and the Smoke on Water cocktail.
I also recommend Hamilton’s, Brancaccio’s and Butterly Bakeshop.
Le Paddock
Favorite Coffee: Steeplechase, Poetica and the Local Bodega
I love Steeplechase. We also have two Poeticas in the neighborhood—that’s a great place to get coffee. I do like a coffeeshop for inspiration, just to have different walls to look at. Sometimes I’ll go to one of those to spy on conversations.
Also, deli coffee is fine by me. We have a corner store a block away from us where I usually go get an iced coffee when it’s not winter. And yes, there’s a bodega cat. What is a catless bodega but a place without a soul?
Young Ethel's
Favorite Nighttime Spots: Shenanigans and Young Ethel’s
My favorite bar in Windsor Terrace is Shenanigan’s. Even when I was young, I preferred a bar that I could actually talk in. I like a place that’s not supercrowded or superexpensive. I’ve stayed till closing more times than is wise.
If you want to go see a show or some comedy, that’s more of a trip to South Slope. I run a show at Young Ethel’s. [Flake hosts the show FDK with fellow writer and comedian Hollie Harper; you’ll have to google the show to see what its initials stand for.] I asked a friend who runs a weekly show there, “Who books it?” He sent me the info, I pitched the show, and they were like, “Go for it.” It’s gone pretty well. The venue is probably my favorite in the City right now, putting on consistently funny and interesting shows in a space that’s welcoming and intimate.
Hollie Harper (left) and Flake at Young Ethel's
Favorite Cultural Sites: Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery
Do the park and the cemetery count as cultural institutions? Windsor Terrace is bound by the lungs of Brooklyn: Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery. They’re both beautiful and indispensable gems of New York.
Green-Wood is such a charming place. I really like walking around and thinking about the fleeting nature of human existence. There’s not too much else you’re allowed to do in a cemetery. At the risk of sounding like a teenage goth, it’s quiet—dead quiet!
Flake at Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Favorite Shops: True Love Always and Lofty Pigeon Books
True Love Always is wonderful. It sells vinyl and gifts and is a great place to go for last-minute birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah presents. Yes, I just defined a gift shop—it’s a place where you can buy gifts.
Another of my favorites is pretty new: Lofty Pigeon Books. It opened about a year or so ago and is a real boon to the neighborhood. I love to bring people there. It’s cozy, it’s beautiful, it’s run by lovely people, it’s a perfect bookstore—and I don’t even like pigeons. I launched my recent book, a creativity deck about joke writing, and hosted a comedy open mic there.
Editor’s note: As the City's official marketing organization, we maintain a pro-pigeon stance and celebrate this unofficial symbol of NYC.
Emily Flake, Lofty Pigeon Books
Favorite Family Outing: Nitehawk Cinema
Well, my daughter is always trying to get us to go to Le Paddock. But Nitehawk Cinema is a great place to see movies, and the food is really good. So we’ll take her to a movie there every once in a while.
Favorite Local Scene: Church Avenue
Church Avenue is a whole world. There’s Isaac Apple Farm; the carnival place, which is a grocery store—Carnival Fruits and Vegetables—not an actual carnival; my favorite butcher, Koha; and MF Discount. If Windsor Terrace is a town condensed, Church Avenue is its own too.
This article is the first in our series On My Way NYC, in which locals guide us to their favorite neighborhood destinations.
