KEY POINTS:
Manhattan has more in common today with the Mall of America and Disneyland than it does with the dark and gritty New York we grew up yearning to visit after seeing one too many episodes of Cagney and Lacey.
Where are the wise guys, the hustlers and the big piles of cardboard boxes for the cop cars to drive through? What about the fire hydrants spewing water over graffiti-painted street corners where gangs of kids play stickball?
And what happened to the melting pot - old Russians playing chess in the park, Hasidic Jews in traditional dress filing into a synagogue past little black and Latina girls double-dutching on the sidewalk?
And before you begin to wonder whether these are the ramblings of some urbanised Norman Rockwell coming down off a crack binge, be assured you really can find all this and more to satisfy your Scorsese-inspired urges, but not on Manhattan's sterilised streets. The real New York is in Brooklyn.
Until now, more adventurous travellers wishing to explore Brooklyn's mean streets had to venture back across the East River to Manhattan before nightfall for lack of a decent bed in the Borough of Kings.
But a surprising urban revolution is afoot and a slew of new hotels (offering 3000 rooms) is under construction, taking advantage of Brooklyn's new-found popularity.
About 44 million people visited New York last year and city tourism officials expect up to 50 million in the next few years.
Meanwhile, the city has around 66,000 hotel rooms, most crammed on to the tiny island of Manhattan. With such high demand and such tight supply, prices have ballooned. In a recent, unscientific, survey of Manhattan's popular hotels, I couldn't find a room for under US$599 ($786). The most expensive four-star was $860 a double.
Using Expedia, and seeking less well-known establishments in less-salubrious surroundings, I managed to find a room for US$329. Even with the weak dollar, those prices are out of the reach of many.
In Brooklyn, however, just two miles from Times Square, a Marriott hotel deluxe room can be had for US$349 - that's US$250 a night cheaper than an identical Marriott room in Manhattan.
"That's one of the main reasons we're building in Brooklyn," says Mukesh Patel, owner of two of the suburb's newest buildings - a chic, four-star boutique, Le Bleu, and budget two-star joint, La Jolie, in hipster-oriented Williamsburg.
Le Bleu, which has faced delays as a result of city government certification problems, is in a gritty neighbourhood called Gowanus that is, as they say, up and coming.
But the grand brownstones, trendy bars and restaurants of Park Slope are a stone's throw away and Manhattan is five minutes' by taxi - found next door to Le Bleu at a giant yellow-cab depot.
A luxury Le Bleu room will cost $300, with flat-screen TVs, wireless internet access, a glass bathroom and views of the Statue of Liberty.
Patel says a roof-top bar and restaurant, when finished, will offer the best food, drinks and nightlife in the neighbourhood - not a stretch given the competition seems to be a McDonald's "drive-thru" and a Chinese takeaway with a bullet-proof serving hatch.
La Jolie, in edgy, studenty Williamsburg, is more downmarket at about US$200 a night for a basic room, but it's under a motorway flyover and beside a graffiti-covered derelict petrol station.
Tony Muia, a Brooklynite running a guided bus-tour company, says the hotel boom is long overdue: "Brooklyn is getting more popular every year - but there's been a lag in the infrastructure.
"We have the Queen Mary II terminal, but nowhere for the passengers to go when they get off the ship. We have the nightlife in Williamsburg, and the Michelin-starred restaurants on Smith St, but nowhere for people to stay. Finally the hotel trade is catching up."
*********************************************************
WHAT TO DO
Bars
Boulevard Tavern
Greenpoint, 579 Meeker Ave
www.myspace.com/boulevardtavern
A survivor of Prohibition, the Great Depression and everything else since 1928. The Boulevard has wooden booths, an old jukebox, pool and 12 beers on tap, but best of all it has that rare New York dive bar vibe absent from most Manhattan neighbourhoods.
Union Hall
Park Slope, 702 Union St
www.unionhallny.com
Looks like a vast drawing room, with leather chairs and yards of books lining the walls, but it's far too busy and noisy for reading. Part of the hip Park Slope bar scene, it's a great live music venue.
Cafes
Life Café
Bushwick, 983 Flushing Ave
www.lifecafe.com
A vibrant hub for artists and writers, Life has a great all-American comfort food menu, many beers and a friendly bohemian clientele who hold regular art shows and spoken-word events.
Baked
Red Hook, 359 Van Brunt St
www.bakednyc.com
Squeezed between warehouses on the urban waterfront at Red Hook. Walk off the guilt along the East River and the Gowanus Canal, with stunning views of the Statue of Liberty.
Restaurants
Saul
Carroll Gardens, 140 Smith St
www.saulrestaurant.com
One of the few US holders of a Michelin star.
The menu is American, modern and not as pricey as you would think. The perfect intimate spot for a romantic meal.
- OBSERVER
