Emma Straub’s Guide to Her ‘Tiny Village’ of Brooklyn

“I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a solid 40-minute train ride from Brooklyn,” says born-and-bred New Yorker Emma Straub. “But starting in ninth grade, in 1994, that’s just what I did—took the subway back and forth to Brooklyn Heights.” The author’s sixth novel, American Fantasy (Riverhead), does not take place there—nor on land in general—but on a 1990s-boy-band cruise ship. (Brooklyn serves as a backdrop in her books Modern Lovers and This Time Tomorrow.)

Since then, the only times she has left the borough have been for college and graduate school. “My husband and I rented our first apartment in Brooklyn on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, just two blocks from where we would eventually open our bookstore, Books Are Magic,” she tells Vogue. “We walk everywhere, to work and to our children’s school, so I feel like I live in a tiny little village. Sometimes I forget that the city—I still think of Manhattan that way, The City—is just across the water.”

Here, her tiny-little-village recs:

Best time to visit, weather-wise: This is not unique to Brooklyn, but the best time to visit any part of New York City is fall or spring, depending on one’s allergies. My birthday is in late April, and so perhaps I am biased, but I think autumn or springtime in New York is ideal. Just ask Ella Fitzgerald! (She and I actually have the same birthday, so I know she’d agree.)

Best restaurant: The restaurant that most feels like an extension of my kitchen, were I a better cook, is Popina. An Italian gem hidden on an otherwise unremarkable stretch of Columbia Street, Popina is always delicious, and the people who run it are so kind to my children, who would eat at Popina every day if we let them.

For breakfast: My husband and I have very little quiet alone time, so we often end up at Montague Diner after school drop-off, before we go to the store, or before I go home to write. It is perfect, every time, and we always run into a half dozen people we know. Eggs, oatmeal, pancakes—they do it right.

For a caffeine fix: Poppy’s makes a mean matcha and, more importantly, the best tahini brownie in the world. They also make salads, but, let’s face it, I usually walk in for a cup of tea and walk out with a pastry.

Favorite theater: My friend Adam Rubin is famous for writing picture books, but last year he opened Art of Play, a charming shop of curiosities with a tiny theater in the back. Every week Adam and his friends host the best magicians from around the world, and every show is so intimate that it feels like a secret.

Must shop: This is a public service announcement. If you are a person with a body and like wearing jeans but find it hard to shop for them, especially vintage ones, you need to get yourself to the Consistency Project as soon as possible. They are wizards, they are magicians, they are soothsayers. You walk in, they measure you, you talk about what you’re looking for, and then these angels just start bringing you piles of vintage denim to try on, and every single pair fits. The only hard part is choosing which you like best.

Bookstore or library: Here is what I love about owning a bookstore: I love the light coming through the window. I love an open door on a beautiful day. I love all my neighbors and their babies and dogs. The books are what bring everyone across the threshold, but I like to think it’s the community they find inside that keeps them coming back.

Nature escape: Brooklyn Bridge Park is a miracle to me. In a city as big as New York, it’s impossible to imagine the permissions needed to build something on a grand scale, but Brooklyn Bridge Park truly transformed the edge of the neighborhood into something glorious, open to the public, and used by everyone.

For peace and quiet: Cobble Hill Park always makes me feel like I’m Hugh Grant and/or Julia Roberts in the last scene of Notting Hill. The benches are perfect for reading or just sitting and chatting. A dreamy little secret.

Best view: If you want to look at Manhattan but also want to eat a delicious meal that also makes your children happy, go to the roof of Fornino, the excellent pizza place on Pier 6. I can’t wait for summer.

Best fancy cocktails: Elsa is the kind of place that makes you feel more sophisticated just by walking through the door. Fabulous cocktails and even better ambiance.

Secret spot only locals know: I go to Lassen and Hennigs about four times a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, iced tea, a slice of cake—Lassens has what you need. I would wither and die without their salads, sandwiches, and genial conversation.

Worth-it splurge: Gage and Tollner. I love an old-school steakhouse, and this one is just right.

Something you should know about my city: People rightly think that my little part of Brooklyn is quite boring, but what most people don’t know is Brooklyn Heights’ extremely impressive literary history. Truman Capote, Walt Whitman, Carson McCullers! So many giants of American literature lived in these few square blocks.

Workout: About six months ago, I started working out with a trainer (shout-out to Michelle!) at Form Fitness, a tiny, subterranean jewel box of a personal-training gym just across from Borough Hall. I have never before felt so comfortable in a gym, and here is why: Form is expansive, in terms of body size, gender, ability—all the things that usually make gyms intimidating or creepy or otherwise toxic. Form Fitness makes me feel both strong and supported, and what could be better than that?

Spa or salon: My sons (10 and 12) and I love Posh Nails, which, just like Books Are Magic, has locations on both Smith Street and Montague Street. I always pick a bright red, and my sons think I’m terribly boring, but we all love the friendly people who work there, the foot massages, and the warm towels.