Emma Straub's Guide to Her 'Tiny Village' of Brooklyn

The author shares her favorite spots in the borough she's called home for decades.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 8:08pm

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An abstracted, out-of-focus street scene in Brooklyn, with blurred figures and storefronts visible through a hazy, warm filter, conveying the intimate, neighborhood feel of the borough that author Emma Straub describes.Emma Straub's beloved Brooklyn neighborhood feels like a cozy, walkable 'tiny village' for the longtime resident.Brooklyn Today

Born and raised in Manhattan, author Emma Straub has called Brooklyn home since the 1990s. In a new interview, she shares her favorite local spots in the borough she describes as her 'tiny little village,' including the best restaurant, breakfast spot, and time of year to visit.

Why it matters

As a longtime Brooklyn resident and acclaimed author, Straub's recommendations provide an insider's perspective on the vibrant community and local businesses that make the borough a unique destination, even for lifelong New Yorkers.

The details

Straub first started commuting to Brooklyn from Manhattan as a high school student in 1994. After college and graduate school, she and her husband rented their first apartment in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood, just blocks from where they would eventually open their bookstore, Books Are Magic. Straub says she and her family 'walk everywhere' in Brooklyn, giving her a strong sense of the borough as a 'tiny little village' compared to the larger New York City across the water.

  • Straub began commuting to Brooklyn from Manhattan as a high school student in 1994.
  • Straub and her husband rented their first apartment in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The players

Emma Straub

A born-and-bred New Yorker who has called Brooklyn home since the 1990s and is the author of several novels, including 'Modern Lovers' and 'This Time Tomorrow.'

Books Are Magic

An independent bookstore in Brooklyn that Straub and her husband opened after renting their first apartment in the borough.

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What they’re saying

“I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a solid 40-minute train ride from Brooklyn. But starting in 9th grade, in 1994, that's just what I did—took the subway back and forth to Brooklyn Heights.”

— Emma Straub, Author

“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.”

— Emma Straub, Author

The takeaway

Straub's deep connection to Brooklyn, where she has lived for decades, highlights the borough's vibrant community and local businesses that make it feel like a 'tiny village' for longtime residents, even as it remains part of the larger New York City landscape.