Grand Army Plaza

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Grand Army Plaza, with its simple, berm-rimmed fountain, was originally intended by designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to soften the divide between raucous city environs and tranquil, verdant Prospect Park. However, the late addition of the Arc de Triomphe-style Soldiers and Sailors memorial pretty much put such initial concerns aside. Standing at 80-feet tall with three sculptural tableaus of Civil War battles on top, the grandiose granite arch is not the only artwork on the plaza—you'll also find bronze bas-reliefs of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant—but it's certainly the most imposing. Occasionally, a hidden room inside the arch opens to the public for art exhibits and performances. To get there, you'll have to navigate one of Brooklyn's biggest and most dangerous traffic circles. Most visitors skip the small monument entirely as they make their way to the open-air Greenmarket adjoining the plaza on Saturdays, or head to the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, housed in a striking Art Deco limestone building that was designed to resemble an open book. — Leaya Lee

Shop for organic eggs, free-range chickens, fresh produce, breads, pastries and even blueberry wine at the Greenmarket, Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.