Roaming & Rambling: Bay Parkway

Above, Rimini Bakery, Bay Parkway

Bay Parkway, beginning at 65th Street, is a great melange of Italian, Chinese and Russian Brooklyn. Chang Wang, the huge Asian supermarket, has a wide array of fresh and packaged foods, largely Asian, plus cooking implements, snacks, etc. Rimini Bakery, pictured above, is a terrific Italian bakery with artfully decorated cakes. Their breads, pastries, and cookies are likewise very fine, and don't forget the summertime gelati.

Torres Pizzeria Restaurant, while not the fanciest place for dining, has marvelous and reasonably priced entrees that make a great takeout destination. And Caeser's Bay Wines and Liquors, across the street, remains a great discount liquor store with a wide selection. Gintaras, Russian international gourmet food, rounds out the ethnic trifecta in the neighborhood, but there are many more multi-ethnic shops, supermarkets and restaurants in the nabe to be discovered. Bay Parkway is a neat way to experience the coming and goings of Brooklyn's many diverse communities in a several block stretch. And there also is the wonderfully named "Shampooche," a dog groomer on 65th street. We are amused. Remember: Explore Brooklyn.