We finally stopped by BLDG 92, the new museum on the grounds of the Navy Yard in Fort Greene and kind of fell in love. It covers the history of the Yard and the surrounding area from the 1700's until today, and it's amazing--the building, the exhibition design, the views, all of it.

I've been to an awful lot of museums, but very few so thoroughly think out the way they present information or use technology in all the ways you should--to instruct better than you can with only text, without being intrusive. Here, we were mesmerized for a good 10 minutes by an interactive map and timeline of the Navy Yard area. I can barely remember the last time I paid attention to anything for that long.

Plus it's all genuinely new and interesting: few of us ever have the chance to do anything more than peer longingly through the gates of the Navy Yard and wonder what it's like in there but visiting BLDG92 feels like you're sneaking into some secret place none of your friends have been to. (Because they probably haven't yet, and what's better than that?!)

I was too busy gawking at models of warships and watching videos about the people who invented Sweet N' Low to take any photos, but if you're even minimally interested in Brooklyn and its history, you must go.