Franklin Park. All photos by Emily Paup.

If you live within two subway stops of Tom’s Diner, you may have gotten into a long, whiskey-breathed argument about where Prospect Heights actually is. At the very least, you’ve likely cringed at the phrase “ProCro.” Smartphone lookups only blur the boundaries—Google Maps includes the Barclay’s Center in the postage stamp-sized area, and an old NY Magazine article suggests that that a block-wide sliver on Prospect Park west is part of the neighborhood. I object vehemently to both assertions, and I’m not even drunk right now. One thing’s for certain: there are some really solid happy hours in the region arguably known as Prospect Heights. Here’s a list of places where you can get tipsy and then try to figure out where the hell you are.

Laying the foundations
There are two types of drinkers: people who think you should eat a decent meal before downing seven beers, and people who think that doing so is a waste of money (these types can also get into high altitude weddings and post-blood donation binging). I pass no judgment, and neither does Soda Bar, which offers a $6 hamburger/Rolling Rock combo along with plain old $2 Rolling Rock. They’re not fooling around with the burger, by the way. It’s modestly sized, but there’s a high-quality bun, a heap of baby greens, and enough culinary commitment to ask you how you’d like it cooked. Pull up a stool, lounge on one of Soda Bar’s comfy couches, or lie on the floor, pound several Rolling Rocks, and go Hasselhoff on your burger. Like I said, I’m not here to judge.

Soda Bar, 629 Vanderbilt Ave., 718-230-8393
Noon-7pm Mon-Fri, $2 Rolling Rock, $6 Rolling Rock/hamburger combo

So many choices: The Way Station.

Getting time travel tipsy
The Way Station is one of Prospect Heights’ more carefully-decorated bars. Studded leather booths and ornate wallpaper line the south wall, a bathroom masquerades as a phone booth at the end of the bar, and wall-mounted ray guns point mercifully towards the back. A fellow drinker described the steampunky bar’s clientele as “socially functional nerds,” and, yes, there’s a geek streak to the bar that offers a “choose your own adventure” cocktail (this priceless $8 experience, in which the bartender mixes a drink based on your answers to a few questions, is a total ripoff, by the way). Assuming you bring a few friends, though, the crowd could just as easily be described as “people who like cheap drinks.”

The Way Station, 683 Washington Ave, 347-627-4949
4pm-8pm, $2 PBR, $4 shot-and-a-beer, $4 drafts, $8 ‘choose your own adventure,’ $1 off everything else.

Staying classy
Despite the low prices and lengthy happy hour, Washington Commons is a swell place. Their friendly bartenders will answer questions about barley for you, and they take the trouble to pour pilsners into pilsner glasses, etc. The gargantuan beer list can sometimes daunt, but with what they’re charging, you can taste your way through the bar’s microbrew selection in a matter of (drunk) days. During warmer times, Washington Commons’ back yard is a great place to spend several hours. Bonus: there are sometimes dogs at this bar.

Washington Commons, 748 Washington Ave., 718-230-3666
3-8pm Mon-Fri; $2 off everything; most beer is $3-6 after discount. Also, $4 bloody Marys from 1-4pm Sat-Sun.

Prospect Heights? Crown Heights? "ProCro"?

Two plausible arguments that Prospect Heights now extends to Franklin Avenue
The gentrifying hordes are pushing eastward from Washington Avenue at an alarming pace (a street often cited as Prospect Heights’ edge), but the way that people talk about the Franklin Avenue stop in Crown Heights, you don’t expect a place like The Crown Inn. It’s downright posh: there’s a wood-trimmed marble bar, craft liquors, house cocktails, and the kind of wine that doesn’t involve a plastic spigot. At one point, the bartender replaced my gross, saturated napkin with a crisp new one. Like I said—posh. The sophistication announces itself in your tab, but my fancy-pants cocktail was delicious enough to make me want to be rich.

The Crown Inn, 724 Franklin Avenue, no phone
5pm-8pm Mon-Thurs,2pm-8pm Fri; $4 drafts, $6 selected cocktails, $7 wine on tap

Franklin Park—the bar best known for its outdoor seating, excellent weekend DJ sets, and being the place where you lost your coat on Friday—also has a beat the clock happy hour. Drink as many $3 drafts as you can from 4-5pm, because they’re $4 from 5-7. On Mondays, the drafts stay put at $4 all night, and on Tuesdays, you can get two-fers on well drinks and beer until close. If you can’t take the pressure of escalating prices (or if you become disoriented for some reason), remember that $3 cans of Bud are available every day of the week at any hour.

Franklin Park, 618 Saint Johns Place, 718-975-0196
$3 drafts and $4 wells from 4-5pm, $4 drafts and $5 wells from 5-7pm. $4 drafts all night on Monday; two-for-one wells and beers until close on Tuesday. Cash only.

Other places to drink cheap

Bar Sepia, 234 Underhill, 718-399-6680—4-8pm Mon-Fri, $1 off drafts and wells. $3 Bud during happy hour, better beers will run you about $5 after the discount.

Plan B, 626 Vanderbilt Ave., 347-240-2171 —4-7pm, Mon-Fri, $3 drafts, $4 wells and wine. Guinness is $4. Lots of TVs playing sports.

Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Ave., 718-484-8704—4pm-7pm, Mon-Fri, $2 Rolling Rock, $3 PBR, $4 drafts, wells, and wine, $6 cosmos, bloody marys, and margaritas. This place has a pool table and arcade games.

Sharlene’s, 353 Flatbush Ave., 347-350-8225—1pm-7pm, EVERY DAY, $3 drafts, $1 off everything else. THESE PEOPLE ARE SAINTS.

Photo by Juan Hernandez

Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before. Park Slope is full of strollers, free-spirited moms, and crunchy co-op people. It’s also full of snazzy places to get your happy hour booze on; particularly on the Fifth Avenue corridor between Flatbush Avenue and 3rd Street. We did the dirty work and checked out every dive bar, gastropub, and basically any place with a roof and four walls that looked like it sold alcohol on the aforementioned stretch. So read on, dear cynical reader, and start planning your very own Fifth Avenue pub crawl. Make sure to check out the meal deals at Long Tan and the $5 fresh juice margaritas at Lobo.

O’Connor’s Bar
39 Fifth Ave., (718) 783-9721
Thursday 5-2am
$1 off all drinks

Alchemy
56 5th Ave., (718) 636-4385
M-F 4:30-6:30
2 for 1 local beers and well drinks
$5 plates with purchase of drink (including fried clams, BBQ’d spare ribs, spicy chicken wings)

Peperoncino
72 5th Ave., (718) 638-4760
5-11 daily
$5 mojitos, margaritas, caipirinha

Al Di La Trattoria
248 5th Ave
(718) 636-8888
5-11 daily at the bar
$1 dollar off bottled beer, $4 sangria and well drinks, $3 drafts, and $4.95 for a slice of pizza and a beer.

Voodoo Sports Lounge
138 Fifth Ave.,  (718) 399-3206
M-Sa 5-8 PM
Specials vary daily

Los Pollitos II
148 Fifth Ave., (718) 623-9152
11:30-7 daily
$4.50 regular margaritas, sangria, beer, wine

The VSpot Cafe
156 Fifth Ave., (718) 622-2275
T-Fri 5-8
2 for 1 beer and wine

Photo courtesy of Bogota bistro.

Bogota Bistro
141 Fifth Ave., (718) 230-3805
MWThu 5-11
Fri-Sat 5-6, 12AM -1AM
Sat-Sun 12 noon-4PM (brunch)
$5 classic mojitos/$6 fruit mojitos
$6 caipirinhas/ $7 fruit caipirinhas
$5 margaritas/ $6 fruit margaritas
$5 frozen margaritas/ $6 frozen fruit margaritas
$5 sangria/$6 brazil sangria
$4 beer

Nana Restaurant and Bar
155 Fifth Ave., (718) 230-3749
5-8 daily
$3 beer, $4 wine, $5 cocktails, $6 daily speciality
$3 bar menu with purchase of any drink (including seaweed salad, spicy ravioli, and scallion pancakes)

Patio Lounge
179 Fifth Ave., (718) 857-3477
5-8 daily
$1 off all drinks, $10 small pitcher of sangria, $20 large pitcher of sangria, daily drink specials

Lobo
188 Fifth Ave., (718) 636-8886
Daily until 5 and all night at bar
$5 fresh juice margaritas

Long Tan Restaurant
194 Fifth Ave., (718) 622-8444
5:30 PM- 7PM, 12 -2 AM daily
$3 Saratoga lager
$1 off all drinks
Discounted bar menu with purchase of any drink (including $10 steak, $5 pad thai, and $5 chicken satay)

200 Fifth
200 Fifth Ave., (718) 638-2925
Mon-Thurs 4-7
Fri- 11- 7
$3.50 pint specials
$6, $7, $8 wine specials

Playa
230 Fifth Ave., (718) 399-2161
Crazy Quesadilla Wednesday, 5:30-10
$19.95 unlimited quesadillas and sangria

The Great Lakes Bar
285 Fifth Ave., (718) 499-3710
M-F 5-8
$1 off all drinks

Loki Lounge, photo by Jennie Clutter.

Loki Lounge
304 Fifth Ave., (718) 965-9600
M-F 3-7PM
$3 drafts
$2 buds and millers

Aperitivo
279 Fifth Ave., (718) 369-1123
M-F 4-7PM
½ off PBR
$2 off wine, beer, cocktails

Press 195
195 Fifth Ave., (718) 857-1950
M-F 4-7 PM
Draft beer $3.50
Sangria $3.50

Mezcal’s Mexican Restaurant
396 Fifth Ave., (718) 965-6050
M-F 3-6 PM
$5 Margaritas, sangria, tequila sunrise, pina colada
$4 beer

High Dive
243 Fifth Ave., (718) 788-0401
2-8 daily
$2 High Life, $1 off all drinks
Free popcorn all the time!

Photo courtesy of High Dive bar.

Waterfront Barge, photo by Timothy Vogel.

You’ve been to Prospect Park 271 times already, done the once-a-year loop of Coney Island and Brighton Beach and spent way too many Sundays at Fairway. Another summer weekend is just four days away (Monday’s kinda fun when you think of it like that). So where’s that dang list of all those wonderful Brooklyn places you said you were going to visit this year, for real? We found it for you.

Enjoy the views from Waterfront Museum Barge (pay what you wish) and enjoy a chat and possibly a juggling lesson with owner/captain David Sharps. Then picnic at Pier 44 next to the Barge or a few blocks away at romantic Valentino Pier. Don’t forget to bring $5 for a Swingle, a chocolate covered key lime pie on a stick from Steve’s Key Lime Pies. Barge is at 290 Conover St., at Pier 44, 718-624-4719.

Go to the Brooklyn Brewery happy hour. Fridays from 6 to 11, you can bring in your own chow and unwind in a working brewery with fresh draft beer, $4 per 14-ounce compostable cup. That’s five for $20; the sixth beer is free, God help you. The Brewery offers free half-hour brewery tours on Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 6, on the hour. 1 Brewers Row, 70 N. 11th St., Williamsburg, 718-486-7422.

Go canoeing in Canarsie at the Sebago Canoe Club. On Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., they offer free tw0-and-a-half-hour guided rides on a first-come basis. Participants must pay a $10 insurance fee and be at least 16. Be on time. 1400 Paerdegat Ave. North, 718-241-3683.

NYC Water Taxi, photo by J. Nordberg.

Get a yogurt and go on a mini-cruise for $1. The water taxi to Manhattan is free for Ikea shoppers with receipts—even if all you buy is a $1 frozen yogurt. The taxi runs every 40 minutes between 1 Beard St. (Red Hook) and South Street Seaport, Pier 11.  Weekdays, it leaves Brooklyn between 2:20 p.m. and 7 p.m., and returns from Manhattan between 2 p.m.  and 7:20 p.m. On weekends, it leaves Brooklyn between 11:20 a.m. and 8 p.m. and from Manhattan, 11 a.m. to 8:20 p.m.

Visit the Wyckoff House Museum in Canarsie. It’s the oldest structure in NYC and it’s worth a visit. They even have the original corn cobs from the 1600s that were used to insulate the home. Tuesday-Sunday, 10-4. Tours are Tuesday to Friday at 1 and 3, Saturday and Sunday at 11, 1 and 3. 5816 Clarendon Rd., 718- 629-3125.

Visit the Narrows Garden, a 4-and-half acre escape—a “rambling parkland” staffed by volunteer gardeners. With a story circle for children, the mystical Moon Garden for romantics, two kinds of rose gardens, willow and linden groves, the garden’s sights and smells go on and on. And its annual pleasures are augmented by the Art in the Park promenade, every other Sunday this summer. Shore Rd. between Bay Ridge Ave. and 72nd St., 718-748-4083.

Marine Park, photo by Timothy Vogel

Pitch a tent in a Brooklyn park. On Friday and Saturday nights in July and August, the Urban Park Rangers (just like the Yellowstone kind but they work in NYC)  host free campouts at various parks within the five boroughs. Brooklyn’s featured spot this summer is Marine Park, which has 530 acres of mostly salt marsh that are home to more than 325 species of birds, 50 species of butterflies, and 100 species of finfish. Campouts are on July 31, August 14, and August 21. The evening starts with a cookout, followed by stargazing, night hikes and the like. Everything is included—all you have to bring is a sleeping bag. Check here for pre-registration info (usually at least 10 days before). Spots fill up fast, so if you’re even slightly interested, check the signup dates. And when they say register online at 9 a.m., they mean it.

Alison Lowenstein is the author of City Weekends: the Greatest Escapes and Weekend Getaways in and Around NYC.