The best start to a day in Cobble Hill is to indulge in the many French breakfast choices at your disposal. Cafe Luluc has the pancakes that had been voted one of the best in the country. That fact alone is a reason good enough for me to check out this French eatery. They also serve some really good coffee to wake your senses.

You can’t eat out all the time, so ready yourself for some of the best grocery shopping in Brooklyn, and head over to the famed Trader Joe’s. Their Cobble Hill location is probably the best of all (liking that Brooklyn bias, anyone?) for its decor alone. The place is gigantic, and occupies the former South Brooklyn Savings Institution. The prices and food are unmatched. Brace for the lines though, because even during the week, in early afternoon, they near reach out the door.

With all the meat loving you have gone through at Mile End – you’d think you had enough. But you can’t pass by Sam’s Steaks and Chops without going inside. The storefront is a Cobble Hill institution, and has some of the best cuts of meat you can find prepared in this petite neighborhood. Be prepared here because the owners are no-nonsense old-time Brooklynites. For your cheese and meats, also check out Stinky Brooklyn, Staubitz Market and Paisanos.

Outside of Brooklyn Heights, the biggest literary playground is set in Cobble Hill. There’s a large contingent of writers and aspiring artists here, and they all converge in the neighborhood (the centerpiece for many years had been the beloved and defunct BookCourt that only recently closed, after somehow miraculously surviving the downfall of paper books in the digital era). But there remain specialty book shops like Idlewild Books at the corner of Court and Warren streets. The shop doubles as a language school, and features mainstream and children’s books in French, Spanish, Italian and German.

Everyone knows that living in Cobble Hill is about being creative with words. This is a writer’s neighborhood. And since you have been writing (love poems?) for some time, you decide you want to sharpen your writing skills. Take a class or five at the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop. Since 2002, this workshop has grown to one of the biggest and best in the country. Some 3,000 writers have studied there since the place opened its doors, and alumni have published some 81 books. Of course, if your schedule gets hectic, they even offer online courses.