168 Bergen Street
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
On a quiet, tree-lined residential street in Brooklyn, the Escape Guesthouse is a respite from the hustle and bustle of New York City for guests from around the world, including many musicians.
Elizabeth Kennick, proprietor of the Escape Guesthouse, said the bed and breakfast is located in an 1850 Italianate brick, three-unit townhouse in the in Boerum Hill / Cobble Hill / Carroll Gardens area of Brooklyn. The inn, fully modernized and remodeled in the mid-1990s, is just a 15-minute walk from the Brooklyn Bridge and within easy walking distance of mass transit.
Kennick took some time to answer a few questions about her Brooklyn bed and breakfast.
Please tell us a little about your inn.
The house retains some beautiful original details, including the 12-foot, floor-to-ceiling multipaned front windows, a beautiful curved interior door, and richly detailed mouldings on the parlour level.
I bought the home in 2004 as a rental property. As the original tenants moved out, I began renting spare bedrooms on a short-term basis and soon fell in love with all the fascinating visitors who come through our doors: the parents, grandparents, musicians, filmmakers, shopkeepers, and world travelers who find Brooklyn a desirable place to spend some quality time.
What are some of your inn's unique features?
The well-tuned baby grand piano in our parlour is popular with our musically-inclined guests.
Our lush private garden features gloriously colored rhododendrons, tea roses, peonies, violets, morning glories, forsythia, azalea, daffodils, and bleeding heart, varying with the seasons.
Comfortable furniture, a shade pavilion, hammock swing, sundeck with luxuriously cushioned futon, and lantern lighting at night make the garden a magical place to relax and enjoy a cold drink or light refreshments day or evening.
How do you make a stay at your B&B special?
Our beds are famously comfortable with frequently replaced mattresses and box springs. Our luxurious linens include high-thread-count cotton sheets, light blankets, cozy duvets, and assorted pillows featuring both down and hypo-allergenic fillings. Our towels are big, fluffy, and abundant, changed as often as you wish.
Breakfast is continental, featuring fresh pastries, bagels, croissants, muffins, boiled eggs, cereals, oatmeal, fresh fruits, assorted juices, cheeses, and spreads. Coffee and tea are available 24 hours.
Our breakfast hosts are Brooklyn natives with world travel experience, highly efficient at finding directions and tickets for fascinating events across the full spectrum of entertainment and educational offerings in New York City and nearby.
Day Manager Adrienne Kennick is the 2009 winner of Borough of Manhattan Community College's "Academic Excellence in Travel and Tourism Award." Both Adrienne and Head of Housekeeping Victoria Kenton are Business students at local New York colleges.
Tell us about the rehearsal space you have available for musicians.
Our front parlour is home to a baby grand piano, with room for several singers and/or musicians. We have one electric guitar amplifier, a Moog Theremin, and a Roland keyboard synthesizer / modulator / mixer.
The room has been used by a small orchestra staying here while performing at the Mata festival, by local musicians for acoustic house concerts for small private groups of guests, and by international vocal students staying here with their parents while receiving instruction from a local opera or cabaret star.
Do you get a lot of musician guests?
We'll see a few musicians each month or so. Some stay with us while taking advanced classes in music, others stay while performing in music festivals and other venues, or while visiting friends or relatives for a brief layover during a tour.
What are some of the attractions in your area that you would rate as must-see?
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, St Ann's Warehouse, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), the Public Theater and Broadway, independent jazz and rock clubs, the list goes on...
What might a guest at your B&B expect to have for breakfast?
We offer fresh fruit, pastries and bagels, oatmeal and cold cereals, fruit juices, teas, and coffee blended with vanilla and cinnamon.
Which is your personal favorite room at your bed and breakfast?
Canopy. This is a truly beautiful room, with an antique canopy bed and ivory brocade curtains. With a door opening to the garden, the view from the window is lush, green, and peaceful.
Why did you decide to become an innkeeper?
We found 168 Bergen, a townhouse in a land-marked block of Boerum Hill, and fell in love. We decided to open the house up to guests so that we could share an oasis of peace and luxury just minutes from the bustling hectic heart of the city. We love sharing the quiet streets of Brooklyn with our guests, love hearing their stories over breakfast and helping them to plan their days and get the most from their time visiting.
