We missed this article in the back pages of Brooklyn Papers last week. The writer is pointing out what a lost opportunity Washington Avenue has been in terms of upscale retail and restaurants.

Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights could be a central artery of Brooklyn’s booming cultural heart, but instead it has become a road to nowhere. Given its proximity to institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Botanic Gardens, plus an influx of new, wealthier residents in recent years, the commercial corridor might have blossomed into a thriving strip. Yet a walk through the neighborhood reveals a surprising lack of restaurants, shops and attractions that dominate other commercial spines with similar economics.

We’d have to agree. Vanderbilt is coming along though, no?
Washington Ave Slow to Improve [Brooklyn Papers - pdf]