Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

Even if you can’t catch a live show, there’s plenty to see and do at this iconic venue, where the programming runs the gamut from film to theater to opera and the avant-garde. The building itself, designed by Herts & Tallant, is a 100-year-old Brooklyn landmark with an incredible legacy (everyone from Paul Robeson to Philip Glass has performed here), and the upstairs café doubles as a venue for cocktails and free live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Rose Cinema, also on site, is a favorite hangout of the Fort Greene creative community.