Abu's Homestyle Bakery en Brooklyn

Le Boudoir wn Brooklyn, New York

It started in 1755, when Marie Antoinette, who would soon become infamous for her indulgence, was born in Austria. Or perhaps, it started in 1844, when Brooklyn built the Atlantic Avenue railroad tunnel—the world’s first subway. Like the guillotined queen, the tunnel had a short life, functioning as an active train pathway for only 16 years. But also like the queen, it had a long, mythic afterlife: first, as a receptacle of rumored monster rats, then as part of a quirky Brooklyn tour, and now, as a Marie Antoinette–themed speakeasy.