Boundaries: 86th Street to the north, Bay Parkway to the east, Gravesend Bay to the south, and 14th Avenue to the west. There's an ideal view of the Verrazano Bridge as it lunges toward Staten Island from the promenade along the water; looking south one can see the Coney Island lighthouse standing guard at the island's cusp.

Population: Italian and Irish flags fly outside many of the snug red-brick townhouses that line the majority of Bath's blocks. Like those living in Bensonhurst and Dyker Beach, Bath residents are known for their neighborhood loyalty, perhaps not much of a surprise considering Bath and Cropsey avenues used to be home to some of New York's most notorious mobsters, including members of the Gambino crime family. A faint but distinct mafioso flavor still lingers despite an increase in diversity over the past 10 years, which have seen Chinese, Indian, and Pakistani cultures make their marks.

Main Drags: Bustling Bath Avenue, dotted with eateries and small businesses, has significantly changed with the influx of different cultures in recent years. A longtime resident of Bath Beach nostalgically points to the street from his stool at a local dive: "It's where the boys used to hang. Across the street—that used to be a rum mill, now it's a mosque."

Happenings: The Nellie Bly Amusement Park (1824 Shore Parkway) has reopened for the summer months. Situated along the water, its runtish Ferris wheel and rattletrap thrill-rides are as lousy as Coney Island's, if that is possible.

Famous Resident: Jerome Lester Horwitz (a/k/a Curly of The Three Stooges) was born in Bath Beach on October 22, 1903.