The borough’s only bilingual Latino venue, Thalía Spanish Theatre is dedicated to promoting and preserving the heritage of Hispanic drama. Founded in 1977 by Cuban actress/director Silvia Brito, Thalía specializes in the zarzuela, an art form that combines operatic singing with dialogue, and other kinds of Spanish-language drama genres. But the 100-seat theater also promotes Spanish-language playwrights, dancers, and folklorists.

Inside scoop: Lance Corporal Thomas P. Noonan Playground is a few blocks from Thalía on Greenpoint Avenue and 43rd Street. The public space is named after a native son who was awarded a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor, a Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, and a Vietnam Service Medal with bronze stars for his heroics in the Vietnam War. On February 5, 1969, Noonan was fatally shot by North Vietnamese soldiers while carrying a seriously wounded United States soldier to safety.