BROOKLIN! STEVE ANGLESEY gets to the soul of the B.I.G. Apple, Brooklyn, to find it has cleaned up its act.

Byline: STEVE ANGLESEY

VOLETTA Wallace is standing on the steps of the Brooklyn brownstone she used to call home. "I never realised my son was so loved," she says, "until the day I brought him home."

The 56-year-old former teacher isn't talking about coming back from hospital with a newborn or returning from a long holiday.

Instead she's referring to the March 1997 afternoon, which saw thousands line these streets to pay final respects to her boy, hip-hop genius Notorious B.I.G. Also known as Biggie Smalls - and just Christopher to Voletta - his life is now the subject of the biopic Notorious.

Larger than life and now bigger in death, images of the 22stone rapper are plastered over T-shirts and shop fronts while vintage hits like Hypnotise blare from passing cars.

But Brooklyn has changed in the 12 years since his violent death in LA at just 24.

Like Miami, it has shaken off its history to become an "in" destination. The borough once synonymous with drug and gun crime is now a must-see stop-off in New York.

Lured by good eating, buzzing nightlife and specialist shop-pingBrits have been nipping over the iconic suspension bridge for years before quickly returning to the costly comforts of Manhattan.

Now, with reliable chains like Marriott, Holiday Inn Express and Best Western in situ, it's possible to do the reverse - base yourself across the East River and then splurge your hotel and restaurant savings on occasional trips to the big city.

PHOTOGENIC I

t's minutes away via a subway system which is safe and fast, runs 24 hours and puts London's Tube to shame.

Start your journey into the borough by walking over the photogenic Brooklyn Bridge.

Familiar from movies such as Moonstruck and Spider-Man, it offers stunning views of the city and the Statue Of Liberty.

Once you've crossed the river, it's a short walk to Biggie's favourite restaurant, Junior's.

Here, beneath scores of photos celebrating the retro diner's many celeb visitors, you'll face a typically American mountain of food. But remember to leave room for their trademark cheesecake - delicious and deceptively light though crippling for the calorie counter. "Christopher's favourite was the strawberry," says Voletta, laughing. "And the chocolate. And the pineapple."

It's also a stone's throw from a painful memory, the corner where her son once ran a thriving "street business". "I had no idea he was into the drug world," says Voletta. "I was so naive. But 20 years on, the drug epidemic is a distant memory.

The new Brooklyn is a foodie heaven with fashionable Park Slope, where Voletta Wallace taught until her son's death. It has one-off clothes shops, and bars amid streets lined with beautiful, high-stooped brownstone buildings seemingly plucked straight from a movie set.

"Brooklyn has changed for the better," says Voletta. It's a subject she plans to take up with her son when they next meet.

"But first," she laughs, "we're going to have a long talk in heaven about what he was getting up to."

Notorious is released on DVD on Monday.

GETTING THERE

VIRGIN Atlantic has flights to New York Newark for pounds 281. Book by 10pm on Monday, June 22. Details at www.virgin-atlantic.com. Save on cab fares by taking the AirTrain to Penn Station and the subway to Brooklyn. Directions at www.hopstop.com

WHERE TO STAY

THE Holiday Inn Express Brooklyn Downtown, between the Brooklyn Bridge and Park Slope, has double rooms from pounds 72 per night. Check www.expedia.co.uk for details. If you're staying in Manhattan and visiting Brooklyn, try Ace Hotel, near the Empire State Building in Murray Hill. Rooms from pounds 65 in an introductory offer. Visit www.acehotel.com

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

DON'T miss the cheesecake at Junior's (386 Flatbush Avenue Extension in Brooklyn Heights, www.juniorscheesecake.com) or wood-fired pizza at Toby Public House in Park Slope (686 Sixth Avenue, 21st Street, details at www.kitchenbarny.com)

CAPTION(S):

TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE: The famous bridge to Manhattan from Brooklyn MUM'S MEMORIES: Steve meets Voletta