The Frenchman who is planning an August tour of Paul Auster’s Brooklyn has some help from two OTBKB readers. Francis Morrone, who is a historian, journalist, author, lecturer, teacher and columnist for the New York Sun had this to say about some of the locations mentioned in "The Brooklyn Follies."

The space that is now Two Boots used to be called Circles Café.
Though he later mentions the New Purity, I can’t believe the Cosmic
Diner isn’t based on the old Purity, at Union Street. Don’t forget he
also mentions La Bagel Delight. Brightman’s is, I think, a pure
fabrication. Stores like Seventh Avenue Books and Park Slope Books came
much later, and before them there were no used or rare bookstores on
Seventh Avenue. Rocco’s I haven’t a clue about. Hope this helps a
little.

Our friend Eliot, who produces podcasts of great contemporary music monthly had this to say.

The Cosmic Diner is pure invention. So is Brightman’s Attic, but I
always thought that Park Slope Books (the place that is now Carmen’s)
was the the model for it.