Having to dial the area code within Brooklyn is a pretty new thing, isn't it? When I was in Brooklin in 2001 I always got through with only the 7-digit number. Italy has also switched to that weird system some years ago. It is pretty strange always to dial the 0 when calling from abroad (e.g. +39011 for Turin) The worst thing are the Telecom Italia directories though. They print the number as a 10-digit line, without any spaces or else.
