Hey Iron Horse -
Not a lame question at all and my first response is: you're a New Yorker, dammit, you can do anything you put your mind to!!! (that's the native NYer in me shouting coast to coast to ya).
Anyway, looking where you want to go is terrific advice...you'd do well to adopt that practice no matter what you're doing on the bike...it helps in tight turns and when you're trying to thread your way through all the flotsam and potholes, cracks etc on roads...just glance ahead 10-20 feet and your peripheral vision will spot all the stuff to avoid...your eyes will guide you and your bike to where you're going...
With downhill braking, I've found that if your hands are in the drops (instead of on the hoods) it's easier to squeeze and control your brake levers...you want to apply firm, yet gentle pressure...feathering them, so that you don't have to grab hard and risk an endo performance. I'm sure that by now you've gotten down a few hills successfully, so let us know how it's going!