5 Reasons That Make Brooklyn the Place to Be in NYC

Ask ten of your international friends or colleagues to reveal their travel bucket list and it’s likely New York City will pop up in at least five instances. If you went one step further and asked them what they’d like to see, they’d mostly refer to different areas and sites in Manhattan - and not unjustly so. After all, Manhattan has served as the NYC metropolitan area’s main cultural, financial, and administrative center for centuries.

Yet still, just across the heavily-photographed Brooklyn Bridge lies Brooklyn, one of New York City’s best-kept secrets. The largest by population and second largest by area of the five boroughs of New York, Brooklyn is an up-and-coming destination for locals and visitors alike. In this article, we will go through five of the many reasons why it should be on your radar for your next visit to NYC.

Most people around the world are probably familiar with Central Park in Manhattan; however, very few know that Prospect Park in Brooklyn was designed by the same architects. According to the men themselves, Prospect Park was their real masterpiece, as it connects different natural areas together in a better way, so that the visitor forgets they are located in the heart of a large metropolis.

Brooklyn is also home to many other parks and gardens, such as the Marine Park, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park. On top of that, the second largest Botanic Garden in the city lies in Brooklyn (the Bronx being home to the largest one). This easily walkable garden is a great experience for both adults and kids. It contains a Cherry Esplanade that becomes its main highlight in spring, a Japanese-style garden, an impressive bonsai collection, as well as a conservatory with three distinct microclimate plant collections.

Coney Island is another part of Brooklyn that promises an excellent outdoors experience. With a busy boardwalk, an amusement park, as well as sports facilities, it’s a great place to spend time with family or friends during the warmer months of the year.

Except for outdoor fun, Brooklyn is also home to one of the country’s most interesting buildings, housing the Brooklyn Public Library. The library is conveniently located nearby the Brooklyn Museum and the Botanic Garden, making the whole area great for a day of respite without leaving the city limits.

Most visitors to NYC are looking for that iconic New York skyline they’ve seen in movies. Brooklyn, lying just on the opposite bank of the East River, offers the most impressive vistas and panoramas of Manhattan’s skyline.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade is highly recommended for unobstructed views of Manhattan’s Seaport and the Financial District. For those looking for selfies or skyline photos with The Big Apple’s most iconic skyscrapers, this is the place to go. The promenade ends at Brooklyn Bridge Park, another nice spot to catch beautiful views of the Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan’s skyline.

Two more recreational areas lying north of Williamsburg Bridge are great for capturing iconic NYC vistas: Domino Park and Marsha P. Johnson Park. Overlooking the Lower East Side and East Village of Manhattan, these parks also offer other amenities of interest to visitors. The former is a popular spot for families, as it features a nice playground, while the latter is known for the nearby Bushwick Inlet Park football fields, as well as being home to the famous Smorgasburg food court on Saturdays (more on this in the next chapter).

New York City is known for its food options, ranging from classic all-American recipes, to ethnic flavors from every single corner of the world. Brooklyn is no exception and, in comparison to Manhattan, it’s probably cheaper and easier to secure a table reservation.

When asked about local eats, Brooklynites tend to speak very highly of the wider Sunset Park area offering a wide selection of ethnic cuisines and very affordable prices. From Asian dumpling and sushi places, all the way to taquerias and middle eastern kebab houses, Sunset Park has it all. Some food establishments might look shabbier on the outside but don’t be discouraged; the experience (and savings) will reward you!

Brooklyn is also known for its bagels and pizza, which is no surprise considering that the borough boasts significant Jewish and Italian presence. While out and about make sure to stop for a classic cream cheese and lox (cured salmon) bagel or a slice of New York-style pepperoni pizza.

Another Brooklyn culinary hotspot worth mentioning is the annual Smorgasburg, taking place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from April through October. Smorgasburg is an open-air food court, organized in three different locations based on the day of the week: Fridays at the World Trading Center, Saturdays at the Marsha P. Johnson State Park mentioned earlier, and Sundays at Prospect Park.

Manhattan is undoubtedly the heart of fine dining in New York and the US as a whole; however, Brooklyn has been seeing a steady increase in businesses awarded one or more Michelin stars in recent years. Specifically for 2023 there were 7 Brooklyn-based restaurants to receive this prestigious distinction, Aska in Williamsburg maintaining its two-star rating for a couple of years in a row.

Brooklyn offers some of the best street art in the whole metropolitan New York, featuring works of both local and international artists. Since 2011 Bushwick Collective has served as the heart of Brooklyn’s street art scene, while from 2012 onwards the collective’s annual Block Party in June is a well-known event aiming to bring attention to new works to be delivered to the public. Even outside the Collective’s direct supervision Bushwick is big on street art - walking towards the direction of Williamsburg is a great way to capture this neighborhood’s rich street art tradition.

Williamsburg, one of the most gentrified and hip neighborhoods of New York, is also home to a number of interesting graffiti and murals. Street art can be found spread throughout the neighborhood but mostly concentrated around the streets branching out of Bedford Avenue. Fun fact: one of the most well-known murals in the area can be seen covering the walls of a local Dunkin’ Donuts building!

Sunset Park was mentioned earlier as one of the most popular eating out spots in Brooklyn. Yet its fame is not limited to just food! The abandoned complex of Industry City in the neighborhood of Sunset Park is now considered to be one of the best spots for mural and graffiti hunting in the city. The complex also serves as a locale for various year-round events and hosts a food court and other amenities that make it attractive for locals and tourists alike.

Despite its overall abundance of activities and places of interest, one of the things Manhattan completely lacks is access to proper beaches. Brooklyn, on the other hand, is home to some of the city’s best swimming spots. Although the waters of the Atlantic are much colder than those in the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific, it’s still delightful to spend time under the sun by the sea in the heart of summer, especially when the city becomes almost unbearably hot and humid.

Coney Island is, undoubtedly, Brooklyn’s main attraction in the summer months. Not only does it boast a long and busy boardwalk with restaurants, bars, shops, and a whole amusement park, but the sand itself is fine and inviting. During the summer heatwave, Coney Island tends to attract visitors from all over the metropolitan area, making the beachfront particularly crowded. Thankfully, there are other options not too far away!

Just a little east of Coney Island Beach lies Brighton Beach, also known as Little Odessa because of the area’s large population of Eastern European descent. The Coney Island Boardwalk basically connects the two beaches; however, Brighton Beach is generally less busy than its neighbor. It’s highly recommended to try some local bites, such as pelmeni stuffed with meat or shrimp.

Other options for sun-lovers in Brooklyn include Plumb Beach, best-known to surfers and other water sports lovers, as well as Manhattan Beach. The latter is related to Manhattan by name only and is a natural continuation of Coney Island and Brighton Beach. It is mostly popular with families as it is less crowded than its neighbors but also caters well to sporty visitors, who can take advantage of the area's soccer, volleyball, and tennis fields and courts.

There's probably more than 5 reasons why Brooklyn is becoming New York's newest hotspot. Depending on whom you ask, you'll probably get vastly different responses. One thing's for sure; Manhattan's lesser-known cousin across the East River has managed to put its name on the tourist map for a while now and is here to stay. Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed!