Boasting a brand new cruise terminal and lots of unique cultural institutions, Brooklyn is hoping to draw visitors to its borough as a place to stay as they explore the area and across the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan. “Brooklyn is one of the city’s most unique boroughs filled with sights that should be on every visitor’s to-do list,” said Cristyne L. Nicholas, president and CEO of NYC & Company. “With the opening of the new passenger cruise ship terminal in Red Hook, now even more visitors will have the opportunity to experience all there is to see and do in this marvelous borough.”
Red Hook, where the new ship terminal is located, has long been. This neighborhood offers Valentino Pier Park and Beard Street Pier walkway with its magnificent vistas of New York Bay and the Statue of Liberty. A stroll along Columbia and Van Brunt Streets, the two main thoroughfares reveals cobblestone streets, charming brownstones and an eclectic mix of shops, galleries, bars and restaurants.
But what about the rest of Brooklyn?
Brooklyn has a history of its own. In 1524, the area was visited by Giovanni da Verrazano. In 1609, Henry Hudson landed on Coney Island and explored the area. Starting in 1636, and lasting until 1684, the native Indians ceded lands to the European settlers. In 1646 the town of Brooklyn was chartered by the Dutch East India Company. After the Declaration of Independence, the area witnessed the first military battle in 1776 with George Washington making a tactical retreat across the East River to Manhattan.
Until the Brooklyn Bride opened in 1883, it was an independent city, linked to Manhattan only by ferries or other water conveyances. Fifteen years later it was incorporated into the City of New York.
Three quarters of the 72.5-square-mile borough is surrounded by water and consists of some 60 neighborhoods inhabited by nearly 3 million people. A polyglot of close-to-a-hundred nationalities, it has a strong Caribbean and Mexican population as well has a heavy mixture of Asian, Middle Eastern, and European immigrants. Brighton Beach, with its heavy Russian population is often referred to as Little Odessa.
Cultural Happenings: The Brooklyn Academy of Music (30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Pl., 718/636-4111, www.bam.org in Fort Greene has grown into a booming urban arts center, bringing international performing arts and cinema to New York. It is the home of the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the core of an expanding cultural center that includes the new Mark Morris Dance Center. In a landmark move, Robert Redford will bring an outpost of his legendary Sundance Film Festival to BAM this May with a series of film screenings, performances, panel discussions, and special events that bring the activities of Utah’s Sundance Film Festival to New York audiences.
Through May 28, the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, 718-638-5000, www.brooklynmuseum.org will be the first venue of the traveling exhibition William Wegman: Funney/Strange. The first retrospective of Wegman's art in more than fifteen years, the exhibit showcases his work in all media, including photography, painting, collage, and video. The Brooklyn Museum is the second largest museum in New York City with more than 1.5 million objects in its permanent collection, including masterpieces from ancient Egypt, Africa and Asia, and revolving exhibitions of contemporary works.
Other marvelous museums and performing arts spaces make Brooklyn a place to visit. Plans are under way for the development of the Theatre for a New Audience, a 299-seat cultural facility designed by Frank Gehry and Hugh Hardy in the emerging Brooklyn Academy of Music Cultural District. The district is expected to house 15 to 20 cultural organizations once complete.
Each spring, the Brooklyn Arts Council’s International Film and Video Festival (718/625-0080) takes place each spring. The event puts the spotlight on films and videos by independent, college student and youth film makers with screenings in various venues throughout Brooklyn.
The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (80 Hanson Place, 718-230-0492, www.mocada.org) is Brooklyn’s first and only museum dedicated to the art of emerging, mid-career and established artists of the African Diaspora. Museum highlights include community-based programs that are fun and educational.
To learn about the fascinating history of public transportation in the Big Apple stop by The New York Transit Museum (Boerum Place and Schermerhorn St., 718/694-1600, www.mta.info/mta/museum), which is housed in a historic, decommissioned 1936 subway station and features engaging exhibits like the Moving the Millions: New York City’s Subways from its Origins to the Present and Steel and Stone & Backbone: Building New York's Subways 1900-1925, a exhibition that looks at the building of New York City's first subway line.
There’s lots for children to do in Brooklyn.
Kids of all ages love to take a break in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum (corner of Brooklyn and St. Mark’s Aves., 718/735-4400, www.brooklynkids.org), was the world’s first museum for children when it opened in 1899 and it pioneered the hands-on approach now seen in virtually all modern children’s museums. Recently opened, the Jewish Children’s Museum (792 Eastern Parkway, 718-467-0600, www.jcm.museum) gives kids the opportunity to learn about Jewish history and traditions in a fun, interactive environment. Permanent exhibits include a kosher supermarket and a discovery synagogue.
The great outdoors provides plenty of opportunity for bonding. Prospect Park offers fantastic activities with a carousel, the Leffert’s Homestead Children’s House Museum, an 18th century farmhouse; and the Prospect Park Zoo (718/399-7339, www.prospectparkzoo.com), home to kangaroos, Gila monsters, and more. Nearby, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (900 Washington Ave. at Eastern Parkway, 718/623-7200, www.bbg.org) is the perfect backdrop for family photos with the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, Daffodil Hill, and Cranford Rose Garden.
In Coney Island head to the New York Aquarium (Surf Ave. and W. 8th St., 718/265-3474, www.nyaquarium.com) and enjoy sea lion performances at the Aquatheater; or marvel at the jellyfish, sharks, beluga whales, walruses, and sea otters. After head to the famous Coney Island boardwalk and sample one of Nathan’s hot dogs, and the rides at Astroland Amusement Park (1000 Surf Ave., at W. 10th St., 718/265-2100, www.astroland.com. Enjoy thrills on the Cyclone, the most famous rollercoaster in the world since 1927, or rides like the Astrotower and Dante’s Inferno
For history buffs, reminders of yesteryear still exist throughout Brooklyn. Dating to 1653, the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House Museum (5816 Clarendon Rd., between 58th and 59th Sts., www.wyckoffassociation.org) is the oldest structure in New York State. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm April-October, the museum provides educational programming that showcases Dutch colonial New York.
Built in 1825, the Harbor Defense Museum (U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton, 101st St. and Fort Hamilton Parkway., 718/630-4349, www.harbordefensemuseum.com ) is on the National Register of Historic Places. Marvel at the military history displays of army uniforms, weapons, cannons, and munitions; models and dioramas of New York soldiers; and artifacts relating to Fort Hamilton and the defense of New York City
The Green-Wood Cemetery, established in 1838, spans 474 acres and is the final resting place for nearly 600,000 people including notable New Yorkers Jean-Michel Basquiat, Henry Ward Beecher, and Leonard Bernstein. Big Onion Walking Tours (212/439-1090, www.bigonion.com) offers tours of the Victorian “City of the Dead” focusing on its legendary history and architecture.
Founded in 1863, the Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont Street, 718-222-4111, www.brooklynhistory.org) houses the most comprehensive collection of Brooklyn-related materials in existence. Located in a restored national landmark building, the Brooklyn Historical Society offers four floors of exhibits and programs including performances, readings, lectures, & activities for children.
Food fanciers: When it comes to food, Brooklyn hosts a variety of restaurants. The romantic River Café (1 Water St., 718/522-5200, www.rivercafe.com) offers panoramic views of the New York skyline and harbor, and a fabulous menu featuring creative American cuisine. Nearby, Pete’s Downtown (2 Water St., 718/858-3510, www.petesdowntown.citysearch.com), has served Italian fare since 1894. And one of the most famous restaurants in Brooklyn is the Peter Luger Steak House (178 Broadway, 718/387-7400, www.peterluger.com) in Williamsburg. In business since 1897, this New York favorite continues to draw in diners with top porterhouses, strip steaks, and filet mignons. Down the street, the Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th St., 718/486-7422, www.brooklynbrewery.com) offers tours and provides a selection of lagers, pilsners, ales, and more.
Chocoholics can indulge at Jacques Torres Chocolate (66 Water St., 718/875-9992, www.mrchocolate.com), a factory and store specializing in handcrafted chocolates free of preservatives and artificial flavors. Or stop by Tumbador Chocolate (34 34th Street, 718-788-0200, www.tumbadorchocolate.com) where pastry chef Jean-Francios Bonnet creates fine chocolate delicacies.
Guided tours: Gray Line New York (212/445-0848, www.graylinenewyork.com takes travelers on the Brooklyn Loop via Gray Line Trolley, encouraging them to hop on and hop off, allowing ample time to enjoy the Brooklyn Museum, the Antique Furniture District, Fulton Mall, Grand Army Plaza, and other stops. The Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour (917-678-9733, www.asliceofbrooklyn.com), offers visitors the city's only guided bus tour of Brooklyn's best pizzerias. Taste the goods from top-ranked pizzerias while exploring some of Brooklyn’s most unique neighborhoods including DUMBO, Red Hook, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Coney Island and more. Bike the Big Apple (201/837-1133, www.bikethebigapple.com) takes a more active approach with the Brooklyn Bridge and Skyline at Twilight Bike Tour which takes guests over the bridge, or the The Great Brew, View and Chocolate Bike Tour with stops at the Brooklyn Brewery and Jacques Torres.
Take a guided tour with Big Onion Walking Tours (212-439-1090, www.bigonion.com) through Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights or Prospect Park. Or explore the borough on your own using The Big Onion Guide to Brooklyn, a book offering ten self-guided walking tours.
Accommodations: On the accommodations front, Brooklyn offers visitors a variety of places to lay their heads at night. The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge (333 Adam St., 718/246-7000, www.brooklynmarriott.com) in downtown Brooklyn is located within Renaissance Plaza, and adjacent to Metro Tech Center, with nine major subway lines all within one block radius for getting around. The full-service hotel plans to expand by adding 282 guest rooms in 2006. It’s only a short walk from the hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge for a 30 minute walk to Manhattan or to Brooklyn Heights where 600 pre-Civil War buildings grace the streets and where a lovely promenade along the waterfront offers striking views of Lower Manhattan. Or a short stroll to the rejuvenated area of DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge) with its high-end boutiques and restaurants.
There is a seven-room Bed and Breakfast on the Park (113 Prospect Park West, 718-499-6115) in Park Slope that has an elegant Victorian décor true to its 1892 building with touches like original stained glass windows and claw-foot bathtubs. (There is a two-night minimum stay.) Or the Union Street B&B (405 Union Street, 718-852-8406), an 1898 brownstone just off Smith Street in pretty Carroll Gardens, offers seven guest rooms with shared bathrooms and a two night minimum. The area offers some very good eating establishments.
There are many other areas to visit in the borough such as Floyd Bennett Field which offers great birding. Subways cover the borough and are the most efficient way of travel.
Visitors can now get borough bargains with the Brooklyn Pass (877-714-1999, www.brooklynpass.com), a two-day passport that offers admission to Brooklyn’s top attractions for just $25. In addition to admission at attractions including the Brooklyn Museum and New York Aquarium, the pass also includes value-added features such as a free slice of cheesecake at Juniors and a complimentary tour and glass of beer at the Brooklyn Brewery.
Visitors planning a stay in Brooklyn may want to contact the Brooklyn Tourism & Visitors Center (209 Joralemon St., 718/802-3846, www.brooklyntourism.org) for advice and information. Additional information can also be obtained from New York City & Company at www.nycvisit.com.