For college-aged tourists who want to soak up the atmosphere of trendy, hipster Brooklyn, what streets would you recommend they explore? The more specific advice, the better. They are looking for cool shops and/or galleries for browsing, not buying. Thanks!
In Williamsburg ( “the new Soho”) Bedford Avenue between Brooklyn Bridge and McCaren Park is a very hip area.
Great! Thanks! Super helpful!
I like Park Slope and think it would be considered trendy. Go to Applewood for brunch.
Thanks! Will let them know! Great to have a specific restaurant to recommend.
Dumbo is fun to walk around. Some nice shops, restaurants, etc.
http://explorebk.com/2014/05/08/walk-across-brooklyn-bridge-dumbo-brooklyn-bridge-park/
Red Hook is good for galleries of up and coming artists.
Fantastic! Just the kind of info I was looking for. I know Manhattan very well but I haven’t spent much time in Brooklyn, especially in the hipster neighborhoods.
You will feel very, very old in these neighborhoods. I swear there’s a law that you can’t live there if you’re over 40…
It’s for my 19-year-old daughter who is traveling with her friends (alas, not with me). They just want to go where the cool kids are, and they know, generally, that’s in “Brooklyn.” They asked for my help in narrowing things down a bit, geographically speaking. All this info is much appreciated.
Here’s where I like to walk:
- Up Court Street away from Borough Hall. Hint: across the street from Trader Joe's is Shelsky's, a fish deli. Go there. Get something to eat. It's fantastic. And compliment Peter on his Bar Mitzvah book; it's on the counter. Court St. combines old and new Brooklyn.
- Up Smith Street. Sort of parallel to Court St. Similar to Court Street but kind of more mixed. There are tons of good restaurants on both streets.
- The promenade in Brooklyn Heights. And walk the main drag, Montague Street, which feels like an upscale village in the huge city. Then walk anywhere: down steps to Brooklyn Bridge Park (and maybe up to the Bridge and back through Dumbo) or across into downtown and realize how small this section of the city is. If you cross the parks near Borough Hall (Brooklyn's city hall), you run into the huge wave of brand new buildings where rents are now $4k+ for a 2BR.
- If you want to see urban change in ultra fast motion, walk over to Fulton Street. It was, sort of kinda is the African-American downtown - with a Macy's - but look and you see the change in stores (a new mall is just opening) and on the side streets are more huge buildings with more about to go up. This area is, again, a block or so from Court St.
- To understand Brooklyn, you need to know the train lines and why the "downtown" sections of Brooklyn have become ultra-desirable: every freaking train line goes through there, particularly through Jay Street. Keep going on the train and you go to Prospect Park. The neighborhood is, to me, less interesting than the park itself, which is magnificent. And if you're really interested in urban change, look at Barclay's Center and what's starting to happen there and realize it's not even a mile to the new stuff lining Atlantic Avenue ... and in between is all that old retail. It's like the area is made of playdough and it is being shaped every week. To move over, when you get to Williamsburg, you have much more limited access to Manhattan - and Greenpoint has even less. Why did they develop? Williamsburg in particular had available land and has views of the skyline. There were incentives to build on the garbage near the water, which is now parkland and expensive stuff. (If you don't have a homburg, I believe they'll issue you one as enter Williamsburg.)
In short, pretty much every neighborhood in Brooklyn is happening. Fort Greene is changing and you find expensive homes and cool stores and restaurants there. Bed-Sty is changing and not long ago you wouldn’t go there at all. Brooklyn is one of the most amazing cities in the world on its own.
Hey, I spend a lot of time in Brooklyn calculating by how many years I up the average age in any establishment! All three of my kids are living there this summer (2 permanently) and we often meet them for dinner or just to hang out in the park or visit Smorgasburg etc. @notelling, if your D and her friends will be there over the weekend, Smorgasburg (a fabulous collection of food trucks and fun people to watch) is in Williamsburg on Saturdays and in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sundays.
Wow, Lergnom, that’s definitely the walking tour I will do next time I’m in NYC. Really great info. And Runnersmom, I will pass along the fantastic tip on Smorgasburg!
If they are around on the weekend (during the day) they should go to Smorgasburg which is held in either Brooklyn Heights (near the Brooklyn Bridge) or Williamsburg. It is a lot of fun and offers lots of yummy food with a food truck vibe. They can also do Brooklyn Flea which has vintage and DIY shopping.
http://www.smorgasburg.com
http://brooklynflea.com/markets/williamsburg/
@katliamom My husband and I are both from Brooklyn (we now live in Manhattan–Chelsea–and Long Island). We go back to explore Brooklyn all of the time. Lots of empty nesters are moving there especially in the high rise towers they are building along the waterfront in Williamsburg and Dumbo. Same for Long Island City. Some areas became so popular and the rise in rents has been so quick that it’s crazy. So its no longer the 20 somethings that live there–they just can’t afford it! Lost of kids are living in Bushwick, Greenpoint, Gowanus, Fort Greene, Red Hook, Crown Heights, Bed Stuy and Upper Manhattan instead.
But for a visit, Williamsburg and Smorgasbord would be a good start. And it would be fun for kids and grownups (even if they go separately.)
There aren’t a lot of galleries on Bedford Avenue that I remember. But here’s two guides that can help.
http://freewilliamsburg.com/listings/the-williamsburg-greenpoint-brooklyn-gallery-guide
http://art-collecting.com/galleries_ny_brooklyn.htm
Also, there a lot of galleries in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and they stay open on Sundays. Good brunches and window shopping there, too. Same hipster-like vibe as Williamsburg and the East Village. Again, a mix of ages, too.
@uskoolfish My daughter lives in Williamsburg, in a converted tea factory from the late 19th century. She enjoys it very much but lives in fear of her rent going up. I visited her last April and was charmed - I loved the mix of hip/old-and-gritty/modern. I was also amazed how upmarket the Lower East Side has become! Ah… if you’re into cities, there’s nothing like NYC.
If you go to Smorgasburg, go early. It’s an amazing collection of food but there are a lot of people there too.
Here’s a few great, trendy cheap eats in Williamsburg - all classic, new Brooklyn restaurants with the Brooklyn hipster culinary sensibilities that IMHO together have led to Brooklyn’s exalted status as a foodie destination:
Pies ’N Thighs (punk diner specializing in fried chicken and of course pie)
La Superior (Mexican)
Fette Sau (BBQ)
egg (great breakfast)
If their budget is a little bigger, they should also consider (all in Williamsburg):
St. Anselm (relatively cheap hipster steakhouse)
Masion Premiere (trendy oysters and cocktails)
Marlow & Sons perhaps (the first “new" Brooklyn restaurant)
Diner ( a classic hipster diner)
A few others outside of Williamsburg:
Franny’s or Roberta’s (iconic hipster pizza spots)
Mile End (Montreal style jewish deli)
Pok Pok (unusual but very authentic thai)
and for dessert, not in Williamsburg but perhaps worth a trip - the Brooklyn Pharmacy
Great!! Really appreciated!!
I went to college in Downtown Brooklyn next to the Jay Street subway entrance when it was a dump, and once mugged in broad daylight walking down the street. How times have changed.
^^^ My first job out of college was at A&S. I lived in Manhattan because Bklyn wasn’t a place young professionals lived - except for Brooklyn Heights and a bit later (mid 80’s?) Park Slope.
Now at MetroTech Center, there’s a French coffee shop (La Defense) and on the corner of Fulton is a Shake Shack and some new - some upscale chain - restaurants. Past Macy’s is a new 750k sf mall and on the side streets are like 4 30+ story condo/apt towers with more under way. It’s not perfectly safe but oh my how it’s changed and you walk the block to Smith or Court Sts and it’s entirely new Brooklyn.