Brooklyn is home to many of New York’s top attractions, including the Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Park. Our favorite Kings County sights also include some up-and-coming attractions, such as BLDG 92, located in a former military residence at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
RECOMMENDED: The 50 best New York attractions you have to see
BLDG 92
Located
in a former military residence on the grounds of the Brooklyn Navy
Yard, this small museum chronicles the mighty history of the former
shipbuilding center—which, at its peak during World War II, employed
close to 70,000 people. Permanent exhibits examine the yard’s origins
and significance throughout history; for example, a number of massive
vessels, including the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor and the Pearl
Harbor casualty USS Arizona, were built at the Navy Yard. But the
institution also looks to the manufacturing future of the space and
increasing number of businesses moving in each year businesses
(including Brooklyn Grange, which operates an apiary on site). The
location includes a café, weekend bus tours ($18–$30) and an
8,000-square-foot exhibition space that features the permanent “Brooklyn
Navy Yard: Past, Present and Future” exhibit, as well as rotating
offerings. A free weekend shuttle departs from Jay St at Willoughby St
every 15–20 minutes.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Those
searching for a little peace and quiet would do well to spend a few
hours at this verdant oasis. The garden—which abuts two other
neighborhood gems: the Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park—was founded in
1910 and features hundreds of types of flora, laid out over 52 acres.
Each spring, crowds descend on the space for the Sakura Matsuri
Festival, during which hundreds of trees bloom along the Cherry
Esplanade. But equally impressive are serene spots like the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden, the first Japanese-inspired nursery built in the
U.S., and the Shakespeare Garden, brimming with plants (such as primrose
and crocuses) mentioned in the Bard’s works. Start your journey at the
Visitor’s Center, an eco-friendly portal (it has a green roof filled
with 45,000 plants) that opened in May 2012.
Brooklyn Bridge
No
mere river crossing, this span is an elegant reminder of New York’s
history of architectural innovation. When it opened in 1883, the
Brooklyn Bridge was a feat of engineering: It was the first structure to
cross the East River and, at the time, the longest suspension bridge in
the world. (It also made use of steel-wire cables, invented by the
bridge’s original designer, John A. Roebling.) Now it attracts thousands
of tourists and locals, who enjoy spectacular views of lower Manhattan
and other city landmarks (such as the Statue of Liberty and Governors
Island) as they stroll its more-than-mile-long expanse. Heads up,
though: You may run into the occasional cyclist trying to navigate
through the crowds on the pedestrian walkway.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Some
city parks—Central and Prospect, most obviously—were built to replicate
rustic fields and preserve serene woodland. Brooklyn Bridge Park,
however, was not—and that's precisely why it has become so popular in
the almost three years since it debuted. The project has transformed a
chunk of the Brooklyn waterfront into a nearly 85-acre expanse; several
sections house unique attractions such as Jane's Carousel, a restored
1920s merry-go-round, and riverside esplanades with gorgeous Manhattan
views. Pier 5, the first part of the park designed specifically for
“active recreation,” opened in late 2012, cementing the space as the
city’s premier urban playground.
Brooklyn Flea
In
the nearly five years since its debut, this market has elevated the
vintage-shopping experience, setting a new standard for both goods and
food vendors, and emphasizing local purveyors where possible. Its mini
empire now includes markets in Fort Greene and Williamsburg, as well as
two food-focused Smorgasburg outposts, and forthcoming locations in
Manhattan and Philadelphia. When temperatures plunge, the fest moves to
the handsome, cavernous lobby at Brooklyn's landmark Skylight One Hanson
(through March). It's as good a people-watching spot as you'll
find—plenty of established and wanna-be designers mill about—and the
eats alone are worth the trip. Vendors change each weekend, so check the
website the Friday before doors open to see who's selling.
Brooklyn Heights and Brooklyn Promenade
It’s
easy to forget that you’re standing atop the hectic Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway while strolling along this esplanade, which opened in 1950.
But the thoroughfare is inextricably linked to the Promenade’s
existence: Community opposition to the BQE—which was originally intended
to cut through Brooklyn Heights—led city planner Robert Moses to
reroute the highway along the waterfront. He also proposed building a
park atop the road to block noise. Stroll, run or make out along its
⅓-mile length, pausing to appreciate postcard-ready views of lower
Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty; then check out
some of the 19th-century row houses down Brooklyn Heights’ tree-lined
side streets, or head down to Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn’s
premier institution is a less-crowded alternative to Manhattan’s
bigger-name spaces. Among the museum’s many assets is a 4,000-piece
Egyptian collection, which includes a gilded-ebony statue of Amenhotep
III and, on the ceiling, a large-scale rendering of an ancient map of
the cosmos, as well as a mummy preserved in its original coffin.
Masterworks by Cézanne, Monet and Degas, part of an impressive European
collection, are displayed in the museum’s Beaux-Arts Court. On the fifth
floor, American paintings and sculptures include native son Thomas
Cole’s The Pic-Nic and Louis Rémy Mignot’s Niagara. Don’t miss the
renowned Pacific Island and African galleries (this was the first
American museum to display African objects as art).
Coney Island Cyclone
Nothing
offers a thrilling jolt of Brooklyn nostalgia quite like a ride on the
Cyclone. The roller coaster dates to 1927, when Coney Island was a
booming seaside resort, but shuttered for six years starting in 1969,
marking one of many troubled economic periods for the ’hood. Aside from
grabbing a beer and hot dog at Nathan’s Famous, riding the Cyclone is
the thing to do at Coney Island on a lovely summer day.
Green-Wood Cemetery
- Critics choice
A
century ago, this site vied with Niagara Falls as New York State’s
greatest tourist attraction. Filled with Victorian mausoleums, cherubs
and gargoyles, Green-Wood is the resting place of some half-million New
Yorkers, among them Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leonard Bernstein and Boss
Tweed. But there’s more to do here than grave-spot: Check out the
massive Gothic arch at the main entrance or climb to the top of Battle
Hill, one of the highest points in Kings County and a pivotal spot
during the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776.
- 500 25th St, (at Fifth Ave)
New York Transit Museum
- 1/4
Other
archives may offer broader perspectives on city history, but we love
the Transit Museum because it goes deep into one essential element of
New York life: the public transit system. Opened in 1976 in a former IND
subway station, the museum displays historic artifacts—including a
collection of vintage train cars spanning the 20th century—as well as
more timely pieces, such as works from the MTA’s Arts for Transit
program.
- Boerum Pl, (at Schermerhorn St)
Prospect Park
- Critics choice
- Free
Urban
visionaries Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who most famously
designed Central Park, also put their stamp on bucolic Prospect Park.
Amenities like the Long Meadow and Nethermead offer plenty of space to
pull up on a patch of grass and indulge in some people-watching, and the
woodland expanse of the Ravine is a towering forest within bustling
Brooklyn. But we also have to give props to Robert Moses: The
controversial city planner was behind some of the park’s kid-friendly
offerings, including the zoo and Wollman Rink (which is currently
undergoing an extensive renovation).
No comments:
Post a Comment