Williamsburg
The most-visited neighborhood in Brooklyn — waterfront parks with a straight-on Manhattan view, a dense music and bar scene, and enough shopping on Bedford Avenue to fill an afternoon.
- What it costs
- Free to walk. Everything else is neighborhood-priced, which is not cheap.
- Best in
- Spring, Summer, Fall
- Where
- Bedford Avenue & N 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249
- Official site
- nycgovparks.org
The waterfront
Domino Park runs along the East River on the site of the old Domino Sugar Refinery, with the refinery's salvaged syrup tanks and cranes left standing in the landscape. Straight-on Manhattan skyline, a good elevated walkway, and free.
Marsha P. Johnson State Park (the former East River State Park) is a few blocks north and is where Smorgasburg sets up in season.
Both are free, both have the view, and sunset from either is the reason people come.
Bedford Avenue and around
Bedford Avenue from the L stop north is the main commercial strip — independent shops, record stores, vintage, and a lot of coffee. It is busy, well-trodden and not remotely a secret any more.
The interesting stuff is one or two blocks either side. Wythe Avenue and Berry Street hold most of the food and bars worth the trip.
South Williamsburg, below the bridge, is a large Hasidic neighborhood and a completely different place — worth walking through with some awareness that it is somebody's residential community, not an attraction.
Music and nights
Williamsburg has one of the densest concentrations of small and mid-size live music venues in the city, along with rooftop bars and a serious cocktail scene.
It is not cheap. Manhattan prices arrived here about a decade ago. If you want the neighborhood energy without the cost, Bushwick is two stops further out on the L and considerably cheaper.
Getting there
The L to Bedford Avenue — one stop from Manhattan, about 15 minutes from Union Square. This is the easiest borough hop in the city.
The J, M and Z serve South Williamsburg via the Marcy Avenue and Hewes Street stops.
The NYC Ferry East River route stops at North Williamsburg and is much the best approach — you get the skyline the whole way for the price of a subway ride.
Getting around once you're there
**Bedford Avenue station on the L is not accessible**, which is a real problem given it's the main entrance to the neighborhood. Metropolitan Avenue/Lorimer Street is the nearest accessible option. Once you're on the street the area is flat and the waterfront parks are step-free.