Obviously, I couldn’t have just one blog post on NYC… I mean c’mon… it’s the BEST CITY in the world!
Last time, I walked you guys through some of my favorite things to do in the city; however, they were quite touristy and had a lot do with Times Square and Central Park. Today, we’re traveling to Brooklyn… a gem in disguise, if you will:)
In the city, you must walk EVERYWHERE to really feel like a real new-yorker. Nothing is ever too far… it’s just a little whiles away. Therefore, the only real way to experience Brooklyn is by walking the Brooklyn Bridge to enter the borough.
In order to beat the crowd, you should walk the bridge in the morning or later in the evening. Despite being a tourist attraction, thousands of New Yorkers use the Brooklyn Bridge as a mode of transportation — either biking or brisk-walking it in order to get to-and-from work.
My favorite time to walk the bridge is during sunset so that you can watch the sun dip under the horizon, with the skyline in the background. If you’re planning a trip to Brooklyn, I would recommend walking the bridge into Brooklyn around lunch time. This way, you can enjoy the sunset on your way back into Manhattan, and get the ‘city life’ experience once it gets darker outside and the skyscrapers light the sky.
Once in Brooklyn, there are a plethora of places to explore… but first food.
I’m sure you’ve all heard about “Brooklyn Pizza”. Yes! Brooklyn Pizza is in fact amazing! You can’t go to Brooklyn and not eat pizza… it just doesn’t work that way.
Di Fara Pizza is known as the best pizzeria in New York City — and it does not disappoint!! The wait to eat here can be crazy (all of the time), but as thousands attest, “it is well-worth the wait”.
Once you’ve stuffed yourself with some New-York styled pizza, take a trip to DUMBO. Named for being “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”, DUMBO is one of liveliest places in Brooklyn.
You can visit the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Aside from its astonishing views, the park sets up weekly events in the summer to bring the community together. This includes Movies With a View. Every Thursday of July and August, the Brooklyn Bridge Park sets up an outdoor movie. Now it’s not just a movie… it’s a party. They even hire a DJ and food vendors to set up, until it’s dark enough to start the movie.
I was fortunate enough to experience this a couple years ago. I watched Wonder Woman and they had Smorgasburg for food. To say this experience was phenomenal is an understatement. Truly one of my favorite memories from the city:)
While the movie with a view is quite amazing, there’s still plenty more to explore. You’re probably gonna want to document your trip to Brooklyn, and what better place to do that than the “Photo Spot” of Brooklyn. Famous for the way Brooklyn’s red brick buildings, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Empire State building can be captured all in one picture, this street is a true beauty.
You can also visit Brooklyn’s famous flea markets to try and find a vintage buy, or take a stroll along the water. The views are beautiful as Brooklyn overlooks Manhattan. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can visit Jane’s Carousel. It’s nearly a century-old, and has been refurbished and encased with a glass cube around it. The good news is that you can still ride it and it makes for some cool pictures!
I hope you can go out and explore these beautiful sites in Brooklyn, one day! For now, I’ll just reminisce my past trips:( You’ve now spent ~a day in the life~ in Brooklyn!
The only times I’ve seen NYC are through the window of a plane when I had a couple layovers in JFK. I hope I get to spend more than a day in an airport there, it looks like such a blast. And the pizza is reminding me I need to eat dinner soon…
Wow! I love how you took us into another borough of NYC. The city is truly amazing and filled with things to do! I’m not as familiar with Brooklyn as I am with Queens, so this tour was so fascinating. Di Fara is definitely the spot though! I hope to get back to the city post-covid restrictions and explore Brooklyn for myself!
Brooklyn looks and sounds beautiful! Once the pandemic subsides and becomes “a thing of the past,” I would love to visit Brooklyn for myself. You recommended a lot of mesmerizing places to check out, especially ones ideal for photos. I have recently started to enjoy taking pictures, so Brooklyn would be a great place for me to explore this newfound hobby. The pizza also looks so delicious! I’ve heard that Brooklyn pizza is amazing, so I’ll definitely have to try it out whenever I get a chance to visit New York City. Awesome post, Simran, and I can’t wait to read your next one!
I love NYC and I think that Brooklyn definitely deserves its own blog post. It’s definitely on my list of places to visit because I’ve really only explored Manhattan. I have been across the bridge before though, and it was a really cool sight. The pizza alone is a great reason to make the trip. I can’t wait to try Di Fara since I saw that Dave Portnoy rated it a 9.4 in his pizza review.