finley

We are traveling to NYC in mid Sept. and would like to visit Brooklyn. Any information, suggestions, advice on what to do, where to go, and most important...how to get there? I know we can walk over the bridge or take bus, subway, etc...but is there a particular bus/subway line we need to take to get us to a good starting point? Thanks for any help!!

john127

Depends on what exactly you want to do. What are your interests? Museums? Bars? Food? Want to have dinner or lunch? With a little more info, I'm sure myself and others who live here can give tons of suggestions.

John

finley

Thanks...all of the above!! LOL We are traveling w/ a then 16m toddler so any activities, restaurants, etc. need to be child friendly. (No bars, unfortunately!) We will probably be doing the typical zoo stuff in CP so any other suggestions will be appreciated. We are very open minded and will be accepting of any suggestions! Thanks again!

Lynn

john127

Lynn,

Ah, you're talking to the right person. I have a 16 month old myself!

Definitely check out Brooklyn Bridge Park. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (or take the train) and walk "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass" (the neighboorhood is called DUMBO and is a thriving, artsy community. There, along the east river, you'll find a beautiful park, complete with playground and astounding views of lower Manhattan. You can eat at Bubby's, just across the street - an extremely child-friendly BBQ place with the same spectacular view as the park. If you skip desert at Bubby's, you can walk south, under the Brooklyn Bridge and treat yourself to ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and yet another great view.

If you want to venture deeper into the borough, take the train to Prospect Park - stroll, play, whatever (although Central Park will outshine it). Near the park you will find the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens (beautiful) and the Brooklyn Museum. I would recommend the Brooklyn Childrens museum but it's a bit out of the way - the one in Manhattan will probably be easier for you to get to.

If you want to experience the "real" urban Brooklyn, go to Coney Island! Have a hot dog, put your child on some kiddie rides, visit the NY Aquarium, and stroll the boardwalk - it's an experience!


If you have any questions, please feel free (here or email - [email protected]).

Hope this helps,
John

nytraveler

Please- realize how big Brooklyn is. The way some people refer to it you might think it is a small neighborhood - like Greenwich Village. It is a separate borough (county) of almost a hundred square miles and has more than 2.5 million people.

The areas right near Manhattan - walking the brige are fine to visit - but otherwise you need a specific desination to visit (Museum, Botanical Garden etc) - or you will see little more than miles and miles of middle/working class residential neighborhoods.

finley

Thanks, John, for all of your helpful information. With a 16m child of your own, your suggestions were right on the mark. Coney Island sounds like a good destination...I think our daughter would love the aquarium and we would get a good sense of the area. We've done most of the tourist type things on previous trips, so this time we would like to really enjoy the city and boroughs and get a good feel of the neighborhoods.

Thanks nytraveler for the heads up on the borough...I knew it was not a neighborhood, however I did not know just how big...

Thanks again,
Lynn