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Central business district in New York City
Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Downtown Brooklyn is in Brooklyn. In addition to the downtown area proper, it includes Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and the Navy Yard.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
This pretty building was built as Brooklyn's city hall in 1851 and is still a very significant official building in very active use.
Work started in 1870 on the first bridge crossing of the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. This 1,595-ft suspension bridge was finally completed in 1883 - and, as a plaque on it says, it is a "structure of beauty".
A museum and library dedicated to the history of Brooklyn.
This neo-Romanesque fairy castle was built in 1891, and a northern addition in very similar style was built in 1933. The older building is a busy post office serving Downtown Brooklyn and the northern addition houses the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York.
The Manhattan Bridge, just a bit to the east of the Brooklyn Bridge, with signposted access from Jay St. slightly over 4 blocks north (toward the river) of Tillary St., can also be crossed by pedestrians and cyclists, but if you do so, you will be rattled by passing subway trains that traverse the bridge, your view will be partly obstructed by mesh, and you won't be in a position to see much to the north of the bridge (so no great views of the Midtown skyline like you get from the Brooklyn Bridge walkway). It's still worth doing if you have enough time, though, partly because of the views of the Brooklyn Bridge that you can see from the Manhattan Bridge. As of November 2021, construction is taking place on the bridge; it narrows the path pedestrians and cyclists share in places, but access is otherwise unimpeded.
MoCADA
A self supporting arm of the MTA, it is housed in the Subway's former Court Street Station, on a spur line from the current A and C lines. Closed to passengers in 1946, it was reopened in 1976 as the New York Transit Exhibit and was popular enough to be made permanent. The museum is made up of two underground levels: the Mezzanine, which hosts exhibits on the construction of the subway, surface transportation in New York, fare collection and rotating exhibits on various transit-related subjects; and the station platform, which houses about 20 retired subway cars dating as far back as 1903 and a working signal tower. The museum sponsors events throughout the year, including simple art projects, walking tours on the subway, and rides on the museums' fleet of retired trains. There is also an annex of the museum in Grand Central Station in Midtown Manhattan.
A good cinema in an old opera hall. Films shown are in between arthouse and mainstream.
A truly hidden gem. This barge, moored permanently just under the Brooklyn Bridge, has chamber music fare every week with cheese, wine, plush seating, a fireplace, and gentle rocking to assist in your peaceful slumber. It also has a dynamite view of the lower Manhattan skyline.
Home to the impressive Brooklyn Philharmonic, BAM is one of the best places in the country to attend cutting-edge new musical and dance performances. The Next Wave Festival every autumn is a much-anticipated event of the New York performance scene.
An NBA team that plays in the Barclays Center, an arena at 620 Atlantic Ave. The New Jersey Nets until 2012, the team was purchased and brought to Brooklyn by Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov (though he no longer owns the team), and it's the first major league team to call Brooklyn its home since 1958, after the Dodgers left to Los Angeles.
This WNBA (women's) team will join the Nets at the Barclays Center for the next WNBA season in 2020, after having been bought by the current owner of the Nets. Note that the WNBA season is played during the NBA's summer offseason.
An NHL team that began sharing Barclays Center with the Nets in the 2015–16 season, but now play only about half of their home games in Brooklyn. The "Isles" have moved the remainder of their home schedule to their former home of Nassau Coliseum (now extensively renovated) in the Nassau County suburb of Uniondale. In 2021, the Isles plan to move full-time into a new arena next to the Belmont Park horse racing track in another Nassau County community, Elmont.
Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes
Built in 1856, on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and home to weekly religious services and cultural happenings.
A nondescript building on the corner of Water and Dock Streets, St. Ann's Warehouse delivers consistently impressive avant garde theater.
Large, lively food court located underground. Mood lighting and a bit of a maze, with lots of different cuisines for eating there or taking out.
the Smith St Bakery
Bien Cuit offers a variety of house-baked breads and pastries served in a central Smith Street location with wifi and Crop to Cup coffee and espresso drinks.
Located near Fulton Ferry Landing and DUMBO, only serves its coal-fired pizza by the pie, not the slice, and does not accept credit cards. Some people still consider it worth it, while others think it's a tourist trap. That said, for best results, line up before opening time, when their oven is at its hottest.
From the website: "Juliana’s heralds the return of Patsy & Carol Grimaldi—not only to the NYC restaurant scene, but to the original location under the Brooklyn Bridge where they founded Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. Unbeknownst to many, Pat & Carol ended their association with Grimaldi’s more than a decade ago when they sold the business (along with the name) to a customer." So you could say that this is the real Grimaldi's. New Yorkers skip the lines at Grimaldi's and get their coal-fired pizza here.
Sure, you can eat their famous cheesecake in Grand Central, but why not try the original? With an ad announcing loud and clear that this is it, it's one of the first places you'll see coming off the Manhattan Bridge if you're driving on the Flatbush Ave Extension. Home to what is known as "the most fabulous cheesecake," and also featuring New York deli items like tongue sandwiches, this restaurant has been a Brooklyn favorite for decades. The gracious waiters, dressed immaculately in suits and ties, are part of the atmosphere.
A Montreal-inspired deli serving up poutine and smoked meat that has gained a huge following since it opened a few years ago.
Serves as an informal community center for the local Yemeni community, but don't be put off by the social club atmosphere; the staff are very friendly and welcoming, and the food (especially the lamb) is very tasty and inexpensive (two people can pig out for about $40). Note: This is a halal establishment that serves no alcohol and would not be an appropriate place to bring your own. Have the spiced tea, instead.
Antique paintings adorn the upstairs seating area of this little bakery specializing in French pastries and bread. Come early before the good stuff is gone.
A small chocolatier on a sparse street in DUMBO near some of Brooklyn's best views of the Manhattan skyline. Go for the goodies, but stay for the "Wicked Hot Chocolate".
The hotel’s luxurious accommodations boast a relaxed but modern atmosphere with state-of-the-art amenities.
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge has expansive views of the East River and Manhattan skyline. Designed by local artists using native greenery and reclaimed materials.
Standard chain hotel, has all the amenities you'd expect and no others. The buffet breakfast is the only thing to write home about, a notch or two better than your typical hotel breakfast.
The most famous purveyor of Middle Eastern foodstuffs in New York City. Across the street, there is another store which is open later. If you like Arab food, don't miss a trip to Atlantic Avenue.
A great small wine shop in DUMBO. They have a great selection of Burgundies as well as other wines from all over the world and a very friendly and knowledgeable staff.
By subway
Almost every line that runs in Brooklyn runs through here. The major station here is Atlantic Avenue (over by Barclays Center), the biggest station outside Manhattan and a major transfer point.
By bus
Many buses connect Downtown Brooklyn with other neighborhoods of Brooklyn (see a PDF map here, and note the separate inset for Downtown Brooklyn at the upper right corner), but the B51 bus that used…
By bicycle or on foot
Both the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges can be crossed by bicycle and on foot.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
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