New York City consists of five boroughs. While most visitors focus on Manhattan, if you take time to visit NYC’s other boroughs, you’ll find a more local experience.
In particular, spending a day in Brooklyn can be fun. Brooklyn is a borough filled with intriguing neighborhoods. From historic Coney Island to hipster Williamsburg, there is something for everyone.
Read on to learn about four ways to do Brooklyn in a day.
Brooklyn in a Day: Williamsburg NY
Plan a visit to Williamsburg on a Saturday and start your adventure in Brooklyn with a visit to Smorgasburg, a weekly open-air food market serving up all sorts of delectable dishes, many with an ethnic flair. We sampled watermelon maple syrup lemonade, a butternut squash donut and fried chicken served in a pineapple.
Go for a caffeine fix at Partners Coffee Roasters in Williamsburg. The cold brew really hits the spot on a hot day. No trip to New York is complete without a proper foldable pizza slice. Grab a cheese slice for lunch at Joe’s in Williamsburg.
While away the afternoon at Brooklyn Brewery. Try unique craft beers you may not find in the shops. I particularly loved the Brooklyn Bel Air Sour. It was tart and slightly astringent.
Continue eating your way through Williamsburg with a six-scoop flight at Oddfellows, a Brooklyn institution. Black-sesame Nutella, carrot-cake cream cheese, sprinkles, burnt marshmallow, coffee crunch, and Santa’s milk and cookies completed the experience.
Walk off all the delicious eating and drinking by having a wander and browsing the quaint shops in Williamsburg.
Brooklyn in a Day: Park Slope
Another way to spend a day in Brooklyn is to take the subway to Park Slope. Park Slope has a decidedly residential feel. Make your way to the Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe in Park Slope to grab a proper New York bagel for breakfast.
Ask for what’s hot and let that inform your selection. Be prepared to wait. The Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe is extremely popular, especially on the weekend. It’s worth the wait.
Bagel in hand, take a walk around Prospect Park. Sit on a park bench and watch the joggers and dog walkers rushing past. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the famous landscape architect, in the mid-19th century, the park has seen better days, but is a living breathing piece of history and a green lung in the urban expanse of Brooklyn.
Head over to Fifth Avenue for a cold-brew coffee in a relaxing setting at Kos Kaffe in Park Slope. Fifth Avenue is lined with all sorts of shops and restaurants. Take some time to browse.
Try Colombian food at Bogota Latin Bistro in Park Slope for brunch or lunch. I loved the zesty vinegar-based sauces for dipping cornmeal empanadas. Migas with arepas and tostones (savory plantains) were simply delicious. Wash it all down with a spicy jalapeño-guava margarita.
Finish your Brooklyn in a day itinerary focused on Park Slope with a stop at Threes Brewing. Waiting for the Renaissance was surprisingly sour. Opt for the smallest pours, so you can try a few of their signature brews.
Brooklyn in a Day: Borough Park
Borough Park is an area of Brooklyn far off the tourist map. Known for a high concentration of Hasidic Jews, we appreciated the opportunity to check out some of the neighborhood landmarks.
Shop at Glatt Mart, a glatt kosher supermarket. I definitely recommend the rugelach, little crescent-shaped pastries. Stop at a kosher pizza and falafel shop for lunch.
Some of the places in the neighborhood feel a little divey, but seem to be popular with the locals. We tried falafel in a pita with a potato knish. Consider a visit to Borough Park as an alternative day out in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn in a Day: Coney Island and Brighton Beach
Coney Island and Brighton Beach at the southern tip of Brooklyn take over an hour to get to from Manhattan on the subway. Coney Island is like a whole other world.
If you happen to be in New York City for the Fourth of July, take the opportunity to witness one of the greatest competitions of all time — the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
This event is not for the faint of heart. Champion eaters from around the world descend on Coney Island for a shot at the annual title. Even ESPN televises the festivities.
Try to get close to the stage (but not too close … you never want to be too close to someone who has just downed more than 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes!) The anticipation is palpable. Even our canine friends were licking their lips waiting for the contest to begin.
One by one, the competitors are introduced. When we went, we had the good fortune to see Takeru Kobayashi, the heavyweight and former title-holder from Japan, take the stage.
He was soon followed by another hot-dog eating champion, Joey Chestnut, who strutted on stage carrying his Nathan’s victory belt. The competition began, and the crowd grew frenzied as hot dog after hot dog was wolfed down.
Kobayashi and Chestnut were neck and neck. We were witnessing a world-record pace of hot-dog eating. While the time-per-dog seemed to increase as time elapsed, and many of the competitors had a pained look on their faces, we did witness history.
Joey Chestnut downed 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes, a new world record! Having crossed that experience off your life list, continue down the Coney Island boardwalk. Stop for a knish and Jamaican beef patty at a quintessential boardwalk shack. Ice-cold lemonade really hits the spot.
After the morning’s excitement, continue into neighboring Brighton Beach in search of a little sweet treat. Brighton Beach is an area of Brooklyn with a large Russian immigrant population.
Situated under the subway tracks, Brighton Beach Avenue is lined with plenty of shops and eateries. We hit the sweet jackpot at Food Heaven, which featured a dozen or more cakes that could be ordered by the slice.
We asked for about two inches of the honey cake and two inches of the cherry cake to share with family and friends.
