Brooklyn is for Budgets
Craving big-city excitement after months of staying home? Here’s our US-travel destination recommendation for the coming season.
When most of us envision New York City, we see Manhattan: skyscrapers, Broadway, Times Square, Central Park, Empire State Building or the memory of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Less often do we think: Brooklyn.
But we should. After all, the very best views of all of New York City’s iconic
landscapes are from Brooklyn. And Brooklyn captures what we often think of as the spirit of New York City: multicultural, fast-paced, artistic and spirited. Nonstop flights from Kansas City will get you there in about 21⁄2 hours, and off-season round-trip tickets can sometimes be found for less than $150. As you evaluate summer trips or your first post-pandemic big getaways, consider putting Brooklyn at the top of your list.
By basing your NYC trip in Brooklyn, you aren’t losing out on the buzz of a big city. If Brooklyn were an independent city, it would be the fourth-largest city in the United States. (It was independent until a hotly contested vote in 1898 to assimilate under the NYC umbrella, a motion that passed by only 164 votes. Some still refer to it as the “Great Mistake of 1898.”)
What Brooklyn offers best is proximity to all the NYC sites at comparatively
affordable costs. This spring, I paid less than $150 a night to stay at a lovely
two-bedroom Airbnb (kitchen, washer-dryer, and well supplied) on the secondfloor of a brownstone on Classon Avenue with convenient access to subway and buses.
Staying in Brooklyn allows you to explore and enjoy the neighborhoods. Though they don’t have typical tourist sites, Brooklyn’s melting-pot neighborhoods do have some of the best authentic international restaurants. I tracked Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Caribbean, African, Hispanic, Ukrainian, Russian, Middle Eastern, Indian, Greek, Irish… and the list goes on.
From your base in Brooklyn, you can easily cross over to explore sites in Manhattan, and you can remain in Brooklyn to enjoy some of its unique sites, including:
Brooklyn Bridge Completed in 1883 as the largest suspension bridge in the world, it is a marvel that is still going strong. Walk it from Brooklyn to Manhattan and you end up in the lap of City Hall, just blocks from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Reverse direction, and you’ll curl into Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), a hot entertainment district
adjacent to some of the ritziest brownstone streets in NYC.
Brooklyn Museum
Opened in 1897 as the largest cultural center in the world, the museum hosts massive permanent collections but also edgy temporary exhibits, all housed in beautiful spaces.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
This was the first museum in the world to be dedicated to kids when it opened in 1899. More than 120 years later, it’s still good for adults and kids alike.
New York Transit Museum
Holds artifacts of NYC subway, trains, bus systems … unexpectedly
impressive.
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
These 52 acres contain a rose garden, Japanese section, ponds, conservatories, esplanades, and green spaces where residents spread blankets and take naps. Like most NYC parks, it is well loved.
Prospect Park
A B-I-G (585 acres!) green space with meadows, lake, zoo, biking and hiking trails, picnic spots and bandshells with free concerts. Grab some deli takeaway, bring a blanket, and enjoy like a native.
Coney Island
The original amusement park and boardwalk offers rides (like the Cyclone, a rollercoaster that is on the National Register of Historic Places)
and an expansive beach (yes, you can swim in the Atlantic Ocean in Brooklyn, in several spots).
Various Music Venues
There are plenty of opportunities for concerts, from traditional venues such as the Brooklyn Philharmonic performances at the Brooklyn Museum and concerts at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Be sure to check out a performance at Bargemusic, a river barge outfitted for classical music concerts. One of our favorite musical finds was the Williamsburg Music Center, a compact jazz club with maybe 8 small tables and a few couches but a quintet of amazing, seasoned musicians.
Walking Tours
There are several walking tours around Brooklyn, including the outstanding Free Tours by Foot. Sign up online in advance for a tour with these excellent guides and pay what you can afford. I met people from nine countries and look forward to meeting more on my next trip.
After all, of course I plan to return.
Because I may be falling in love with Brooklyn.
This story was originally published in the Summer 2022 edition of Topeka Magazine.
