Things to do in Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the biggest and most populous borough of New York City. Located on the westernmost tip of Long Island, it covers 71 sq mi (183 sq km) and has a population of 2.6 million people. It is the most populous borough of New York City and the second most densely populated after Manhattan. If Brooklyn were a separate city, it would be the fourth largest city in the United States.

With a population of almost 2.5 million, Brooklyn has the most residents of any of the five boroughs and is located just across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan. Make sure you drive your luxury car rental to Brooklyn to experience a neighborhood rich in history, culture, and entertainment! There are hundreds of attractions in Brooklyn to amuse yourself with – all you need is your luxury car rental to get ready and go!

Visiting Brooklyn

Contents

Visiting Brooklyn

Sights in Brooklyn

You can reach Brooklyn easily by subway from Manhattan and Queens. Most of the subway lines from Manhattan that continue into Brooklyn stop at the Atlantic Avenue Subway Station, the largest subway station in the network outside Manhattan.

If you are going by car or taxi, Manhattan is connected to Brooklyn by the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and the Williamsburg Bridge. Brooklyn is also connected to Staten Island by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

Sights in Brooklyn

Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Brooklyn Museum
Coney Island
Gateway National Recreation Area
Grand Army Plaza
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Park Slope Historic District
Prospect Park

Top Attractions in Brooklyn

New York Aquarium – Come see over 8,000 animals that hail all the way from Africa to the Arctic! Animals include dolphins, sea lions, penguins, sea otters, white beluga whales, octopuses, sharks, sea horses, and much, much more! You can explore the exhibits at your own pace or catch a live performance featuring a number of these amazing exotic animals. (718) 265-FISH
Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Come visit fifty-two acres of bliss and learn everything you ever wanted to know about flowers, trees, and every other plant! This Garden is home to over 1,200 varieties of plants including the world’s largest and oldest collection of bonsai in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. (718) 623-7200
Brooklyn Museum of Art – If art is one of your passions, make sure you drive your luxury car rental over to the Brooklyn Museum of Art! This is New York City’s second-largest museum and it also happens to be one of the largest and most celebrated collections in the entire United States. There are more than 1.5 million pieces by various artists from around the world and many temporary exhibits to enjoy. (718) 638-5000
Coney Island – Visit Coney Island to experience an authentic New York City attraction, one that happens to be the birthplace of the hotdog! Major attractions include Astroland, the New York Aquarium, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, Batting Range, Go-Kart City, Keyspan Park, the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, and the Coney Island Museum. (718) 372-5169
Prospect Park Zoo – This wonderful collection of wildlife includes three major exhibits and almost 400 animals of more than eighty different species. This attraction is very interactive and is interesting for all ages. (718) 399-7339.
Brooklyn Public Library

Where to Eat in Brooklyn

When you visit Brooklyn in your luxury car rental, you can choose to eat almost every ethnic food under the sun! Brooklyn eateries are very diverse with selections including African, Asian, Caribbean, Eclectic, French, Greek, Italian, Latin American, Mediterranean, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Peruvian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian restaurants!

Popular and established restaurants unique to Brooklyn include:
Rasputin – Stop in for a delicious traditional Russian buffet! (718) 332-8111
Peter Luger – When you visit Peter Luger you will enjoy one of the greatest steakhouses in the area – it has been around since 1887! (718) 387-7400
River Caf – Come to the River Caf for a romantic dinner and beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline while you eat! This restaurant is very popular with celebrities and dignitaries from around the world. (718) 522-5200

Special Events in Brooklyn

There are hundreds of special events that take place in Brooklyn each month. For a detailed calendar and to check out what is happening when you visit Brooklyn, please visit www.hellobrooklyn.com/coe.html.

Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel

Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel that connects Brooklyn with Manhattan. It carries a toll road that crosses under the East River at its mouth. The tunnel passes close to Governors Island but does not allow vehicles to reach the island. It comprises two tubes carrying an aggregate of four traffic lanes, and at 9,117 feet (2,779 meters) is the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America. It currently carries the unsigned Interstate 478, and formerly carried New York State Route 27A.

History of Brooklyn

Brooklyn was indeed an independent city until it was merged with New York City in 1898. The whole of Brooklyn is also within the same boundary as Kings County of New York State. As with Manhattan, Brooklyn has many ethnic neighborhoods. There are communities of Italians, Russians, Jews, West Indians, and more, each with its own enclave in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn was first born in 1646 when the Village of Breuckelen was authorized by the Dutch West India Company. In 1686, Kings County was created along with six other towns: Brooklyn, Bushwick, Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, and New Utrecht. It was not until 1816 that the Village of Brooklyn was incorporated within the Town of Brooklyn and in 1834 the Town of Brooklyn became the City of Brooklyn.

New Netherland was lost by the Dutch to the British in 1664. The British then reorganized the area, now called the Province of New York, into twelve counties, of which one was called Kings County. In the early days, Breuckelen was a village within Kings County, which was named in honor of King Charles II of England. Over time, its name evolved to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, Brookland, and eventually Brooklyn.

The early part of the 19th century saw rapid development along the waterfront of the East River facing Manhattan. Kings County had two main cities, Brooklyn and Williamsburgh. In 1854, Brooklyn annexed Williamsburgh, which thereafter is spelled Williamsburg. In 1894, the people of Brooklyn voted to join Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, and Richmond, to form the five boroughs of New York City. In the next two years, Brooklyn grew to reach the municipal boundaries of Kings County.

Today more than half the population of Brooklyn is actually working in Manhattan. Brooklyn itself receives a spillover of services industries from Manhattan, such as in financial back-office operations. Until the 1970s, manufacturing formed the backbone of the economy, which has since shifted towards services.