BEST PLACES to Visit in BROOKLYN, New York| Brooklyn BRIDGE & DUMBO & PROSPECT Park & CONEY Island

Written By Travel Interesante

Our Brooklyn Adventure: Exploring the Old and New Sides of the Borough!

When most people think of visiting New York City, their minds automatically go straight to Manhattan. But if you want to experience the true heartbeat, history, and evolving culture of New York, you have to cross the river. Welcome to our ultimate Brooklyn tour! We spent the day exploring a mix of old-school and new-school Brooklyn, hitting up iconic landmarks, hidden local spots, and some of the best food in the borough.

1. Walk the Historic Brooklyn Bridge

We started our tour the absolute best way possible: walking across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Built in 1883, it is the epitome of old-school Brooklyn. Here is a fun piece of trivia: back in 1884, just a year after it opened, P.T. Barnum famously led a parade of 21 circus elephants across the bridge to prove its structural strength and bring good luck!

Even though Steve grew up in Staten Island and had driven over the bridge countless times, this was actually his very first time walking across it. Don't make the mistake we did by coming later in the day on a sunny weekend—if you want to avoid the massive crowds (and the cyclists!), our biggest tip is to get there early around 7:00 AM.

2. Explore DUMBO: The Brooklyn Flea & Juliana’s Pizza

Next, we headed over to DUMBO—which stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (gotta love those creative New York City neighborhood names!). Over the past 15 to 20 years, this waterfront area has been completely revitalized into one of the coolest spots in the borough.

We started by browsing the Brooklyn Flea (open on Sundays in DUMBO and Saturdays in Williamsburg from spring through fall), where you can find everything from vintage clothing and old cameras to unique furniture. We even signed a guestbook where the vendor was way more impressed that Gökçe was from Turkey than Steve being from Staten Island!

After working up an appetite, we walked along the stunning Brooklyn waterfront toward downtown for some legendary New York pizza at Juliana’s. Here is a major local tip: Juliana's is owned by the original Patsy Grimaldi, who sold the famous Grimaldi's name to an investor years ago. So don't get confused—go to Juliana's for the authentic slice! Joined by Gökçe’s sister, we ordered two pies: a classic Margherita and the Number 6 (topped with chicken and avocado). It was so delicious we barely had a few slices left over to take for the road.

3. Brooklyn Bridge Park & The Famous DUMBO Photo Spot

After lunch, we wandered into Brooklyn Bridge Park (Pier 1), stopping to check out Photoville, a cool rotating art festival featuring photography exhibits built inside old shipping containers.

Of course, no trip to DUMBO is complete without visiting the world-famous Instagram photo spot on Washington Street, where the Manhattan Bridge (not the Brooklyn Bridge!) is framed perfectly between the red brick buildings. Steve admitted there was zero chance he would have ever stood in that massive line of selfie-takers if it wasn't for filming our YouTube video, so be sure to arrive early if you want a clean shot!

4. Step into Nature at Prospect Park

Transitioning from new-school waterfront cool back to old-school neighborhood charm, our next stop was Prospect Park in central Brooklyn.

We had such a peaceful time here, and it feels completely different from Central Park, Astoria Park, or Flushing Meadows. In those other parks, you can still see the city skyline looming over the trees, whereas Prospect Park completely wraps you in nature—it honestly feels like you've left the city behind for a forest in Long Island or upstate. On any given weekend, you’ll find locals cycling, fishing on the lake, having massive family barbecues, and even horseback riding! There is also the Prospect Park Zoo and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden right there if you want to make a full day of it.

5. Old-School Coney Island: Nathan’s, Luna Park & The Aquarium

We wrapped up our epic Brooklyn tour by heading down south to the ultimate old-school playground: Coney Island.

First on the agenda was grabbing a legendary hot dog from the original Nathan’s Famous, which opened right here in 1916 and hosts the world-famous Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest. It was Gökçe’s very first time trying a Nathan’s hot dog and fries, and even though the line was long, it was well worth the wait!

Afterward, we walked past the roller coasters at Luna Park (home to the historic Cyclone roller coaster and go-karts) and headed into the New York Aquarium—the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States. Money-saving tip: Entrance is normally $30, but if you visit on Wednesdays after 3:00 PM, admission is completely free! We explored the indoor shark exhibits and finished our afternoon watching 18-year-old, 600-pound sea lion "Osborne" and his trainer put on a very noisy, fun show at the amphitheater.

Want to see our full day in Brooklyn—from eating at Juliana's to Gökçe's first Nathan's hot dog in Coney Island? Check out our full Brooklyn tour video on our YouTube channel, and let us know your favorite spot in Brooklyn in the comments over there!

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