When I revisit a city for second or third time I tend to visit some old favorites (neighborhoods or restaurants) and explore new places as well! In the case of New York City, Greenwich village has been my favorite neighborhood, which I tend to re-visit, but Brooklyn and Williamsburg were (almost) new to me and I was eager to explore those neighborhoods back in April, since I had heard so much about them!
Brooklyn Heights
I started my walk from Downtown Brooklyn (Jay St – Metro Tech station) and walked towards Brooklyn Heights. This neighborhood is filled with brownstone buildings which once belonged to artist and writers. At this point I should say that I’ve researched most of my NYC walks on a blog called Walking Off the Big Apple which I discovered 6 years ago when planning my first trip to New York City. That’s were I read about Brooklyn Heights and decided I should definitely see the place with my own eyes. Apart from exploring the residential area I was more than eager to walk around the Brooklyn Bridge Park and admire the Lower Manhattan Skyline, which is exactly what I did before walking towards DUMBO.
Related: 7 things I enjoyed in New York City
DUMBO
No, I’m not talking about Disney’s cute flying elephant; I’m talking about the area called Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (aka DUMBO). Those New Yorkers are very inventive with their abbreviations I must admit! The area is a mix of residential, commercial and storage buildings. All I really wanted was a shot of Manhattan Bridge before going north to Williamsburg! How to get to Williamsburg from DUMBO was tricky. You can take B62 bus or the metro. If you choose the latter you’ll have to take the metro back to Manhattan, and then take another line to get there!
WILLIAMSBURG
I got off at Bedford Avenue metro station, which according to my research is the heart of Williamsburg. It was a sunny day, a fact that helped me go through the neighborhood extensively! I walked up to Mc Carren park, along Bedford Avenue and Wythe Avenue (among others) and took photos of Midtown Manhattan from Bushwick Inlet Park!
Williamsburg is indeed an up and coming neighborhood as construction sites were everywhere! The new buildings have a modern vibe and they mix with older ones too, though I should say that, personally, architecture-wise I wasn’t that impressed. I expected (because of the hype) that Williamsburg would knock Greenwich Village off my top spot. That didn’t happen though! Still it’s worth a visit for shopping and entertainment (and those views)!
What I enjoyed the most in Williamsburg was the colorful street art! Below I’m sharing photos of 2 absolute favorites, as I took so many photos. I also checked out some “must-see” shops like Urban Outfitter’s concept store Space Ninety 8, the Catbird (with dainty but expensive jewelry) and Mast Brothers Chocolate. My visit in Williamsburg ended with lunch at Sweet Chick (which I chose based on the name).
Have you visited Brooklyn and Williamsburg? What did you like the most?
I'm Anna and this is my lifestyle and travel blog! 
Another inspiring walk in New York! <3 Bravo!
thank you! I did a lot of walking during my last visit in NYC+there are more walking posts to come!
Looking forward to read them ?
This looks like my kind of place! You’ve captured some really wonderful shots 🙂
Thank you Marcella! Brooklyn and Willimasburg are very interesting neighborhoods!
I love your pictures here – they’re all so bright!
thank you Amanda! Well the sunny day surely helped me to get bright photos!
I love Brooklyn as well, it’s so different from Manhattan! Next time you travel, try to discover Greenpoint, it’s a lovely neighborhood (a future victim of gentrification, unfortunately!)
Have a great day!
Amy
I think I came across Greenpoint while researching where to go in Brooklyn and Willimasburg and I almost got there while wandering around Williamsburg!
Great pictures, been to Manhattan but never explored Brooklyn or Williamsburg. What a cute name – Sweet Chick.
Manhattan itself has a lot of things to see, but Brooklyn is definitely worth a visit as well!
over the past several years, Brooklyn has become such a trendy borough, with neighborhoods like Williamsburg and DUMBO changing the area. You captured great shots that look very “Brooklyn.” Lower Manhattan is a favorite area of mine. Not sure too many NYC neighborhoods can knock the village from the top of a list of NYC favorites.
thank you Jackie! Glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks that the Village is the best NYC neighborhood! I was intrigued about the “trendy” part and that’s why I wanted to visit Brooklyn and Williamsburg!
My folks are heading to New York for the first time in November and have heard a lot of good things about the DUMBO views. Might have to try this a try. Thanks for sharing on #MondayEscapes
Ahhhh I so want to see more of brooklyn. Fab pictures.
Would you say Brooklyn is a good place to stay when you’re visiting NYC? I always thought it seemed so far off from all the sights but you actually have such a nice view on Manhattan from there…. gorgeous pictures btw!!
Great photos! New York is my big wish:) # travel tuesday
Your photos are gorgeous! I need to explore Brooklyn more. I made it there once this summer, to check out the food truck event, Smorgasburg. I went on a Sunday when the event is held by the Brooklyn Bridge, and then walked across the bridge for the first time. I would love to see more though – I love the street art you captured!
Loved this post – brings back great memories of my stay in Williamsburg. It’s such a fantastic neighbourhood, isn’t it. I especially loved the street art, the restaurants, and the many cool vintage shops!
I love the street art! I need to go back to New York, I have only been once and it was a family vacation ages ago.
Stayed in Brooklyn last time I visited New York, and didn’t regret it at all. Didn’t make it to Williamsburg, but considering staying there next time, or at the very least visiting. Thanks!
Absolutely stunning photos as always Anna. I have been to Manhatten twice but unfortunately have never explored Brooklyn and wish I have had the opportunity as I think I would like it very much. Next time I go back to New York I think I will stay in Williamsburg instead. Thanks for taking me for a stroll around the area and for linkng up with #MondayEscapes