New York Online - Brooklyn

Brooklyn, with its 2.5 million residents, is the most populous of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also frequently referred to as ''the bedroom of NY'' as most Brooklynites work in Manhattan and reside in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn was named after Breukelen, a city in the Netherlands, as it was the European Dutch who first settled here. Then, this westernmost point of Long Island was occupied by Native American tribes. Brooklyn enjoyed its status as a separate entity till1898 when it was incorporated into New York City.

Brooklyn, connected to the Lower Manhattan by means of the famed Brooklyn Bridge, is renowned for its cultural diversity, architectural heritage, artistic events and well-defined neighborhoods.

Its northwestern part situated between the Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Park, including Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope is characterized by a wide selection of cultural institutions and standout restaurants. As the prices are generally lower on this side of the Brooklyn Bridge than in Manhattan, lots of Manhattanites crawl to Brooklyn every night to either have a bite or attend an artistic event.
Brooklyn also has less affluent sites like Williamsburg and Greenpoint, which inhabited by working class communities, are home to a mix of cultures and independent art scene.
Brooklyn is also an important commercial centre as its downtown is ranked third, after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan, as far as the largest central business district in New York City.
As a whole, Brooklyn is also known as the most ethnically diverse of all the New York City's boroughs. There are immigrant populations from Jamaica, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, Russia as well as the USA residents who moved to Brooklyn from other parts of the country.
Brooklyn has a lot to offer both to the locals and tourists. Apart from the high-end restaurants, clubs and bars, there are a lot of attractive sites worth seeing while in the area. One of them is Coney Island, the Atlantic Ocean beachfront, packed with the locals on summer nights and weekends. Another must to all Brooklyn newcomers is a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge, to enjoy breathtaking views of Manhattan's soaring skyscrapers. While being in the area, one should also see the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, the oldest unchanged neighborhood of New York City with the 19th-century houses built in a variety of architectural styles.
If interested in getting familiar with Brooklyn's past as a port trade and industrial worksite, visit Red Hook, once a Dutch village, nowadays famous for its standout restaurants with Manhattan-like excellence and magnificent art festivals.

Another draw of Broklyn is the Prospect Park, often referred to as ''second Central Park'' as, similarly to Central Park, it was set up by Frederick Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. The 585-acre park has a lot to offer to both locals and tourists of all ages.

Broklyn is also cultural hub with such renowned institutions as:
- the Brooklyn Museum, which is considered as one of major art venues in the world, with a substantial collection of over 1.5 million exhibits,
- the Brooklyn Academy of Music – a well-known cultural center, made up of an opera house, a theater and an art house, which hosts the renowned ''Next Wave Festival'',
- the Brooklyn Historical Society – a library, museum and educational which are dedicated to the presentation of the history and culture of Brooklyn,
- Brooklyn Children's Museum, the world's oldest of all the museums aimed at kids, where thanks to a rich variety of hands-on exhibits and collections children can familiarize themselves with the world's diverse art, music, ethnic cultures, science and environment, and
- Brooklyn Botanical Garden, with magnificent strolling grounds, a wide variety of plants, a Japanese garden and a Celebrity Path. The best time to come here is in April to attend the ''Cherry Blossom Festival''.

As Brooklyn is commonly referred to as the world's most famous borough, so a must to all New York City newcomers!