Best Date Night Restaurants in Brooklyn: From Lilia to Lucali
The best Brooklyn date night restaurants at every tier — Lilia and Aska for the advance-booking occasions, Lucali for the most romantic pizza dinner in New York, and the neighborhood spots worth knowing.
Brooklyn for First-Time Visitors: The Honest Orientation Guide
What Brooklyn actually is, what neighborhoods to visit on a first trip, and how not to spend your visit only in the tourist corridor on Bedford Avenue.
Getting to and Around Brooklyn: Subway, Ferry, Bike, and Walk Guide
Every transportation option for getting to Brooklyn from Manhattan and around the borough — subway lines, NYC Ferry routes, bridge crossings, Citi Bike, and when car service makes sense.
Brooklyn with Kids: The Best Family Activities in the Borough
Brooklyn has some of the best family-oriented public infrastructure in New York — Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park, the New York Aquarium at Coney Island, and the borough’s excellent playgrounds and museums.
Best Dive Bars in Brooklyn: Cheap, Honest, and Still Standing
Brooklyn’s dive bars are fewer than they used to be but the survivors are excellent — Sunny’s in Red Hook, The Levee in Williamsburg, Hank’s Saloon in Boerum Hill, and the bars that have refused to upgrade into something more expensive.
Brooklyn Cocktail Bars: The Serious Drink Scene Outside Manhattan
Brooklyn’s cocktail bar scene is the most sophisticated in the outer boroughs — Maison Premiere, Donna, June Wine Bar, and Diamond Reef are all genuinely world-class and charge $3-5 less per drink than Manhattan equivalents.
Best Live Music Venues in Brooklyn: From Baby’s All Right to Warsaw
Brooklyn’s live music scene is the most diverse and serious in New York — from the intimate programming at Baby’s All Right to the large-scale concerts at Brooklyn Steel. This guide covers the essential venues.
Best Bars in Williamsburg: The Ones Locals Actually Go To
Williamsburg’s bar scene is the most concentrated in Brooklyn — but the best bars are off the tourist corridor on Bedford Avenue. This guide covers the spots that serve the neighborhood rather than perform for it.
Brooklyn on $50 a Day: A Realistic Budget Guide
A complete day in Brooklyn for $50 — free parks, cheap eats in the immigrant food corridors, free cultural programming, and the borough’s best experiences that cost nothing.
Free Art in Brooklyn: BRIC, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Street Art Trails
Brooklyn’s free art infrastructure is extensive — the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays, BRIC arts center, the Bushwick Collective murals, and a gallery scene that’s primarily free admission.