Our microguides series is inspired by the slow travel movement, encouraging travellers to relax their pace and take a deep dive into one particular neighbourhood in a well-loved city. Rather than a whirlwind itinerary which aims to hit up every must-see attraction, these compact, close-up guides encourage you to zone in, take your time and truly explore like a local.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s trendiest neighbourhood, is growing up. You can still play arcade games while getting drunk, go bowling while watching a rock band or catch a drag show in a museum, but the neighbourhood is exploring a gentler tempo, too. One that involves strolls along the New York City’s East River, bargain hunting for cusp-of-the-trend fashion at thrift stores and savouring the diverse community’s extensive culinary offerings.
The finger-on-the-pulse approach to life in Williamsburg results from its emergence as a hipster haven a few decades ago. These days, however, you can gauge the area’s average socio-economic status more by the designer dogs you’ll see along the waterfront than the street art on the walls. And although this increasing price parity with Manhattan has sadly edged out many of the people who helped to revive the neighbourhood, a creative charm and youthful atmosphere remain.
Williamsburg is anchored to Manhattan by the Williamsburg Bridge, which carries the J and M trains. Both lines head east into Queens and west into Manhattan, with the J destined for the Financial District and the M travelling up as far as The Bronx. The G line at Metropolitan Av runs north to south through east Williamsburg, which retains shades of its pre-gentrification community in the form of long-running businesses. But it’s the L Train from midtown Manhattan that brings the most life to Williamsburg, passing through Bedford Avenue, the core of the ’hood and a veritable pacemaker for the area.
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Ramble along the riverfront
Once tarnished with industrial grit, the banks of the East River were reserved for docking ships, laden with cargoes bound from, and to, everywhere else. Only in the last few decades have developers recognised the area’s potential. Shimmering newbuilds sit alongside 19th-century warehouses adapted to fulfil modern needs.
Williamsburg emerged as a hipster haven decades ago
(Getty Images)
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