Top Five Reasons to Live in Brooklyn
Reasons to Live in Brooklyn-
Brooklyn has held a distinctive, highly-enviable cache since the initial swell of urbanization. It can be difficult to thoroughly encapsulate modern-day Brooklyn—to fully nail it down—because even with the wild expansion of the past decade or so, it still exists as an area all but steeped in diversity. From the stunning new condos at 550 Vanderbilt to The Cyclone at Coney Island, Brooklyn can exist as this multi-planed melting pot due in partial to its size. If it were to secede from NYC today, it would rank as the 4th largest US city in terms of population. But its size only really serves as land for the effervescent character of the area to spill out on to—it’s more canvas. There’s an atmosphere in Brooklyn, and a general layout that is often used as a blueprint for other cities. And while the level of success varies, each attempt is really more of an interesting derivation than a successful creation of a new Brooklyn. There can never really be a new Brooklyn, because Brooklyn is the new Brooklyn—it’s a borough constantly in-flux. What follows are our top five reasons to live in BK:
The Parks
Living in a highly dense urban area can leave one craving something natural and organic to help balance the overwhelming inorganic jungle that surrounds. It can be very cathartic to walk through a world of steel and concrete into one of lush green lawns, blooming trees, pristine lakes and unencumbered sunshine.
Brooklyn is home to 44 parks, all of which vary greatly in size and stature, and we don’t have enough digital landscape to go through each one, so let’s focus on the crown jewel of Brooklyn parks: Prospect Park, and its compatriot over on the shoreline: Brooklyn Bridge Park. Prospect Park is over 500 acres of beautiful lawns, wooded areas with trails that wind through them, a bandshell for summer concerts, playgrounds, workout areas, baseball fields and most else one could wish for in a city park—including a large lake at its center. It’s a wonderful place to escape city life for a bit, go for a jog or bike ride or just sunbathe on the lawn. Brooklyn Bridge Park’s location—right along the shoreline in Brooklyn Heights—is hard to match. The 85 acre park stretches along the shore from the south to under and past the Brooklyn Bridge. The entire space features stunning views of the the downtown Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. There’s volleyball courts, soccer fields, grilling areas, food festivals, restaurants, pools, playgrounds and Ample Hills Ice Cream, which, on its own makes a trip down to the shore worth it.
Bars and Restaurants
Foodies across the US know about Brooklyn’s storied culinary reputation. Brooklyn residents have such a massive array of options that any bar or restaurant that pops up needs to be of a certain quality to survive. It’s survival of the fittest in its truest form—those that rise above the madding crowd will thrive and those that don’t will perish. This may sound a bit dramatic, but its true. In most neighborhoods of Brooklyn there is such a staggering variety of restaurants one could go on a virtual world tour by simply walking a few blocks. And if theres a better area for pizza on the planet earth or any other for that matter, I have yet to hear about it. Oh and the bars, the bars! A fan of the classy laid-back cocktail lounge? Brooklyn has them by the dozen. More of a pub-goer? You’re covered. Want to dance until the sun comes up? Take your pick.
Culture and The Arts
From high-art to low Brooklyn is over-flowing. Throughout the past decade Manhattan’s little brother has been taking a run at the crown. Many touring bands are now choosing venues like the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bowl and The Barclays Center for their shows in lieu of Manhattan venues. And smaller spaces, like The Bellhouse, Littlefield, Friends & Lovers and countless others host an array of acclaimed concerts and comedy shows nightly. If you’d like to experience visual art beyond the galleries scattered throughout the borough, there’s the always interesting Brooklyn Museum. And if you’re in the mood for something more off-beat, the Coney Island Museum has all the quirk one could want.
The Atmosphere
Every neighborhood has its own atmosphere and character—the small things that coalesce to make an area feel singular and cohesive. While Brooklyn is—in many ways—a region of 1000 atmosphere’s there is an overarching NYC aesthetic that pervades the borough. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a multi -million dollar waterfront condo in Williamsburg or in a studio apartment in Crown Heights, you know you’re in Brooklyn. It’s hard to articulate, but it’s something that you feel if you’ve lived here. It’s a special place and it feels as such.
The People
Part of what makes Brooklyn so special is how wildly diverse it is. If you want to live in a cultural bubble and stay grounded within your comfort zone, Brooklyn is not the place for you. If you’d rather be with people of all backgrounds, from all over the world, figuring out life in a massive city, enjoying the teeming vibrance together—choose BK. The melting pot that is Brooklyn is what defines the borough more than any other facet—it’s what makes the food, the art and the general culture so diverse and dynamic. The people of Brooklyn are Brooklyn, they define where it came from and where it’s going.
