Brooklyn College
2900 Bedford Avenue, Phone: 718-951–5000
Brooklyn is known around the country as the place where young folks move after college — but it’s actually a college town itself. Brooklyn College has been attracting great minds since 1930. With its scenic campus, esteemed faculty, and it’s highly regarded MFA in creative writing program, this school is a gem of the City University of New York system.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
334 Furman Street, Phone: 718-802–0603
Say what you will about Atlantic Yards, Domino Sugar, the Northside Piers, or any of the other huge development projects that are reshaping Brooklyn today — but when completed, no project will mean nearly as much to Brooklynites as Brooklyn Bridge Park. Once open, the 85-acre sustainable waterfront park has reshaped the way Brooklynites see the borough. Though the funding mechanisms for park upkeep remain undetermined, the green space, which is under the purview of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, will one-day rival Prospect Park as the borough’s prime recreation destination.
Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center
1 Brookdale Plaza, Phone: 718-240–5000
Thanks to the Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, the future’s great medical minds come to Brooklyn to learn. With a long history dating back to 1921 (when the 75-bed hospital building was a lone outpost among the fields and farms between Brownsville, East New York, and Canarsie) the Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center has become one of the borough’s largest nonprofit teaching hospitals. With a 14-acre campus, 530 beds dedicated to inpatient care, a newly opened coronary critical care unit, and a maternity ward that delivered 1,633 babies last year, it’s a great place for medical students to learn — and Brooklynites to seek excellent care.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
900 Washington Avenue, Phone: 718-623–7200
Apparently, more than one tree grows in Brooklyn. More than 52 sprawling acres, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a treasure. Known for it’s 220 flowering cherry trees of 42 different species — the biggest and most diverse collection outside Japan — the facility also boasts a number of specialty gardens including the historic Alice Recknagel Ireys Fragrance Garden — the first garden in the United States to be designed for the blind. A visit to this beloved Brooklyn institution might convince you to move somewhere greener than Greenpoint. Or at least participate in the garden’s popular “Greenest Block in Brooklyn” contest.
Brooklyn Flea
176 Lafayette Avenue, Phone: 718-935–1052
This is one award-winning flea — with a certificate of merit from the Municipal Art Society and a Community Leadership Award from the Citizens Union to prove it! Since 2008 the Brooklyn Flea has been a top city attraction, providing a jaunty alternative to big-box retailers. Credit for that goes to the hundreds of top vendors of antique and re-purposed furniture, vintage clothing, collectibles, and antiques, in addition to a tightly curated selection of jewelry, art, and crafts by local artisans and designers, plus delicious fresh food.
Brooklyn Boulders
Degraw Street, Phone: 347-834-9066
Tread-happy trekkers – from novices to experts – can take on the “Himalayas” without leaving Brooklyn at the city’s largest rock-climbing gym, boasting more than 22,000 square-feet of climbable terrain. That’s as big as Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s $20-million dream home in California! Brooklyn Boulders offers the aspiring alpinist plenty of choices to be high on life, including bouldering with 12-inch thick pads to cushion any potential falls, top roping, and lead climbing. Climbing classes for all levels are available in addition to yoga and pilates instruction.
Beautiful Earth Group
179 Columbia Street, Phone: 718-488–8426
Brooklyn is the borough of bicycle-powered smoothie machines and rooftop gardens — so of course, they’ve got our own green energy company. Since 2008, the Beautiful Earth Group has generated plenty of buzz by developing and operating sustainable and renewable energy technologies including the much-ballyhooed solar-powered electric vehicle charging station at Brooklyn Bridge Park. With a focus on creating solar and wind power facilities that emit no carbon for government, utility and commercial clients worldwide, the electricity company has a bright future.
Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled
27 Smith Street, 718-998–3000
“Disabled” doesn’t mean “unable” at this consumer-based, non-profit agency. It has helped people with challenges to live independently and integrate into mainstream society since 1956 by providing advocacy and services that help them to gather information, consider their options, and make self-tailored choices. Compassion is key at the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled where staff members know first-hand about the barriers and frustrations facing their clients because many of them are developmentally challenged. Peer counseling — a central service — provides a positive and safe environment in which to share thoughts, feelings, and experiences, while educational programs promote civil rights for the disabled.
ASA Institute of Business and Computer Technology
81 Willoughby Street, Phone: 877-679–8772
With Downtown becoming a bona fide business hub, the neighborhood is a fitting home for a career-oriented school. Since it started as a computer programing school, ASA Institute of Business and Computer Technology has been giving Brooklynites the education they need to find the jobs they want. Over the years, the school has expanded to offer degrees in fields including pharmacy, technology, criminal justice, healthcare, business, and office administration. Certificates in areas of study including office technology and administration are also available.
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N. 11th Street, Phone: 718-486–7422
Brooklyn’s long beer brewing history seemed like it had come to its end in 1976 when the last brewery in Bushwick closed its doors. But in 1987, Park Slope resident and beer lover Steve Hindy quenched the borough’s thirst when he helped open Brooklyn Brewery.
Though most of its beer was initially brewed upstate, the brand’s beloved Brooklyn Lager found a spot on taps across the borough and quickly emerged as a hometown favorite. In 1996, Hindy and company turned an old Williamsburg matzo factory into their center of operations — and some years back, they finished a major expansion that allows the company to brew most of its suds in North Brooklyn. Cheers to that!
Brooklyn Public Library
Multiple locations
Brooklyn is a literary capital, so it’s only fitting that the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is a monument to books themselves. The iconic Art Deco building, which from a vantage point on Grand Army Plaza is intended to look like the spine of a book opening outwards, welcomes nearly one million book-lovers every year. Inside the 1941 building, visitors can peruse a massive collection of more than a million books, magazines, and other forms of media, as well as the Brooklyn Collection — a treasure trove of local history.
Sandwiched between the bookish neighborhoods of Park Slope and Prospect Heights, home to great writers including Rick Moody, Nicole Krauss, and Keith Gessen it’s only fitting that the Central Branch is a major destination for readings, lectures, and performances in the new Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture. The Library’s 65 branches have been serving Brooklyn’s diverse communities since 1892.
Coney Island USA
1208 Surf Avenue, Phone: 718-372–5159
Where would Brooklyn be without Coney Island? The Mermaid Parade. The Cyclone. Penguin Boy and Baron Von Geiger. At the heart of it all is Coney Island USA, a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of the boardwalk empire’s vibrant history and the celebration of its quirky culture. Part of that effort is the maintenance of the Coney Island Museum where onlookers can gaze into the seaside park’s roots in the 19th century.
Fairway Market
480 Van Brunt Street, Phone: 718-694–6868
Before Fairway Market opened in Red Hook in 2006, it was hard to convince Brooklynites to visit the waterfront neighborhood. Now it’s hard to keep them away. The beloved grocer’s decision to open an outpost in a Civil War-era coffee warehouse sparked a wave that brought cute stores to Van Brunt Street, a big-box retailer to the piers and picky shoppers who know it’s worth driving to Red Hook to stock up on the highest quality seafood, meats, and cheeses.
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Phone: 718-222–8500
It would be hard not to overstate the role that Galapagos Art Space has played in building Brooklyn’s art and music scene. Since opening in Williamsburg in 1995 — when nothing was opening in Williamsburg — this venue has become a cultural beacon by hosting concerts, readings, films, lectures, burlesque shows, and other emerging arts events. The club didn’t miss a beat following its 2008 move to DUMBO, where it turned a 10,000-square-foot former horse stable into the city’s first LEED-certified performance space. Galapagos started supporting the local art scene years before Brooklyn became the next big thing, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down – like the turtles of its namesake islands.
Heart of Brooklyn
789 Washington Avenue, Phone: 718-638–7700
Heart of Brooklyn proves true the old adage “strength in numbers.” Since 2001, the borough’s
biggest cultural institutions have joined forces in a partnership intended to promote and draw visitors to Brooklyn’s great attractions. With members including the Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and the Prospect Park Zoo, the organization has helped form the Washington AvenueProspect Heights Merchant Association and organized a free trolley to shuttle visitors around Brooklyn following free Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum, among other initiatives. Heart of Brooklyn’s youth arts program (Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program) has even been recognized by former First Lady Michelle Obama with a National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award.
Kingsborough Community College
2001 Oriental Boulevard, Phone: 718-265–5343
Since 1964, Kingsborough Community College has provided Brooklynites a place to learn. Growing to welcome about 35,000 students to its 71-acre campus annually, the Manhattan Beach school educates high school graduates, veterans, transfers, and students looking to broaden their knowledge and advance their careers. Kingsborough offers more than 40 degree and certificate programs in fields including criminal justice, fashion design, and marine technology — a fitting area of specialization considering the school’s scenic location between three bodies of water.
League Education and Treatment Center
30 Washington Street, Phone: 718-643–5300
When it comes to caring, the League Education and Treatment Center is in a league of its own. The nonprofit is one of the state’s largest day treatment programs, providing aid and innovative
education to more than 500 children and adults who suffer from psychiatric and developmental disabilities. One of those innovative initiatives is the facility’s groundbreaking League Artists Natural Design (LAND) Studio & Gallery, which offers individuals with special needs an artistic forum to show off their skills and express themselves.
Long Island University
1 University Plaza, Phone: 718-488–1011
Since 1926, Long Island University has served Brooklyn — all of Brooklyn. In an era of racial, religious, and economic discrimination, the school opened its doors with the mission to educate students from all walks of life. Staying true to that goal, Long Island University continues to boast a diverse campus and stellar programs in a number of fields including pharmacy, education, and business.
Luna Park
1000 Surf Avenue (Coney Island), Phone: 718-373–5862
More than 60 years after a series of fires destroyed one of Coney Island’s most cherished amusement parks, a new theme park has opened with the same name. The new Luna Park thrilled visitors for the first time in 2010 after it opened on the former site of Astroland. Operated by the Italian amusement company Zamperla, Luna Park’s second iteration is part of the city’s plan to revamp Coney Island. The new park features a gateway reminiscent of the original Luna Park, new rides like the Brooklyn Flyer, the Electro Spin, and the Wild River, as
well as family-friendly attractions like the Happy Swing.
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 N. Sixth Street, Phone: 718-486–5400
The arrival of the Music Hall of Williamsburg in 2007 drastically altered New York City’s
music scene. By that time, Brooklyn acts like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio had already earned acclaim on the national stage — but they lacked a hometown stage worthy of their presence. Enter the Music Hall of Williamsburg: a cutting edge venue in an old mayonnaise
plant with space for more than 500 music lovers. Add an amazing calendar booked by the pros at Bowery Presents and you’ve got the best music rock music venue in the borough, if not the city.
Medgar Evers College
1650 Bedford Avenue, Phone: 718-221–1795
Medgar Evers College is the youngest four-year college in the City University of New
York system — but it’s a bit of an over-achiever. Since 1970, the Crown Heights institute,
named after late civil rights activist Medgar Wiley Evers, has grown up fast. It recently launched new programs in religious studies, social work, and business management services to accompany its existing course offerings and cut the ribbon for a new academic building and student lounge. The 7,000 students aren’t just benefiting from new facilities — they’re also benefiting from an increasingly prestigious faculty of professors and educators including two recent recipients of Fulbright scholarships.
New York Aquarium
602 Surf Avenue (Coney Island), Phone: 718-265–3474
The New York Aquarium has found a perfect home in Coney Island, as both the science
institution and the neighborhood share a love for freaky things and the sea. Since 1957, this year-round attraction has drawn Brooklynites eager to see sea creatures up close and personal. With wowing species including black-footed penguins, giant Pacific octopus, and a floor-to-ceiling shark tank loaded with sand tiger sharks, nurse sharks, and reef sharks, this aquarium might be the most thrilling way to spend a day in Coney Island.
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street, Phone: 718-260–5500
In this case, bigger is better. With a student body of over 14,000, New York City College of Technology is the largest and most diverse public college of technology in the Northeast. Established in 1946 to educate and prepare returning soldiers for civilian careers, the school has played a large role in Downtown’s ongoing transformation into a college town. Today, the school attracts students with more than 60 areas of study including architectural technology, computer science, applied mathematics, fashion marketing, and a unique concentration in entertainment technology.
NYU Polytechnic
5 Metrotech Center, Phone: 718-260–3600
Brooklyn’s big culture shift hasn’t anything to do with farm-to-table cuisine or bike lanes. No, the last big change in the borough has turned Brooklyn into an academic capital. For decades, neighborhoods from Downtown to Manhattan Beach have boasted institutes of higher learning. But the merger of New York University and Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn heralded a new era for education in Kings County. One need look no further than NYU-Poly to see big plans on the horizon. The school already plans to take over two more buildings on its Metrotech campus, expand enrollment by 40 percent and potentially move other NYU schools, not just Polytechnic, to Downtown as part of a plan to acquire more than one million square feet of classroom, residential, and administrative space by 2031.
Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Avenue, Phone: 718-230–0904
Artists live in Brooklyn — but they also learn in Brooklyn. Since class went into session in 1887, Pratt Institute has attracted creative minds to its 25-acre Clinton Hill campus. The school boasts undergraduate programs in fine arts, writing, industrial design, and art education, among others, as well as graduate concentrations in fields including architecture, graphic design, and animation and the environment. As Brooklyn has emerged as a leader in the national and international art scene, Pratt has pushed forward, gaining recognition as one of the country’s top art, architecture, and design schools.
Prospect Park Zoo
450 Flatbush Avenue, 718-399–7339
Prospect Park is undeniably a bucolic place to visit. But when you’re looking to see wildlife more exotic than squirrels or golden retrievers (they roam free during off-leash hours!), a visit to the zoo might come in handy. Opened in 1935, the wildlife conservation center features more than 125 species including black-tailed prairie dogs, red pandas, California sea lions, and Western Gray Kangaroos. Yes, it is a jungle in there.
Restoration Plaza
1368 Fulton Street, Phone: 718-636–6919
To see evidence of the on-going renaissance in Bedford-Stuyvesant, look no further than Restoration Plaza. Thanks to the hard work of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the former milk bottling plant at the corner of Fulton Street and Marcy Avenue has been
transformed into a commercial, educational, and cultural hub that’s home to the Billie Holiday Theatre, the Youth Arts Academy, a Super Foodtown, three banks, a Duane Reade, and an Applebee’s Bar & Grill — the first national sit-down eatery to set up in the neighborhood in more than three decades.
St. Francis College
180 Remsen Street, Phone: 718-489–5200
They call St. Francis “the small college of big dreams” — and with good reason. With only about 2,500 students, this tiny Brooklyn Heights school has an over-sized presence, offering diverse fields of undergraduate study including biology, criminal justice, physical education, and women’s studies, several graduate programs in business, 19 Division I athletics teams, a top-flight HDTV production studio, high-tech classrooms, newly renovated science labs, Wi-Fi everywhere, and a new fitness center.
St. Joseph’s College
245 Clinton Avenue, Phone: 718-940–5300
Sure, education is an investment in the future — but why does it have to cost so much? While other college tuitions skyrocket, St. Joseph’s College in Clinton Hill has remained dedicated to providing a high-quality liberal arts education at an affordable price. Since 1916, the school has grown to offer more than 20 majors in fields including biology, business administration, Spanish, and psychology at a price that makes it one of the best educational values in the nation.
Touro College
Multiple locations
“There is no greater gift than the gift of knowledge,” once contended Touro College founder Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander, who launched his dream to provide a competitive education to the masses with a single class of 35 Liberal Arts and Sciences students back in 1971. Today, Lander’s vision is being realized at Touro’s many thriving undergraduate divisions at the New York School of Career and Applied Studies where approximately 19,000 students are studying for certificate programs, Associate, and Bachelor degrees in a wide spectrum of majors at 11 different locations across the city, including several in Brooklyn.
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
75 S. Elliott Place, Phone: 718-522–5189/488–6570.
Brooklyn has changed a lot since Spike Lee focused his lens on the borough in the 1980s classics “Do The Right Thing” and “She’s Gotta Have It.” But one thing that hasn’t changed in the 25 years since is the constant flow of fine films from Lee’s production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. The Fort Greene enterprise has been behind great pictures like “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” “25th Hour,” and “Malcolm X.”
Aviator Sports & Events
3600 Flatbush Avenue (Bennett Field in Marine Park), Phone: 718-758–7500
With the arrival of JFK and LaGuardia, Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field seemed like it had been put on ice — that is until Aviator Sports brought two regulation-sized hockey rinks to the decommissioned airfield. The sports complex has turned the underutilized park near the foot of Flatbush Avenue into a destination, offering Brooklynites a rare facility where they can practice ice skating, gymnastics, basketball, indoor soccer, volleyball, rock climbing, and flag football.