Downtown

Understand

• Downtown Brooklyn, which is the central shopping and business area, anchored by Fulton St. west of Flatbush Avenue, looks similar to the downtown of almost any other major American city, with department stores, clothing and electronic shops, a Borough Hall, three universities, a major railroad station, the Brooklyn Academy of Music concert hall, the Barclays Center sports arena, many office buildings, and municipal, state and federal buildings and courthouses. Many subway and bus lines go to or through Downtown Brooklyn. A major construction boom has changed the face of this part of Brooklyn, adding many new highrises and a large number of new, wealthy residents in the first two decades of the 21st century, with further construction ongoing as of late 2021.
• Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood with elegant buildings and historic churches. It is an expensive neighborhood to live in, partly because of its great views of the Lower Manhattan skyline. The area's brownstone buildings and shopping district give it a quaint yet thriving feel. Most of this neighborhood is a historic district, meaning that its beautiful old low-rise housing stock cannot be torn down, and it lacks the modern highrises of nearby Downtown Brooklyn. This is the richest neighborhood in Brooklyn, and more expensive than parts of Manhattan.
• Cobble Hill is a quiet neighborhood of bookstores, shops, and restaurants. Old-time Italian neighborhood with great pizza and Italian ices. Great restaurants and quite a number of bars along Court St. and Smith St.
• DUMBO is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Once popular with artists for loft space, it has now become popular with a richer, trendier crowd. Walk along the riverfront park for a unique and unforgettable view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and the Manhattan skyline.
• Fort Greene has some great restaurants and the Brooklyn Academy of Music which features an art-house cinema, theater, and concerts.

Get in

By train

The Atlantic Terminal, at Atlantic Avenue, Flatbush Avenue & Hanson Place, is a terminus of the Long Island Rail Road; all LIRR trains that terminate or originate in "Brooklyn" refer to this station, which is in the same building as Barclays Center.

By subway

Almost every line that runs in Brooklyn runs through here. The major station here is Atlantic Avenue (over by Barclays Center), the biggest station outside Manhattan and a major transfer point. The B (weekdays only), D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (weekdays only) all stop here. There's little to see around it, but if you need to change trains this is the place to do it.

Another major station is Borough Hall, served by the 2, 3, 4, 5 (weekdays only), and R. This station will put you near most of the attractions. Clark Street, served by the 2 and 3, is the station closest to the Brooklyn Bridge.

The A, C, F, and G also ply parts of this neighborhood, but transferring to or from other lines can be a pain (although transferring between them can be done more easily). The closest points to transfer between these and the lines stopping at Atlantic Avenue are at Fulton Street in Manhattan (which is a very difficult station to navigate), Jay Street/Metrotech (where there is a transfer between the R and the A, C, and F), 4th Ave/9th St, and the Franklin Avenue Shuttle in Bed-Stuy.

By bus

Many buses connect Downtown Brooklyn with other neighborhoods of Brooklyn (see a PDF map here, and note the separate inset for Downtown Brooklyn at the upper right corner), but the B51 bus that used to traverse the Manhattan Bridge and connect Downtown Brooklyn with Manhattan was discontinued in 2010.

By bicycle or on foot

Both the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges can be crossed by bicycle and on foot. Wire mesh limits the view from the Manhattan Bridge, and you will be repeatedly rattled by crossing subways, so the Brooklyn Bridge is much more recommended for pedestrians.