Hotels near Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park runs 1.3 miles along the East River waterfront from Atlantic Avenue to Jay Street, built across six converted shipping piers. It earns a place here for the sightline: lower Manhattan across the water, the Brooklyn Bridge overhead, and mature planting on Pier 1 and Pier 6 that turns in late October. Jane's Carousel, a restored 1922 ride housed in a glass pavilion, sits at the northern end.

The Empire Fulton Ferry lawn and the pebble shoreline below it give you the classic Manhattan Bridge framing between the DUMBO warehouses. Clear autumn air makes this materially better than summer, when haze flattens the skyline into grey. The park is free and stays open until 1am.

Pro Tip: Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan and drop down into the park rather than riding the subway both ways. Set off an hour before sunset: you cross in daylight and arrive as the towers start lighting up across the water.