Williamsburg tour
Once an industrial power & immigrant center, Brooklyn's Williamsburg is known for food, shopping, hipsters, Hasids, and high-rises. But it's far more than that.
 Former Williamsburgh Savings Bank, now Weylin event space
Williamsburg is one of the most interesting and buzziest neighborhoods--or districts--in the city of New York and the borough of Brooklyn.
(However, it is not as key to the history of Brooklyn as the neighborhoods on the Brooklyn 101 tour.) Once a resort in the 19th century, Williamsburg became an industrial power, based on the sugar industry and other commerce, with its own main street and banks. When the Williamsburg Bridge opened in 1903, Williamsburg became an extension of the Lower East Side, a densely populated tenement area, home notably to Eastern European Jews and Italians. After World War II and the building of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, the neighborhood lost industry and many longtime residents. New arrivals included Hasidic Jews who survived the Holocaust and Puerto Ricans moving for factory work. Williamsburg's path to revivalWilliamsburg struggled for decades, but was buoyed by reinvestment by the city (under Mayor Ed Koch), via nonprofit neighborhood groups, to stabilize buildings, then an influx of artists and others seeking space near Manhattan. Then came bars, restaurants, night spots, galleries, and a waves of gentrification. A 2004 rezoning emphasized market-rate housing, pushed by the mayor's office and floating on very generous tax breaks. New buildings sprouted. That makes for an astonishing contrast between the 1980s and now, as documented by various photographers and filmmakers. The artists are mostly gone. See Williamsburg, Brooklyn on a tourNow Williamsburg is one of the hottest neighborhoods in New York, a beacon to young people throughout the world and a weary cliche to some others. (For better and for worse, Williamsburg now competes with SoHo.) We will see dramatic change--especially high-rises and park space at the waterfront--but also many ties to the past. Our route usually includes the Hasidic enclave of South Williamsburg, home to the neighborhood's historic library and mansions since converted to yeshivas. (Note: if you are only interested in Hasidic Williamsburg, that can be combined with Hasidic Crown Heights. See Option 2 here.) We'll also see the historic Broadway corridor near the Williamsburg Bridge, home to former banks and the famed Peter Luger steakhouse. After traversing the long-gritty but steadily changing Southside, with a significant (but shrinking) Hispanic presence, we'll go to the waterfront and Domino Park, part of a development on the site of an old sugar factory. We'll proceed to the Northside, home to an astonishing array of restaurants, bars, hotels, nightlife, and shopping, as well as new and reclaimed buildings, some far more impressive than others. This is where the tourists visit. We can see more. Please note Yes, there are snacking opportunities, as well as many restaurants you could visit before or after our tour. This typical 2.5-hour tour only covers particular slices of Williamsburg, which is a very large neighborhood, or district. We could easily extend it by an hour or two, deeper into Williamsburg, without going to adjacent neighborhoods. |
Distance from Midtown Manhattan: 25-30 minutes by subway, also accessible by ferry from Pier 11/East 34th Street
Cost: see fees here Basic tour length: 2.5+ hours (see fees) Starting place: Near J train, L train, East River Ferry Ending place: Near J train, L train, East River Ferry Highlights: Industrial history, ethnic diversity, art, gentrification, shopping Before/after tour: Many food and drink options, including Brooklyn Brewery. Snacks during tour: chocolate, ice cream, cup cakes, pastries, coffee Variations: Saturday tour omits Hasidic zone, but allows more time for other areas, including Central Williamsburg Potential tour extensions with me: Greenpoint, East Williamsburg/Bushwick, DUMBO (via NYC Ferry), Long Island City (via NYC Ferry) , Lower East Side, Brooklyn 101 (via NYC Ferry) Why I like leading this tour: Many people think they know something about Williamsburg. I'm confident I can offer more grounding and complexity. |