Family + Friends,

 

We are delighted that you’re coming to celebrate with us in Brooklyn—the coolest place in the world! Like many New Yorkers, we work and frequently play in Manhattan (“the City”) but live much of our lives in our local neighborhood. Our neighborhood is Downtown Brooklyn, the fast-growing area around the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. This page tells you about some of our favorite places in the greater Downtown Brooklyn area, including the adjacent Dumbo neighborhood where the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge wedding venue is located.

 

This Google Map shows the location of the wedding venue, preferred hotels, food & drink, and entertainment suggestions listed below. There are hundreds of good places to eat, drink, and have fun nearby; this list is just a drop in the bucket. Welcome to Brooklyn!

 

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GETTING AROUND

 

FROM THE AIRPORT: If you’re flying into LaGuardia we suggest that you take Uber or Lyft or a taxi to Downtown Brooklyn because there are no good public transportation options. If you’re flying into JFK you also have the option of taking AirTrain JFK to the Manhattan-bound A train (subway) and getting off at Jay St MetroTech (if you’re at Hampton Inn or Marriott) or High St Brooklyn Bridge (if you’re at the 1 Hotel). And if you’re flying into Newark you have the option of taking AirTrain Newark to New York Penn Station then the A or C train to Brooklyn.

 

WALKING: It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the Hampton Inn or Marriott to the 1 Hotel. Google Maps is helpful wherever you’re walking in the area.

 

SUBWAY: Downtown Brooklyn is a major transit hub. The closest subway stations to 1 Hotel are High Street Brooklyn Bridge (A & C trains), Clark Street (2 &3 trains), and York Street (F train). Again, Google Maps is your friend. Be sure to read any posted service changes in the stations and listen to the train conductors because weekend service can get notoriously wacky.

 

TAXI & RIDESHARE: There are typically yellow and green cabs to hail on the streets of Downtown Brooklyn. Uber and Lyft are also popular and usually arrive quickly.

 

BICYCLE: Citi Bike is the NYC bike share program. You can buy a single ride, a day pass, or a three-day pass. There are bike-docking stations around town and you can locate them on the Citi Bike mobile app. Jack likes biking and suggests a ride along the water in Brooklyn Bridge Park if you are weary of vehicular traffic. (You can ride a bike for up to 30 minutes before you have to re-dock it.)

 

DRIVING: There will be valet service at the 1 Hotel. Street parking is very limited, mostly metered with 1-2 hour maximum time limits.

 

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FOOD & DRINK

 

There are scores of good places to eat and drink in the greater Downtown Brooklyn area. We suggest that you call ahead or use the Open Table app to make reservations in advance for weekend evening reservations at most sit-down restaurants.

 

The DeKalb Market Hall in the basement of the City Point building has been open for little over a year and is absolutely our go-to place for food in the neighborhood. There are about 40 different vendors and the vibe is bustling and informal. After ordering your food you can snag some space to eat around the periphery of the hall. Some of our favorites:

• For many good vegan options, check out Two Tablespoons.

• Jack recommends the purple rice bowl with tofu and green beans for something veggie at Jianbing.

• Flavors of the Caribbean? Likkle More Jerk. Rob recommends the Curry Chicken Roti.

• Fulton Landing Seafood Co. is another place we frequent.

• Perogis? Pierogi Boys!

• There is also a Trader Joe’s in the basement, Target on the second floor, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on the fourth floor of the City Point building (see ‘Entertainment’ below).

 

Forno Rosso is a reliably good Neapolitan Italian restaurant right near the Hampton Inn. We eat there a lot because we live nearby. We won’t recommend the deep-fried Montanara pizza for health reasons but we certainly recommend it for deliciousness reasons. 

 

Smith Street south of Atlantic Avenue has several blocks of restaurants and bars if you want to stroll and see what calls to you. Leyenda is our favorite place on Smith Street for seriously delicious cocktails and some tasty lighter fare. Try Rob’s favorite drink, the rum-based Brooklyn Burro; or try Jack’s favorite, the spicy mescal-based La Sonambula. The chalupas come highly recommended (shrimp, avocado, coconut on a fried corn masa) and we wouldn’t even consider not ordering the guacamole.

 

Also serving Mexican fare and cocktails but closer to the 1 Hotel is Gran Eléctrica. If the weather is nice, they have a nice back patio.

 

Around the corner and also near the 1 Hotel is Grimaldi’s, which makes coal brick-oven pizza. While good, the menu is otherwise limited and in our opinion it’s not worth waiting if there’s a long line. Cash only.

 

Vinegar Hill House is on a shockingly quiet street in the quaint Vinegar Hill neighborhood.

 

Then there’s the original Junior’s, famous for their cheesecake and serving a full menu. They’re open late.

 

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ENTERTAINMENT

 

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on the fourth floor of the City Point building (same building as the DeKalb Market Hall; see ‘Food & Drink’ above) quickly became our favorite place to see a movie when it opened. It’s spacious and comfortable and they have a full food and bar menu (and a good number of vegan options); you order from your seat. Jack’s guilty pleasure is the Espresso Chocolate Shake with tequila blanco; Rob likes the cookies. It’s reserved seating and you should absolutely book your seats in advance online!

 

If you have time before or after your movie, check out House of Wax in the lobby. It is a full-service bar with an extensive craft beer selection and also boasts a large anatomical, pathological & ethnographic waxworks museum collection from 19th century Berlin. It’s somewhat difficult to explain; you just have to see it. Be forewarned that the farther back you go, the more graphic and macabre the collection becomes.

 

The New York Transit Museum is a fun spot for history buffs where you can learn all about public transportation in the city and step inside some old-school subway cars.

 

The Brooklyn Academy of Music, which everyone just calls ‘BAM’, has film, theater, live music, and dance. Around the corner is MoCADA, the new Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts.

 

The fairly new NYC Ferry system has been a big hit with locals and tourists. For just $2.75 a ride, it’s a great way to see the city and harbor. The DUMBO landing (station) is directly outside of the wedding venue. You could try taking the East River route from DUMBO in the direction of East 34th St for a scenic tour. Just buy your ticket at the vending machine near the landing before you queue for the ferry. Fun fact: you can buy beer on tap, wine, and other concessions on board.

 

Farther away but quite worthwhile is Prospect Park, sometimes referred to as “Brooklyn’s Central Park”. The Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden are also here at the north end of the park.