If you want cool city vibes at half the cost of Manhattan, stay in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Photo / Supplied
As Qantas launches its new direct service from Auckland to New York, Kate Wickers suggests where to stay if you want cool city vibes at half the cost of Manhattan.
At sunset, from Williamsburg’s waterfront Domino Park, named for the colossal red-brick Domino Sugar Refinery, built in 1882 (now being sensitively reimagined into swanky apartments and offices), I gaze across the East River from left to right taking in views against a sky the colour of bubble-gum. My gaze is drawn first downtown to the financial district and The One World Trade Centre, and then midtown to The Empire State Building and the shimmering Art Deco terraced crown of The Chrysler Building. The 2227.5m-long Williamsburg Bridge, built in 1903, was the world’s longest suspension bridge in its day, and is all that separates me from Manhattan. Between two of the hefty brick-supporting pillars, I spy The Statue of Liberty in the distance, diminutive against a backdrop of skyscrapers. On this visit to the Big Apple, I’m joining the ever-growing number of savvy travellers who want to stay in one of New York’s coolest neighbourhoods but don’t want to pay sky-high hotel prices, but I’m still only a 15-minute journey away by subway or taxi to Manhattan.
Although the sprucing up of Williamsburg (a neighbourhood in Brooklyn covering 5.64sq km) began some 10-plus years ago, the transformation into the uber-hip destination you see today is more recent, with The Moxy Williamsburg its newest opening. I like the utility chicness of my bright, airy bedroom with its space-saving pull-down desk, hooks to hang clothes, rotary dial telephone (with an option to dial in for a bedtime story), and views to the Williamsburg Bridge where the J, M, and Z silvery subway trains trundle over (soundproofed windows are a given).
Written across the mirror in crayon is the question: “Hey Kate! Are you ready to have some fun?”. I certainly am, and as I strike out down Bedford St I see that fun won’t be hard to find. Williamsburg appears to have more independent boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and bars than a hipster could shake a craft beer at. I pop into Horses and Divorces, a traditional dive bar (typically an unglamorous watering hole that oozes authenticity), slipping into a vinyl booth in its dimly lit interior. I was expecting a jukebox and a pool table, but the massive photo of Burt Reynolds in the buff takes me by surprise. This place feels like the 1970s.
Next day, to get my bearings and enjoy a whistle-stop history lesson, I take a walking tour with Joseph from Tours By Locals, who whisks me away from trendy North Williamsburg to gritty South Williamsburg with the bridge as the demarcation line. In 1638, the land that we know today as Williamsburg was snatched from Native Americans by the Dutch West India Company until the British stole it from them in 1664 and ruled until 1783. In the 1800s it became a major shipping hub, and factories and tenement buildings sprung up (many now reborn as expensive loft apartments) and the city became an annexe of Brooklyn in 1855. European Jews fled here to escape Nazism; Puerto Ricans migrated here in the 60s in search of factory jobs but a decline in manufacturing resulted in an impoverished society. I’m lapping up all this history under the shadow of a grand domed landmark building - The Williamsburgh Savings Bank, established in 1851 - now operating as an occasional private banquet hall.
We pass by the Peter Luger Steakhouse, which opened in 1887, and is still considered the best in the city (best to book ahead), then pause next to the impressive statue of George Washington at Valley Forge (in action fighting off the Brits in 1777), sculpted in 1906 by local artist Mervin Shravy and cast in bronze in Brooklyn. “The traffic cones on George’s head are a 21st-century addition,” jokes Joseph. In the streets around Broadway, hole-in-the-wall bagel bakeries rub shoulders with five-and-dime stores, luncheonettes, laundromats, shoe repair shops, and a kosher butcher, 67 years in service to Williamsburg’s large Hasidic Jewish community. With kids playing ball in the streets around vintage fire hydrants, this is a postage stamp of New York that time appears to have forgotten.
I wave goodbye to Joseph back in North Williamsburg at the Brooklyn Brewery (book in for a tour and a tasting) established in 1996 (the catalyst to the area becoming a taproom mecca), which is decorated in a fabulous mural by local artist Danielle Mastrion, rumoured to use pilsner-infused paint. Just one in many whimsical street paintings that brighten up the area, it’s worth joining an Art & Neighbourhood Unplugged tour organised by The Moxy (free to guests) so as not to miss impressive works such as the Peace & Love Wall by artist Chris Riggs, and the epic The Mona Lisa of Williamsburg that covers the entire side of an apartment building.
On Sunday, I mosey down Wythe Ave to Grand St, dipping into vintage stores and intriguing shops that catch my eye. Of these, don’t miss Scosha for period jewellery and fabulous pendant lighting; Topdrawer which sells tools for nomads (the perfect place to stock up on travel journals); Grand Street Local for vintage baseball, denim, and leather jackets (for womenswear head to Awoke Vintage on 5th St); and Simple, a French Algerian cafe/shop on Bedford Ave, for a pile of ricotta and preserved lemon pancakes and a browse of stylish homeware. For lunch, I find a sunny spot on the terrace of Jack’s Wife Freda and watch the hipsters file by, while tucking into a grilled eggplant baguette with pesto, mozzarella, and roasted tomato.
The independent Nitehawk Cinema is one of New York’s oldest, and its appeal comes in the intimacy of its small retro theatres and in the novelty of table service. I scribble my order for caramel popcorn and a cocktail (paper and pencils are provided; try the Jungle Bird made with Jamaican rum and Campari) and wait for a waiter to tip-toe to retrieve it. The bill arrives for me to settle around half an hour before the film ends, and the experience brims with old-school movie glamour.
Those with more energy to burn can pick up a shiny blue Citibike from waterfront stations that can be hired by day or shorter periods, and are perfect for exploring the neighbourhood’s many green spaces, such as Domino Park, newly developed Marsha P. Johnson Park (named after the prominent gay activist of the 60s and 70s) and McCarren Park, where you’ll find an outdoor swimming pool and communal barbecue grills.
The Moxy’s rooftop bar, LilliStar, opened in late April and provides show-stopping views to the bridge and over rooftops to Manhattan, but I pull up a stool in Bar Bedford instead to watch the 6m motorised liquor risers in action, inspired by coin-operated automats, the precursor to New York’s first vending machines.
Other tricks up The Moxy’s sleeve include signature restaurant Mesiba (Tel Aviv-inspired, serving Israeli food; try the chicken musakhan with laffah bread, spinach salad, and fermented mango), and Jolene Sound (the clue is in the name that Dolly Parton was the inspiration behind this dance lounge). After dinner, I take an evening stroll (did I mention how safe the neighbourhood feels?) back to Domino Park for night-time views of Manhattan reaching for the stars in all its twinkling glory. This spectacle is undoubtedly Williamsburg’s top trump and, best of all, it doesn’t cost one shiny dime.
GETTING THERE
From June 14, Qantas’ new service will fly direct from Auckland to New York’s JFK airport. qantas.com/nz
DETAILS
Double rooms at The Moxy Williamsburg start at US$179 ($295) per night. Book at moxywilliamsburg.com
For more things to see and do in the region, go to iloveny.com
The 2025 Kantar Corporate Reputation Index has been announced.