Brooklyn, here we come! Moving to a new home is definitely one of the biggest decisions one can make. Moving from a town to a big city is an even bigger one. If you have decided to move to Brooklyn, you are in for an interesting ride. This New York borough is the most densely populated part of New York with about 2.6 million inhabitants. This makes it the second-most densely populated county in the United States. It is behind the county of New York. It has been a part of the city of New York ever since January 1, 1898. Brooklyn has always been an important part of the city, and its importance is growing even today. New firms and other enterprises are opened almost daily. It has also become a place of gathering for post-modern artists and designers.
Brooklyn diversity
Ethnic variety played a large role in Brooklyn becoming a cultural center since many of its neighborhoods are actually ethnic enclaves. This is best observed in the fact that the official motto displayed on the flag and seal of Brooklyn is Eendraght Maeckt Maght, which is Dutch for “Unity makes strength”. As is the case with New York, Brooklyn was founded by the Dutch. It got its name from a Dutch village of Breukelen, and the Dutch tradition still plays a major role here. This part of New York has a lot to offer to its inhabitants as well as to the tourists, so there are some things that you should be aware of if you are coming to Brooklyn to stay. Either way, you can shout from your lungs “Brooklyn, here we come”
Brooklyn’s culture
American culture by itself is a wonderful mix of pretty much every other culture of the world. New York in general and, more specifically, Brooklyn are the prime examples of this. The influence on the cinema, literature, and theater, but also other segments of culture are undeniable. Here you can find the famous Brooklyn Academy of Music, but also one of the largest collections of public arts, found in Brooklyn Museum.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music
The Brooklyn Academy of Music or BAM opened in 1861 and it is located in the same place since 1908. Since its very beginning, it is a gathering place for progressive and innovative avant-garde performers. Herts and Tallant built the current residence of BAM 1908, and it is still one of the architectural jewels of Brooklyn. It is the urban arts center which pays attention to both, the world’s artistic currents but also the local community’s creative innovations. Annually about 800,000 people experience the wide array of cultural programs offered here. Its golden era began in 1999 when Karen Brooks Hopkins became its president and Joseph V. Melillo its Executive Producer. BAM’s rise continues uninterrupted even today, despite Katy Clark succeeding Hopkins as the president in 2015. There are many different subsections in this institution, with the Opera House, Rose Cinemas and Lepercq Space as the most important ones.
The Brooklyn Museum
This museum is the third largest museum in New York City, covering 560,000 square feet. Its collection of artworks encompasses about 1.5 million works. McKim, Mead, and White designed the building to be one of the largest museums in the world. Since its founding in 1895, it struggled for many years to maintain its building and collection. However, this changed thanks to major donations and renovations in the second half of the 20th century.
Many notable collections are on display here, such as the 3000 years old Egyptian antiquities collection. Various European, African and even Oceanic and Japanese art collections rest here too. An important part of its collection is also the American art dating as far as the Colonial period. The works of Norman Rockwell, Max Weber, Mark Rothko, and Homer Winslow are among the most important ones.
Brooklyn, here we come!
There are many interesting and breathtaking locations in Brooklyn. However, it would take several articles to cover all of them, so we will name but a few. If you have successfully moved here, and now you want to explore what Brooklyn has to offer, you are going to have to dive more deeply into researching.
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood that originally a part of a town called Gravesend. It became a seaside resort and in the next two centuries, amusement parks made it very popular. It struggled a bit after the World War II, but it came back to life when MCU Park, a baseball stadium was opened. Also, it is one of the most popular places to visit and you will enjoy your day there. If you are coming to Brooklyn just for this, you are not wrong! Brooklyn, here we come!
Fort Greene Park
Fort Greene park got its name from after a fort that was located there during the Revolutionary and Civil wars. It covers the area of 30.2 acres, or 12.2 ha and is one most beautiful and peaceful places in the New York. Prison Ship Martyr’s Monument is one the most important features in here. Around 11,5000 Americans died here in British prisons during the Revolutionary War.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
It is located in the Jamaica Bay, and it consists of open water and intertidal salt marshes. Geographical landscape forms like dunes, woodland, salt marshes, and fields stretch throughout the area. Diamondback terrapin and horseshoe crab are among the most notable inhabitants of the Refuge.
Prospect Park
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (creator of Central Park on Manhattan) designed this public park that stretches on 2.37 square kilometers. The Picnic house is one of the chief attractions here, accompanied by the 90 acres long, Long Meadow. The Prospect Park Bandshell often hosts free outdoor concerts here during the summers. If you are in the process of moving to Brooklyn and it is going to take a while to finish, find some storage unit that will keep your belongings safe and start your tour of Brooklyn right away from Prospect Park. If you decide to stay here, you can just choose perfect location and repeat to yourself – Brooklyn, here we come!
