Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1
Stretching 1.3 miles along a former industrial waterfront, Brooklyn Bridge Park delivers the most dramatic skyline shot in all of New York City — and it won't cost you a cent to enter. Pier 1's grassy upper lawn frames the Brooklyn Bridge against the Lower Manhattan skyline in a single, jaw-dropping panorama.
From Shipping Port to Showstopper
What is now one of New York's most beloved green spaces was, as recently as the early 2000s, a derelict stretch of cargo piers. The park's first sections opened in 2010, and today over 500 trees shade Pier 1 alone, their maturity carefully engineered to disguise the park's relative youth.
The full park runs from Pier 6 in the south all the way to John Street Park in the north, with each pier offering its own personality — sports courts on Pier 2, a sandy pebble beach at Pier 4, and wildflower meadows on Pier 6 where monarch butterflies pause during their late-August migration.
What to Do Once You're There
Plant yourself on the upper lawn of Pier 1 at golden hour and watch the Manhattan skyline ignite. For a classic photo of the Brooklyn Bridge with the city behind it, this is the spot that fills every travel Instagram feed.
Free kayaking launches from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse on Pier 1 on select summer weekends, while Jane's Carousel — a lovingly restored 1922 merry-go-round in a glass pavilion — spins nearby for just a couple of dollars a ride. Summer also brings Movies With a View, an open-air film series with the skyline as its backdrop.
Getting There & Staying Longer
Arrive by NYC Ferry at Fulton Ferry Landing or Pier 6, or take the A/C subway to High Street–Brooklyn Bridge station. The park recommends public transit or biking; parking on Furman Street is metered and limited to three hours.
Budget two to three hours for a proper wander from pier to pier. The DUMBO neighbourhood begins the moment you step off the park's northern edge, making the two an effortless double act.
Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1 on video
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