Before there was gentrification in this borough of New York, Williamsburg used to be Williamsburgh, yes with an "h" at the end, 'long time ago' in the late 1700's - early 1800's. It also went from being its own city to becoming part of Brooklyn and from being home to the start of various industrial businesses and factories to now a hub for contemporary arts and music. Others would define it as...
My third visit to New York was my first time finally crossing the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and I can say I fell in love with this other side! First, because of its open space. It feels less claustrophobic, I'm evidently not a native to Manhattan (¡Viva México!), so being close to it without being in it felt quite nice. Besides, the skyline from here looks amazing! I was fascinated with the view from the waterfront at East River State Park.
Manhattan skyline from East River State Park.
And because I love to eat, the restaurants was my favorite part! From the best sushi at Bozu to the best pizza at literally Best Pizza, and for any brunch snob Five Leaves was a dream! One can find all different types of breweries, bars and coffee shops, even a record-store/cafe/music venue: Rough Trade. Let's not even mention the boutiques and vintage shops!
All pics by me, except Best Pizza -> thanks Google!
Williamburg's street art scene is vast, colorful and eccentric. No wonder it's also known as "Little Berlin"! You can find works from artists such as Eduardo Kobra and R. Robots to pieces from Miss Me Art. I was in street-art heaven!
One of the most interesting things I found was the hand-painted advertisements by Brooklyn based Colossal Media. They're specialized in large scale photo-realistic murals. It was fascinating to see brands such as Patagonia and YouTube through a slowly-crafted ad media lens.
Scholastic by Colossal Media, inspired on Steven Pauls' photograph.
The opening night at Tara McPherson's Cotton Candy Machine's Biennial was out-of-control cool! My boyfriend showed one of his amazing pieces and we met other amazing artists from different parts of the US and even Japan. So I recommend you to start following: Eli Libson (@elilibson), Joey Stupor (@joeystupor) and (@aicaart).
Eli Libson's "Tale of the Cherry Blossom"
Full of tags such as hipster or referenced as hipsturbia, with a negative connotation, Williamsburg is unquestionably an institution of coolness... If you're like me and love art and food, this is a great place to go! ❤