New York City is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world, from the famous attractions of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and much more. With all of this come the noise of sirens car horns screaming people, the typical hustle and bustle of The Big Apple. You want to go on a vacation that is peaceful and tranquil and where you can go with that special someone, or even your family. We’ll solve it by crossing over the Hudson River into Brooklyn, where you can see all of these wonderful attractions, without the hustle and bustle. Enjoy kayaking down the Hudson while helping out the ecosystem by picking up any trash, and volunteer to plant trees and other plants to the beautifully transforming parks in the Brooklyn neighborhoods. The activities that Brooklyn Bridge Park has to offer is great for any one, wither you have kids or its just you and your husband. Enjoy many vegan restaurants with locally grown vegetables from urban roof top gardens. You can even go to the theatre without stepping foot out of Brooklyn. Enjoy the Brooklyn waterfront especially during the spring and summer months to experience Brooklyn’s full potential.
Friday
1. Nu Hotel. | 9 a.m.
Check into Nu Hotel on 85 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. This Green hotel has many amenities for your every need. Such as free wi-fi to stay connected with family and friends, personal shopping and delivery from Whole Foods in Brooklyn. You can even loan a complementary NU bike for all your needs to travel all over Brooklyn. 
Photography Credit: NU Hotel.
2. Brunch at M.O.B. | 12 p.m.
After checking in you can go to M.O.B. restaurant to enjoy a vegetarian breakfast. From the hotel simply ride your bike to 3rd avenue, and Atlantic Avenue. In this restaurant you will find a few brunch options (available only Saturdays & Sundays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.) If your palate is craving something sweet try out there Silver Dollar Stack of Wild Blueberry Pancakes ($ 11) topped with pecan praline, fresh bananas, and NY maple syrup. But if you aren’t feeling much of a sweet tooth try there Roast Corn & Shiitake Scramble ($ 14) made with tofu, a unique red bell pepper sauce, sautéed kale, sweet potato home fries, and a light drizzle of sour cream, served with a side of warm house baked flat bread. For a refreshing drink wither order the Mimosa for $11 or any of their smoothies and cold pressed juices for $6.
Photography Credit: Yelp Reviews for M.O.B.
3. Seining the River Wild. | 3 p.m.
Head down to the Empire Fulton Ferry, and learn about the remarkable creatures, and nature on the bottom of the East River. The East River scientist humanely catches the animals and releases them back into the water after a quick observation. This activity helps us learn and see that the river isn’t just a body of water with nothing in it, but after seeing that there are actually animals in the water teaches us to help our ecosystem. It shows us beauty that we never see.
Photography Credit: Brooklyn Bridge Park Webpage.
4. Brooklyn Flea. | 5 p.m.
When you walk along Brooklyn Bridge Parks you may notice a lot of people walking around especially with goodies in their hands. That is because they went to the Brooklyn Flea, on Pier 5 you will find over 100 vendors selling antique re-used and recycled materials. This is a great way to find gifts for those back home or just for you. Lounge around and go shopping while helping support local business, and recycling materials. Then head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and the stars.
5. Siggy’s Good Food. | 7 p.m.
Go to Siggy’s Good Food at 76 Henry St Brooklyn, NY 11201 (between Orange & Pineapple St); by taking the A or C train to High St. Enjoy a healthy organic meal in a great atmosphere. Start off with getting the Grilled Baby Artichokes Plate ($12), grilled whole baby artichokes served with roasted red peppers, Greeks Kalamata olives and parmesan cheese (Gluten Free). Then get their Green Alien Quencher ($7) made with cucumbers, kale, mint, pineapple and orange juice. Also try their Roasted Herb Sweet Potatoes for a little bit of sweet ($6).
Photography Credit: Yelp Reviews for, Siggy’s Good Food.
6. Journey to the Stars. | 9:30 p.m.
After enjoying your meal and before heading back to your hotel for a good night’s rest go to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1. There you will find an event going on with people all over. During this night specialists come out with their telescopes to show people how the stars look at night in the city. With these telescopes you would never think that you were in NYC where we can only see a few stars at night. But these high performing telescopes help us see what is above us and takes us on an amazing journey. Saturday
7. Nu Hotel. | 11 a.m.
Order breakfast in from Whole foods and have it delivered to your hotel room. Stock up the fridge in your room with foods you enjoy at home. This way you can save some money, and have a bite to eat in your hotel room after a morning workout in the hotels gym to start off your day.
Photography Credit: NU Hotel.
8. Paddle along the waterfront. | 2 p.m.
If you’re looking for an adventurous activity to do while still helping out the community, go kayaking along the East River. Take a brief bike ride down to Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, located between Piers 1 & 2 of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Paddling is held in between the bay of Piers 1 and 2 Saturdays (from 10:00AM to 3:00PM) and every Thursdays (from 5:30PM to 6:45PM), there is a 20 minute limit a day but it’s always FREE! All they ask of you is to collect any trash you may see, and to enjoy the miraculous views of Manhattan. To get to the Boathouse ride your bike from the hotel, then enter Pier 1 of the Park at the end of Old Fulton Street (next to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory) and walk south 200 yards, on the cross roads of Elizabeth Pl. & Old Fulton St.
9. Bay lander. | 4 p.m.
Enjoy a free public tour of a historic U.S. Navy vessel that was originally deployed during Vietnam and later used to train U.S. helicopter pilots. You can learn more about the historic times that happened during the wars, and learn how it felt to live on a ship like the navy men had to.
Photography Credit: Brooklyn Heights Blog.
10. Mamu Thai Noodle Truck. | 6 p.m.
Without leaving Brooklyn Bridge Park Grab a bite to eat in Mamu Thai Noodle Food truck. Try their Pad Kee Mao noodles with tofu ($ 12). On a hot summer day wash it down with Thai iced tea ($3) a nice cool treat to balance the heat of the noodles. Bring them down to the waterfront and enjoy!
Photography Credit: Yelp Reviews for, Mamu Thai Noodle Food truck.
11. Barge music. | 9 p.m.
Wind down a little and enjoy the summer breeze off the East River and the beautiful music played at the barge, enjoy this event for free. It’s a great way to end your journey through the Brooklyn waterfront, while enjoying the fantastic views of Manhattan.
Photography Credit: Barge Music Webpage.
Sunday
12. Green Team. | 11 a.m.
Although you are on vacation you can help make Brooklyn Bridge Park become Beautiful by volunteering, just contact Sarah Ward, Volunteer Manager, at (718) 412-1031 or sward@brooklynbridgepark.org before your arrival. By becoming a volunteer and joining The Green team you have the opportunity to provide horticultural care to the park including planting, mulching, and removing invasive plants for free. This adds life to the park this program also helps to teach children about the environment, and what it means to us.
13. Pilates with the Fitness Guru. | 12:30 a.m.
Head down to Brooklyn Bridge Park, for a Pilates class with a fitness guru (free). This is a great way to start off your day and get the blood pumping through your body.
14. Snack Time. | 2 p.m.
Go to Vegetarian Ginger to enjoy a quick delicious snack to boost your energy back up. Located on 128 Montague St 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (between Henry St & Clinton St in Brooklyn Heights). Order the Sweet and Sour Soy Protein, comes with brown rice ($5.97). Also try the spring roll ($1). This meal is light so you will have enough space till dinner, but yet it is so filling and gives you that extra boost of energy.
- Homepage- NU Hotel Brooklyn, (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://nuhotelbrooklyn.com/
- Homepage- M.O.B. Brooklyn (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.mob-usa.com/
- Homepage- Brooklyn Bridge Park (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/activities
- Siigy’s Good Food (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.siggysgoodfood.com/
- Homepage- Brooklyn Bridge Park Boat House (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.bbpboathouse.org/
- Brooklyn Heights Blog, Bay Lander (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/68929
- Yelp reviews- (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.yelp.com/biz/mamu-thai-noodle-truck-brooklyn
- Homepage- Barge Music (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://bargemusic.org/
- Homepage- The Green Team (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/brooklyn-bridge-park/events/2014/08/23/green-team
- Brooklyn Bridge Park, The Green Team (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/events/green-team
- Yelp Reviews- Vegan, Kosher (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.yelp.com/biz/vegetarian-ginger-brooklyn
We have a number of students who work at Nu, it is a cool hotel and it is just down the block.
Siggy’s is awesome, a bit noisy but worth a trip every time.