Group: Sarah, Karen, Marisol, Lisbel – Historic & Heritage Tourism

Historic and heritage tourism is the act of traveling to experience different places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent stories and people of the past. A country’s culture, historic monuments, and natural resources are just a few things that are relevant when speaking about this type of tourism.

Along the Brooklyn Waterfront, there were many destinations spoken about that were relevant to the topic we had. First, we learned about the significance about Atlantic Avenue and how it had always been a gateway and refuge for immigrants. Irish and Scandinavian families settled and worked on Brooklyn’s waterfront. Years later, Arab, Spanish, Italian, and Puerto Rican newcomers made roots in the western end of Atlantic Avenue near Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The ferry line which use to connected Atlantic Avenue to South Ferry help Arab American families leave crowded tenements of “Little Syria” in lower Manhattan for new homes in Brooklyn. Atlantic Avenue played an important role in Brooklyn’s history.

The Brooklyn Bridge pier was another place that was visited that pertained to Brooklyn’s history. Hundreds of ships used to be docked and as Brooklyn and Manhattan became major cities, these docks were removed in order for the A train to be created. This is important to Brooklyn’s history because it shows the advancement of technology and how Brooklyn and Manhattan had to adapt in order to cater to an increase in population.

Brooklyn’s historical society consists of different exhibitions that encompass both tourism and heritage. “In the Pursuit of Freedom” explores Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement from the end of the American Revolution through the early days of Reconstruction through photographs, local newspapers and more.

Along the Brooklyn Waterfront, The River Cafe is also considered to be a historic site as it was one of the first restaurants established on the Brooklyn waterfront. When the waterfront was known as a rundown area just a few years ago, The River Cafe was established and during this time it was a hidden gem.

Christopher, Sam, Neil, Gabriella.

The area of tourism given to my group is Culinary Tourism. Culinary Tourism includes any tourism experience in which a person learns about, appreciates, consumes or participates in any eating or drinking that reflects the local cuisine, heritage, or culture of a place. Some observations I made while at Brooklyn Bridge Park and DUMBO is that the majority of places of where you can have a bite to eat or drink has a very vintage look to them. You can see the history in places such as Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and Brooklyn Roasting Company because of the tremendous difference between them and the surrounding buildings which are being renovated. It goes from old creaky wood floors and that 1950’s  rusted/old exterior to clear shiny glass windows, and tall brand new buildings. It really shows you how far back the history dates on places and restaurants on the Brooklyn Waterfront. Eating delicious creamy deserts at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and Tasting Nicaraguan coffee is actually two significant  activities you can participate in the area of DUMBO. Two other activities you can participate in is watching Nathan’s annual hot dog eating contest over at Coney Island where some of the most competitive eating in world is done, and spending an afternoon fishing in Sheepshead Bay where you can learn to fish and potentially bring one in for a nice “Fresh off the boat” kind of meal.

Ri Dong Zheng, Daniel Pelaez, Lily Cheung, Destiny Rivera

The area of tourism for our group is culinary tourism. Culinary tourism is the pursuit of eating and drinking experience while traveling, to enjoy and taste the culture of the community. Around the Brooklyn Bridge Park and DUMBO area, there are many great places to experience and taste the Brooklyn culture of New York. Ranging from small little hole-in-the-walls such as the Lizzmonade Brooklyn Pop-Up Pool where you can enjoy various kinds of custom drinks, to a great eatery with an outdoor terrace at the Brooklyn Bridge Garden Bar. You can also enjoy an ice-cold ice cream dessert anytime of the day and year at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory or sit down and sip a nice cup of steaming hot coffee at the Brooklyn Roasting Company, which features coffee beans from all around the world. There are various ways to experience the taste of Brooklyn. Four significant areas that are worth visiting are the River Cafe, Smorgasburg, Dumbo’s Food Truck, and the Brooklyn Grange. The River Cafe, with an Michelin’s Star rating, features a fine dining experience with an New American Menu and a stunning view of the river and Manhattan skyline. Smorgasburg and Dumbo’s Food Truck, on the other hand, are also great places to eat for those who may prefer something cheaper. It features a variety of food from the Brooklyn style food to vendors and trucks. With the Brooklyn Grange, you can enjoy time with nature with the world’s largest organic rooftop garden. Because there is a wide range of activities to do around the Brooklyn Bridge Park and DUMBO area, you can experience the culinary tourism of Brooklyn to the fullest.

Michelle Chen, Mimi Chen, Robert Lo, Roxanne Luciano

Our area of tourism focuses on the cultural aspects of tourism. Cultural tourism revolves around the region’s culture and lifestyle of its people. It can also tie into the aspects of history, art, architecture, and religion. The cultural landscape of the environment is also a critical point that is associated with cultural tourism. One reason tourists visit New York City is for its cultural activities such as visiting art galleries and museums and going to Broadway theaters, music and dance festivals. Most of them are located on the Brooklyn Waterfront, which are essentials for tourist attractions and to generate revenues. In August, the Brooklyn waterfront conducts a double dutch event that is free for anyone to join. It brings people from all different boroughs and gives off that block party vibe. Block parties are one of the best representative to display the environment and culture that Brooklyn is about. An example of cultural tourism that takes place on the Brooklyn waterfront is Coney Island. Coney Island is famous for its food vendors and activities such as  Nathan’s hot dogs and the infamous Cyclone. From many different food places and activities to choose from , a little bit of every culture is brought to this one attraction for all to experience. Particularly in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, there are cultural activities such as free Shakespeare performances by the waterfront with the view of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. While walking around, there were phrases derived from a poem by Walt Whitman which expresses the historic aspect of how and when the architecture was built. Similarly to the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Sunset Park is a great place at the Waterfront to view the sunset. Both parks are friends and family orientated and great places for photographers to take pictures. The lifestyle of these people are generally more hip and modern to the point where leisure activities such as photography, bird watching, and physical activities are apparent when going into these parks.  During the trip to Brooklyn Bridge Park, there were two sites that tied into the cultural aspect of tourism; Bargemusic and St. Ann’s Warehouse. Bargemusic is significant for its excellent acoustic musics five days a week, every week of the year, while St. Ann’s warehouse which was originally a tobacco warehouse, was transformed into a spectacular theater that holds concerts, performances, and rock and roll. Not only these two are part of New York City’s culture, both Bargemusic and St. Ann’s warehouse can be traced back as historic and heritage of New York City. All of these cultural events comes back full circle to show that they contribute heavily to cultural tourism.

During our visit to the Brooklyn bridge you learned and saw many historic things about the area. The Brooklyn Bridge for example was built back in 1883 and it was such new technology that people were afraid to cross it. Being that my topic is Historic tourism i learnt that the area around the park used to be nothing for land fills and factories. people used ferries to cross the water to get to work; now people still do but more to enjoy and the ride. The ferries themselves have a long history connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. Until the bridge came along Brooklyn was a completely separate city from New York. the bridge made it possible to bring these to cities together. Tourist are attracted to this area because of its history and scenery. even though the history isn’t jumping out at you. There are plaques  all around explaining what events took place there. There is so much more history behind the Brooklyn bridge waterfront then we may even know.