Brooklyn/Southwest Brooklyn

Southwest Brooklyn is a part of Brooklyn, New York City that encompasses the neighborhoods of Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Kensington, Parkville, and Sunset Park.

Understand

 * Bay Ridge has traditionally been a residential Irish-Italian-Norwegian neighborhood, but has had an influx of Arab, Asian and Russian families. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connects to here from Staten Island, and Fort Hamilton, a United States Army Base, is here as well. There is a great variety of good values in food to be had in this neighborhood, especially on 3rd Avenue. The neighborhood is also one of the top bar areas in the non-downtown area of Brooklyn.
 * Bensonhurst used to be Italian, but it now is home to a large Chinatown and has many other immigrants from Albania, Pakistan, Korea, Mexico, Guatemala and many Eastern European immigrants. The train runs above ground and it is a lively place with an Old New York feel. Many of the best "unknown" restaurants in Brooklyn (known locally but often ignored by the Manhattan-based establishment) can be found in Bensonhurst. Get there by taking the D train to 18th or 20th Avenues or Bay Parkway.
 * Borough Park has the biggest Chasidic Jewish community in the city. You will see lots of kosher foods on sale, and shops that are closed every Friday night and Saturday but open on Sunday, due to religious rules. If these things are unfamiliar to you, a trip to Borough Park may be worthwhile.
 * Kensington is south of Prospect Park. It is the most diverse neighborhood in Brooklyn and is one of the most diverse in the United States. It is one of the "up and coming" neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Many new trendy restaurants and boutiques have opened, making this neighborhood a hotspot. It is served by the F and G trains at Church Avenue, and the Q train at Beverly Road and Cortelyou Road.
 * Sunset Park is often called New York City's little Puerto Rico and Brooklyn's Chinatown and is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City. It is just less than 20 minutes away from Downtown Brooklyn. Sunset Park is a place for all families to come and shop, and locals can be seen running errands in the heart of the neighborhood along 5th Avenue between 60th and 44th Streets. Its hilly terrain gives magnificent views of Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan, Staten Island, Jersey City and the nearby Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Besides the Hispanic part of the neighborhood filled with families of Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican and other backgrounds, the Chinese also put Sunset Park on the map with its countless Chinese restaurants found on 8th Avenue between 60th and 40th Streets.

By subway
For Green-Wood Cemetery itself, the best trains to take are either the D to 9th Avenue or the F to Fort Hamilton Parkway.

The D serves the center of the district, including Borough Park and Bensonhurst before continuing to Coney Island, while the N serves Dyker Heights after splitting off from the R in Sunset Park. The R terminates in Bay Ridge.

By bus
South west brooklyn main busses are served by the Jackie Gleason and Ulmer Park depots.

The B1, B6, and B64 serve the area and are apart of Ulmer Park depot.

The B4, B8, B9, B11, B16, B35, B37, B63, B67, and B69 are apart of Jackie Gleason depot.

The X27/X37 and X28/X38 express buses also serve this area and are located in the Ulmer Park depot.

By car
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge takes you to Bay Ridge from Staten Island. I-278 (Gowanus Expressway to Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) and the Belt Parkway can get you here from other parts of Brooklyn, as well as Queens and Manhattan (via the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg Bridges, as well as other bridges and tunnels).

See






Bay Ridge
The neighborhood's main thoroughfares are 3rd Ave, 5th Ave and 86th Street. Whether you're looking for shops, cafes, restaurants or nightlife you can probably find it on one of those streets.