East New York travel guide

East New York, United States

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

East New York

Introduction

East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern part of Brooklyn, bordered by the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north, the Queens borough line to the east, Jamaica Bay to the south, and the BMT Canarsie Line, the Bay Ridge Branch railroad tracks, and Van Sinderen Avenue to the west. Linden Boulevard, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue serve as the primary thoroughfares through the area.

Before you go

Before you go, it helps to understand that East New York is a residential part of Brooklyn rather than a sightseeing district, and most visitors only pass through on their way to or from John F. Kennedy Airport via the A and J trains or the B15 bus. The area is rich in its own history, with homes standing where farms once did, and parks such as Highland Park where children can roam free to play. The Gateway Mall offers suburban-style shopping, while the City Line subsection around Liberty Avenue is where residents shop for food and clothing. Alongside the projects, parks and new homes are appearing. Like Brownsville, East New York has a reputation as one of the most dangerous communities in New York City, though the crime rate has dropped considerably since the bad old days a few decades ago. Cypress Hills is a small, ethnically diverse subsection of East New York, separated from the rest of the neighborhood by Atlantic Avenue. Canarsie has a West Indian character and a small-town feel, largely made up of one- and two-family houses, with Rockaway Parkway and parts of Seaview Avenue as its main commercial streets. Mill Basin and Bergen Beach are largely residential, predominantly occupied by Italian, Jewish, and Russian inhabitants.

Getting there

Getting to East Brooklyn is not as straightforward as most of the borough. Subway coverage is relatively poor: there are no subways to the Flatlands area, where the closest station is Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College on the 2 and, at rush hours, the 5 — roughly an hour away on foot, though buses along streets like Flatbush Avenue and Avenue H can get you there faster. Canarsie is somewhat better served, with the L terminating at Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway, about 25 minutes from Jamaica Bay by walking, and the B42 bus running from the station to Canarsie Piers. The L is difficult to reach from elsewhere in Brooklyn, but the G, M, J/Z, and A/C all connect to it. East New York itself is spoiled for choice, with the 3 terminating at New Lots Avenue — the closest station to the bay, though still a distance — plus plenty of A/C and J/Z stops. If you're traveling directly to Brooklyn from JFK, you will probably pass through here; the trains are safe. The Long Island Railroad's Atlantic Branch has a single stop in the district, at East New York, served by trains heading to or originating from Atlantic Terminal. Express buses — the BM1, BM2, BM4, and BM5 — come here from Manhattan. Given the spotty subway coverage and high crime in some parts of the area, East Brooklyn may well be one of the few places best reached by car; the Belt Parkway and Shore Parkway circle Brooklyn and run very close to the attractions in the Jamaica Bay.

Getting around

Getting around East New York means combining modes rather than relying on one, because coverage is uneven. The subway runs around the clock, though trains are less frequent late at night, and the western edge of the neighbourhood follows the BMT Canarsie Line, with Broadway Junction acting as a genuine transit hub where several lines meet. The 3 train terminates at New Lots Avenue, while the A/C and J/Z lines have numerous stops through the area. Coverage thins as you move east and south: the Flatlands has no subway of its own, with the closest station a long walk away, and Canarsie is served by the L terminating at Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway, still a fair walk from Jamaica Bay. Most stations lack public toilets and only a minority have elevators, and many older stations have separate street-level entrances for uptown and downtown trains, so entering the wrong side can mean paying again to switch. At night, wait in the designated off-hours waiting area near the ticket booth and avoid empty cars on otherwise crowded trains.

Fares are built around OMNY, a contactless system you tap with your phone, smartwatch, or a contactless credit or debit card at the turnstile; there is also a reloadable physical OMNY card sold at convenience stores. MetroCard sales have ended and machines are being replaced by OMNY kiosks. Fares are a flat rate for the subway and local buses, with free transfers between them within a two-hour window, and OMNY caps your spending after a set number of rides in a week using the same card or device. Buses fill the gaps the subway does not reach, connecting residential blocks to stations and the waterfront, and accept the same OMNY fare but no cash. Express buses such as the BM1, BM2, BM4, and BM5 offer a one-seat ride to Manhattan but cost more and include no free subway transfer. The LIRR's Atlantic Branch has a single stop in the district, at East New York, useful for a faster ride into downtown Brooklyn. Taxis and ride-hailing are straightforward, and given the spotty coverage a car may genuinely be the best way to reach parts of East Brooklyn, with the Belt Parkway and Shore Parkway running close to the Jamaica Bay attractions. Walkability varies sharply: around Broadway Junction and the main commercial streets it is reasonable, but in the Flatlands and toward Jamaica Bay, pair your walk with a bus or a car. For navigation, the MYmta app covers the subway, Citymapper can tell you which car to board for the best exit, and Google Maps is a fine alternative. Tourist passes cover attractions rather than subway fares and will not get you through the turnstile.

Where to stay

Lodging in East New York is limited, and the one option documented here sits in North Brooklyn, at the 12 Towns YMCA on Jamaica Avenue between Shepherd Avenue and Highland Place. It offers single-occupancy guest rooms, so it suits a solo traveller rather than a group or a family.

Food & drink

South Brooklyn rewards you for seeking out its neighbourhood institutions rather than its trendier counterparts. In the Mill Basin area, Mill Basin Deli is a true Brooklyn Jewish deli known for some of the best pastrami in the borough — if you're nearby, a sandwich here is a must. For pizza, head to Original's Pizza, known locally as "OG's," which serves some of the most authentic pizza in South Brooklyn; you'll come for the plain slice but stay for the creative ones. On a warm summer day, Dolly's Ices at Avenue U and 58th Street is a neighbourhood favourite, with a wide array of flavours that keep locals coming back.

Drinking options are scarce in this part of the borough, which makes Bill's Bar in Mill Basin one of the only bars around. It's a small watering hole, and stopping in gives you a taste of what the community is like.

What to see and do

For a sense of the city's quieter outer reaches, head to Cypress Hills Cemetery, a military cemetery set on the border between Brooklyn and Queens. Marine Park, reached via Shore Parkway, Avenue U, Filmore Avenue, Brigham Street, Gerritsen Avenue, and Flatbush Avenue, is Brooklyn's largest park, and it holds a large expanse of protected grassland and salt marsh worth exploring on foot.

Three days in East New York

Day one: Start by getting your bearings in East New York, a neighbourhood in Brooklyn that sits within the Cemetery Belt and borders Queens. Walk Van Sinderen Avenue and Linden Boulevard to see how the area is stitched together by the BMT Canarsie Line and the Bay Ridge Branch. Follow Pennsylvania Avenue and Atlantic Avenue, then head for Highland Park, where the green space gives you a break from the streets. For food, look for the West Indian cooking that reflects the neighbourhood's Caribbean community.

Day two: Push east toward City Line and Liberty Avenue, then continue into Cypress Hills, which shares the Cemetery Belt with East New York. Use the BMT Canarsie Line to reach Canarsie, and walk Rockaway Parkway and Seaview Avenue toward Jamaica Bay. The waterfront at the Canarsie Piers gives you open views across the water. Alongside the older Italian and Jewish traces in this part of East Brooklyn, you will also find Russian and West Indian communities, so the food and shopfronts shift from block to block.

Day three: Head south and west through Flatlands toward Mill Basin and Bergen Beach, following Flatlands Avenue and Flatbush Avenue past Brooklyn College. The Gateway Mall gives you a practical stop before you loop back. Like Brownsville, this corner of New York City is often passed over, but the mix of subway lines, the Bay Ridge Branch and the edge of Jamaica Bay makes it worth a slow day. If you are leaving from John F. Kennedy Airport, the BMT Canarsie Line and the roads toward Queens keep the trip simple.

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