Red Hook (Brooklyn), New York

Brooklyn Museum: Take a cab to the Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway. For a suggested fee of $16 per person, you can see, oh, somewhere about 1.5 million works of art, including pieces from Claude Monet, an impressive Egyptian collection, and everything in between. Just remember: It’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Turn the corner from the museum to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and enter the gates. You’ll find a zen Japanese garden and a conservatory with exotic flowers. Each spring, the cherry blossoms draw big crowds.

Brooklyn Bridge: The iconic bridge, opened in 1883, crosses the East River to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan. To start on the Brooklyn end and make your way to Manhattan, there’s an entrance on Tillary Street and Boerum Place. Be prepared for crowds of tourists with selfie sticks.

Prospect Park: Though it doesn’t have the status of Manhattan’s Central Park, Prospect Park has just as much to offer. Take a stroll through the Prospect Park Zoo, or grab a bite from the Food Truck Rally on weekends in Grand Army Plaza and set up a picnic on the lawn.

Foodies: The best way to sample Brooklyn’s culinary variety is at Smorgasburg—an outdoor food market showcasing local vendors every weekend in the summertime. The food is great—sometimes eclectic—but the best part is your backdrop: Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge.

People Watchers: If you're amused by beards and ironic T-shirts, you’ll enjoy immersing yourself in the hipster-friendly neighborhood of Williamsburg. Here, you’ll find more vintage clothing shops and record stores than you’ll likely have time to browse.

Red Hook Is Isolated: There's little public transportation here, so you’ll want to take a cab to Borough Hall to hop on a subway, or to Pier 12 to catch a ferry.