Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn Heights was the first neighborhood in New York to be protected under the 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law, mainly due to its seemingly endless blocks of pre-Civil War brownstones and a number of historic mansions along Pierrepont Place.

Easily the most expensive neighborhood in the outer boroughs, the area is known for its subdued crowds of young professionals, families, and long-time Brooklyn residents who gather to enjoy the theater and museum culture near the river.

Tourists and photographers, meanwhile, frequent the famous Promenade – an esplanade that extends a third of a mile over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway – which offers unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty.

In 2010, the 85-acre Brooklyn Bridge Park opened to the public, giving Brooklyn Heights residents – and people from all over New York – a waterfront oasis for biking, volleyball, movie screenings, concerts, and festivals, all with jaw-dropping views of the city beyond.

Hardly a bastion of nightlife, Brooklyn Heights still has something to offer, mostly in the form of the restaurants on Montague Street, but also on Atlantic Avenue, Court Street, and Smith Street, where a small but concentrated selection of dives, upscale cocktail lounges, and themed bars thrive.