Bay Ridge, once one of Brooklyn’s predominant Italian neighborhoods, is now home to a diverse mix of people who take advantage of the suburban-like atmosphere and excellent housing stock. Wander the side streets for a mix of brownstones, townhouses, and stand-alone homes, or head west to walk, bike, or run along the neighborhood’s expansive waterfront park.
Here are some of the neighborhood’s not-to-miss spots.
The Lock Yard
This joint calls itself a beer garden, and has a great, casual outdoor space that fits the profile. Plenty of outdoor seating, trees, and twinkling lights make for the perfect evening setting to enjoy one of the craft beers on tap. (The space opens at 11:30 am every day, so it’s also a nice spot to spend the afternoon.) And true to the beer garden form, The Lock Yard also serves hot dogs and sausages.
The Lock Yard backyard photo courtesy of Facebook.
Lifting Lotus | Bikram Yoga Bay Ridge via Facebook
Bikram Yoga Brooklyn
This studio specializes in Bikram Yoga, a 90-minute class scientifically designed to work every muscle, bone, joint, ligament, tendon, gland, and organ in the body. There are multiple classes offered daily, and a drop-in class costs $20. The studios also offer hour-long mini-workshops with the opportunity to ask questions and get personal corrections.
Running at Owls Head Park | Hector A. via Yelp
Owls Head Park Dog Run
This dirt-covered spot in Bay Ridge may not be the fanciest—there’s no running water and it abuts the highway — but at 150 feet long and 40 feet wide, it offers plenty of space for your dog to get his ya-yas out. Always off-leash.
The ingredients to the signature Egg Cream | Barnaby Dorfman via Flickr
Brooklyn’s signature beverage, the egg cream
Three things: milk, seltzer, and chocolate syrup. Hinsch’s, a soda fountain and lunch counter in Bay Ridge, is almost as much of a Brooklyn institution as the egg cream itself. They also make a mean malted or Coke float, and serve breakfast until 9 p.m. Their chocolate syrup is made in-house.
Shore Parkway Greenway | NYC Parks
Shore Parkway Greenway
Biking the streets of New York requires a bit of nerve, but it’s a heck of a lot easier biking in Brooklyn than in Manhattan, and more cycling lanes have been popping up each year, making the activity a far safer proposition. Shore Parkway Greenway offers views of the Upper and Lower New York Bay and the majestic (but sadly unbikeable) Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.