Prospect Park: Brooklyn’s Slice of Serenity in New York City

Have you ever noticed that people don’t explore their hometowns, nearly as much as “transplants” to the area? Even though we’re not native New Yorkers, we’ve begun to take for granted our adopted home town of nearly 10 years. 

To combat this, we decided to get out and explore some of the wonders of New York City, it is after all one of the most visited cities in the U.S.! Check back and explore with us 🙂

So we ventured off to Brooklyn for a day around Prospect Park.

Brooklyn is HUGE! So we zeroed in on a few cool neighborhoods that friends had mentioned to us: Ditmas Park and Windsor Terrace with a huge helping of Prospect Park — a public space designed by the same team of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux behind Central Park. 

We rented a car so we could zip around more easily, but there are great public transportation options to get to Brooklyn. Ditmas Park was our first stop. This gorgeous historic neighborhood felt like we were transported to a completely different time and place. There are huge houses, tree lined streets and a very cute little downtown where we grabbed bagels and coffee. 

Next, it was onto Windsor Terrace, which is cozied up right next to Prospect Park. We were able to stroll around the bustling downtown and have a picture perfect lunch at Le P’tit Paris Bistro along Prospect Park West.  Then, we strolled back over to Prospect Park for some afternoon lounging time. 

It was such a different experience than the neighborhood where we live (and absolutely love!). Where we were in Brooklyn was audibly quieter, and there was a more relaxed vibe which was very relaxing. It almost felt like we were in a little town in Upstate New York, not New York City.

Whether a visitor or resident of New York, we would highly recommend a trip to Prospect Park. It’s a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.