Williamsburg sits on the western edge of Brooklyn directly across the East River from Midtown Manhattan, connected by the Williamsburg Bridge and the L subway line. From the late 1990s it became the primary destination for artists, musicians and young professionals priced out of Manhattan, and by the mid-2000s Bedford Avenue — the main commercial strip — was internationally recognised as a shorthand for the Brooklyn creative economy. That era of cheap rents is long gone, but the neighbourhood has retained a genuine density of independent bars, restaurants, record shops, vintage stores and music venues that distinguishes it from the chain-dominated high streets of most other cities. The waterfront, once industrial, has been transformed by hotel towers and public parks with dramatic views back toward the Manhattan skyline.
The food and drink scene is among the best in New York. Peter Luger Steak House on Broadway has been serving dry-aged porterhouse since 1887 and remains the standard by which New York steakhouses are measured. The Smorgasburg weekend food market runs on the waterfront in summer. Rooftop bars along Kent Avenue fill on summer evenings. The southern edge of Williamsburg transitions into Bushwick, known for its street murals, warehouse music venues and DIY gallery scene. The northern boundary with Greenpoint — the traditionally Polish neighbourhood above it — is the location of some of the best food shops and quietest streets in north Brooklyn.