Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park

We could spend minutes maybe hours in this park without growing tired for a very good reason, the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park offers undoubtedly one of the most wonderful points of view at the same time on the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan.
It was formerly the boarding place for the ferry when that this made the shuttle between both borought of New York. When the Brooklyn Bridge was built, its utility became old-​fashioned but it has of it nevertheless to keep its original name.
The place is hardly frequented by families which come there the time of a spade falls or to leave their children played under the big glass shop window of the Jane’s Carousel.
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On pourrait passer des minutes voir des heures dans ce parc sans se lasser et pour cause, l’Empire Fulton Ferry State Park offre assurément l’un des plus merveilleux points de vues à la fois sur le Brooklyn Bridge et Manhattan.
C’était autrefois le lieu d’embarquement pour le ferry lorsque celui ci faisait la navette entre les deux borought de New York. Lorsque le pont de Brooklyn a été construit, son utilité est devenu désuète mais il en a malgré tout garder son appellation d’origine.
L’endroit est fort fréquenté par les familles qui y viennent le temps d’un piqué piqué ou pour laisser leurs enfants s’amusé sous la grande vitrine en verre du Jane’s Carousel.

Really well maintained park with lots of people. Can get a little over run with tourists during the weekend but it actually gives the park a good energy.
Really great view of the city over looking the east river.

beautiful park!

Hands down the best view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn end. We walked the entire bridge one afternoon and stumbled upon this park. Absolutely stunning views! It seems to be a little known fact since there weren’t many people there. You can rest up and enjoy the view along the shore of rocks and logs. There’s an old restored carousel nearby for the kids and picnic table seating throughout the area. The best part though, is the view — a person could spend all day here for that reason alone.

I visited this park on a sunny September afternoon. It’s situated between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridge. After a brisk walk across the Brooklyn bridge, I decided to grab a slice of pizza nearby and sit here to enjoy the view. There are steps where you can sit and look across the water to Manhattan. And a tiny shore made of small stones.
On a weekday, there were several students drawing and some young professional enjoying their lunch. Also present were a couple, very jersey shore-​y getting their engagement pictures taken. I was amused. Judging from the experience and numerous engagement/​wedding pictures on Unilocal,I’m guessing this is a popular spot for that sort of thing. I understand it, it’s beautiful here. Relaxing place.

the better time to enjoy the park in full is in spring and in fall. no shadows when it’s a hot summer day, and one is just thinking about an escape!!!
but i love it when it’s cool!
the views are awesome!

I love this park I come here all the time to watch the view of the Brooklyn bridge, the Manhattan bridge and the Manhattan skyline. This is one of my favorite parks in Brooklyn.

It’s kind of weird that this park has a different name than Brooklyn Bridge Park. Actually, maybe I’m slow, but until I checked in on Unilocal earlier, I had forgotten that it wasn’t officially part of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Given the recent construction, they all blend together into one long glorious stretch (or they will one day soon, once all of the sections are stitched together).
The thing that I don’t like about this section of the waterfront over the areas a bit south of there (Carousel on down) is the noise from the subways roaring and clunking over the Manhattan bridge directly overhead. It’s fine for a bit, but rather noisy and distracting if you’re lounging in the park and trying to escape from it all. The view is killer, of course, so 5 stars for that. Minus one for the clink, clank, clunk of the subway.

If you have one day in NYC, ride this ferry around all day.
Hits all the major spots: mIdtown manhatty, Willyburg, dumbo, Wall St, and even the Ikea on Red Hook (free on weekends w. Ikea validation– Hell ya!)
Most beautiful way to check out the city for $ 4!!! That’s $ 1.50 more than the subway.
I wish I still lived near the water. I’d use the boat and my skateboard every day.

I’ve always loved seeing the combination of a bridge over still water. (insert Simon and Garfunkel). There’s something deeply symbolic about it; the water can represent anything in your life and the bridge itself becomes the euphemism behind that travel. A crossing over of sorts, where you actually feel the change within, and when you look back trying to remember why you traveled in the first place, nothing resonates. All is fresh and new.
All you see are new beginnings and a wondrous outlook on the world. I certainly had that moment standing on the edge of the water and staring up at the bridge. The wind gently caressing my face, the subtle background noise of laughter from children behind me, and of course standing idly by while watching a lost bee frantically buzzing around trying to find its next nectar.
It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Ray Bradbury who once wrote, «Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don’t they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.» :)
When people are caught staring into space or have their heads lost in the clouds, they’re not really confused, for «not all those who wander are lost,» (said the space traveler) but rather taking in the beauty around them, one flower at a time.
And just like the bee, once its belly is full, it will give back a bountiful amount of sweet honey.

Great view!

There is love and there is LOVE…
I am truly in love this place. It has been going under a makeover recently and is looking better than ever. I started coming here when I first moved to New York. I wasn’t living in Brooklyn then, but I was always making the trip from Astoria all the way down here.
To me this place is very RELAXING. You see the ships and ferries go by the the water. See the trains cross the Manhattan Bridge and breathe the fresh air all at the same time. If I was having a really bad day at work I would stop by Chinatown, grab some food and hop on the F from East Broadway. I would sit on the steps that surround the water and just take time out to relax.
When someone asks me what my FAVORITE part of Brooklyn is. This would be my answer.

Nice resting spot beneath the Manhattan bridge. Clear views of the Manhattan skyline, boats rowing by, people sitting along the shore, and more.

Dear God,
Hi there. I don’t talk to you often, but I had to in this case. You see, there’s this insanely drop dead gorgeous stretch of land here with eye-​wateringly beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline and the East River. It’s like an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the city, an escape from the concrete of the urban jungle. Sometimes this place is so amazing that I literally have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.
So I’m writing you to ask this: please don’t let tourists discover this park and ruin it for us residents. Please. Let them have the Seaport, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, whatever. But let’s allow the one cool place in the city to be enjoyed by us and only us.
Peace out :-)

Whoever gives this place anything lower than 4 stars obviously has no appreciation for something perhaps NICE in New York City.
Call Brooklyn what you want. DUMBO is an exceptionally relaxed, laid-​back area (at least for New York) any busy New Yorker can only dream of. Firstly, if you’re under the Manhattan bridge, you’re obviously going to hear subways passing; try living on the intersections of Market Street, from East Broadway to Cherry Street; I guess you’re not complaining then.
As a native Queens resident, I am already fortunate that Gantry State Park and Socrates Sculpture Park have that relaxed, full grass park setting, overlooking the city within a river. But there is no view like Empire-​Fulton, coming in between 2 of New York’s finest and notable bridges, the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge with a killer skyline view. I am not complaining. I am praising.

Best spot to see lower Manhattan and catch a tan.
The amenities of DUMBO within an easy walk, close to a subway station (York St.), something for all ages and the family dog.
Don’t just check it out in the light of day– there’s a «screen-​on-​the-​green» program here with outdoor movies all summer long.

Wowzers-​wow-​wow-​wowzeronis! Is this Brooklyn? Am I really watching a movie while sitting on the grass with my then new chica and brother and friends in one of the many areas that was great to get shot back when I was a kid?
They did a spectacular job. I have nothing more to add except that I will be back next year! I wish I had known about it sooner!

This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful parks in New York– you feel like you’re being cradled by the city; downtown and the Manhattan Bridge on one side, majestic Brooklyn Bridge on the other, and grass and trees and art and amazing quiet all around, all oddly level with the East River (I’m used to seeing the river below me).
The free summer outdoor movie nights (held by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy) are great, but note: When they say the movie starts at sundown, they MEAN sundown. As in the sun actually being down. So bring a blanket by dusk to claim your space and be prepared to wait.

Love Love Love this park! A great escape from the hustle and rush of the city. Its nestled in between the beautiful Brooklyn bridge and the not as pretty Manhattan Bridge.
There are benches to sit and view the Manhattan sky line and a big grassy area to lay down or have a picnic. An area where u can sit on these huge concrete steps leading down to the water.
The neighborhood (DUMBO) is also great. Plenty of great restaurants and cafes. Also a photographers dream.

I can’t believe how empty this place is every time I visit considering that it boasts one of the best views of New York City I can possibly imagine (see photos).
Call me a cornball. Call me a schlemiel. But I love walking on the aged planks of the Brooklyn Bridge on top of all that traffic. OK, so I don’t like to be asked to take snapshots just because I am Japanese and know how to point and click with conviction. And I don’t care for the beer-​bellied Europeans who trundle their way with nary a concern for the path I’m taking. And I especially don’t like venturing into that dark, urine-​saturated passage at the Brooklyn end of the bridge.
But once off the bridge, you find yourself strolling through the yuppie-​rejuvenated DUMBO area and eventually to this little riverside park with the spectacular views. There is a nice boardwalk with plenty of picnic tables and bench seating where you can see the boats sputter by with Lower Manhattan as your background.
The views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges can’t be beat, even on a cloudy day. So take a load off, grab a cone at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, a hot chocolate at Jacques Torres’ or a slice of pizza at Grimaldi’s, and just take in one of the best cityscapes in the world. Overstatement? I think not.