Traveling in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Why Brooklyn is Your Next Vacation Hotspot

2020 has been and continues to be one of the most challenging years that the global population has faced since WWII. 

The United Nations’ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that “the new coronavirus disease is attacking societies at their core, claiming lives and people’s livelihoods”

Apart from the cost of the loss of life caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, this pandemic’s economic consequences have triggered a recession of unprecedented scale with up to 25 million jobs lost globally and “a 40% reduction in global foreign direct investment flows.”

As an aside, current COVID-19 infection and death numbers quoted by John Hopkins University show that there are 30.79 million people across the globe infected by this virus with 957 037 deaths. 

The countries with the highest daily infection rate are the USA and India in positions one and two. The USA has the highest overall infection rate, while India currently has the highest daily infection rate of just under 100 000 active infections recorded each day. 

Hard lockdown or shelter-in-place restrictions were implemented for a large part of the first six months of 2020, resulting in an instant shutdown of the world’s economy. Once the infection rates had peaked and dropped to manageable levels, individual countries started opening up and allowing residents to move around and travel to different regions within each country respectively. 

Reasons why traveling to Brooklyn is a great idea 

Therefore, for this article’s sake, let’s assume that 2020 has been a particularly challenging year for you, and you are considering going on vacation towards the end of the year. You have been captivated by the thought of holidaying in Brooklyn for a while now, so you’ve decided to put some serious thought into it.

Why Brooklyn? 

1. Iconic boutique hotels

Brooklyn is home to a number of iconic boutique hotels such as the Condor Hotel. 

What is a boutique hotel and why is it special? 

Wikipedia.com notes that it is a “small hotel which typically has between 10 and 100 rooms in settings with upscale accommodations and individualized unique selling points.” 

These guest lodges are often furnished according to a particular theme. The décor is also aspirational, where many people aspire to own property in the hotel’s style. 

Because these hotels have upmarket and luxury accommodations, they also offer extra “nice to haves,” such as a tour guide or concierge service, a valet service, and has outstanding eateries attached to the establishment.  

2. Historic neighborhoods 

Brooklyn, New York has some of the USA’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods. Therefore, if you are a history buff, visiting districts like Williamsburg is a “must do.” Williamsburg has undergone intensive renovations in the last 20 years. Buildings have been restored, and new high-rises have been constructed along the East River, giving rise to an influx of artists and musicians, which has led to the development of a vibrant nightlife.

Consequently, there are any number of restaurants or eateries that you can visit in Williamsburg. 

As described above, Williamsburg is one of the oldest and most historic vacation destinations in the US. And, if you are a history aficionado, you’ll want to explore the following landmark sites: 

• The Brooklyn Bridge

This suspension bridge was opened to the public in 1883. Even though it is almost 140 years old, New York residents and visitors still use it to travel between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

• Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims 

This church, established in 1847, functioned both as a house of worship and a stop on the Underground Railroad, the “network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century and used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states and Canada.”

• Old Stone House of Brooklyn

This house was built in the eighteenth century and played a pivotal role in the American Revolutionary War. The British army occupied it during the Battle of Long Island in 1776. Today it houses the popular exhibit describing this iconic battle.

• Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum

A Dutch immigrant family originally built this farmhouse in the seventeenth century. It is listed as one of the oldest homes in Brooklyn. Generations of this family, the Wyckoff’s, lived in this landmark until 1901. And it opened as a museum in 1982, allowing visitors to see how the earliest US immigrants lived.

3. Restaurants and eateries 

As described above, Brooklyn is also full of quintessential eateries. These include French-style cafes like Juliette’s, a Bavarian (German) beer garden like Radegast Hall and Biergarten, or a cheese shop such as the Bedford Cheese Shop that offers cheese and wine tastings. 

Finally, no trip to Brooklyn is complete without a trip to a pizza place like Juliana’s. Popular opinion is that Juliana’s sells the best pizza in New York City. The pizza this eatery serves is similar to the pizza made in Naples, Italy.

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