We'd love to tell you to start your trip to Williamsburg by taking the L train and getting off on Bedford Avenue, the heart of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, L Train service is suspended on the weekends until May 18th. If you're coming on a Saturday or Sunday, you'll have to find another way to get here.
For many, that means a trip over the Williamsburg Bridge, via car, subway, or over its pedestrian walkway. The bridge, which opened in 1903, is one of the four toll-free bridges that connects Manhattan to Long Island.
Near the bridge is the uber-popular Marlow & Sons, owned by the same people that run Diner, an equally popular restaurant next door, Marlow & Daughters, a fantastic meat shop down the street, and many other chic establishments around the surrounding area.
Inside, you can grab a coffee or tea and run, or get something more substantial to sit and munch on in the sun.
Williamsburg residents love their coffee. Coffee shops are everywhere here, but arguably the most popular is Blue Bottle. This, in part, is due to the fact that they take coffee very seriously. Come here for the best damn pour-over or flat white of your life.
During the weekends, many various sellers line the sidewalks of Bedford Avenue, the main artery of the neighborhood, selling all types of new and used goods.
Whether sellers or buyers, you can always catch some characters on Bedford.
Professional mural painting is huge in Williamsburg, and many blank walls in the neighborhood have been turned into billboards, sporting beautiful hand painted ads.
If you're interested in a light lunch, head over to Cafe Colette, just off Bedford. Sit on their patio and take in some rays while you check out the hip clientele.
If you're feeling more adventurous, check out Radegast, one of three German beer gardens in the area. Radegast is definitely the most authentic, though, complete with giant sausages and huge mugs of Kölsch.
Or mosey over to Skinny Dennis, the neighborhood honky tonk. They've got live music, free peanuts, big mugs of Coors, and no credit card minimum (a major plus, trust us).
If you're really hungry, go to Fette Sau, the popular BBQ joint located on Williamsburg's Metropolitan Avenue.
The menu, which changes daily, features various delicious and fresh cut meat that you can order by the quarter pound, as well as sides.
They even serve microbrewed beer (though that's no novelty in this neighborhood).
Not hungry? Grab some books or boutique magazines at Spoonbill and Sugartown, the Willaimsburg staple for any reading needs.
In the market for some new (old) clothes? Check out Ten Foot Single.
They have everything from 80's t-shirts and 70's Hawaiian shirts, to 60's military coats and beyond.
If you can't be bothered to do anything constructive, just hang with your friends in the park. McCarren Park, at the northern border of Williamsburg is huge and provides baseball diamonds, a pool, and a track.
It also features ample grassy patches to hang out on.
Check out another cool neighborhood across the country.
