Cool things to do in Downtown Brooklyn

Brooklyn has a rep as being NYC's bastion borough of cool—but what about its lesser-known areas? Despite being near the worst Macy's out of all the Macy's (expect to get heckled by locals if you walk by) Downtown Brooklyn is also home to one of the best ramen places in the whole city, as well as some of the most delicious tacos and the fantastic sibling restaurants to some of New York's finest barbecue joints.

We consider it our civic duty to explore the city's unsung nabes (take a look at our guides to cool spots in Herald Square and Times Square), so we spoke to local resident Jade del Castillo Vara to get her opinion. After fruitless searches for a pad in the West Village, Gramercy and the Lower East Side, the 31-year-old Barclays employee found herself just off MetroTech Center. Del Castillo Vara found a luxury building that provided the “best bang for [her] buck,” with amenities like a roof deck, gym and doorman. Mostly, though,  it was the “gorgeous view of Manhattan from the 29th floor” that drew her in. Plus, MetroTech is at the nexus of super cool Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Fort Greene, not to mention almost every train imaginable.