Why some neighborhoods reward driving
The subway is unbeatable for Manhattan's grid. It is much worse for anything along the waterfront, anything in southern Brooklyn or eastern Queens, and anything you want to see at night. Those are the places a car earns its keep.
The waterfront run
Brooklyn Heights Promenade, DUMBO, the Navy Yard, Greenpoint and Long Island City in one continuous route gives you the Manhattan skyline from six different angles in about ninety minutes. On the subway this is three separate lines and two hours of transfers.
Southern Brooklyn
Bay Ridge for the Verrazzano views, Dyker Heights for the houses, Bensonhurst for the food, Sheepshead Bay for the piers and Coney Island for the boardwalk. That is a genuinely good half-day and almost nobody does it because the subway makes it painful.
The Bronx you have not seen
City Island feels like a New England fishing village and is inside the city limits. Add Arthur Avenue in Belmont for the food and Wave Hill in Riverdale for the gardens and Hudson views. All three are awkward by train and easy by car.
December and the lights
Dyker Heights in Brooklyn is the famous one and deserves the reputation. Pair it with Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center earlier in the evening. It is a car trip because the walking distances between the lit blocks in Dyker Heights are longer than the photos suggest, and it is usually cold.
Need a car for this?
Dispatch is staffed 24 hours a day and every quote is fixed before you book, including tolls, fuel, taxes and gratuity. Call (516) 241-6537 or request a written quote.