Getting to Williamsburg without the Subway

Hi

We%26#39;re staying on Rivington St in the LES which looks really close to the Williamsburg Bridge. We%26#39;re hoping to spend a day in Williamsburg and people have suggested using the L train and getting off at Bedford Ave.

It seems like there must be a quicker way than going uptown to jump on the L and taking the subway.

Would a taxi across the bridge take a long time or cost a lot? Or maybe there is a bus service that would take us to Bedford Ave?

Thanks in advance!

Getting to Williamsburg without the Subway

You can take a taxi. Go to hopstop.com and put in start and end points and it should estimate the cost. Taxis don%26#39;t tend to cruise is Brooklyn though to head back.

There is a bus (B 39) that goes from the LES over the B%26#39;burg bridge.

mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/bkln/b039cur.pdf

Getting to Williamsburg without the Subway

For your purposes the subway probably is the quickest way.

Something to realize is that ';Williamsburg'; is not just one neghborhood, but several, and that the ';hipster'; portion that you are interested in is not particularly close to the Brooklyn end of the Williamsburg bridge. Thus, the B 39 bus, for example, is not particularly useful for you, because it only goes to the bus terminal area at the end of the bridge, and you woul still have to go almost a mile further.

The problem with a taxi is that most drivers would be utterly clueless about how to get where you want to go, and I doubt very much that any of you know how to give the ';turn left here -- turn right there'; directions that would be needed (and as Whiz noted, how would you get back? You will probably find no taxis in Williamsburg!)

The subway is simple and quick, and should only take you twenty minutes from start to finish, depending on the connections you make. Take the B or D from Grand Street, or the F or V from Second Avenue, or the F from Delancey/Essex, uptown to 14th Street, and change there for the L.

Thanks both!

The F from Essex up to the L looks ok but i think we%26#39;ll just get the subway home and get the bus or taxi over there, for a change of scenery. Hoptstop says the bus is quite a bit faster than the subway, and it%26#39;s only a short walk from the bus station in Brooklyn to Bedford Ave, as far as i can see.

I%26#39;m thinking that giving the cab driver directions should be ok too, i have a map and directions here.

Thanks again.

Another idea could be to hire bikes???

There%26#39;s a bike shop NYC velo in the LES and they do rentals bikenewyork.org/resources/shops_rentals.html

Brooklyn was great to ride around and the route around Hassidic Williamsburg and then through trendy hipster Williamsburg was a highlight of my trip and a real contrast.

Brooklyn%26#39;s pretty big and cycling was a good way of seeing plenty of areas.

And, cycling over Brooklyn Bridge and then back over Manhattan or Williamsburg bridge was fantastic.

Anyway...one thing...hipster Williamsburg was pretty quiet during the day (at least where I was). It looked pretty obvious that it would be busy in the evening (as will be the LES...great for bars and restaurants!) so you might want to save a trip for the evening. But, I%26#39;m no expert!

Another idea could be to hire bikes???

There%26#39;s a bike shop NYC velo in the LES and they do rentals bikenewyork.org/resources/shops_rentals.html

Brooklyn was great to ride around and the route around Hassidic Williamsburg and then through trendy hipster Williamsburg was a highlight of my trip and a real contrast.

Brooklyn%26#39;s pretty big and cycling was a good way of seeing plenty of areas.

And, cycling over Brooklyn Bridge and then back over Manhattan or Williamsburg bridge was fantastic.

Anyway...one thing...hipster Williamsburg was pretty quiet during the day (at least where I was). It looked pretty obvious that it would be busy in the evening (as will be the LES...great for bars and restaurants!) so you might want to save a trip for the evening. But, I%26#39;m no expert!

Another idea could be to hire bikes???

There%26#39;s a bike shop NYC velo in the LES and they do rentals bikenewyork.org/resources/shops_rentals.html

Brooklyn was great to ride around and the route around Hassidic Williamsburg and then through trendy hipster Williamsburg was a highlight of my trip and a real contrast.

Brooklyn%26#39;s pretty big and cycling was a good way of seeing plenty of areas.

And, cycling over Brooklyn Bridge and then back over Manhattan or Williamsburg bridge was fantastic.

Anyway...one thing...hipster Williamsburg was pretty quiet during the day (at least where I was). It looked pretty obvious that it would be busy in the evening (as will be the LES...great for bars and restaurants!) so you might want to save a trip for the evening. But, I%26#39;m no expert!

It is only a block or two to Bedford Avenue, but Bedford Avenue runs for miles -- in fact, the entire length of the Borough of Brooklyn -- and being near ';Bedford Avenue'; does not necessarily mean that you will be close to your destination.

In this case, it will be a walk of about 3/4 of a mile, or something over a kilometer, to get to that portion of Bedford Avenue where you want to go.

Considering the length of the walk, it really would be faster just to take the subway, and be left at the intersection of Bedford Avenue that you really want.

On the other hand, if you really enjoy walking, why take the bus at all? The Williamsburg Bridge has a footpath, and you can walk across it.

Sorry for the multiple posting. Don%26#39;t know what happened there. I must be really keen for people to consider hiring bikes!