Sunset Park is a burgeoning gem. Recently spotlighted by Time Out New York as one of New York's places to be, and described by The New York Times as a "diverse land of plenty," it is a quintessential New York neighborhood with a thriving multicultural population, tree-lined streets, fun and convenient shopping, and many excellent restaurants.
Located directly south of Park Slope and Windsor Terrace, west of Borough Park, Kensington and Ditmas Park, and north of Bay Ridge, Sunset Park is bordered by many other beloved Brooklyn destinations. There are several safe and convenient subway and bus lines, giving you a quick and easy commute to Manhattan.
Sunset Park has two thriving shopping areas—one Asian, the other Latin American. Busy, bustling Eighth Avenue has noodle houses, fishmongers, fruit stands, butchers, and more. On Fifth Avenue, the food extravaganza continues in the form of gorditas, tamales, tortas and tacos on practically every block. There are also grocery stores—and the highly popular Costco wholesale market on Third Avenue, only minutes away.
Both Eighth and Fifth Avenues are full of wonderful little stores where you can find fun clothes, Latino music, Asian movies, and other treasures. The nearby IKEA in Red Hook will help you furnish your new home.
Eighth Avenue is famous for numerous culinary treasures from all over Asia. From China to India, there are too many diverse and delicious offerings to count. Irish taverns offer old–world ambience throughout the neighborhood, and on the streets in the 60s, you'll find Scandinavian restaurants straight out of the neighborhood's rich history. Over on Fifth and Fourth Avenues, Latino—mostly Mexican—restaurants serve piquant delights.
Best of all in our wonderful neighborhood is the recently restored, 24.5–acre namesake park, known for its gorgeous sunset views and commanding vista across New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline. The park also features an Olympic–sized pool, sand volley ball court, and exquisitely restored Art Deco–style library, recreation and computer centers—and lots of beautiful green space to play, relax, and picnic.
Sunset Park is served extensively by road, rail, and ferry service. Sunset Park has access to three expressways; the Gowanus Expressway/Interstate 278, the Prospect Expressway/NY–27 and the Belt Parkway.
Six NYCTA bus lines serve Sunset Park: B9, B11, B35, B37, B63, B70.
Three subway lines run through Sunset Park. The BMT Fourth Avenue Line has stations at Prospect Avenue, 25th Street, 36th Street, 45th Street, 53rd Street, and 59th Street. The BMT West End Line has a station at Ninth Avenue. The BMT Sea Beach Line has a station at Eighth Avenue.
Ferry service is available at 58th Street and 1st Avenue at the Brooklyn Army Terminal to the Wall Street Ferry Pier at the Financial District in Manhattan or the US Coast Guard's Riis Landing in Roxbury, Queens during the rush hour and on summer weekends.
Some of the traffic between Brooklyn Chinatown and Manhattan Chinatown is handled by privately held vans known in English colloquially as "Chinese vans." They cruise down 8th Avenue from 48th street to the 65th Street onramp to Gowanus Expressway/I–278. Additional vans take passengers to Flushing, Queens.
The new Sunset Park High School will open in September of 2009, accepting 300 9th graders. In addition, 75–100 10th graders will be admitted. The new school will be associated with the Institute for Student Achievement. Other nearby high schools are the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology, and the Poly Prep Country Day School, both in Bay Ridge. There are also two elite private schools, Saint Ann's School and the Packer Collegiate Institute, in nearby Brooklyn Heights.
There are seven elementary schools in the neighborhood, including the Magnet School for Leadership in the 21st Century, in Public School 172, at 825 Fourth Avenue. There, percentages of students meeting standards in English Language Arts and mathematics are 71 and 82.4 percent, respectively, versus city averages of 48.1 and 55 percent. The school gives priority to applications from students within its zone, and also takes students from outside.
Few other schools in the area beat these test averages. Middle School 136, or Sunset Park Prep, is Sunset Park's middle school, where 40 percent of students in English Language Arts and 68.8 percent in math meet city and state standards, compared with 35.5 and 38.9 percent citywide. There is a parochial school, St. Agatha's School, which runs from prekindergarten through Grade 8, at 736 48th Street.
The Brooklyn Chinese–American Association on 5000 Eighth Avenue coordinates this area's tourist activities, such as the Brooklyn's Chinese New Year Parade. Community Board 7, 4201 Fourth Avenue, meets once a month to give surrounding communities a say in local decisions. The United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park, 5417 Fourth Avenue, provides services and programs for youth, family, and community empowerment.