Many of the novels, plays, films, and television shows about New York City—ranging from Death of a Salesman to The Honeymooners—are set in Brooklyn rather than Manhattan, perhaps because of the widely differing characters of these two boroughs. While Manhattan is world-class in sophistication and influence, Brooklyn is famous for such things as the hot dogs on Coney Island, and always has been quintessentially American.

Yet there is much more to Brooklyn than the popular stereotype. Manhattanites flock to performances at the renowned Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Egyptology collection at the Brooklyn Museum compares with those in London and Cairo. Brooklyn's beautiful Prospect Park was designed by Olmsted and Vaux, who considered it more beautiful than another park they designed—Central Park in Manhattan.

As the most heavily populated borough, Brooklyn handles about 40 percent of New York City's vast shipping industry. It was pieced together from 25 independent villages and fought valiantly before allowing itself to be taken into New York City in 1898.