Located on the southeastern shore of Brooklyn, the Canarsie neighborhood functioned as a fishing village from the days of the Canarsee and Lenape Native Americans tribes through the early 1900s. The rich cultural mix of this waterfront community on Jamaica Bay results from continuing waves of immigration that the Dutch started in the 1600s. Today, you can drive to Midtown Manhattan, about 20 miles away, in under an hour, or use the city's transit system of buses and trains.
Single-family home rentals, lively apartment communities, and condos throughout the neighborhood give residents plenty of style choices. For pizza, Original Pizza, a favorite of Old Canarsie, tempts locals with its Chicken Caesar Salad pizza, while Armando's Pizza thrills diners with its special Sicilian pie. Locals gather and relax at Canarsie Pier, constructed during the early 1940s on the former site of the Golden City Amusement Park, popular in the early 1900s.
