But there has been change here — quite a lot recent. One of the biggest drivers has been Brooklyn Bridge Park, a 1.3-mile space stretching along the waterfront, with playgrounds, sports fields and green spaces, as well as a hotel and condominiums, where longshoremen used to work the piers. Another is Brooklyn’s ascendance as an internationally known travel destination. A third is a boom in new buildings and renovations of factories and opulent old Brooklyn hotels, many sold in recent years by Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Read entire article here