Slide 1 of 6,

The western end of Atlantic Avenue has long been a challenging location for restaurants and retailers: blighted by traffic entering and exiting the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and far from the subway stops that have made nearby Smith and Court Streets commercial hubs. But the opening of Brooklyn Bridge Park along the East River has created a busy pedestrian path down a stretch of Atlantic Avenue once visited mostly for its bars. Now, stylish boutiques, upscale restaurants and antiques dealers mix with local watering holes on the blocks between Hicks Street and Clinton Street. Visit atlanticavebid.org for a neighborhood guide, or stop by the Atlantic Antic street festival on Sept. 29 to get a sense of the avenue’s western revival.

— SUSAN STELLIN

Pictured: “Moving Along,” a mural by the community group Groundswell, along Atlantic.