In the last 8 years I've lived in Clinton Hill (which is basically the same as Fort Greene), Bed Stuy, Williamsburg and now Park Slope.
Clinton Hill / Fort Greene is very pretty. Lots of trees. It is becoming more gentrified but so are all these neighborhoods. It feels like a neighborhood, which Williamsburg, Bushwick, etc lack. There are tons of restaurants but the bar scene isn't as good as Williamsburg. Fort Greene park is pretty nice.
Park Slope is pretty family oriented. There are avenues with lots of yuppies but like all of New York there is plenty of variety a block or two away. Like Fort Greene, it is really pretty, close to a real nice park (Olmstead did both Prospect Park and Central Park), good food and grocery stores. I like it here a lot. My wife and I live on a block with mostly Puerto Rican people. Oh also there is a lot less crime here. And Southpaw is in the neighborhood so you can come to The Rub.
Williamsburg is the best neighborhood is you want to go out all the time, be able to shop for clothes and sneakers and music in the neighborhood, and be one subway stop from Manhattan. Honestly the hipster thing is a non-issue if you live there for any amount of time. I liked being able to get food really late, having a big space and having no problem getting friends to come over and hang out. But it is loud on the weekends and my car was broken into 3 times in 2 1/2 years.
Greenpoint is like Williamsburg but Polish instead of Puerto Rican and Hasidic. Liek someone else said, the train in Greenpoint sucks but the food shopping is better and the general vibe is more mellow.
Bed Stuy (the neighborhood past Fort Greene) has plenty of pretty blocks and is a lot cheaper than all these options. It is slowly being gentrified, but for now it is mostly a black neighborhood, with lots of families and kids. Same goes for Crown Heights but you need to be picky with what block you live on.
IMO Bushwick is ugly as fuck and I wouldn't live there if only because you can't get anything to eat or drink after 11 or 12 PM. Same goes for Red Hook but it might change when the Ikea is finished.
You should check out Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill. It is a pretty nice neighborhood and not as pricey as Park Slope, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights or Williamsburg.
We're looking to buy a house or apartment so we'll probably end up in Queens just becuase real estate in Brooklyn has gotten prohibitively exspensive if you want to live anywhere close to the city. Astoria / Long Island City is a nice neighborhood that is close to Manhattan and a LOT cheaper than any of the "good" neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
I grew up in Manhattan, but when I had to get my own place (during college) my only choice was Brooklyn? I ended up in Prospect Heights from 96 to 2001. This was about the time when EVERYBODY was moving out there - because it was cheap? Williamsburg had the underground clubs (who knows about cokie's?) and the slope had the park and baby carriages. I still partied in manhattan mostly, but all of a sudden everybody I knew lived in Brooklyn, all of the clubs moved out there bars opened and hip boutiques even in the slope? It got to a point where living in Brooklyn was a badge of honor -IT GOT CORNY! And more expensive? I had some great times then - but I'm glad I got out when I did.I moved out west (Silverlake -whut?), but now all of my boys have moved into manhattan. If your going to move to NYC start with the best - Manhattan! If you cant find a place there ...go for 2nd best -Brooklyn Heights!
If your going to move to NYC start with the best - Manhattan! If you cant find a place there ...go for 2nd best -Brooklyn Heights!
If money is no object... or if you don't care about space...
sure, you can probably get a place in the (way) east 70s for as much as a (bigger) place in Brooklyn, but I don't know how much you like living in a high-rise post-college dormatory.
i'm actually looking for a single/studio spot somewhere in williamsburg or park slope to move in at the end of the month.
i really just want to have a couch (manhattan spot is a shoebox) and have people over for beers and shit, you know? plaese to PM the kid if you hear of anything.
Carroll Gardens is a really good option - lots of nightlife, so you can get round the way club gigs, good restaurants, train access, etc. But I would say Carroll Gardens for the most part is just as expensive as anywhere. We were looking down there before settling on this place in Windsor Terrace, and the amount of space for $1600 was just tiny. For two grown boys with a studio and tons of records it didn't make any sense. Where we are now, for the same price we each have two rooms, there is a small room for the project studio, I can park in front of the house even when coming home at 2am, there is NO crime whatsoever, and if I do feel like riding the train the F is three blocks off and 30 minutes to the village.
Btw, all of this advice should change if you have a car, or where you're commuting to. Astoria is GORGEOUS - I lived there for a year - but there is no parking and the N/R is kind of shitty - it'll get you to midtown in 10 minutes but 45 minutes to get to the village. That said, there's tons of bars and restaurants, rent is semi-cheap and the apartments are spacious and pretty. No wall of condos blocking the view.
Cosign whoever said the people settling neighborhoods these days are straight out of midwest colleges - the artistic communities are always being shuffled around because mommy and daddy can aford a lot better for their young daughter who "wants to feel the vibe for a year before deciding" what she wants to do.
Cosign whoever said the people settling neighborhoods these days are straight out of midwest colleges
wow... not only did I attend a "midwest college" namely the one mentioned,but i also grew up in the midwest itself.
i'd like to take a moment to extend a formal apology for "settling" neighborhoods in brooklyn.
not that i honestly care all that much 'bout that... but i think you're oversimplifying gentrification.
who are the "artistic communities"?
In my mind, generally the first folks to gentrify a neighborhoods. Clear the air for the yuppies, and then they can bitch about gentrification and how they and... oh yeah, the community... have been displaced. Just look at SF around 2000... shit was like coffee table conversation everywhere you went. "OH, the gentrification... how terrible... the studios and performance spaces are being closed." Folks getting moved out from the start.
Cosign whoever said the people settling neighborhoods these days are straight out of midwest colleges
wow... not only did I attend a "midwest college" namely the one mentioned,but i also grew up in the midwest itself.
i'd like to take a moment to extend a formal apology for "settling" neighborhoods in brooklyn.
not that i honestly care all that much 'bout that... but i think you're oversimplifying gentrification.
who are the "artistic communities"?
In my mind, generally the first folks to gentrify a neighborhoods. Clear the air for the yuppies, and then they can bitch about gentrification and how they and... oh yeah, the community... have been displaced. Just look at SF around 2000... shit was like coffee table conversation everywhere you went. "OH, the gentrification... how terrible... the studios and performance spaces are being closed." Folks getting moved out from the start.
Ari, you're a far cry from the type of people we're talking about.
New York City has always been a hodgepodge of people who could only afford to live here, or there, or wherever. I've been here since 1995 (when did you come here?). There have always been white people moving into non-white neighborhoods because they couldn't afford elsewhere and yes it is gentrification. I guess what I was pointing to was those who would buy $700,000 1br condos in Bushwick. I'm not defending the kind of gentrification that I fall into but now, I never WANTED to live in the hood it was just what I could afford at the time. I'm not looking for an "edgy" experience or trying to get "in with the people" or some such cliche of a public servant's dream or whatever.
As someone who lived in the Mission as a kid, before it was nice, I'm happy that the property is now worth cake (for my dad) and unhappy that I can't go back there to rent or eat at Delfina, fifty steps from my dad's door.
I think you take me wrong - I'm down for folks who can't afford to live in a traditionally nice neighborhood. I've often been one of them. As for those folks who want prefab lofts, $25/plate restaurants, and boutique groceries in their own private ghetto, they can fly back to Michigan, Wisconsin, or Rockland County, NY.
Cosign whoever said the people settling neighborhoods these days are straight out of midwest colleges
wow... not only did I attend a "midwest college" namely the one mentioned,but i also grew up in the midwest itself.
i'd like to take a moment to extend a formal apology for "settling" neighborhoods in brooklyn.
not that i honestly care all that much 'bout that... but i think you're oversimplifying gentrification.
who are the "artistic communities"?
In my mind, generally the first folks to gentrify a neighborhoods. Clear the air for the yuppies, and then they can bitch about gentrification and how they and... oh yeah, the community... have been displaced. Just look at SF around 2000... shit was like coffee table conversation everywhere you went. "OH, the gentrification... how terrible... the studios and performance spaces are being closed." Folks getting moved out from the start.
Ari, you're a far cry from the type of people we're talking about.
New York City has always been a hodgepodge of people who could only afford to live here, or there, or wherever. I've been here since 1995 (when did you come here?). There have always been white people moving into non-white neighborhoods because they couldn't afford elsewhere and yes it is gentrification. I guess what I was pointing to was those who would buy $700,000 1br condos in Bushwick. I'm not defending the kind of gentrification that I fall into but now, I never WANTED to live in the hood it was just what I could afford at the time. I'm not looking for an "edgy" experience or trying to get "in with the people" or some such cliche of a public servant's dream or whatever.
As someone who lived in the Mission as a kid, before it was nice, I'm happy that the property is now worth cake (for my dad) and unhappy that I can't go back there to rent or eat at Delfina, fifty steps from my dad's door. You're making no distinction between someone who's struggling to pay rent and some chad with a trust fund. Maybe that's the folks you were hanging around, but I see a definite difference.
I think you take me wrong - I'm down for folks who can't afford to live in a traditionally nice neighborhood. I've often been one of them. As for those folks who want prefab lofts, $25/plate restaurants, and boutique groceries in their own private ghetto, they can fly back to Michigan, Wisconsin, or Rockland County, NY.
south park slope is cool. i live in carroll gardens/red hook and i love it. south williamsburg is good too. you basically end up moving wherever you end up finding a place.
Don't overlook the Bronx either, Mott Haven is the next spot to blow investment-wise. "Artists" are already there.
nah, south bronx is happenin' in a major way right now. some serious displacement has been in the works for some time.
jonny... mostly playing devil's advocate there.. and not worried what category i fall into personally. just be careful about what you say about us midwesterners, hah..... personally i prefer the term rustbeltanarians for us MI/IL/OH/WI folks.
i agree w/ much of what you are saying. I just felt like things were being simplified. the brooklyn neighborhood game was just silly to me while i was out there. and i'm sure it's no better.
the SF mission is nuts.
now since my rustbeltanarian cook is on an extended leave, i must attend to that meal known as dinner.
Comments
Clinton Hill / Fort Greene is very pretty. Lots of trees. It is becoming more gentrified but so are all these neighborhoods. It feels like a neighborhood, which Williamsburg, Bushwick, etc lack. There are tons of restaurants but the bar scene isn't as good as Williamsburg. Fort Greene park is pretty nice.
Park Slope is pretty family oriented. There are avenues with lots of yuppies but like all of New York there is plenty of variety a block or two away. Like Fort Greene, it is really pretty, close to a real nice park (Olmstead did both Prospect Park and Central Park), good food and grocery stores. I like it here a lot. My wife and I live on a block with mostly Puerto Rican people. Oh also there is a lot less crime here. And Southpaw is in the neighborhood so you can come to The Rub.
Williamsburg is the best neighborhood is you want to go out all the time, be able to shop for clothes and sneakers and music in the neighborhood, and be one subway stop from Manhattan. Honestly the hipster thing is a non-issue if you live there for any amount of time. I liked being able to get food really late, having a big space and having no problem getting friends to come over and hang out. But it is loud on the weekends and my car was broken into 3 times in 2 1/2 years.
Greenpoint is like Williamsburg but Polish instead of Puerto Rican and Hasidic. Liek someone else said, the train in Greenpoint sucks but the food shopping is better and the general vibe is more mellow.
Bed Stuy (the neighborhood past Fort Greene) has plenty of pretty blocks and is a lot cheaper than all these options. It is slowly being gentrified, but for now it is mostly a black neighborhood, with lots of families and kids. Same goes for Crown Heights but you need to be picky with what block you live on.
IMO Bushwick is ugly as fuck and I wouldn't live there if only because you can't get anything to eat or drink after 11 or 12 PM. Same goes for Red Hook but it might change when the Ikea is finished.
You should check out Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill. It is a pretty nice neighborhood and not as pricey as Park Slope, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights or Williamsburg.
We're looking to buy a house or apartment so we'll probably end up in Queens just becuase real estate in Brooklyn has gotten prohibitively exspensive if you want to live anywhere close to the city. Astoria / Long Island City is a nice neighborhood that is close to Manhattan and a LOT cheaper than any of the "good" neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
But you can always check Academy in Williamsburg... they get some good stuff.
I had some great times then - but I'm glad I got out when I did.I moved out west (Silverlake -whut?), but now all of my boys have moved into manhattan. If your going to move to NYC start with the best - Manhattan! If you cant find a place there ...go for 2nd best -Brooklyn Heights!
If money is no object... or if you don't care about space...
sure, you can probably get a place in the (way) east 70s for as much as a (bigger) place in Brooklyn, but I don't know how much you like living in a high-rise post-college dormatory.
It's getting there...
i really just want to have a couch (manhattan spot is a shoebox) and have people over for beers and shit, you know? plaese to PM the kid if you hear of anything.
can you say
thats what i was gonna say.
real headz knowz the dealz.
real headz knowz the dealz.
not that i know the difference, but i swore i was in queens when i went to cokies. i dont fuck with the c*ke tho.
Btw, all of this advice should change if you have a car, or where you're commuting to. Astoria is GORGEOUS - I lived there for a year - but there is no parking and the N/R is kind of shitty - it'll get you to midtown in 10 minutes but 45 minutes to get to the village. That said, there's tons of bars and restaurants, rent is semi-cheap and the apartments are spacious and pretty. No wall of condos blocking the view.
Cosign whoever said the people settling neighborhoods these days are straight out of midwest colleges - the artistic communities are always being shuffled around because mommy and daddy can aford a lot better for their young daughter who "wants to feel the vibe for a year before deciding" what she wants to do.
Like I said...it's getting there.
but really there's not partying going on here, dont let the cobrasnake fool ya!
but dog, you actually do have exciting new projects happening.
Harlem was #4 for me...Uptown, baby!
Guess I'll visit FauxSelmed when I get there next month and suss out an apartment.
Millie's has good food.
That quiz was fun. I don't even live in the States, but if I lived in NYC - I'm meant for these neighbourhoods in the following order:
Harlem
China Town
Chelsea
El Barrio
wow... not only did I attend a "midwest college" namely the one mentioned,but i also grew up in the midwest itself.
i'd like to take a moment to extend a formal apology for "settling" neighborhoods in brooklyn.
not that i honestly care all that much 'bout that... but i think you're oversimplifying gentrification.
who are the "artistic communities"?
In my mind, generally the first folks to gentrify a neighborhoods.
Clear the air for the yuppies, and then they can bitch about gentrification and how they and... oh yeah, the community... have been displaced. Just look at SF around 2000... shit was like coffee table conversation everywhere you went. "OH, the gentrification... how terrible... the studios and performance spaces are being closed." Folks getting moved out from the start.
Ari, you're a far cry from the type of people we're talking about.
New York City has always been a hodgepodge of people who could only afford to live here, or there, or wherever. I've been here since 1995 (when did you come here?). There have always been white people moving into non-white neighborhoods because they couldn't afford elsewhere and yes it is gentrification. I guess what I was pointing to was those who would buy $700,000 1br condos in Bushwick. I'm not defending the kind of gentrification that I fall into but now, I never WANTED to live in the hood it was just what I could afford at the time. I'm not looking for an "edgy" experience or trying to get "in with the people" or some such cliche of a public servant's dream or whatever.
As someone who lived in the Mission as a kid, before it was nice, I'm happy that the property is now worth cake (for my dad) and unhappy that I can't go back there to rent or eat at Delfina, fifty steps from my dad's door.
I think you take me wrong - I'm down for folks who can't afford to live in a traditionally nice neighborhood. I've often been one of them. As for those folks who want prefab lofts, $25/plate restaurants, and boutique groceries in their own private ghetto, they can fly back to Michigan, Wisconsin, or Rockland County, NY.
Ari, you're a far cry from the type of people we're talking about.
New York City has always been a hodgepodge of people who could only afford to live here, or there, or wherever. I've been here since 1995 (when did you come here?). There have always been white people moving into non-white neighborhoods because they couldn't afford elsewhere and yes it is gentrification. I guess what I was pointing to was those who would buy $700,000 1br condos in Bushwick. I'm not defending the kind of gentrification that I fall into but now, I never WANTED to live in the hood it was just what I could afford at the time. I'm not looking for an "edgy" experience or trying to get "in with the people" or some such cliche of a public servant's dream or whatever.
As someone who lived in the Mission as a kid, before it was nice, I'm happy that the property is now worth cake (for my dad) and unhappy that I can't go back there to rent or eat at Delfina, fifty steps from my dad's door. You're making no distinction between someone who's struggling to pay rent and some chad with a trust fund. Maybe that's the folks you were hanging around, but I see a definite difference.
I think you take me wrong - I'm down for folks who can't afford to live in a traditionally nice neighborhood. I've often been one of them. As for those folks who want prefab lofts, $25/plate restaurants, and boutique groceries in their own private ghetto, they can fly back to Michigan, Wisconsin, or Rockland County, NY.
nah, south bronx is happenin' in a major way right now. some serious displacement has been in the works for some time.
jonny... mostly playing devil's advocate there.. and not worried what category i fall into personally. just be careful about what you say about us midwesterners, hah..... personally i prefer the term rustbeltanarians for us MI/IL/OH/WI folks.
i agree w/ much of what you are saying. I just felt like things were being simplified. the brooklyn neighborhood game was just silly to me while i was out there. and i'm sure it's no better.
the SF mission is nuts.
now since my rustbeltanarian cook is on an extended leave, i must attend to that meal known as dinner.