I live in a rent stabilized Little Italy walkup and have a supermarket, church, grade school and library within one block, dozens of restaurants and specialty food stores, and the N, R, Q, J, M, Z, 6, F, V trains within another block. A neighborhood of oneway single lane streets whithin walking distance of Chinatown, LES, Soho, Tribeca, the Village. The holland tunnel, the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges close by. The only way I'm leaving this apartment is in a box.
I live in a rent stabilized Little Italy CHINATOWN walkup and have a supermarket, church, grade school and library within one block, dozens of restaurants and specialty food stores, and the N, R, Q, J, M, Z, 6, F, V trains within another block. A neighborhood of oneway single lane streets whithin walking distance of Chinatown, LES, Soho, Tribeca, the Village. The holland tunnel, the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges close by. The only way I'm leaving this apartment is in a box.
I live in a rent stabilized Little Italy CHINATOWN walkup and have a supermarket, church, grade school and library within one block, dozens of restaurants and specialty food stores, and the N, R, Q, J, M, Z, 6, F, V trains within another block. A neighborhood of oneway single lane streets whithin walking distance of Chinatown, LES, Soho, Tribeca, the Village. The holland tunnel, the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges close by. The only way I'm leaving this apartment is in a box.
Im up at Prince Street. There are more Australians up here than Chinese - or Italians for that matter.
My wife's employer pays our rent and we could have easily afforded a nice apt anyplace in the city. We chose a place twice as big as what we'd really need on a quiet block in Park Slope over Manhattan or W-burg or anyplace else and are perfectly happy. No hipsters, no tourists, no b&t.
Even if we wouldn't live for free already, I would say I wouldn't want to live in Manhattan for free.
So Jonny, if money wasn't an issue, and you could live in any neighborhood in the city, where would you go?
Some places I'd live if money weren't an issue, in no particular order:
Tribeca Gramercy Park West Village certain of the more tolerable areas around downtown brooklyn...
I know where you live and what you like/don't like about a neighborhood is subjective, but I fail to see how Park Slope is all that different, or in any way worse, from the hoods you posted. Except Gramercy, which has a bunch of old people. And I took out Mt. Morris because I've never been. Call me a Park Slope apologist if you want, but its not all bored stroller Moms and in your face activists here.
Call me a Park Slope apologist if you want, but its not all bored stroller Moms and in your face activists here.
my biggest issue with the Slope (and also why i have a tough time signing off on the article) is their train situation. Having only the F train and/or R/W in close walking distance for the majority of that area hardly seems like an ideal living situation for those that have/want to go into the city. For North Slope people, that is minimized by having Atlantic Terminal, but tell that to a dude on 8th ave and 6th street when the F train isn't working (which seems to be often). For a city in which most people by design or default have to work in Manhattan, living out in the Slope seems to be a hindrance.
Seems like a significant amount of people in Park Slope (more than i would expect) actually work in the area (or stay at home). In that case, the claim of 'best neighborhood' holds more weight i suppose.
Well, I'm not saying Park Slope is THE best neighborhood. I also call bullshit on the whole article. Like I said the difference in total score between one and twenty is negligible at best. I just think in general Park Slope gets hated on hard and I don't really see why.
In regards to the trains, apparently its gotten better. They extended the G line (not like that means anything) which makes getting to other BK neighborhoods easier. I've been here 3 years and apart from random, sporadic weekend closures, everything runs fine for me, and I work in midtown.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
Good luck with your applications, man!!! Are you looking a masters or doctoral programs? If commuting isn't an issue, perhaps you should consider Rutgers. If you have any questions, hit me on the PMs.
Thanks! It's for an MBA with a Marketing focus. Commuting is an issue, so I'm looking at spots in the city proper (Columbia and NYU), Cornell, which has a program in Manhattan with one week a semester spent in Ithica, and Harvard, which would be nice but the fiance really wants me in NYC ASAP. We'll see how it goes ? I'm taking the GMAT in a week and a half. I'm killing the sample tests, but I'm studying up a couple hours a day anyway. I want to destroy that thing.
Hey DB,
I understand, those names are much bigger on the resume than Rutgers Business School. I was hoping to persuade you to move from the business school over into Human Resource Management (housed in Rutgers's School of Management and Labor Relations). Our Masters in Human Resource Management (MHRM) program is one of the best in the country. I wish you well on your GMATs and applications.
UWS, much like Park Slope, reminds me far too much of Berkeley for me to ever be able to live there. lol.
In all honesty, I dig the UES for the olde New York vibes.
When I lived in Boerum Hill 14-10 years ago, I preferred that place by far to any other area in Brooklyn but now it's like f*cking Soho down there. The old Cuban eateries are all gone and it's boutiques and bistros everywhere... disgusting.
Personally, for me Park Slope is all about the park which is hands down the most beautiful one in the city and because of the dogs, I spend at least an hour there every day. There are also a few "authentic" bodegas and great Mexican places around, especially when you stroll a bit along 5th Ave. towards Sunset Park. It's nice and quiet and you can buy great groceries and eat out without the feeling of being robbed. Not too many night spots but that's an advantage... imagine the nighmare it has to be to live in the East Village or LES these days. The only way I'd walk down Ludlow Street on a Saturday night would be with a flame thrower...
UWS, much like Park Slope, reminds me far too much of Berkeley for me to ever be able to live there. lol.
In all honesty, I dig the UES for the olde New York vibes.
When I lived in Boerum Hill 14-10 years ago, I preferred that place by far to any other area in Brooklyn but now it's like f*cking Soho down there. The old Cuban eateries are all gone and it's boutiques and bistros everywhere... disgusting.
I lived there 15 years ago too. Actually, I lived at 90 Atlantic near the Hospital and across the street from Montero's which, at the time, was a real dump, complete with weird silence of the lambs type transexuals, midgets and amputees. But my bar was the Brooklyn Inn on Bergen and Hoyte. That neigborhood really changed when they repaired Smith Street.
UWS, much like Park Slope, reminds me far too much of Berkeley for me to ever be able to live there. lol.
I feel ya but the Upper West Side still has a Old Jewish thang w/ an influx of Puerto Ricans in the mix, along w/ Harlem Black folk right above it. Its still has some links to its dirty days.
I dont know if Berkeley or Park Slope has the same history of grit underneath the Yuppie Steez.
Right behind Lincoln Center are some Projects.
Does Berkeley and Park Slope have a Needle Park?
There's a an underbelly of "funk" on the UWS that isnt in Park Slope.
UWS, much like Park Slope, reminds me far too much of Berkeley for me to ever be able to live there. lol.
In all honesty, I dig the UES for the olde New York vibes.
When I lived in Boerum Hill 14-10 years ago, I preferred that place by far to any other area in Brooklyn but now it's like f*cking Soho down there. The old Cuban eateries are all gone and it's boutiques and bistros everywhere... disgusting.
I lived there 15 years ago too. Actually, I lived a 90 Atlantic near the Hospital and across the street from Montero's which, at the time, was a real dump, complete with weird silence of the lambs type transexuals, midgets and amputees. But my bar was the Brooklyn Inn on Bergen and Hoyte. That neigborhood changed when the repaired Smith Street.
Actually, I was there only for three years from '97-'00 after spending my first year in NYC on f*cking Staten Island. That was weird... but only $350 for a converted garage utilities included. That place was ghetto. There was soil coming through the cracked shower floor and on the second month our neighbor in the main house got stabbed to death. Couldn't afford to move for a year since my job only paid $5 an hour haha... good times. Brooklyn felt like a paradise after that experience.
I lived only a block away from the Brooklyn Inn on Wyckoff bet. Smith & Hoyt.
I went to the bar once but there was a real disgusting crowd in there, all 100% college types which was really strange for it being a block away from the projects (and those were pretty scary back then). Maybe I had bad luck and went on an bad night, could have even been a large private party. I had a couple of drinks by myself, started feeling really uncomfortable and left.
I went to the bar once but there was a real disgusting crowd in there, all 100% college types which was really strange for it being a block away from the projects (and those were pretty scary back then). Maybe I had bad luck and went on an bad night, could have even been a large private party. I had a couple of drinks by myself, started feeling really uncomfortable and left.
Yeah. On weekends community college types came from deep brooklyn to go there. But weekdays were mostly locals and late nights after 2:00 were good.
UWS, much like Park Slope, reminds me far too much of Berkeley for me to ever be able to live there. lol.
I feel ya but the Upper West Side still has a Old Jewish thang w/ an influx of Puerto Ricans in the mix, along w/ Harlem Black folk right above it. Its still has some links to its dirty days.
I dont know if Berkeley or Park Slope has the same history of grit underneath the Yuppie Steez.
Right behind Lincoln Center are some Projects.
Does Berkeley and Park Slope have a Needle Park?
There's a an underbelly of "funk" on the UWS that isnt in Park Slope.
There is some shady shit going down in some corners of the park on off-hours, sometimes there are helicopters flying low over certain fenced off wooden areas and the cops I sometimes meet there at night often act a bit nervous. The park officially is closed after 1 am but since I can't be ticketed, I don;t give a shit.
All in all, I can live without any "underbelly of funk". Most of the authentic grit is gone pretty much anywhere you go in NYC these days and I don't feel the need to seek the misery of others as a backdrop to my urban experience. I had enough of that in other times or at other places.
I went to the bar once but there was a real disgusting crowd in there, all 100% college types which was really strange for it being a block away from the projects (and those were pretty scary back then). Maybe I had bad luck and went on an bad night, could have even been a large private party. I had a couple of drinks by myself, started feeling really uncomfortable and left.
Yeah. On weekends community college types came from deep brooklyn to go there. But weekdays were mostly locals and late nights after 2:00 were good.
Oh damn... now I feel like I missed out. The place sure looked amazing!
I went to the bar once but there was a real disgusting crowd in there, all 100% college types which was really strange for it being a block away from the projects (and those were pretty scary back then). Maybe I had bad luck and went on an bad night, could have even been a large private party. I had a couple of drinks by myself, started feeling really uncomfortable and left.
Yeah. On weekends community college types came from deep brooklyn to go there. But weekdays were mostly locals and late nights after 2:00 were good.
Oh damn... now I feel like I missed out. The place sure looked amazing!
I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. Its just that bars in that area were pretty lame in the early - mid 90s. Atlantic Avenue had the old Pete's Waterfront, but Court had nothing. So maybe I just remember it morely fondly because I was too lazy to go back into the city at night.
Does Absolute Bagels qualify as UWS? Because I'll ride for that much!
Damn Odub with the secret sauce! That is the spot. Only a couple blocks from my all-time favorite pizza spot. Had to be something at Columbia that brought you that far uptown, right?
Jonny, growing up in the 90s, the area still had a little bit of grit to it, but yeah, its pretty much a shopping mall/stroller parking lot now. If I wasn't rent controlled, I woulda prob been out years ago, like everyone I knew growing up.
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Im up at Prince Street. There are more Australians up here than Chinese - or Italians for that matter.
Even if we wouldn't live for free already, I would say I wouldn't want to live in Manhattan for free.
I know where you live and what you like/don't like about a neighborhood is subjective, but I fail to see how Park Slope is all that different, or in any way worse, from the hoods you posted. Except Gramercy, which has a bunch of old people. And I took out Mt. Morris because I've never been. Call me a Park Slope apologist if you want, but its not all bored stroller Moms and in your face activists here.
my biggest issue with the Slope (and also why i have a tough time signing off on the article) is their train situation. Having only the F train and/or R/W in close walking distance for the majority of that area hardly seems like an ideal living situation for those that have/want to go into the city. For North Slope people, that is minimized by having Atlantic Terminal, but tell that to a dude on 8th ave and 6th street when the F train isn't working (which seems to be often). For a city in which most people by design or default have to work in Manhattan, living out in the Slope seems to be a hindrance.
Seems like a significant amount of people in Park Slope (more than i would expect) actually work in the area (or stay at home). In that case, the claim of 'best neighborhood' holds more weight i suppose.
I mean, the properties are beautiful... the park is right there. I got married in Park Slope. Wouldn't live there though. Not for me.
I like living in Manhattan, though; there are neighborhoods here I can't stand but if money were not an option, I'd be here no question over Brooklyn.
In regards to the trains, apparently its gotten better. They extended the G line (not like that means anything) which makes getting to other BK neighborhoods easier. I've been here 3 years and apart from random, sporadic weekend closures, everything runs fine for me, and I work in midtown.
Hey DB,
I understand, those names are much bigger on the resume than Rutgers Business School. I was hoping to persuade you to move from the business school over into Human Resource Management (housed in Rutgers's School of Management and Labor Relations). Our Masters in Human Resource Management (MHRM) program is one of the best in the country. I wish you well on your GMATs and applications.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
JOKES!
But really, so salty my beloved UWS placed lower then our arch-rivals across the park. Damn you Nate Silver!
My dudes reaction to the link:
Does Absolute Bagels qualify as UWS? Because I'll ride for that much!
Funny; I would say Berkeley, if anything, is becoming more like Park Slope than vice versa.
Berkeley 20 years ago was still Berkeley.
www.dostoros.com
When I lived in Boerum Hill 14-10 years ago, I preferred that place by far to any other area in Brooklyn but now it's like f*cking Soho down there. The old Cuban eateries are all gone and it's boutiques and bistros everywhere... disgusting.
Personally, for me Park Slope is all about the park which is hands down the most beautiful one in the city and because of the dogs, I spend at least an hour there every day. There are also a few "authentic" bodegas and great Mexican places around, especially when you stroll a bit along 5th Ave. towards Sunset Park. It's nice and quiet and you can buy great groceries and eat out without the feeling of being robbed. Not too many night spots but that's an advantage... imagine the nighmare it has to be to live in the East Village or LES these days. The only way I'd walk down Ludlow Street on a Saturday night would be with a flame thrower...
I lived there 15 years ago too. Actually, I lived at 90 Atlantic near the Hospital and across the street from Montero's which, at the time, was a real dump, complete with weird silence of the lambs type transexuals, midgets and amputees. But my bar was the Brooklyn Inn on Bergen and Hoyte. That neigborhood really changed when they repaired Smith Street.
I feel ya but the Upper West Side still has a Old Jewish thang w/ an influx of Puerto Ricans in the mix, along w/ Harlem Black folk right above it. Its still has some links to its dirty days.
I dont know if Berkeley or Park Slope has the same history of grit underneath the Yuppie Steez.
Right behind Lincoln Center are some Projects.
Does Berkeley and Park Slope have a Needle Park?
There's a an underbelly of "funk" on the UWS that isnt in Park Slope.
Actually, I was there only for three years from '97-'00 after spending my first year in NYC on f*cking Staten Island. That was weird... but only $350 for a converted garage utilities included. That place was ghetto. There was soil coming through the cracked shower floor and on the second month our neighbor in the main house got stabbed to death. Couldn't afford to move for a year since my job only paid $5 an hour haha... good times. Brooklyn felt like a paradise after that experience.
I lived only a block away from the Brooklyn Inn on Wyckoff bet. Smith & Hoyt.
I went to the bar once but there was a real disgusting crowd in there, all 100% college types which was really strange for it being a block away from the projects (and those were pretty scary back then). Maybe I had bad luck and went on an bad night, could have even been a large private party. I had a couple of drinks by myself, started feeling really uncomfortable and left.
Dude, you evidently have never ever been to Berkeley.
Yeah. On weekends community college types came from deep brooklyn to go there. But weekdays were mostly locals and late nights after 2:00 were good.
There is some shady shit going down in some corners of the park on off-hours, sometimes there are helicopters flying low over certain fenced off wooden areas and the cops I sometimes meet there at night often act a bit nervous. The park officially is closed after 1 am but since I can't be ticketed, I don;t give a shit.
All in all, I can live without any "underbelly of funk".
Most of the authentic grit is gone pretty much anywhere you go in NYC these days and I don't feel the need to seek the misery of others as a backdrop to my urban experience. I had enough of that in other times or at other places.
Oh damn... now I feel like I missed out. The place sure looked amazing!
I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. Its just that bars in that area were pretty lame in the early - mid 90s. Atlantic Avenue had the old Pete's Waterfront, but Court had nothing. So maybe I just remember it morely fondly because I was too lazy to go back into the city at night.
Damn Odub with the secret sauce! That is the spot. Only a couple blocks from my all-time favorite pizza spot. Had to be something at Columbia that brought you that far uptown, right?
Jonny, growing up in the 90s, the area still had a little bit of grit to it, but yeah, its pretty much a shopping mall/stroller parking lot now. If I wasn't rent controlled, I woulda prob been out years ago, like everyone I knew growing up.