Bensonhurst (New York, Ridge, Hamilton: salons, earthquakes, organic)

[amy_cate]

i'm always shocked when i see a hipster on the N past 59 street. but never all the way to 20 ave ( my stop). there's absolutely nothing cool about bensonhurst. nothing. drivers are meaner down here than in other areas - everyone's got a chip on their shoulder. and overall very narrowminded. my block thinks my husband and i are freaks because we feed feral cats. or the way they all sit on their stoops in their wifebeaters and stare at you when taking out recycling or watering plants like it's the most interesting thing they've seen all day. sadly it probably is.

[mead]

Well what do you expect? Bensonhurst is a middle-class residential community, its not the Village or something. Bensonhurst is not supposed to be cool, its supposed to be a normal place to live, and unfortunately that is even changing.

[mead]

Yeah the only blondes in Bensonhurst are either Russians or are fake blondes. If you are looking to live in an area with some Northern European people (Irish/Germans) then look at either Bay Ridge or Gerritsen Beach.

Originally Posted by amy_cate

i'm blonde but the only other blondes here don't speak english.

[mead]

I don't know about that. That $9 toll is quite the disincentive for most random FOB immigrants to go and visit the other side of the Verrazano. Staten Island is really isolated and factor in that half of the Italians in NYC are moving to either S.I. or NJ and I think you have a good chance that Staten Island could end up remaining a really Italian area for the next couple of decades I'm thinking it will be a good 20-30 years before you start to see any big declines in the Italian population there.

Originally Posted by briarwood

I agree, and I'm half Black!

What's ultamitely sad is that if you think you're going to escape the "changes" by crossing the Verrazano, you're wrong. North Shore is already terrible and as the congestion and ****ty infastructure catches up to SI, that place will be more slummy than ENY.


Bensonhurst, for that matter, the great majority of Brooklyn, is not a bad place to live. If blonde girls and gay couples are buying in Bed-Stuy, what does that say about the Italians of South Brooklyn?

[wanderlost]

We're moving back to NY from Virginia where we are now....I'm not looking to live near other blondes, but I want to feel accepted, not like we're invading someone's area. Bensonhurst does appeal to me as a normal place and I actually do like the photos.

[mead]

Well I think the Italians in Besonhurst think that everyone except for Italian people are invading their neighborhood. However, they are pretty much on the way out. In 10 years though you can deal with the Chinese & Russians thinking that you don't "belong" in their neighborhood.

[EugeneBKLYN]

Originally Posted by mead

In 10 years though you can deal with the Chinese & Russians thinking that you don't "belong" in their neighborhood.

Don't bet on that. The Chinese are very kept to themselves.

Russians don't really care about it. As long as you're not black.

[EugeneBKLYN]

Originally Posted by amy_cate

i'm always shocked when i see a hipster on the N past 59 street. but never all the way to 20 ave ( my stop). there's absolutely nothing cool about bensonhurst. nothing. drivers are meaner down here than in other areas - everyone's got a chip on their shoulder. and overall very narrowminded. my block thinks my husband and i are freaks because we feed feral cats. or the way they all sit on their stoops in their wifebeaters and stare at you when taking out recycling or watering plants like it's the most interesting thing they've seen all day. sadly it probably is.

I don't know anything about that. Maybe it's just your block?

People usually don't give a rat's ass about anyone else. If you don't stand out, people simply ignore you, going about their daily business.

Sometimes, though, there is a sense of community here.
During the 2003 blackout, everyone went outside and started talking to each other. People were sitting on their stoops with lit candles... some crossing the street to discuss what was going on with complete strangers. I think that brought alot of people together. I made some friends when people came up to me.

[leelex]

The question is.....When are we all ever going to start accepting people as people? Sooner or later, we all have to start living together 'cause if we continue in our ways, does anyone think we as a "human race" will survive? Just food for thought......I lived in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. There has been a tremendous influx of Russian people. At first my wife and I were stand-offish as we thought they were. After opening my heart as well as my eyes, we accepted them and got to know them. We made many new friends and learned to laugh and have lots of fun together. Sure, people come from different lands and cultures....but in all of us beats the same heart...learning, talking and accepting, hopefully will be the cornerstone of spiritual growth on our planet.....we so badly need it. I have always found that when I give someone a smile when walking bye, opens many a door.....

[amy_cate]

it's not just my block... it's the whole area. people are nosey more than anything. i don't think we stand out doing simple things like watering plants. i put my garbage near my neighbor's once just because i was passing her house - it was garbage pickup that morning in like an hour. people are very protective of their garbage - it seems to be a common pasttime. she proceeded (unbeknownst to me because i'd left for work) to pick up and empty it out all over my stoop. classy. the roads are horrible in terms of huge gaps and bumps - looks like we've had major earthquakes. my poor car.

i have to play charades to pick up my dry cleaning - and this is now my 4th place i've gone to. i've had to get on the floor and point and draw a rug with my finger. and i had the pickup ticket.

it is so far removed from anything appealing in any way shape or form. it's like being in the middle of nowhere - the fashions are amusing too. feels like a time warp, trapped in the 80s or 90s... except for the ultra trendy mandee or annie sez on 18 avenue or something.

i think when my husband and i moved there that we wanted somewhere residential and affordable - but it comes at a price, one which i can see forking over more money in rent to avoid. people are incredibly mean and this is not strictly limited to one culture. although the chinese walking around coughing up phlegm nearly missing my feet as i pass is pretty common. everyone stares at you though like everything you do is so terribly enthralling. like look at me i'm moving my car - ooh everyone gather on your stoop in your wife beaters and housedresses and scratch your a** and watch. it's just funny in a way - like in so many ways that neighborhood's changed, but in so many ways some things will never change.

i have found too when i give someone a smile when walking by that you get odd looks or if opposite sex, will think you are flirting with them, especially if passing infamous 65 street with all the guys lurking on every corner.

i don't think that i'm nonaccepting. i've felt that attitude towards me since we moved there 2 years ago. driving is atrocious - if you honk at someone who just darts across the street, not loooking either way (can't tell you how much driving feels like a bad video game) he/she will then yell at you in some language you don't understand and/or give you the finger. it's just a very rude slap in the face. waiting for the bus and politely letting the elderly woman go in front of you so she can literally PUSH you with her fist almost knocking you to the ground.

i don't know. i could go on but i think those who know what i'm talking about know what i'm talking about.