Un-gentrified areas of NYC??? (New York, Brownville: appointed, houses, neighborhoods)

[saidtomyself]

I am a UK resident and have been to the USA many times, for the last few years I have been visiting NYC on an annual basis staying in what is the old Hells Kitchen neighborhood, a neighborhood that has been gentrified beyond comprehension.
Each year I do the typical tourist sightseeing eg Central Park, ESB, Circle Line etc, however I also try to get off the beaten track a little and have a nose around the outer boroughs, I have been out to Coney on a Warriors pillgrimage, to pockets of the South Bronx on a graffiti pillgrimage, up to 125th street on a jazz pillgrimage and to Woodside, Queens on a Burger pillgrimage (Donovans Pub) but I only ever feel like that I am scratcing the surface in my short space of time, this year infact next week, I want to go a little deeper, I want to see some more of the real NYC everyday neighborhoods, gritty, poor areas, similar to ones that I have grown up in the UK. obviously I am not on a death mission, so places like Brownville, East New York and Far Rockaway are probably out of the question for a white male like me, can people suggest where I can go to check out a neighborhood, unscathed from gentrification, maybe even a brief synopsis of that hood?

[vincentnyc]

yes..come to hell gate aka e harlem. but dont go out too late at nite by urself.

[NooYowkur81]

You might be a little disappointed. I've seen some of the rough areas in the UK on tv, and on the net. The Council Houses. A lot of the stuff I saw was just as bad if not worse than the PJ areas here.

[dcuper1]

What does pj stand for?

[holden125]

Originally Posted by dcuper1

What does pj stand for?

projects. public housing

[Guywithacause]

I think you might well enjoy spending time throughout the Bronx...as the revitalization/gentrification is just now beginning there. Even in my neighborhood in Mott Haven we have a bunch of Rite-Aids, Duane Reads, and mainstream retailers like Target and Applebee's are making their way in shortly. Nonetheless...if you want to feel the old school NYC that is quickly disappearing, I recommend spend time in the Bronx!

If you want further info feel free to PM me. I am a longtime Bronx resident.

[saidtomyself]

Thanks for your replies, been up to El Barrio before and plan on maing it back up next week sometime, to be honest its not that scary by UK standards, although I know during the mid/early 90's when the crack epidemic was in full swing the purple top gang made East Harlem a living hell.

As for the bronx, where do you suggest, have spent some time in East Tremont and West Farms area but all I got was the feeling of desolation.

[SuperMario]

Originally Posted by saidtomyself

Thanks for your replies, been up to El Barrio before and plan on maing it back up next week sometime, to be honest its not that scary by UK standards, although I know during the mid/early 90's when the crack epidemic was in full swing the purple top gang made East Harlem a living hell.

As for the bronx, where do you suggest, have spent some time in East Tremont and West Farms area but all I got was the feeling of desolation.

You want urban grittyness in the Bronx?

Graffiti everywhere, tenement building blocks for miles, poor people, drug dealers etc

Check out: Morris Heights, Tremont, University Heights, Fordham

The southern portion of the borough used to be as urban as the above. But the arson changed whole neighborhoods. Now you have charlotte street looking like some suburbs. The above were left generally alone (sans Morris Heights but buildings were not rubble)..and are in the same condition they always been.

Be careful with some intersections in Fordham however. As I would say are as bad as ENY or Brownsville. Creston/Valentine in the 180's are a little more dangerous. Valentine has narrow blocks, your basically on the street!

But check out all the above.

[Guywithacause]

I don't find just about anywhere besides extreme East Tremont in Throgss Neck to be anything close to desolate....in fact the whole Tremont avenue is very congested and a main retail corridor. West Farms in particular is the beginning of a dense shopping area along East Tremont.

I am not clear then as to what you are actually looking for. If you are looking for gritty and old school feeling, I would start with Mott Haven. It has a fair amount of housing projects, however it also has pockets of some great brownstones, and you will find the area just now getting the attention of the mainstream. If you continue up the gut of the Bronx you will note alot of old school tenements the further North you go past Melrose. When you hit the Tremont area, towards Morris Heights, University Heights, you will find rows of tenements, densely packed with throngs of people, and you oftentimes feel like you are back in the 70s with people crowding the sidewalks, streets, music all around, and the gritty style of it all.

[vincentnyc]

Originally Posted by saidtomyself

...I am not on a death mission..

becareful what u wish for...that's what u get if go to all those section what mario mention and also like east ny..especially with a british accent.