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Old 04-16-2008, 12:00 PM
 
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I'm moving from about an hour north of the city, hoping to end up in an apartment in Bay Ridge, BK. Any help with areas to look into or advice in general would be appreciated, thanks. 21 yr old male if that makes a difference, familiar with manhattan area
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Old 04-16-2008, 12:29 PM
 
Location: Newton, Mass.
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I have a lot of family in Bay Ridge and was living there until recently. The key thing is to be near the train since it's your easiest way to and from Manhattan and everything else. Don't take anything up by Dyker Heights. It's a nice area but there is no train and, short of paying more for the express bus, which is limited anyway, you'd need a lot more time to get around the rest of the city.

Personally I prefer the streets in the 70's and 80's from 3rd to 6th or 7th Ave. 3rd and 5th Avenues have a large variety of restaurants, shops, bars, etc. 86th Street (from 4th Av to Fort Hamilton Pkwy) is the big shopping street for national chains (e.g. Gap) and there is a Century 21 there, with some great bargains. The side streets have some apartment buildings and a number of houses, both single family and multi-family with rentals.

Other people prefer the 90's, where you'll see some more driveways and which are generally closer to the bridge and water, but to me the area is incoherent and a couple of subway stops farther away.

Subways at night have gotten better but are still a pain. The R only runs from 95 St Bay Ridge to 36 St in Brooklyn. So to get back from Manhattan or even downtown Brooklyn, you need to take some other train, like the D or N, to 36 St or 59 St and switch to the R train shuttle. This will make an already lenghty trip longer, and there will be a temptation to just hail a cab, but that will run $30 from the city. So try to get a friend or two locally so you can have some life without leaving Bay Ridge!
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Old 04-16-2008, 01:04 PM
 
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Bay Ridge was great when I visited friends there before Christmas. The general consensus of everyone I met who lived there was "who needs Manhattan", since everything (restaurants, nightlife, shopping) is right there in the neighborhood. It's ridiculously quiet too, despite plenty of nightlife spots.
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Old 04-16-2008, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Central, NJ
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Holden summed it up nicely. Don't go below 70th street (some say 75th but I disagree). Below 3rd to Shore Road is beautiful but you won't be close enough to the train. The gyms are awful and everything else is really nice!
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Old 04-16-2008, 04:29 PM
 
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I like more the 90's streets, and love the 95th station.
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Old 04-16-2008, 04:43 PM
 
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Is the NYSC bad there as well? I was just lamenting that I sometimes wish I had moved to a neighborhood with a good gym. I have to go by subway to get to any of the NYSCs but if I lived in Bay Ridge and even the NYSC were bad . .. .then what do you do?
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Old 04-17-2008, 08:08 AM
 
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holden's pretty much right unless you want to pay more but have easier access to shore road bike path, and express bus, etc. you want to avoid the side streets between ridge and 6th pretty much though due to bar/resturant street traffic -- a lot of complaints especially around 82nd & 3rd.

NYSC just opened a new branch on 86th.

Third is better for shops/strolling than 5th.

The R train sucks and will always suck no matter what station you live by.

All in all though a good neighborhood despite the lack of continuous train service.
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Old 04-17-2008, 10:44 AM
 
Location: Central, NJ
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I haven't checked out the NYSC on 86th but the one in the 70s, eh. They don't even give you towels.

What I do is work out at a gym near my office!
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Old 04-17-2008, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Chittenden County, VT
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I am moving to Bay Ridge from Fort Greene in June and have done quite a bit of exploring based on the suggestions of those on the board. I have to agree with everything Holden said. I like the blocks from Bay Ridge Parkway down to about 77th the best just based purely on aesthetics. There are some very nice little enclaves in the 90's over by Shore Rd. (92nd and Marine comes to mind) but the walk from the subway is a bit far and the commercial areas of 3rd ave and 4th Ave down there feel a bit suburban to me.

From the 70's down past 86th on 3rd and 5th are filled with restaurants, bars, shops, grocery stores, etc. It was surprising to me at first that an area like Bay Ridge which for the most part has fallen under the radar of recent Brooklyn transplants actually has far more to offer than other "hipper" areas closer to Manhattan (such as the one I currently live in). I did some shopping in on of the grocery stores on one of my visits and was pleasantly surprised by how orderly and clean things were compared to some of the shops in my neighborhood. Aside from all of the small restaurants and shops on 3rd Ave you also have the big commercial street of 86th with loads of national retailers and the excellent Century 21 department store.

I am really looking forward to my move. Aside from the commute which will be a bit of a haul to my office in East Midtown I think Bay Ridge has a lot to offer. Housing is affordable by NYC standards (1 bedrooms can be found for under $1200), there is a wealth of shops, restaurants, and other amenities to keep you occupied without having to go into Manhattan, and it is safe.

If I was just moving to NYC I may look elsewhere since it is a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan that newcomers seems to look for. I know my routine well enough now to know that all I really look for is a relatively affordable neighborhood that offers a number of easy restaurant options, a bar to grab a beer at after work, and other daily conveniences to satisfy me on work nights. If I want excitement I can go to Manhattan.
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Old 04-17-2008, 03:23 PM
 
Location: Bronx, NY
2,806 posts, read 16,338,292 times
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Oh sh*t, there goes the neighborhood.....

Look out everybody the hipsters are going to invade.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffcon0 View Post
I am moving to Bay Ridge from Fort Greene in June and have done quite a bit of exploring based on the suggestions of those on the board. I have to agree with everything Holden said. I like the blocks from Bay Ridge Parkway down to about 77th the best just based purely on aesthetics. There are some very nice little enclaves in the 90's over by Shore Rd. (92nd and Marine comes to mind) but the walk from the subway is a bit far and the commercial areas of 3rd ave and 4th Ave down there feel a bit suburban to me.

From the 70's down past 86th on 3rd and 5th are filled with restaurants, bars, shops, grocery stores, etc. It was surprising to me at first that an area like Bay Ridge which for the most part has fallen under the radar of recent Brooklyn transplants actually has far more to offer than other "hipper" areas closer to Manhattan (such as the one I currently live in). I did some shopping in on of the grocery stores on one of my visits and was pleasantly surprised by how orderly and clean things were compared to some of the shops in my neighborhood. Aside from all of the small restaurants and shops on 3rd Ave you also have the big commercial street of 86th with loads of national retailers and the excellent Century 21 department store.

I am really looking forward to my move. Aside from the commute which will be a bit of a haul to my office in East Midtown I think Bay Ridge has a lot to offer. Housing is affordable by NYC standards (1 bedrooms can be found for under $1200), there is a wealth of shops, restaurants, and other amenities to keep you occupied without having to go into Manhattan, and it is safe.

If I was just moving to NYC I may look elsewhere since it is a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan that newcomers seems to look for. I know my routine well enough now to know that all I really look for is a relatively affordable neighborhood that offers a number of easy restaurant options, a bar to grab a beer at after work, and other daily conveniences to satisfy me on work nights. If I want excitement I can go to Manhattan.
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