bronx, queens, brooklyn etc... (New York, Ridge: apartment, condo, co-op)

[SamNC]

I am visiting NYC labor day weekend. I will be going there basically just for photography. I will be doing all the stuff in Manhattan, but I want to get to the outer boroughs to photograph a) historical buildings and other colorful stuff, and b) urban blight/ugly stuff. I am a little crazy; I think sometimes photos of a rusty peice of metal, if its colorful looks very pretty.

Any suggestions about where to go without getting mugged? Or perhaps the converse should be asked: which areas should I NOT go to? I will probably see a Yanks game, so I will be in that area of the Bronx. Is each outer borough much different than the others? In other words, if I see Brooklyn, is there alot of different stuff to photograph in the Bronx?

Finally, I am conflicted about going up on top of ESB or Rock. Which ones gives me better unobstructed views, meaning I dont want to take a photo of a fence in the foreground. Also, is the 102nd story of the observatory worth the trip?

[Viralmd]

The Noguchi museum in Queens - it's worth a special trip!

[bmwguydc]

Each borough does have its own special areas to photograph, that's for sure. In the Bronx, you have some buildings on the Grand Concourse that are very nice art deco era buildings. The neighborhoods have improved in recent years, but it's definitely not the same as walking around Midtown. Some other places in the Bronx to check out are the New York Botanical Garden, for the flora and also the old snuff mill, and Wave Hill in Riverdale which offers gorgeous unobstructed vistas of the Husdson River to the Palisades. You can take a city bus up the Concourse, and can get on and off along the route for photographic opportunities, and then you can take a bus across the Bronx to get to Riverdale. It would be possible to do that in a day, but it depends upon the time of the game.

In Brooklyn, aside from the Brooklyn Bridge itself and the waterfall exhibit, you have Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill, DUMBO, and Park Slope which offer much in the way of distinctive architecture and streetscapes. And, then there's Prospect Park, which has some interesting elements to it as well, not to mention the Grand Army Plaza area. You could easily combine Brooklyn with Lower Manhattan.

[Andysocks]

Originally Posted by SamNC

Is each outer borough much different than the others? In other words, if I see Brooklyn, is there alot of different stuff to photograph in the Bronx?

Brooklyn is known for its brownstones, the Bronx is known for its apartment towers... and Queens is known for... um.... nothing special that the other boroughs do not have. Except maybe those large two-story garden co-op complexes that litter the area between Hillside Ave. and Horace Harding from Fresh Meadows through the Nassau border, haha, I haven't seen many of those in any of the other boroughs. There's a few on Long Island, but not nearly as many or as large.

Queens also has an unusual amount of totally circular buildings... products of the 50s and their vision of the "future", I assume.

The look of neighborhoods has more to do with time period of construction than location. so southern Brooklyn and central Queens look similar. Harlem and northern Brooklyn look similar. Washington Heights and the west Bronx look similar. Eastern Queens and the east Bronx look almost freakin' identical.

Each borough does have stereotypical character and "feel", though, that's hard to put your finger on. That's why people often say Ridgewood, Queens looks like Brooklyn or Williston Park, Long Island looks like Queens.

[jax78]

Go to Five Pointz in Queens (Long Island City). 5 Pointz

It's cool. Colorful, artistic. It's a building where graffiti artists are allowed to cover the building.

[aluciabolanos]

Please comment on the safety of Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and other boroughs!!! Would it be recommendable to stay in those areas during the holidays????? Can anyone recommend hotels in those areas that are nice and at a comfortable price????

[dman72]

Originally Posted by aluciabolanos

Please comment on the safety of Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and other boroughs!!! Would it be recommendable to stay in those areas during the holidays????? Can anyone recommend hotels in those areas that are nice and at a comfortable price????

The only hotels I know of in Queens are near the 2 airports, JFK and Laguardia. Safe, comfortable, but expensive.

In Brooklyn, I think your best bet is to try to get into one of the new condo/hotels that have sprung up. There are many safe and comfortable neighborhoods in all the boroughs, but they will be expensive.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by SamNC

I am visiting NYC labor day weekend. I will be going there basically just for photography. I will be doing all the stuff in Manhattan, but I want to get to the outer boroughs to photograph a) historical buildings and other colorful stuff, and b) urban blight/ugly stuff. I am a little crazy; I think sometimes photos of a rusty peice of metal, if its colorful looks very pretty.

Any suggestions about where to go without getting mugged? Or perhaps the converse should be asked: which areas should I NOT go to? I will probably see a Yanks game, so I will be in that area of the Bronx. Is each outer borough much different than the others? In other words, if I see Brooklyn, is there alot of different stuff to photograph in the Bronx?

Finally, I am conflicted about going up on top of ESB or Rock. Which ones gives me better unobstructed views, meaning I dont want to take a photo of a fence in the foreground. Also, is the 102nd story of the observatory worth the trip?

Urban blight/ugly stuff? There are hundreds of hideous housing projects all over the city, especially along Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn. Will you get mugged? During the day? Probably not, but some people will probably hassle you if you're walking around taking pictures.

If you want to see burned out hell holes, try East New York and Brownsville. Wouldn't recommend walking around there..ever. If you want to see drug dealing in broad daylight, try South Jamaica Queens.

But seriously, be careful.

[bmwguydc]

Perhaps you should check out Jersey City, NJ. It's convenient to Manhattan on the PATH train it's a faster ride to some places in NY than outer boroughs. There are some hotels in good Brooklyn areas, such as Park Slope, but they're only slightly less expensive than counterparts in Manhattan.

[BXGEAR]

I know of some cheap motels on Queens Blvd by 65th Pl. I see a lot of out-of-state license plates in the parking lots