Tell me about Bay Ridge (Bay Park: houses, transferring to, neighborhoods)

[eight26]

What are the best ways to get into Manhattan from Bay Ridge? What are the prime blocks? any places to avoid? is it family friendly? are there parks?

[Andez]

The only train that serves Bay Ridge is the R train, so I guess the fastest way to get into Manhattan would be getting off at the 59 st stop and transferring to the N train. (Express)

Bay Ridge is really safe. It's part of the 68th precinct which I believe was one of the 3 in all of NYC to record no murders in all of 2008. I guess the closer you get to my neighborhood (Sunset Park), the more chance there is of something happening, but even that's really low.

There's Owls Head Park in Bay Ridge and yes it's family friendly. And idk about the prime blocks so much but the 70s and 80s below 4th avenue are beautiful. Some of the best in NYC.

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by eight26

What are the best ways to get into Manhattan from Bay Ridge? What are the prime blocks? any places to avoid? is it family friendly? are there parks?

Well you only have to options, by car or by the R train.
In my opinion I prefer the south part of Bay Ridge around the 80's and 90's, but any place in Bay Ridge is great.

[anders]

Re: Bay Ridge transit ... I posted some info/opinion a few days ago, at:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...ml#post8213507

As noted there - since Bay Ridge has only one train (the R), transit can be a problem _if_
(a) your life is heavily Manhattan- or Upper-Manhattan-centric (not just a M-F roundtrip to Lowest Manhattan), or
(b) you must often go to Queens or LI, or do non-local shopping, and don't have a car.

The neighborhood is Brooklyn semi-suburban, with the pluses and minuses of, say, a smaller LI town: family-friendly, neighborhoody-feeling, but with a few transit and convenience issues.
-- The better part tends to be in the 70s-90s, from Shore Road east to Ridge Blvd or Third Ave., though it can extend to Fourth/Fifth Aves. in some spots.
-- It can get kind of seedy in parts of the 60s, and on some sidestreets throughout. Go with your gut, and make sure that you're near an R-train station or bus/express-bus stop - whichever works for you.
-- It's pretty safe, though (since it's still NYC) there are occasional spates of burglaries and car break-ins.
-- It has Owls Head Park, lots of restaurants and small stores, and a shopping strip, with Century 21 and the Gap, on 86th St. But you'll go outside the neighborhood for major housewares/hardware, electronics, books ... and it helps to have a car (and a reliable parking spot!!).
-- There's an active restaurant/bar scene, seasonal events - Easter and Halloween misc., summer park concerts, some street fairs - but only one shabby-ish movie theatre, and no "arts," theatre, or music thing going on (if that's what you're into).

And as with any neighborhood, you'll want to roam around, get a feel for it, and test-drive the commute to Manhattan.

[Irish Eyes]

Plenty of parks. On Shore Road there are houses and apt buildings on one side of the street and the other, by the water is all park from the 70s to the 90s. If you'll be taking the train it will be more convenient to live closer to 4th avenue but if you're taking the express bus Shore Road is great. It was like living in the suburbs of Bay Ridge.

[cleasach]

Originally Posted by cjma79

Well you only have to options, by car or by the R train.
In my opinion I prefer the south part of Bay Ridge around the 80's and 90's, but any place in Bay Ridge is great.

There are Express Buses (X27 and X37) into Manhattan that run on Shore Road in Bay Ridge. There is also a bus (X28/38) that picks up at 86th Street and 7th Avenue before it gets on the highway. 86th and 7th is also the first stop in Brooklyn on that line.

The 90s and up are the nicest part of the neighborhood. The 70s and 80s are nice as well but the 80s and 90s are a bit quieter.

The entire length of Shore Road from 69th Street to 100th Street is one long park with swings and such at 79th street, ball fields and lots of greenery. People bring beach chairs and lay out for the day during the summer. There are also free concerts at 79th Street during the summer months.

There is a bicycle path that runs along the sea wall from 69th, way past Bay Ridge out to Bay Parkway that is a lovely walk or bike ride. There are benches along the way as well.

It's a great area.

[eight26]

Originally Posted by cleasach

There are Express Buses (X27 and X37) into Manhattan that run on Shore Road in Bay Ridge. There is also a bus (X28/38) that picks up at 86th Street and 7th Avenue before it gets on the highway. 86th and 7th is also the first stop in Brooklyn on that line.

The 90s and up are the nicest part of the neighborhood. The 70s and 80s are nice as well but the 80s and 90s are a bit quieter.

The entire length of Shore Road from 69th Street to 100th Street is one long park with swings and such at 79th street, ball fields and lots of greenery. People bring beach chairs and lay out for the day during the summer. There are also free concerts at 79th Street during the summer months.

There is a bicycle path that runs along the sea wall from 69th, way past Bay Ridge out to Bay Parkway that is a lovely walk or bike ride. There are benches along the way as well.

It's a great area.

It sounds great! As far as the bus goes, where does it stop in Manhattan. My Husband works on the UWS, would this commute be over an hour?

[Dark of the Moon]

Check out HopStop.com for travel directions and times. You can also try the MTA's Trip Planner feature.

Between the two of them, you should get a pretty good idea of the commute time and pick-up/drop-off locations.

[anders]

Originally Posted by squeezeboxgal

Check out HopStop.com for travel directions and times. You can also try the MTA's Trip Planner feature.

Between the two of them, you should get a pretty good idea of the commute time and pick-up/drop-off locations.

Thanks for the reminder!
Both are good sites, but -- for transit-time projections -- I think that HopStop.com is more realistic.
I did a "HopStop vs. MTA planner" test a few weeks back, mapping longer multi-borough trips that I've made regularly for eons. HopStop's projected times were just 10-15 minutes (max) shorter than reality, whereas the MTA projections tended to be _'way_ optimistic ... such as: stating that two regular, never-less-than-70-mins trips actually take 45 mins.

[Irish Eyes]

The x27 is the downtown bus. The first stop is Battery Park and the last 23rd street. The 37 is the midtown bus. It gets on the FDR out of the tunnel, first stop is 1st ave and 23rd street and goes to 57th.

If I were your husband I would consider taking the x27 and switch to the subway downtown - would the A or the 1 work for him?