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I've heard a lot of silly arguments over the borders of Bushwick, and I've got no feelings on that. But however you wanna slice the map, the industrial area north of Flushing is either eastern Williamsburg or a fringy, non-representative bit of Bushwick.
Bushwick's not primarily an industrial neighborhood. It's mostly characterized by the slightly run-down (but charming!) six- and eight-family apartment buildings you'll find in the area between, say, Flushing, Central Ave, Myrtle Ave, and Irving Ave. That area is pretty damn gentrified, especially closer to Flushing. It's not the prettiest spot in Brooklyn, but if your definition of gentrification involves the sudden arrival of lots of trendy bars, coffee shops, galleries, performance spaces, eateries, and shockingly high rents, then that area's seen as much gentrification in the last five years as anyplace in the city.
Re: Bed-Stuy: I have a theory that people approach the Bed-Stuy border, take a look at the hideousness that exists there, and leave thinking it's a hellhole. The western border is fugly, from Classon to Marcy. The eastern border, around Broadway, is traumatizingly fugly. The northern border, at Flushing, alternates between fugly and desolate. And the southern border, Atlantic Boulevard to Fulton, is fugly and loud.
But in between those borders -- man, I don't know how you could define that area as gritty. It's just block after block of brownstones, with some decent commercial streets running north and south. Unfortunately, there hasn't been the same level of commercial activity in that lovely patch as exists by the border with Clinton Hill. I mean, Bedford Avenue isn't nice to look at, but it's at least got some good places to eat. I'm optimistic that Throop, Marcus Garvey, Lewis, and Stuyvesant Aves will follow suit, eventually.
I can't speak about the LES, 'cuz I hardly ever go there. Too many drunk loud people. But, OP, Bushwick and Bed-Stuy at least are big, diverse places, and you'd do well to check 'em out more thoroughly before writing them off.
Bushwick's not primarily an industrial neighborhood. It's mostly characterized by the slightly run-down (but charming!) six- and eight-family apartment buildings
I see more hipsters by me, and some of the Ridgewood posters here can claim the same. I imagine many of them are likely moving here because they know that Bushwick is a dump. I even spoke to one of them and the reason why they moved here is because their apt in Bushwick kept getting broken into.
Harlem could become completely middle/upper class black, and the vast majority of people would simply dismiss it outright as "still ghetto" because the residents are "still black." Ridiculous.
If Harlem became 100% black professionals who dressed like adults, spoke properly, didn't scream out to their boys down the block constantly, didn't congregate on street corners with hoods up lookin sketchy and bumpin not even good rap into all hours of the night; just went to work and/or school and spent leisure time as any normal functioning adult does.....I can promise you that the overwhelming majority of people would not "dismiss it as still ghetto because the residents are still black". People would just view it as a black neighborhood.
I see more hipsters by me, and some of the Ridgewood posters here can claim the same. I imagine many of them are likely moving here because they know that Bushwick is a dump. I even spoke to one of them and the reason why they moved here is because their apt in Bushwick kept getting broken into.
Maybe at least Ridgewood Glendale gets the ones with common sense. You know, the ones that can think for themselves and realize that they can just go over the boro border and not have to worry about getting robbed along with the perk of paying lesser rent.
I seriously do not know what people see in Bushwick and why people are trying to gentrify it. It's a barren wasteland of warehouse buildings and projects. There is little to no charm to it. It's not by the water, no historical landmarks, all the parks are small and bland and it's still crime ridden. What do hippsters see in this $hithole?
At least Bed Stuy has some really nice streets and brownstones. Other than that, nothing else worthwhile.
Of course, the projects don't make up the majority of the neighborhood, and they're not as prevalent as in say, Bed-Stuy, but they're there.
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