Under the radar neighborhoods in NYC (the boroughs) that have a nice low-key working class/middle class feel? (Woodlawn) (Yonkers: middle-class, transplants)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I currently live in Midwood/Gravesend. Very close to Sheepshead Bay.
I like that the neighborhood is very safe, feels like it has a slow kind of pace in a way, plenty of amenities and shops, and lots of working people.
But it's not "gentrified" and isn't hip or chic. It has an ethnic feel (a good number of immigrants), and just feels like a down to earth neighborhood where people are living their lives. It's not a "destination" neighborhood or one where transplants seem to want to settle.
Recently I went for the first time to Woodlawn, Bronx. Different neighborhood in some ways, but also had a nice working class/middle class feel, with an immigrant flavor (Irish in that case).
(I personally wasn't crazy about the idea of a bar/pub on every single block, but...that's just me...)
Are there other similar neighborhoods to these two, where you're in NYC but you feel like you're not in a yuppie/hipster/chic neighborhood, but still in a safe and working- and/or middle-class neighborhood that has its own character?
I currently live in Midwood/Gravesend. Very close to Sheepshead Bay.
I like that the neighborhood is very safe, feels like it has a slow kind of pace in a way, plenty of amenities and shops, and lots of working people.
But it's not "gentrified" and isn't hip or chic. It has an ethnic feel (a good number of immigrants), and just feels like a down to earth neighborhood where people are living their lives. It's not a "destination" neighborhood or one where transplants seem to want to settle.
Recently I went for the first time to Woodlawn, Bronx. Different neighborhood in some ways, but also had a nice working class/middle class feel, with an immigrant flavor (Irish in that case). (I personally wasn't crazy about the idea of a bar/pub on every single block, but...that's just me...)
Are there other similar neighborhoods to these two, where you're in NYC but you feel like you're not in a yuppie/hipster/chic neighborhood, but still in a safe and working- and/or middle-class neighborhood that have their own character?
Thanks!
I'm guessing you're not Irish, but Woodlawn is a very Irish and Irish-American neighborhood, so it would only make sense for there to be lots of pubs and bars. Seems like a rather ignorant thing to say. It's the same thing just over the border in Yonkers because that part of Yonkers also has a heavy Irish and Irish-American presence. Did you go there to experience the neighborhood or to look down on it? Seems like you don't have much of anything positive to say about the Bronx.
That's like me going to Midwood and saying, I personally wasn't crazy about all of the kosher places but that's just me.
There are other neighborhoods like that. Pelham Bay comes to mind. It's still mainly Italian and Italian-American with some Hispanics. Good solid middle class neighborhood.
I'm guessing you're not Irish, but Woodlawn is a very Irish and Irish-American neighborhood, so it would only make sense for there to be lots of pubs and bars. Seems like a rather ignorant thing to say. It's the same thing just over the border in Yonkers because that part of Yonkers also has a heavy Irish and Irish-American presence. Did you go there to experience the neighborhood or to look down on it? Seems like you don't have much of anything positive to say about the Bronx.
That's like me going to Midwood and saying, I personally wasn't crazy about all of the kosher places but that's just me.
There are other neighborhoods like that. Pelham Bay comes to mind. It's still mainly Italian and Italian-American with some Hispanics. Good solid middle class neighborhood.
I should totally check out Pelham Bay, I've never been there. Thanks!
LOL re: coming to Midwood and saying "I wasn't crazy about all of the kosher places but that's just me."
I see your analogy but it only goes so far. Nobody dies from eating kosher food, and kosher food doesn't cause/exacerbate social problems like addiction, fights, domestic violence, drunk driving/accidents (some of which are fatal), cirrhosis of the liver, etc.
Alcohol does.
That's why I don't feel comfortable with a bar (whose main purpose is to serve alcohol) on EVERY SINGLE block (I'm not exaggerating. I saw that in Woodlawn. Are you saying that the Irish people in Woodlawn drink alcohol the way the Orthodox Jews eat kosher food? That's scary, I must say.)
In any case, besides all the bars (which I am sure must cause some social problems in Woodlawn), I really did like Woodlawn!
People were friendly and the neighborhood felt a bit sleepy and relaxed, which I enjoyed. It was also really pretty with lots of single-family houses and lots of greenery, nice yards, cute churches, etc. Also, we had a great Irish breakfast/lunch of fish and chips on McClean Avenue (technically Yonkers I know but adjacent to Woodlawn).
I should totally check out Pelham Bay, I've never been there. Thanks!
LOL re: coming to Midwood and saying "I wasn't crazy about all of the kosher places but that's just me."
I see your analogy but it only goes so far. Nobody dies from eating kosher food, and kosher food doesn't cause/exacerbate social problems like addiction, fights, domestic violence, drunk driving/accidents (some of which are fatal), cirrhosis of the liver, etc.
Alcohol does.
That's why I don't feel comfortable with a bar (whose main purpose is to serve alcohol) on EVERY SINGLE block (I'm not exaggerating. I saw that in Woodlawn. Are you saying that the Irish people in Woodlawn drink alcohol the way the Orthodox Jews eat kosher food? That's scary, I must say.)
In any case, besides all the bars (which I am sure must cause some social problems in Woodlawn), I really did like Woodlawn!
People were friendly and the neighborhood felt a bit sleepy and relaxed, which I enjoyed. It was also really pretty with lots of single-family houses and lots of greenery, nice yards, cute churches, etc. Also, we had a great Irish breakfast/lunch of fish and chips on McClean Avenue (technically Yonkers I know but adjacent to Woodlawn).
My point was it's wrong to stereotype. I've lived in several Jewish neighborhoods, and instead of looking down on the culture, I embraced it. I particularly like Jewish pastries, such as rugelach and the breads as well. I am not Jewish, but I do frequent Kosher establishments in my community and respect the fact that they close down for Shabbat, etc. As I said before, Woodlawn is an Irish neighborhood, and therefore you are going to see lots of pubs, just as you would see lots of pizzerias in an Italian neighborhood. You've noted all of the things that are great about Woodlawn, and that includes the pubs. They serve other things besides alcohol you know. Plenty of good Irish dishes and items that you can only get from Ireland. It's a lovely area; the people are friendly and will strike up a conversation without knowing you.
McClean Avenue is like an extension of Woodlawn. Plenty of people from Woodlawn go to the establishments there to eat and shop. I have been along there numerous times and enjoy it.
There are a few low key areas in NYC but the problem is there are no vacancy or very low houses on the market for sale. There many areas the properties are passed down and very few turnovers to the marketplace so good luck finding one on the listings.
Country Club is was off the beaten path in the Bronx. Even on this website, I don't see too much talk about it, guess that's a good thing.
There's nothing Working Class about this neighborhood though, solid middle - upper class. Very under the radar.
Country Club is an upper middle class area, one of the few in the Bronx, and it's basically almost all residential (mainly owners) and VERY suburban (next to no high rises or apartments that I can think of). There's no reason for people to go there unless you're going there. You need a car to go most places for the most part. There are a few stores along Ampere, but nothing major. You need to drive to go grocery shopping, and most people like to go to Westchester. It's the suburbs in the Bronx near the water, like parts of greater Throgs Neck. I think Country Club gets lumped in with Throgs Neck to a degree, though they aren't the same neighborhoods, but they both are along the water and rather suburban.
Again, I'm not stereotyping. I did enjoy my day in Woodlawn and found people friendly and happy to chat with strangers, etc., which was nice.
But it's a fact - not a stereotype - that there is literally a bar on every block in Woodlawn on Katonah Avenue and also on adjacent McClean Avenue in Yonkers.
Forgive me for assuming that there is a lot of drinking in these bars/pubs?
As a woman, I wouldn't feel comfortable living in a neighborhood where there are so many bars, especially coming home late at night, etc.
Are you honestly telling me that with all those bars, there are no streetfights, barfights in Woodlawn?
No drunk driving?
Again, I'm not stereotyping. I did enjoy my day in Woodlawn and found people friendly and happy to chat with strangers, etc., which was nice.
But it's a fact - not a stereotype - that there is literally a bar on every block in Woodlawn on Katonah Avenue and also on adjacent McClean Avenue in Yonkers.
Forgive me for assuming that there is a lot of drinking in these bars/pubs?
As a woman, I wouldn't feel comfortable living in a neighborhood where there are so many bars, especially coming home late at night, etc.
Are you honestly telling me that with all those bars, there are no streetfights, barfights in Woodlawn?
No drunk driving?
It's a fact there are a lot of bars, but there is not a pub on every block. You likely only walked down Katonah Avenue, which is obviously a commercial strip, and even there, there are not pubs on every block. It's a stereotype to assume that there are a lot of problems just because they exist.
There's lots of pubs in Midtown that I frequent and I have yet to experience any problems. I've also been in Woodlawn at late hours and it's been fine. Despite all of the pubs, Woodlawn is a family-oriented neighborhood, just like Midwood. People may drink at a pub, but not necessarily to become drunk. In Ireland, pubs are part of the culture in that people also go there to socialize and relax. Some go to drink but not necessarily to get smashed. It's an assumption to think that people go to pubs just to get drunk. That's more of an American thing. Is drinking a problem in the Irish culture? I'd say not any more than it is in any other culture.
If the pubs ONLY served alcohol, then you'd have a point, but I've seen all sorts of people of various ages at the pubs in Woodlawn, some clearly not old enough to drink alcohol. You need to get out more and expand your horizons.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
