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I don’t know why but when I hear “Bay Ridge” I think it just sounds far away LOL.
I know very little about that neighborhood but did a quick check of the bars and nightlife based on all of the back and forth arguing between Oy and Pierr and I’ve got to admit, the bars do look pretty decent. I see the point that Pierr is making.
That said, I still think the OP would be better served living in a more northern BK neighborhood like Williamsburg, Greenpoint, DUMBO, BK Heights, Downtown BK, etc because of the clustering of those neighborhoods. It would be much easier to “neighborhood hop” from one hip area to another. While I see the points made about Bay Ridge, it’s still isolated and the adjacent neighborhoods don’t have the same hip appeal or criterial the OP asks for. Yea of course one can uber to another area but that’s not always appealing. If you live in Williamsburg your have much easier access to the bars and hot spots in Williamsburg AND Bushwick AND Greenpoint, etc.
It is far away. I live in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and Bayridge is ~30 minutes south by train.
Add in delays or weekend route cut-offs, and you'd have to take a bus or drive into the city, which could turn into a huge pain.
The rent in Bay Ridge was decently less expensive than other Brooklyn neighborhoods pre-COVID, due to the fact it was such a long commute to the city.
But now that COVID has brought such huge rent reductions to NYC as a whole, the prime neighborhoods in Brooklyn--with 3-7 minute city commutes--are the logical options here for this situation.
How have those areas improved since the early 2000s?
Not this question from you...again. How have they improved from TWENTY years ago?! LOL I’m not even going to address that and just leave it there.
Anyway, from the OPs question I’m sticking with the Norther BK/ BK Heights neighborhood clusters. I think those are solid recommendations and to many points made, rents have gone down because of covid.
How have those areas improved since the early 2000s?
Yup, they have improved enough for transplants to flock to them. I know a few people that lived there when it was up and coming, and they seem to think that was some of their best years in NYC. LOL It's ok if that's your thing and you're a transplant and want some action.
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Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc
Bay Ridge takes at least, what, 45 minutes by train into Manhattan?
I've been there twice in my 11 years in NYC, and it was a nice, bustling "Italian-rooted" neighborhood. Last I visited was 2014.
Since it is such a hike to the city, I wouldn't recommend it for a newcomer to NYC.
Especially right now, since there are amazing bargains to be had in much closer neighborhoods like Williamsburg, DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights.
Bay Ridge is often lumped in with Fort Hamilton. It's not going to be Williamsburg, for sure. I'm not saying it is either. My point is if the OP wants to save more money, it IS an option, not that it is the #1 option. A lot of people didn't think it was an option, but when comparing $$$$ to what you get, sometimes $$$ makes a difference, so if you want to spend to the max on rent, sure. I'm also aware of the current deals, but the question is how long will those last in such areas?
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Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
Bay Ridge had quite a few bars even a decade ago as a relatively prosperous neighborhood that never really hit the skids. I think one thing you're not considering is what that 40+ bars count being used in these analyses are--it's basically a count of places with a liquor license so a lot of places that are much more like restaurants than they are like bars or other nightlife is included in there. If you take the same area as Bay Ridge and look at the number of places with that same metric and apply it to Williamsburg you have something 160+ establishments and Bushwick has about 130+ establishments by that criteria. These are pretty different numbers and the variety runs a larger gamut.
Bay Ridge has changed some--there does seem to be more yuppie transplants as well as a larger Arab population over the last ten years. This doesn't mean that Williamsburg and Bushwick aren't more fitting for the criteria that the OP has stated.
Yep, there are more transplants than before, and Williamsburg and Bushwick have changed as well such that Williamsburg and Bushwick are a better fit for what was asked. The median age for Williamsburg is about ~30 and the median age for Bay Ridge is about ~40.
And yea, I have gotten older and go out less frequently than in my early 20s when I moved to NYC for the first time about a decade ago. I don't think that's that strange nor is having some friends who are older than me and going into their 40s who moved to Bay Ridge.
My point is you are older now #1 and #2 you are a transplant. I am not. I have known Bay Ridge well before you have as a kid, so I've seen the changes first hand. I am not trying to make the place into more than what it is, but as I said, for the cost there and how it has changed, it's not a terrible option, depending on where the OP would live. It will NEVER be Williamsburg, and that's what is great about it, but no neighborhood stays the same forever, and Bay Ridge has changed a lot. You don't need to keep yelling about the median age. It's know for its elderly population and families. That doesn't change the fact that more young people are flocking there and have now for several years, so clearly it's a draw for some people and the nightlife is good enough.
If we were talking about a number of Bronx neighborhoods where more young people have moved that are totally devoid of real night life I would agree.
I'm not necessarily saying that no improvement is a bad thing. I'm just saying that with those areas, you pretty much see what you get. No new parks, or public amenities. Whats the best supermarket in western Bed-Stuy? Hardware store?
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
Bay Ridge caters more to SI'ers (who used to live in Bay Ridge/Dyker) than it does to yuppies.
Tends to being the key word. Walk around the area. It is not the same Bay Ridge. It is much more diverse. You still have those people there, but you have people moving in from other areas as well. You laugh because you think of the old conservative Bay Ridge. Two rather progressive elected officials were chosen that represent Bay Ridge, both young and progressive.
I'm not necessarily saying that no improvement is a bad thing. I'm just saying that with those areas, you pretty much see what you get. No new parks, or public amenities. Whats the best supermarket in western Bed-Stuy? Hardware store?
I don’t what to hijack this into a Bed Stuy thread but I have to put this myth to rest. In 10 years it has changed. In TWENTY years it’s really changed.
You’re not living in Bed Stuy for its parks - it doesn’t really have good green space. If that’s what one wants, there are much better areas of Brooklyn.
As for the supermarkets, I gave a pretty detailed post about this recently. Lincoln Market is one and. It is an amazing new supermarket in W Bed Stuy that clearly caters to the new residents...it sells caviar and has an extensive cheese selection with things like sheep’s milk Brie. Don’t believe me, here is a link:
I'm not necessarily saying that no improvement is a bad thing. I'm just saying that with those areas, you pretty much see what you get. No new parks, or public amenities. Whats the best supermarket in western Bed-Stuy? Hardware store?
The housing stock is what some people are flocking to these areas for, esp. Bed-Stuy. Those brownstones are in good shape. They gut-renovate them and you have a HUGE space on a nice tree-lined street. The amenities are a little better than before, but nothing earth shattering. A few coffee shops, hipster places, etc. Still have the projects and all of that. Not going anywhere.
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Originally Posted by Manhattan2queens
I don’t know why you are arguing with him Oy , Pierre isn’t the only one that says bay ridge has a lot of bars now , and 40 is more then the amount bushwick or it’s about the exact same amount . Bushwick was literally not like how it is now 10 years ago so if bushwick is different bay ridge having a a considerable change shoudnt be a suprised
Bushwick still has that vibe though. Been going there for years. A number of my friends moved there after college that are not native New Yorkers like me (born and raised in the outerboroughs). Bushwick is still in this strange place where you have the old and the new. Some hip places, but I think Williamsburg has it beat by a mile. If money is no object in terms of the young and hip vibe with lots of bars and just that whole scene, Williamsburg is #1 for the OP, but I personally would go for a deal. I have always preferred to live near the action but not necessarily right in it. Pay a little less. Good quality of life and still be able to enjoy the action when I want to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc
It is far away. I live in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and Bayridge is ~30 minutes south by train.
Add in delays or weekend route cut-offs, and you'd have to take a bus or drive into the city, which could turn into a huge pain.
The rent in Bay Ridge was decently less expensive than other Brooklyn neighborhoods pre-COVID, due to the fact it was such a long commute to the city.
But now that COVID has brought such huge rent reductions to NYC as a whole, the prime neighborhoods in Brooklyn--with 3-7 minute city commutes--are the logical options here for this situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jad2k
I don’t know why but when I hear “Bay Ridge” I think it just sounds far away LOL. I know very little about that neighborhood but did a quick check of the bars and nightlife based on all of the back and forth arguing between Oy and Pierr and I’ve got to admit, the bars do look pretty decent. I see the point that Pierr is making.
That said, I still think the OP would be better served living in a more northern BK neighborhood like Williamsburg, Greenpoint, DUMBO, BK Heights, Downtown BK, etc because of the clustering of those neighborhoods. It would be much easier to “neighborhood hop” from one hip area to another. While I see the points made about Bay Ridge, it’s still isolated and the adjacent neighborhoods don’t have the same hip appeal or criterial the OP asks for. Yea of course one can uber to another area but that’s not always appealing. If you live in Williamsburg your have much easier access to the bars and hot spots in Williamsburg AND Bushwick AND Greenpoint, etc.
How can you recommend Brooklyn Heights or DUMBO? Neither of these areas have any real nightlife. When I think of DUMBO, I think TINY. It's a very small area right near the Brooklyn Bridge, with a few stores. Yes, lots of young people, but not much in terms of nightlife. A few places to eat. Brooklyn Heights has more in terms of food options, especially being close to Downtown Brooklyn, but some parts still feel rather removed. After all it's a bedroom community. Always has been.
Bay Ridge is big. If you are near the northern part, which tends to be more Arabic, it is not such a terrible commute. You can walk to 59th St for the N express which makes about three stops and then you are in Manhattan. 36th St, Atlantic Av and then Canal Street. If you live deep into Bay Ridge, such as in Fort Hamilton, then you need the R train, but if you are near Shore Road, the X27 and X37 express buses provide a quick option into Manhattan. The real issue with the R train is how poor it runs. It is not frequent, which is the problem. It's only 5 stops from the 59th St station, but you can wait 20-30 minutes for one R train.
It should be noted though that even parts of Williamsburg is not all the same. You area to be near is near the Bedford Av stop on the L. Parts of North Williamsburg are not near any subway.
Last edited by pierrepont7731; 03-28-2021 at 11:05 AM..
I don’t what to hijack this into a Bed Stuy thread but I have to put this myth to rest. In 10 years it has changed. In TWENTY years it’s really changed.
You’re not living in Bed Stuy for its parks - it doesn’t really have good green space. If that’s what one wants, there are much better areas of Brooklyn.
As for the supermarkets, I gave a pretty detailed post about this recently. Lincoln Market is one and. It is an amazing new supermarket in W Bed Stuy that clearly caters to the new residents...it sells caviar and has an extensive cheese selection with things like sheep’s milk Brie. Don’t believe me, here is a link:
And when is a hardware store a marker of anything for neighborhood improvements? W. Bed Stuy has a Home Depot though.
Of course a hardware store is a sign of neighborhood improvement, owners are more likely to make upgrades than transients. When Whole Foods opens in the Stuy then we can talk.
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