Brooklyn/Queens

If I didnt have a child I would do Bushwick in a hot minute.

but isn't bushwich even crazier than bed-stuy? or is all of over brooklyn just getting crazier

check out greenwood hts

Bushwick still has its sketchy areas, but its gentrifying pretty fast. There was an article last week (I cant find it) that 12 new bars/cafes/eateries just opened in the last month. Obvious con is lack of green space and no school options if you have kids, but if you are looking for a house it is very affordable, at least right now. Doubt that will be the case in 5 years.

Dont know much about Sunset Park except its a very long commute into the city.

if you are looking in SunSet, you have to decide if you want the Chinese or Latin flavor. you definitely want to be around 36th St express stop or the commute will be killer. you can also look into lower Dyker Heights. Kensington still has some things that may interest you. Greenwood Heights is another name for lower SunSet, just have to pay for the name and the horrid R train.

I'm still seeing some properties in Gowanus going for somewhat reasonable prices. that would be my first choice. stay away from Red Hook.

I totally agree about bushwick. One of the areas with the greatest potential. But it may already be a bit late. I was greatly intrigued by the notion last year, but with a kid wanted something further along the gentrification path. Now she's telling me that bushwick is the place to be.

i like red hook--but dont plan on living there if you dont drive a lot, or if you cant hack the idea of using a beater bike to get to the train

bushwick is great--robertas!!

i priced a few buildings/lots over there, tho, and it aint no secret

sunset park and gwood heights are still cheap

and gwood heights is totally different than sunset park--i mean there's a 50 acre cemetary separting the two nabes

when in gwood look at the blocks no of the cemetary and east of 4th ave--easy walk to south slope, prospect park etc

there's a 50 acre cemetery taking up space above which is the Chinese SunSet. it also depends what you consider South Slope. South Slope is 9 st to Highway, everything above that is Greenwood Heights/SunSet. considering that from the highway upto the cemetery the prices are already insane, you are left with a small skinny stretch of land. my wife's coworker was batted by her neighbor and was hospitalized for over a month living in that area. there's a significant presence of drug dealers going throught SunSet from 5 Ave to the water.

i would live above Greenwood on the D line. the R train is murder, to say the least.

Getting to the City in a fast and furious way will be very important. I used to rent in "Park Slope" and had to take the "F" train. It was a PITA at night so express stop is plus and walkability is a big factor; sometimes I can walk for hours. Living near cemetaries is not for me.

also what do people think about new construction 3-family houses. I see a lot of them, especially in Jersey City, and I can not stand them. They look generic but do they hold up over time. I'm suspicious/

the only places that there's new construction in JC is in the bad part.

as for newer construction, in the past 3 yrs i lived in two 3 family houses. one built 1992, the other 1996. if the construction is anywhere near as bad as it was then, nothing will hold up.

all of the windows need replacing.
the baths need guts.
the plumbing needs major upgrades.
the heating systems, wonderful baseboards, do not function up to par.
basements have major water seepage.

i've lived in unrenovated 1960's buildings' apartments in the 80's and 90's that held up much better than newer construction.

well, there is some new construction in the downtown area as well (but few and far between) and plenty of new stuff in Jersey City Heights. I've seen some new stuff in Crown Heights that looked less generic, but I'm glad you (ab_11218) provided some feedback.

Ocean Hill.

techno: No -- don't do it there.

tommy2tone:
Not in Brownsville/O.Hill, either.

An extremely quiet area of Greenwood is Eighth Avenue, from approximately 24th to 34th Street.

It's worth checking out - especially at night.

Surprised no one (except the OP) has mentioned Crown Heights, esp the blocks between Washington and Bedford (ie: western edge). Lots of younger residents priced out of Prospect Heights (the area around Vanderbilt seems to have appreciated as much as anything in Brooklyn in recent years) have moved over, and things are still fairly cheap.

I actually biked around Crown Heights a few weeks ago and I was surprised there are some nice houses there. I guess it still suffers from a bed rep..I also get the sense that its not as active as Bed-Stuy and I'm not sure of what to make of Eastern Parkway.

I definitely don't want suburban quiet; I like big fabulous cities and the noise (within reason) they create.

nearby jersey is for those who cant afford manhattan--brooklyn is for those who prefer brooklyn to manhattan

dear yikes - your way of thinking is out-of-date. there are plenty of people in jersey city/hoboken who don't want to be in manhattan for a variety of reasons....

maybe i am transposing my sentiments on others, but I couldnt imagine choosing to live in Hobo/JC, under any circumstance, let alone if I had equally affordable options in any of the areas of bklyn being discussed here.

id happily live in plenty of parts of both bklyn and manhattan--wouldn't dream (nightmare) of living in hobo/jc

i dont think im that exceptional frankly

>i dont think im that exceptional frankly

Agree

Is the thread on both Bkln and Queens, for optimal combo of value and quality of life, Queens has some good options. How about Astoria, Jackson Heights and Forest Hills? A lot closer to midtown (if thats desirable) and Forest Hills is very family oriented.

i would move to Bushwick if I was in the market. huge upside, and lots to do. anything around hernandez park / near the jefferson stop. park is great.