Forte - thoughts (recent?)

The building has mediocre finishes and arguable floorplan, but hands down the best location out of all the highrise luxury condos in greater downtown Brooklyn (including the borders w/ Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Prospect Heights). It's in the heart of BAM district, close to the park and services, farther from housing projects, convenient with tons of subway lines and buses but tucked away from Flatbush, walkable to the new arena and the revitalized Fulton mall but not directly afected by their crowd, traffic and noise.
If you are looking for long term investment, check out BAM culture district on Downtown Brooklyn Partnership's website. Tons of buildings, low and high, cultural institutions as well as residential, are being constructed and renovated or in the planning.

Thanks, this is helpful. We have looked at a lot of the buildings already available (condos) on the BAM website, there's not too much available right now...do you think this area will get overbuilt like Williamsburg?

i call BS on the location. It isn't awful, and there is worse, but it isn't that far from the projects, and certinly much less attractive than ch and bh, which you references. If train access is what its about, then the best condos would be above penn station. I think you are *much* better off on the other side of downtown, closer to the much nicer neighborhoods, and still great transportation (in some ways better, fewer stops in, and literally walkable to manhattan).

Try walking around the hood at night.

Does nyc_observer walk around his hood at night?

We live in Forte. We love the building and the area.
The building is central to everything; BAM district; Fulton Street restaurants; Dekalb restaurants; Fort Greene Park; Fulton Mall; Barclay Center etc...The neighborhood is in a major transition; since moving here 2 years ago, we easily notice many more strollers and younger families, like us. We really enjoy the neighborhood and all it has to offer.

tobytoby:
I've walked from BAM and Barclays to Forte with people who live there.
Very nice and not scary.
Even at night.
Or, you can buy something at OBBP, where nyc_observer lives.
There's no neighborhood to walk around in at night, where would you go there anyway?

tobytoby, somewhereelse is the resident expert on Brooklyn. He grew up there and had a run-in with the Jehovah's Witnesses, so do not question him. Also, when talking about Long Island City, replace somewhereelse with Stevejhx, and Jehovah's Witnesses with whatever is native there.

formerNYer - Apparently the links below cannot be taken seriously. But still, take a look for your reference and/or fun:

Fort Greene, the best neighborhood in Brooklyn on Brownstoner & Curbed:
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/09/fort-greene-on-top-in-the-neighborhood-power-rankings/
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/09/26/fort_greene_is_brooklyns_best_neighborhood_apparently.php

Fort Greene, the best neighborhood in NY on NY Daily News:
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-02-13/news/17915848_1_neighborhood-bar-madiba

In case you try to walk around the hood, don't miss the best block in NY by Time Out :)
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/the-rankings-1-10

tobytoby:
I will be visiting your building tonight.
My thoughts will be:
Damn I'm glad this isn't OBBP where I wouldn't be able to use the apartments toilet without having to carry the water that's been saved in the tub, to pour into the toilet tank, in order to flush it.
When I have to pee, I just want to do my business and flush, then be able to wash my hands in the sink.

The owner of the apartment we'll be visiting will be thinking:
good thing I can have people over without needing to substantially lower the saved bathtub water supply.
After company has departed, he will be thinking:
"Ah, I'm taking a nice hot shower in my own bathroom shower, without having to go down to the building's staff locker room! That's nice!"

If more than a handful of residents at OBBP need to take a shower at the same time, there must be some kind of sign-up list or maybe they give out numbers, like in a deli/bakery counter.
Ask nyc_observer, the next time he posts a comment on this thread, warning you about walking around your neighborhood at night.

hihigh, buybye!

So, "not scary" = "best neighborhood". Wow, the standards for Brooklyn are so low.

B/c a former "edgy" hood turned "totally" unscary = over gentrified = extremely whitified = loss of diversity = no further room for improvement/value appreciation = filled w/ Wall Street types = crowded by strollers = choked by NIMBYism and so on.
The most representative (read: "best" in many New Yokers' dictionnary) NY hood should be a balance between livability and edginess. At least in theory. Not saying I personally agree. But can understand those editors' vantage point.
If nice and clean, or even charming is what living in contempory NY is about, then Sutton Place or Yorkville around Gracie Mansion could be top contestants for the gold belt. Not exactly the case.

WhoTF said "Not scary" = "best neighborhood", you nit wit, swe?!

The Magic Bus is parked in that neighborhood, all is well.
The crew are enjoying it.

The hours between load-in, sound-check and show-time are the best for hanging out and reading se.
It appears quite a few of the crew are still out in the streets and they like it around here.

So go argue with gator on the OBBP thread.

Many of my friends live in B'lyn, Harlem, Queens, etc. and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.

When I visit those areas, I feel unsafe, detached and, in some cases, grossed out. I would personally NEVER even consider living there. But, if my friends love it there, why question their preferences?

Forte's location is just fine--for people who don't mind B'lyn!

nyc212: Were you breast-fed until the age of five, or what?
You feel "detached" visiting your friends in Bklyn, Harlem, Queens..."

I can only assume that you are not much of a traveler, domestic nor international.

Thanks for your reply, Truth. Being from Europe, I have traveled quite a bit and I continue to do so.

If you read my comment more carefully (instead of just looking at the buzz words), though, you'd notice that I am in support of the perspective that Forte's location is just fine and that I am actually against "dissing" Brooklyn.

I'd never live there because of my own attitudes, values, beliefs and experiences, but, since we are talking about an investment property here, I don't think the area is bad at all--for that purpose. I also wouln't discourage others from moving there because I understand we are all different.

I never said otherwise, nyc212.
I was only referring to your feeling of detachment while visiting friends in Bklyn, Harlem, Queens, ect.
What do you feel detached from when you are there visiting?

Being in Manhattan? Being in Europe?
Why would a mere visit cause you to feel detached?

So anyway, nyc212, I apologize for offending you.

My friends who live in Manhattan visit me regularly at my apt. in Brooklyn.
They enjoy their visits without feeling detached.

The various concert Tour staff that come into Barclays Center all love the neighborhood.

When they work at MSG they must stay very close to that venue and it's not much fun because it's all traffic and touristy places and not a relaxed feeling. Same with Radio City.

The reason they must stay close to the venue is that they need to be back there at a certain time, not stuck in traffic in a taxi, trying to get back to The Garden on time.
Even when I lived in Midtown East (northern border) it was always a concern that they would need to get back to The Garden on time.
(granted, Radio City was walkable and was preferred.)

The downtown Brooklyn vibe is very nice with places to go and no rushed feeling about making it back to the venue on time.