Brownstone Brooklyn

Yes

Yes & Yes.
I actually lived on Broadway & 107 a few years ago, and now live in Cobble Hill. I'll take CH over the [way]UWS any day. I'd pay more to live here than most parts of Manhattan, actually.

It is not even close. I lived on 96th on Broadway and hated it, excepting Symphony Space. Brownstone Brooklyn is much nicer and cleaner and less congested.

If i was going to Columbia, I's still rather live in CH just to get back to some sanity.

I think the brooklyn sentiment here is a bit overstated.

I am fond of brooklyn and lived there for several years. But if you offered me a decent apartment on Bway and 107th, and the identical place in cobble hill, for the same price, I would take the manhattan deal in a heartbeat.

Cobble Hill has its charms but they are an hour away from Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, Ailvin Ailey, etc. -- really you have to count it as two hours round trip.

And that's ok now and then, but you can't really live that way, taking two hours out of a day to go do some arts thing or restaurant thing that you like to do.

So as a result....when you live in bklyn you stop going to Lincoln Center and Alvin Ailey. Oh, you go 2 or 3 times a year, you do it when a relative comes to town or for a special show, but you stop having it as a regular part of your life.

So the great perk of living in New York becomes less tangible.

These guys are right -- brownstone brooklyn is pretty and quiet and sane compared to the city -- but it's not the city. When the market returns to rationality, I don't think Brooklyn will be priced higher than 107th and Bway.

brooklyn's the burbs

Actually, I think GG proves both points. Brooklyn - even close-to-Manhattan Brooklyn - is a lifestyle choice. If you spend a lot of time at the places s/he mentions, it's probably not a great choice.

But if you're not that concerned about Manhattan, or are happy to frequent lower- or eastern-Manhattan, Cobble Hill is as good as W. 107th St. (I mean, c'mon, GG, you're still 50 blocks from even Columbus Circle with only the 1 to get you there)

I'd actually be thrilled if more people felt like GG -- that Brooklyn is an also-ran of Manhattan - but, sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. There are lots of people who prefer Brooklyn, and that's made it comparably expensive to Manhattan in many areas.

It also depends on where in Brownstone Brooklyn you're talking about. I'm also a little surprised that Carroll Gardens is staying as hot as it's been. I wonder if it will hold up.

Graffiti, your 'Manhattan sentiment' here is way overstated.

Cobble Hill is much closer to BAM, it's all a matter of what kind of programming you enjoy seeing, I prefer BAM's line-up.

Your '2 hours' to go to a restaurant comment is ridiculous, because between the Heights, CH, CG, Boerum Hill and Park Slope, there are a TON of restaurant options, not to mention all of the arts and entertainment options in Park Slope and DUMBO.

I've lived in Brooklyn Heights for 2 years and don't have any desire to move to Manhattan with the exception of the West Village...definitely not the UWS where I know I could probably rent for cheaper than I rent here, but who wants to be constricted to riding the 1 when I am within a 5 minute walk to the 2/3/4/5/A/C/F/M/R?

And to get back ON topic, I've been looking at 1-bedrooms in BK Heights, Cobble and Boerum Hill for the last 6 months. What I've found is that the only units getting substantial price chops are undesirable...on the edges of the neighborhood, too high maintenance, etc. Also keep in mind that both Bklyn Heights and Cobble Hill are relatively small neighborhoods, so inventory will be lower.

I agree with JKB on the last point. Cobble Hill is very nice, but Carroll Gardens seems less ideal. I like Brooklyn, and may consider moving there, and I actually live near 107th and Broadway (and I like it), but I can't believe how much faster prices seem to be dropping in this 'hood (both rental and sales) than across the river. What gives? It's really nice to live near Central and Riverside Parks if you have kids. Hard to give that up for more money.

actually.....its easier to get to the west side from bklyn rather than the east side....with the 2,3, the A, B, and F all basically west side trains.

the the reason that bklyn prices are sticky has nothing to do with lifestyle. it's simply that bklyn brokers are still clinging to the mass delusion about prices being similar to a year ago. there is a glut of property, new and old, and nothing is selling. $8.5M for park slope townhouse. a little bizarre.they're a little slow, don't you think. reality is so hard to accept.

Totally agree that brooklyn prices, cobble hill in particular, have not come down nearly as much as Manhattan. Of the neighborhoods I follow (CH, CG, Bkln Heights, Fort Greene, PS), Park Slope seems to have the most price movement, but everything still seems to be priced too high.

I also pretty much completely agree with JKB. Brooklyn lifestyle may not be for everyone but I sure love it.

GraffitiGrammarian - I remember having this debate with you a while back, about how it takes an "hour" to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Quite simply, you're wrong, and you know it. Not sure why you persist in this belief. (As I mentioned, it takes 30-35 min to midtown from just about anywhere in prime Brooklyn, maybe 40-45 from somewhere like Windsor Terrace).

Brooklyn also has more open space, a quiter pace, more (some) trees and plenty of restaurants, bars, culture - and in any event, Lincoln Center is NOT an "hour" from most areas of prime Brooklyn. And you know it. Which makes you a liar.

Obviously, one's lifestyle comes into play concerning location... I pretty much only go out to see bands (or, a local dive to drink). So, when I lived at 107/Broadway, it was painful going downtown at night, and going to Williamsburg on a weeknight often led to a 2 hour commute home. The only local bars I liked were Night Cafe (now closed, I hear) and Tap-A-Keg. There wasn't a single place to see bands anywhere close (probably not within 45 minutes). But, in Cobble Hill, I've got a few great local bars (Montero's is my favorite), and going out is a breeze- G to Williamsburg, or the F to LES (takes roughly 20 minutes). Plus, I've got places I can walk-to like, Southpaw, Hank's Saloon, & (RIP Magnetic Field- bummer). And the restaurants are no comparison in CH vs 107/Broadway (although, again, I guess it depends on what you like).
Anyway, back on topic... I think one of the things keeping the prices a bit steady around here is the lack of supply. There just isn't much for sale.
Oh, and I take the F to 14th & 6th ave every day... I leave at 7:05 and I'm there at 7:25.

Problem with Broadway and 107 is that you have to live at Broadway and 107.

Broadway and 107 is pretty nice
but on Brownstone Brooklyn, perhaps more people are moving toward quaint living than the recent days of glass and steel.

> Broadway and 107 is pretty nice

Relative to broadway and 105 perhaps... but not brownstone brooklyn.

Some folks appear to have given up on selling their condo's and are opting to ride things out by renting out.

My email update today showed that 90 8th Ave #4C has been taken off the market
http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/358657-coop-90-eighth-avenue-park-slope-brooklyn

And is now being listed at a mind bending $3,000/month rental
http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/rental/442503-coop-90-eighth-avenue-park-slope-brooklyn