Newkirk Avenue...Safe for this Wisconsin girl?

Subject: Re: Newkirk Avenue...Safe for this Wisconsin girl?

Some Chick From Wisconsin wrote: I saw a apt on Craigslist for $1100 room/kitchen/bath in an area off of the B/Q Newkirk stop. Just being hones, I have NO street smarts. Can I walk around without fearing a mugging? Is this area Bed-Stuy bad?


...and yes, I know that all areas of NY have improved and all areas require that I am alert, but still...

That's not in Park Slope or Bed Stuy. I think it's kind of the southern end of Flatbush. I don't think it's too bad over there, but I haven't walked around there in a long time.

some chick from wisconsin wrote: i was told that it was 60 yards from that train stop. the apartment is on marlboro avenue... and i know it's not in bed-stuy! haha! (ahhhh, i love not being able to edit my posts...)

i haven't heard much about flatbush...so info you have on the neighborhood would be super! i do know that it's gonna take me an eternity to get to my lower manhattan job! good god!

Not at all! The train is really fast from there.

As far as neighborhood info, you can start here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatbush

One of my good friends lives over there.

On the plus side, there's shops and stuff right as you exit the subway.

On the downside, yeah, it's about 40 minutes from there to Union Square. You'll probably have to bribe friends to visit you way out there.

It's not Bed-Stuy dangerous, but it's not very lively at night. The 'hood definitely changes across a few blocks.

You should know that you're going to stick out (assuming you're a white chick). Are you comfortable with that? Visit the neighborhood during the day and see how you feel. Weigh that feeling against finding an $1100 one bedroom. That's the best way to know.

Idlewild wrote: You're in the middle of a triangle evn.

Heavens to mergatroid! You sound like Snagglepuss!

Exit stage left. Stage right even...

Carnivore wrote: [quote=Idlewild]You're in the middle of a triangle evn.

Heavens to mergatroid! You sound like Snagglepuss!

Exit stage left. Stage right even...

I got yer Snagglepuss pal. Right here where my Peter Potamus is.

Idlewild wrote: [quote=erikka]It's generally very safe--a mostly working-class area, mostly West Indian in that section and Orthodox Jewish towards Brooklyn College. The commute sucks and the Q train is a nightmare if you're taking it at night. Restaurant wise you're up against slim pickings. There's a nice food co-op a few train stops away on Courtelyou for shopping. And if you live near the promenades there's lots of gorgeous victorian houses. So if you're looking for quiet and you don't a 45 minute train ride standing, it's not too bad.

Oh I don't know. It seems there are some slim pickings in the Slope and Heights as well now or days. You have more 24/7 options with decent food in the Wisconsin Chick's area than ours.

Oddly enough, I moved there from Wisconsin ten years ago and spent seven years in the area. I think if you're new to the city, it's worth it to move someplace a little more lively--it'll make it easier to meet people.

Food wise I found it pretty dismal out there. At least in South Slope you can walk ten minutes and find food--there, not so much. There were a couple chinese places that delivered, but it was mostly kosher. There's Adderly Farms now and one or two bars, but it's not a very young neighborhood overall. When I saw people my own age I was usually slightly surprized (and sometimes it was mutual). But I'm sure it won't stay that way much longer given how cheap the rents are.

kosherdave wrote: [quote=Idlewild]
Oh I don't know. It seems there are some slim pickings in the Slope and Heights as well now or days.

Slim pickings for places to eat in Park Slope? Are we talking the same park slope? Last time I checked there were hundreds of places to eat, most of which were pretty good.

Yup we are.

Idlewild wrote: [quote=kosherdave][quote=Idlewild]
Oh I don't know. It seems there are some slim pickings in the Slope and Heights as well now or days.

Slim pickings for places to eat in Park Slope? Are we talking the same park slope? Last time I checked there were hundreds of places to eat, most of which were pretty good.

Yup we are.

Do you star David Caruso and Linda Fiorentino, Idlewild?

Because you are JADE-d.

kensingtonmom wrote: Isn't it a lot of families out there? Will you feel lonely out there? What about Greenpoint or Kensington? Those are cheaper areas that also have singles as well as families. It seems you need a neighborhood that at least has a coffee shop within walking distance from your house and you want to be able to stay out until 11:00 and not worry how you will get home. A cab will cost you a lot to go home out there.

That's a good point. If you're the type of person who may be taking cabs with some frequency, that cost could make up the difference in rent for a more desirable neighborhood. Although when you're less than a block from the subway, it's hard to justify taking a cab...

Subject: Great neighborhood

We've lived at Newkirk and Westminster for a little over a year now and love the neighborhood. The B only runs on the weekends, but it is pretty fast into town, as people are saying.

Heya,

I used to live on Stratford and Caton, just a bit northwest of that. I think everyone's covered all the basic points... Ditmas Park/Prospect Park South as a whole is nice (and those GORGEOUS houses!), I would say as safe as Park Slope for walking home alone after dark, and the train is really fast on weekdays (I used to take the Q from there and it was 45 minutes for me to get to Grand Central, door to door). But, as everyone's pointed out, there aren't many restaurants/bars/decent supermarkets out there, so if you like to go out a lot... Also, if the apartment is in an apartment building, it might be pretty loud sometimes, the nieghbors may tend to throw massive bass-thumping parties once in a while (or so say my friends who live down by the Newkirk stop - I'm sure it depends on the building).

The F train is a better line to be on if you want to go out at night. Not that it runs more often, it just happens to go through Park Slope, Cobble Hill, DUMBO, the Lower East Side, and the East Village, all chock-full of stuff to do at night. And it runs on weekends.

For affordable neighborhoods on the F line, try Windsor Terrace/Kensington.

I used to have a HUGE one bedroom apartment (1,000 square feet) on the top floor of a great doorman/elevator building and paid just over $1,000. It was equidistant from the F and the Q/B trains. And it had a balcony with spectacular views of all of Brooklyn and part of Manhattan... (That building always had apartments available, if you want the number of the management building, send me a private message)..

Best of luck with your apartment hunt!