Can a subway line take credit for a neighborhood’s renaissance? A writer at the Observer has publicly professed her love for the Q, and links it to Ditmas Park’s becoming “a suburban-urban blend of creative-class types, beautiful buildings and low prices.” She chose her own apartment, presumably in Prospect Heights, based on its proximity to the Q’s 7th Avenue stop (on the corner of Flatbush), only three stops in. She says the Q is the L of the 21st century, “with new crops of people popping out of its stations along a path rumbling through central and southern Brooklyn, from Downtown, Park Slope, Midwood and Ditmas Park, through Sheepshead Bay and, via an expert right turn, Brighton Beach and Coney Island.” She quotes other Q lovers, noting that celebs have been seen eating in restaurants along the train’s route, and that the express line has allowed Ditmas Park and others to blossom. “Perhaps the nabes along the Q are stealing just a little bit of thunder from other creative hubs like Williamsburg.” If that’s true, what other subway lines might help a neighborhood become the next Williamsburg?
Can the Q Be the Next L? [NY Observer]
Q Train. Photo by FlySi.