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September 30, 2008

Is Pete Hamill Responsible for the Brooklyn Boom?

Almost 40 years ago, the writer Pete Hamill wrote an article in New York magazine declaring Brooklyn "the sane alternative" to Manhattan. "Art galleries are opening. Neighborhoods like Bay Ridge and South Brooklyn now have boutiques and head shops. People who have been driven out of the Village and Brooklyn Heights by the greed of real-estate operators are learning that it is not yet necessary to decamp for Red Bank or Garden City. It is still possible in Park Slope, for example, to rent a duplex with a garden for $200 a month, a half-block from the subway; still possible to buy a brownstone in reasonably good condition for $30,000, with a number of fairly good houses available for less, if you are willing to invest in reconditioning them." This week, Hamill returns after a long hiatus in Manhattan, and finds, not surprisingly, that Park Slope is fancyland, and that some things have been lost in its transformation. "Today, there are dozens of real-estate offices along Seventh Avenue and more on Fifth Avenue, and many houses were going for $2 million and more," he writes. The people he sees on 7th Avenue "are in their twenties, most of them gym-thin. Shoulder bags hang from their shoulders while other bags form humps on their backs. Their thumbs flick across tiny keyboards. They talk into cell phones. They never make eye contact with anyone, as if adhering to some paranoid manual of New York behavior. Instead, they glance into restaurants, hurry past art-supply stores, dress shops, delicatessens, heading to places that are provisional, not permanent, parts of their narrative. They rent." Hard to buy when the places are $2 million, of course. He's not completely nostalgic for the old, old neighborhood, though, the one that was dangerous. As he says, "Gentrification is better than junkies."
Brooklyn Revisited [New York]
Sunset. Photo by arimoore.

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Comments

Ha ha this is the problem with all of NY.

Posted by: billyboomer at September 30, 2008 10:33 AM

Great Read!

Posted by: bayridgegirl at September 30, 2008 10:33 AM

His description of Park Slope doesn't sound like the neighborhood I live in, with the exception of the realty shops. I live on seventh and the people I see there are of all ages and colors, various body-shapes, and many have no problem making eye contact.

Posted by: cwbuecheler at September 30, 2008 10:39 AM

I've seen Pete Hamill twice lately in Park Slope, he must have been working up to this article.

Hopefully the stock market crash will drive all these annoying Generation Y twentysomethings to grad school, and instill in them some good old slacker/hippie values, and ruin their little New York dress up game.

Whoa, that sounds harsh.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 30, 2008 10:53 AM

Pepperidge Farm remembers...

Posted by: SnarkSlope at September 30, 2008 10:57 AM

Good to know this all began in 1968 with South Brooklyn head shops.

I -knew- it had a root somewhere.

Posted by: Prodigal_Son at September 30, 2008 11:04 AM

Thoroughly enjoyed the Hamill piece... brought back alot
of memories.

Posted by: bren at September 30, 2008 11:06 AM

Why DO they all look so much alike? Tight pants, unshaven scraggly beards, anorexic, the ubiquitous cloth shoulder bag. etc.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 30, 2008 11:06 AM

and wasnt a Pete a catalyst for this change when he was living on PPW with Shirly MaClaine?

Posted by: bulla12 at September 30, 2008 11:07 AM

and wasnt Pete a catalyst for this change when he was living on PPW with Shirly MaClaine?

Posted by: bulla12 at September 30, 2008 11:07 AM

"Tight pants, unshaven scraggly beards, anorexic, the ubiquitous cloth shoulder bag. etc."

For once, can we not slag the stroller moms?

Posted by: SnarkSlope at September 30, 2008 11:11 AM

The excerpts of the article posted above make it sound like Pete Hamill's piece is really negative and down on Brooklyn as it exists now. If you read the whole thing, that is not it at all. It's more of an observation, and nostalgic piece, talking about his memories. He does not bemoan change, and notes that it is a better neighborhood (more diverse for instance and few junkies) than it used to be. It is a nice read.

Posted by: 1842 at September 30, 2008 11:12 AM

I'm a 40 something, not a 20 something, but a lot of the nostalgia in this article is for a generation of people who largely left Brokklyn when urban life got tough in the late 60s-80s. I moved to Boerum Hill in 1983 and think that I've lived through the renaissance of Brooklyn. I don't like the outsize development on 4th Avenue + Atlantic Yard etc. but I'm not going to blame that in hipsters and 20 somethings. Some of those people revitalized a lot of neighborhoods (i.e. Williamsburg, Red Hook etc.) by opening businesses and staying to raise families.

Posted by: Boerum Hill at September 30, 2008 11:14 AM

infinitejester:

as a generation Y twenty something Im hoping this stock market fiasco causes prices to drop. Honestly if prices go down I think more people like me will move in because they can afford it. Alot of people live in areas such as sunset park and crown heights that would rather be in park slope.

however at the same time alot of "richer" people will move out. But im relativly poor and live in prospect heights so whatever.

Posted by: Santa at September 30, 2008 11:15 AM

Santa...the closing "whatever" gives you away!!! :)

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 30, 2008 11:31 AM

i thought it was supposed to be "whatevs."

Posted by: z at September 30, 2008 11:42 AM

Hey Santa,

Maybe you're relatively poor (I'm sure you mean just post-college transition poor) but the fact you at least know about Crown Heights and Sunset Park as an option speaks volumes of positiveness about you. I meet a lot of Manhattan-working people (probably not going to meet many people who don't though) who would never tear off the J.Crew aline skirts and chill at Franklin Park. It's like, if you want Manhattanesque entertainment (where everything's "nice"), and you're willing to pay high rents no matter what, just live in Manhattan already. They bring the 'tude back over the bridge and tunnel, I mean to say.

Veering into potential rant mode here so I'll stop.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 30, 2008 11:55 AM

I just had the pleasure of sitting down with my landlord and signing my new lease.

From my experience, it would seem alot of landlords are feeling really nervous, or are already hurting with what is going on. I was able to convince him to lower my rent, and pay for half of the gas (which i wasn't responsible for in my previous lease)

He also said that his condo buildings didn't sell, and is now having a terrible time renting them out to cover whatever costs he is carrying.

This is in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, so I'm sure this has nothing to do with what's happening down in Brownstone Brooklyn, but I thought it was an interesting indicator of what might start to happen in areas with excess inventory of ugly housing.

Posted by: A Guest at September 30, 2008 11:58 AM

I walk down 7th Avenue 3-10 times a day, and I have absolutely no idea what this guy is talking about.

I'd say the majority of people are in their 30's and above..very few in their 20's.

"dozens of real estate offices" is a total stretch. There might be A DOZEN in a couple mile stretch.

As for the skinny comment, I thought everyone made fun of Park Slopers for being heavier and not very stylish. It sounds like he's describing Bedford Avenue, not 7th Avenue.

With all that said, I prefer the Park Slope that I see everyday. Diverse, community-minded, environmentally concerned, gay and family friendly and culturally alive.

Posted by: 11217 at September 30, 2008 12:04 PM

A guest,

I have a couple friends who have mentioned that they hope rental prices fall enough so that they can leave Williamsburg and come down to either Park Slope or Ft. Greene.

When the world becomes an ugly place, people want to surround themselves with beauty.

Williamsburg also has a high concentration of kids who got by on money from their parents or on bartending and retail jobs. The neighborhood will feel a lot of pain from the impending crisis, and these young kids will not be out spending freely like they have over the past 10 years.

Posted by: 11217 at September 30, 2008 12:07 PM

11217;

I'm in complete agreement with you. Frankly, I found the article to be tedious. Note that in the entire article he never cites a discussion with present residents. I believe he was projecting his spin of what he believes Park Slope has become.

Posted by: benson at September 30, 2008 12:15 PM

WHATEVS...

by relativly poor I mean I work in a struggling record label. The majority of my co-workers live in brooklyn or queens everywhere from Sunset park, bay ridge, park slope, prospect heights, crown heights, windsor terrace, ditmas park, astoria and even union city. Shit the lady that works at the front desk is maybe 25 and just rented a studio in Flushing. FLUSHING! You gotta be creative to find housing in the city because its a bitch.

however alot of these people would be labeled "hipsters" by whoever gets to label people thus they're destroying _______.

these old NY Mag articles are very interesting. I reading the "Exodus" one now about how all the creative and young are moving to brookyn and queens. The damn article is from 1985. I was still shitting my pants and spitting up baby food in 1985.

Posted by: Santa at September 30, 2008 12:17 PM

"Shit the lady that works at the front desk is maybe 25 and just rented a studio in Flushing. FLUSHING!"

What's wrong with Flushing? You gotta live somewhere.

Posted by: East New York at September 30, 2008 12:31 PM

11217

While I'm always one for some good Park Slope vs. Williamsburg arguing - We agree in principal, although I'm not sure how much trees and beautiful architecture will be able to console someone the way things are shaping up right now.

I think what will hurt neighborhoods like WB/GP is the fact that they are transient neighborhoods that are seen as an alternative to Manhattan. Most people who live there now (rent,own) would rather be in the EV/LES etc, and if they could afford it would jump @ the chance (myself included)

Park Slope, Ft Green etc residents seem to prefer their neighborhoods over Manhattan, and frequently state if money was no option, they would never move back.

Posted by: A Guest at September 30, 2008 12:33 PM

I'm one of those people, A guest.

If you gave me 10 million bucks, I would not leave Park Slope.

I think there's something to be said for people who feel attached to their neighborhood. Especially in times like those we are about to embark on. I was just thinking yesterday in fact that if times get really bad, I'll be out on the curb sweeping, planting flowers and doing whatever I can to make sure my neighborhood stays nice.

I highly doubt many of those 20 somethings in Williamsburg feel that way about their neighborhood (as you said) but in tough times that's what you need is a sense of community. I don't mean this as a Williamsburg vs. Park Slope thing, but one of the things I dislike about Williamsburg is the fact that people there don't seem invested in their community like they are in many areas of Brownstone Brooklyn. That mindset just doesn't suit me. It's ok in boom times and has worked for Williamsburg thus far, but I agree with you that people will bolt the second they can find an apt. in the East Village for a price they can afford...

Posted by: 11217 at September 30, 2008 12:41 PM

When the crystal in a Williamsburger's hand turns red, they move to Park Slope.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at September 30, 2008 12:58 PM

Reading Sanata's comment - hoping for a crash so the Slope becomes more affordable - reminds me of my own position 10 years ago.
Only problem with that scenario is that when the economy sours, it tends to drag down younger/entry-level hiring very quickly. The result: prices may drop, but so does the income of the average yout [sic].
If anyone's actually been socking-away money to buy AND is fairly assured of holding onto their job, then do your best at timing the market. But my suspicion is that most people who own in PS, the Heights, Carrol Gardens, etc. will do their best to hang-on & avoid selling short. It's just a matter of whether the last few years of problems [much less the current crisis] drag on for more than another 3-4 years.

Posted by: parkedslope at September 30, 2008 1:08 PM

if you live in williamsburg and would prefer to live somewhere else, you are seriously missing the point, and indeed, the neighborhood is not for you.

i disagree with A Guest that people buying in williamsburg would rather be in LES or EV. I know many many condo owners and I've yet to hear anyone say that. i personally have been in brooklyn for years.

honestly, i hope to stay in williamsburg for a long time.

i have a lot of friends and biz acquaintances in williamsburg plus i am active in a parents yahoo group which has hundreds? thousands? of members, and really, we all just talk about how much we love it.

Posted by: wine lover at September 30, 2008 2:14 PM

I'm glad to hear that, wine lover. You sound like you are a bit older though. And more established.

EVERY single person I know in their 20's who lives in Williamsburg (you must admit there are quite a few there) all have said they ended up there by default and would rather be in the LES or EV. Literally every single person I know there feels that way.

So Williamsburg has the older more established set like you, the younger crowd and then the old timers who are completely cut off from what's going on and have their own separate places where they shop/eat/drink. It's not a cohesive neighborhood clearly.

You are fooling yourself if you think those 25 years olds won't move back to Manhattan if prices drop far enough.

I hope Williamsburg continues to prosper, but I'm hearing reports from real estate agents that all of the new condos coming online in the neighborhood are piling up, and that new sales are hard to come by. In the next 2 years, thousands more (Northside Piers phase 2) will be coming on the market, and I understand they can't even give them away right now.

That is going to have a major impact on prices. My ex who works for Corcoran has said that things are getting really ugly there with drastic price cuts not getting the job done.

If the youngsters leave Williamsburg, it is going to lose a lot of it's luster. I hope it doesn't happen.

Posted by: 11217 at September 30, 2008 2:23 PM

for the record, i live in and love williamsburg.

I agree with wine in that the people buying in williamsburg are not doing so as an alternative to the EV/LES. I stand corrected.

11217 clarifies my point pretty well.

Posted by: A Guest at September 30, 2008 2:50 PM

« A Letter From The Inside Surprise! Brooklyn Foreclosure Numbers Relatively Benign »

September 30, 2008

Is Pete Hamill Responsible for the Brooklyn Boom?

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