Forum
« Building Plans Any GOOD experiences with Corcoran? »
November 2, 2007
Bergen & Hoyt--Good location?
I'm seriously considering a brownstone apartment at Bergen and Hoyt. I'm new to Brooklyn and not that familiar with all the different neighborhoods. Is this a good location? I walked around a couple of times and it seemed nice and all, but I was wondering if some locals could give me their opinions. The broker, whose comments of course I don't believe, told me it's the "best corner" of Boerum Hill and Bococa (??) Any help would be much appreciated.
Comments
I live a few blocks away on Hoyt and State, and I *love* the neighborhood. Most of the blocks are pretty, with lovely, well-maintained houses, and there's a real sense of community. You're very close to the F train, and not far from many other subway options (A/C at Hoyt-Schermerhorn, 2/3 at Hoyt & Fulton). Smith and Atlantic have lots of tasty places to eat and fun shops to browse. Court Street is, I think, the most charming of all just for strolling--has an old-fashioned "Main Street" feel. Boerum Hill is a little underserved by good grocery stores, but there's a supermarket nearby on Smith, and lots of other smaller specialty shops not too far.
My one reservation--which I'm sure will cause cries of racism--about your particular location is that it's very close to the projects. I don't know objectively/statistically how much safety and crime are really an issue, but there have been several mentions of muggings and vandalism in the surrounding on some of the local neighborhood message boards. If, say, you're a woman living alone, you might not feel super comfortable coming home late at night...
Posted by: guest at November 2, 2007 5:29 PM
Isn't that the Heath Ledger-Michelle Williams corner?
Posted by: guest at November 2, 2007 5:53 PM
That's Hoyt and Dean, one block north. Except now it's just the Michelle Williams (and baby) corner, and if rumors are true, not that for much longer...
Posted by: guest at November 2, 2007 6:02 PM
Not the best corner. I lived on Bergen btw Smith & Hoyt for 5 yrs, moved last Feb bc we found a house to buy in DP. Anyway, Great nabe, the projects and their occupants for better or worse are not going away. If you like the NYC vibe, ala Prada early at Starbucks Sat morning.. you will Love it there. Los Pisanos, the butcher on Smith around the corner is wonderful, terrific fresh fish 2 blocks up on Court & Bergen. Two amaxing chools right there + downtown Bklyn right there. It was way too City for u but if you like that sort of thing you'll love living there.
Posted by: tag482 at November 2, 2007 7:35 PM
I think it's a wonderful area, I live a few blocks away and am very happy with it. Hoyt is just a few blocks from the Bergen St F stop and there's a bar on the corner, which I think makes coming home late a bit safer. My only real complaint is that the grocery store options could be better, I mainly end up going to Pacific Green at Pacific and Court.
Posted by: guest at November 2, 2007 8:29 PM
Many, many projects right around the corner from that block.
Posted by: guest at November 2, 2007 9:49 PM
We moved to bergen & bond in january and this nabe is fantasic! Are there projects nearby? Yes. But this is NYC and there are projects everywhere. We have experienced no problems. Bergen & Hoyt is really lovely. It's a great area because it's nearly all brownstones. It gives off a great vibe. Good luck!
Posted by: nyflicka at November 3, 2007 7:12 PM
There are no good grocery stores, but it's a really great neighborhood in many other ways. Enjoy it.
Posted by: Dean Street at November 4, 2007 9:16 PM
I've lived one block over at Dean and Hoyt for the past 10 years and I like the neighborhood very much. Good things are the schools, restaurants and great public transportation. Downside is that it can have more traffic and be noisier than other brownstone neighborhoods. There is also scant access to green space.
Don't worry about the projects. Oh, and don't call it Bococa - that's worse than calling 6th Avenue in Manhattan "Avenue of the Americas".
Posted by: guest at November 5, 2007 9:47 AM
Although Bergen and Hoyt is not the "best corner" in Boerum Hill, it's a really great location. You are 1 (longish) block from the F train and all the stores and restaurants on Smith Street, and 3 (shortish) blocks from the stuff on Atlantic Avenue (and another 2 blocks from the A/C/G station). The only possible downside is that both Bergen and Hoyt get a fair amount of car traffic (of course so do many other blocks), and you might get some late night noise problems from the Brooklyn Inn (like drunks stepping outside to smoke and yapping loudly).
As for groceries, the Met Food on Smith is more than adequate for most things, Los Paisanos is great for meat and some specialty items (they carry Steve's Key Lime pies), Pacific Green (up at Court St.) is good for higher end fruits and veggies, and of course Sahadi's is still pretty close by.
And anybody who bad mouths the projects today obviously did not live in this part of Brooklyn back in the day, so ignore them.
Posted by: guest at November 5, 2007 4:32 PM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.