Which blocks in Bed Stuy are the nicest?

utica stop is the best ,, stuyvesant heights . bainbridge , decatur streets ,,there is a house for sake there right now . 4 story 3 family ,,,http://corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&ListingID=1123053&ohDat=12/9/2007%2012:00:00%20AM;

Posted by: guest at December 9, 2007 12:32 PM

The blocks around the A/C are all very nice: Bainbridge, Decatur, Macdonough, Macon, Halsey, Hancock... From Nostrand to Malcolm X (and maybe further but I don't really know the area past malcolm x) these are beautiful brownstone blocks. These are also the most expensive blocks in bed-stuy. It is great to be so close to the A/C, and we have good stores and restaurants compared to some other parts of bed-stuy. There are other nice areas, but it really depend how you define "nicest" and "parts to avoid". This can mean different things to different people. You should do what I did before moving to bed-stuy (or anywhere): spend time in the neighborhood, walk around, talk to people, and you will know where to look for a house. Good luck!

Posted by: guest at December 9, 2007 12:45 PM

I have to agree that the Utica stop is nice.

I live closer to the Koskiuzko stop on the J train (due north of the Utica A), and this area is less stacked with amenities and the architecture is less drop-dead gorgeous than prime Stuy Heights... but I feel like I kinda get more for my $$.

I am close to Bushwick, and as an artist and lover of tacos, that's important to me.

And I like having two trains to choose from. The J is really good, and my walk is easy. But sometimes the 15 minute walk to the A train is better than getting on the J. The bottom line is no matter what, service advisories or eastside/westside, I am definitely getting into Manhattan in good time.

Because I am northward and eastward in the neighborhood, I catch all the good stuff. I get nothing but bad delis right close, but am in easy bike/good longish walk distance of both the Bedford Ave corridor and the Lewis Avenue stuff. I can choose: Olivino, 258, Tiny Cup, Von King Park, Le Tokelour, and Bread Stuy (and Petit Bassam, but I personally have never had a good dinner there)

And of course, prices "out here" are much much lower.

Posted by: guest at December 9, 2007 5:55 PM

Qates and Quincy are nice ? They are about 5 blocks from the park . But only 1 block to the projects ! Stuyvesant heights is the best part of bed stuy hands down but even that is getting expensive .I predict in two to three yrs everything along the A train will be over 1 mil

Posted by: guest at December 9, 2007 5:59 PM

First of all, yes. The Utica stop is good.

Bed Stuy is very much a block-by-block proposition. I live on a *great* east-west block, and have one fantastic north-west corridor (Stuyvesant!!! Can't say enough about the overall character of the folks I meet on this street!), but am surrounded by less great blocks, one of which frankly sucks.

Donatella is right about walking around.

Go to a lot of open houses. TALK TO POTENTIAL NEIGHBORS!!! Walk up and down, to all the different places you'd go, at all hours of the day and night. Say hello to people and chitchat! This is a Bed Stuy custom that is very useful for figuring out who you want to be near!

I love living here. It's not perfect, and I chose my block wisely. If I lived on a bad block, I'd have moved by now. The good news is that people in Bed Stuy talk, and so you will know a good block from a bad one immediately.

Trust your gut, be nice to people. Bed Stuy opens up like a flower if you're willing to play along with it. There are beautiful people living here, doing beautiful things.

Posted by: guest at December 9, 2007 6:29 PM

While Stuy Hts is certainly beautiful, don't disregard the streets around Nostrand Avenue. Some of the best blocks in BS are there, and are one stop closer to Manhattan, as well as food shopping and major banking facilities at Restoration Plaza. Look at Macon, McDonough, Halsey, Hancock, Jefferson and Putnam, between Bedford and Throop. I like this area better than Stuy Hts. More and more shops and restaurants are opening up here as well. This area will eventually be landmarked, deservedly so. Houses here are not cheap, but for the most part, less expensive than Stuy Hts.

Good Luck!

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 11:42 AM

Back to add, I forgot Decatur and Bainbridge. Both gorgeous streets.

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 11:43 AM

DONT FORGET CHAUNCEY BETWEEN HOWARD AND SARATOGA BEATIFUL HOMES AND PEOPLE HANGING OUT ALL DAY AND NIGHT.

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 1:41 PM

Best Streets are
Decatur
MacDonough
Macon
Halsey
Hancock
Jefferson
Bainbridge
Stuyvesant
some parts of
Greene
and Gates

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 3:39 PM

Best Streets are
Decatur
MacDonough
Macon
Halsey
Hancock
Jefferson
Bainbridge
Stuyvesant
some parts of
Greene
and Gates

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 3:40 PM

Anything south of Putnam bounded by MalcomX and Bedford

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 3:41 PM

Love Jefferson. MacDonough. Decatur. All the Stuy Heights spots. But if you are young the Clinton Hill Border, while not as pretty, is exciting.

Go Mitt Romney!

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 4:45 PM

There are also many nice blocks between Patchen and Howard Avenues: Decatur, MacDonough, Macon, Hancock, Jefferson and Putnam. The J train at Halsey is very accessible.

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 8:42 PM

The best thing to do is to walk around the neighborhood. Don't know if this helps, but when my husband and I were looking, we didn't want a block with a bodega on the corner or one too close to the projects.

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 9:36 PM

When we were looking to move to Bed Stuy, we drove/walked everywhere, at all times of the day and night, to get a feel for how things were. We talked to a TON of people, both residents and real-estate people....it made a world of difference, and now that we're here we're really, really happy with our choice. We live on Macon, about equidistant from the A/C and the J. Great area, great people, plus the bonus of Saratoga park and proximity to growing businesses on Broadway. The people here really take pride in their homes and in the neighborhood, and have made us feel totally welcome.

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 10:47 PM

Is Saratoga park just a few blocks from broadway, but it's surrounded on one side by massive projects.

10:47 pm how do you feel about living so close?

Posted by: guest at December 10, 2007 11:47 PM

The best are Chauncey, Bainbridge, Decatur, MacDonough and Macon Streets between Stuyvesant and Lewis. Hard blocks to get into so if you see something you can afford, jump on it.

Posted by: guest at December 11, 2007 8:03 AM

greene ave btwn bedford&nostrand!

Posted by: guest at December 11, 2007 11:33 AM

http://gentryornot.blogspot.com/2007/11/tribute-to-james-taylors-carolina-in-my.html

None

Posted by: guest at December 11, 2007 12:33 PM

12:33 , you are so 1985, it hurts. get a clue!

Posted by: guest at December 11, 2007 1:03 PM

You may want to think about it like this. You absolutely have to spend time in the area. Walk around as has been suggested. But first find a house that you like. Then investigate that block and surrounding area. People always told me, Decatur & MacDonough were the best blocks between Lewis & Stuyvesant. But a beutiful house became available a bit further north on Putnam. So I started spending time on that block, walking around and talking to the people in the neighborhood, not only did I get to know my potential neighbors, I got a good deal of information about the house. I ended up getting the house at a considerable discount and found that the people that had just purchased the brownstones on both sides were GREAT people and very concerned about the neighborhood. We've got a good thing going on Putnam and I'm kind of glad its a bit below the radar. Not too difficult a walk to the A if you need it, but we have a car and prefer to drive to the 'G' train.

Neighbors are wonderful and everyone cares about the block.

Good luck in your search

Posted by: guest at December 11, 2007 4:47 PM

I have to agree with 4:47.

We were looking for a house on a more "known" block, but found a house on Van Buren, on a street that looked vaguely pretty and had nice cars, but that we knew nothing else about. So we hung out. We talked to all the neighbors. Parked our car in front of the house and walked to dinner. Walked around at night. Walked around during the day. Walked to the train. Walked to the Met. Talked to people all the time.

Found out, basically, that every single thing about the house that we had no power to change is A-OK. The train is close. The neighbors are more than neighborly. It's not scary. We can get to at least most of the things we need.

Posted by: guest at December 11, 2007 8:21 PM

Answer to 11:47 pm from yesterday, from "10:47 pm." The projects are not that massive - there's a home for the elderly on one side of Halsey and then a smallish set of projects buildings on the other. But also - we go to that park almost every day, and its proximity to the projects isn't really an issue. There are great families there all the time. We avoid it at night, like any smart people would anywhere at all in NYC. But we've had no trouble and, like I said, really like living here.

Posted by: guest at December 12, 2007 1:22 AM