Buying at Bed-Stuy

Renovating a brownstone is a huge question that deserves its own post. What are your skills? Your taste? What kind of renovation? How much are you willing/able to do yourself? How bad is the house? What does it need?

Safety is easier.

Safety means different things to different people, and Bed-Stuy is a block-by-block kind of place. Sometimes safety is code for "I'm the only white face around for miles and I have been conditioned to find that scary." Sometimes it's about being mugged. Sometimes it's about concern for your property. You need to find out what you mean by safety, and whether or not these blocks are safe or unsafe.

Go talk to everyone you can see on and around your prospective blocks. Say hello to folks, explain that you're thinking of moving into the area. Ask questions. Get the vibe.

Go walk around during the day, and then go walk around at night. Take the trains you'll be taking--sounds like the A and the G--at different times of day, and see how you feel.

You'll find out whether or not you think it's safe.

FWIW, I am a small blonde woman, and all in all, I think Bed Stuy is the safest place in NYC I have ever lived, but I have to qualify that:

1. I live on a block that has a lot of nosy old ladies always looking out and asking questions at all hours. This makes me feel really safe about break-ins and quality-of-life issues on my street. Without these ladies, my block would be very different.

2. I have never lived anywhere where people are more pleasant on the street; in which neighbors work together more effectively; in which homeowners are so confident about their positions as leaders in a community.

3. The reason for all this goodness seems to be the badness. There's a helping of ghetto mentality in Bed Stuy too. I walk around a lot, and I get told about once a month to move out of the neighborhood, or get called a Snowflake.

4. Structurally, there are safety concerns if you're small and walking home late at night. The blocks are long and residential, and businesses close early. If it's stoop weather, I walk anywhere, anytime, no problem. But if it's inclement and late and I know I'll be basically alone on the street, I'd just as soon take a car.

But you know, I love it here. Honestly.

Posted by: vanburenproud at August 21, 2008 8:38 PM