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August 27, 2009
Dekalb and Nostrand Safe?
hello, I'm actually from queens, last stop on the F as a matter of fact. I grew up in a neighborhood between jamaica estates and jamaica so Ive seen both sides.
So I found an apartment off of Nostrand a block up on Dekalb. Is this a safe area to be in? I'm not worried about myself as much as my girlfriend visiting. We're both mixed; I'm half chinese/russian, and she's spain/dominican so we typically arent regarded as the "outsider" and honestly that may not even be an issue, though I have heard otherwise. and plus she lives next to the williamsburg bridge near delancey. Not a great neighborhood.
I feel like I haven't gotten much of an honest opinion from anyone, that is except my father who, when I mentioned bedford/Norstrand, he replied "BED STUYY???" with anger in his voice.
So what are your opinions? I'm 21, 5' 11' 160 pounds tops, kind of flamboyant. Definitely gotten in a few fights over the years, but would prefer not to. Is this neibhorhood not for me? I'm being brutally honest. I would appreciate a QUICK!! reply as I'm dropping off a deposit later today. Bad timing on my part, I know. But if you can reply to this before 5pm later today, I'll feel a lot better. thanks everyone!
Comments
It's not as bad as it was years back. The Gtrainfication has spread to the Nostrand Ave stop - lots of pratt students, hipster kids etc. You still have to be careful as there are still "elements" that still hang out around lafayette. Depending on your budget but if I were you, I would have tried Lefferts Gardens or Parts of Crown Heights first.
Posted by: Crownlfc at August 27, 2009 3:32 AM
"I'm 21, 5' 11' 160 pounds tops, kind of flamboyant"
LOL. Listen to your father - don't do it! Rents are collapsing (mucho nondo gone rentals). It pays to wait. Don't sign a lease until you are absolutely comfortable with the nabe. Crime will only tick up as the economy goes to shit. You'll thank me and your dad later.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at August 27, 2009 8:15 AM
How much are you paying and for how much space??? There may be better options in better neighborhoods with better trains
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 8:18 AM
http://projects.nytimes.com/crime/homicides/map
Posted by: guikazoid at August 27, 2009 9:44 AM
quote:
I'm half chinese/russian, and she's spain/dominican
you will both be fine.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at August 27, 2009 10:26 AM
quote:
kind of flamboyant.
oh wait. nevermind, you wind. it's not safe to be "flamboyant" in that area. if youre going to move there, Man-Up.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at August 27, 2009 10:27 AM
Yes, please define "kind of flamboyant."
Does that mean you wear pink short shorts and a boa or you drive a Mercedes and wear a Rolex????
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 27, 2009 10:35 AM
im picturing typical nyc-brooklyn flamboyancy. white tote bag over the shouldar like a purse, tight cut off jeans way above the knee showing off pasty undefined legs, loafers with no socks, knock-off 2 dollar sunglasses, girl bangs, and pursy lips.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at August 27, 2009 10:42 AM
and truth be told if i lived in the ghetto and saw someone like that preening down the street i'd probably mess with them too
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at August 27, 2009 10:42 AM
"and truth be told if i lived in the ghetto and saw someone like that preening down the street i'd probably mess with them too"
And hence your moniker, PitbullNYC... it all makes me feel a bit randy :-)
Posted by: hooky at August 27, 2009 10:58 AM
if you're as open about other people as you want others to be about you then you'll be fine. being friendly is the most important thing. It's still primarily a residential, family-oriented area, so it's not "sceney" at all around there, save for a few hipster bars, but those are pretty new. I see many varied types of people on the streets of Bed-Stuy so "flamboyance" alone isn't going to be the thing that gets you into trouble. so, if you're going to make an effort to be friendly toward your neighbors and not cop an attitude then you'll be fine.
Posted by: herkimermaid at August 27, 2009 11:04 AM
Wow you folks are unbelievable....
Okay bloomtransp have you checked out the area at night?? if not then do so. I will agree the G train sucks so you may want to think about that I used to live on Bedford between Dekalb and Willoughby about a block away from where you are planning to live so I am quite familiar with the area and trust me it has changed tremendously but just like anywhere else you have to be aware of your surroundings crimes happen in Crown Heights, Clinton Hill and yes even Bed-Stuy.
Posted by: mysideofstuy at August 27, 2009 11:05 AM
Heh...Rob & DIBS are crackin' me up! Bloom, we can say whatever about the area but the only person who can tell you if it's safe or not is you or your girlfriend. If you're not in a rush to move why don't you just check out the area yourself? Is the apartment so great of a deal that you can't take a weekend to check out your new possible neighborhood? I rely on advice from internet strangers for a lot of things. Personal safety isn't one of them. Good luck and I second Crownlfc...come to the dark side (well actually it's kind of cafe ole toned these days). Come to Crown Heights!
Posted by: kissera at August 27, 2009 11:09 AM
@ Herkermaid i totally agree with you!
Posted by: mysideofstuy at August 27, 2009 11:09 AM
"if you're going to make an effort to be friendly toward your neighbors and not cop an attitude then you'll be fine"
FYI, as far as I can tell, quietly minding your own business is considered "copping an attitude" in some parts of Brooklyn.
Posted by: northsloperenter at August 27, 2009 11:10 AM
if you think the area on delancey by the williamsburg bridge is bad, then don't move here.
that area of nostrand is rather bleak, in my opinion.
Posted by: stringer bell at August 27, 2009 11:16 AM
Ditto what stringer bell said. @ 160lbs, you best relay on flight than fight if trouble comes knocking.
Posted by: more4less at August 27, 2009 11:32 AM
northsloperenter, not copping an attitude has nothing to do with "minding your own business". What it actually means is don't walk around with a clueless hipster attitude that suggests you think you're better/cooler than everyone else -- because you're not. It's a neighborhood with real people and families in it that should be respected...
Posted by: herkimermaid at August 27, 2009 12:33 PM
"Is this a safe area to be in?"
Compared with......???
Posted by: East New York at August 27, 2009 12:45 PM
herkimermaid,
What I meant is some people mistake minding your own business for a clueless hipster attitude that suggests you think you're better/cooler than everyone else.
Basically, if you are not actively waving, smiling, and tossing out verbal greetings every time you pass someone, there are some people who will have a problem with that.
Which is very weird if you are moving here from Manhattan or other places where such behavior is not expected.
nsr
Posted by: northsloperenter at August 27, 2009 12:49 PM
Give us your thoughts, bloomstransp!
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at August 27, 2009 1:05 PM
nsr, I think you make an excellent point. Bed-Stuy is definitely NOT Manhattan or the Slope. You CAN expect people to be friendly and you can expect THEM to expect YOU to be friendly too, in whatever form that might come. I don't think there are hard and fast rules in that regard. Friendliness comes in many forms. Not suggesting it be a parade every time you walk down the street! Anyway, my point is, simply, this is not a good area for people who don't understand the importance of being a good neighbor, especially in a well-established community like Bed-Stuy. Age plays a big factor in that too, so at 21 your priorities/experiences are different than, say, mine at 43. But if you do get that, regardless of your age, and don't have a problem with it or, better yet, really like that sort of thing, then you have nothing to worry about. Move on in, it's an awesome place and full of surprises. nice ones.
Posted by: herkimermaid at August 27, 2009 1:36 PM
yeah clueless hipster attitude. does that really need to be defined?
Posted by: herkimermaid at August 27, 2009 1:37 PM
so basically, if you are deemed to have an attitude, rightly or wrongly, you'll be hasselled and maybe targeted. sounds like a great place.
Posted by: 1842 at August 27, 2009 1:57 PM
yes 1842, that's precisely what I'm saying. now please stay away from Bed-Stuy.
Posted by: herkimermaid at August 27, 2009 2:33 PM
Too late for that Herkimermaid, I'm there all the time. I'm assuming you're response is sarcastic. This guy asks about safety and people essentially tell him that as long as he has a good attitude, he should be safe. Be friendly and not too flamboyant, otherwise there could be trouble. To me that doesn't sound like a welcoming environment. Be friendly or else it how the advice comes off...
Also, it's not my experience that people who aren't the most outgoing get hasselled either. I just find these endless criticisms of people who don't say hello enough to be tiresome and reprsentative of deep resentment on the part of those who complain the most about it. I know all the people on my block, say hi etc., but good lord, to each his own....
Posted by: 1842 at August 27, 2009 3:07 PM
oops, meant to say "your response".
and sorry, nothing against you personally, my comment was intentionally snide - I just think the logic of it is safe if you're friendly to be overdone.
Posted by: 1842 at August 27, 2009 3:09 PM
"yeah clueless hipster attitude. does that really need to be defined?"
maybe. is "clueless hipster attitude" different than "clueless attitude"? or "clueless jerk attitude"?
Posted by: stringer bell at August 27, 2009 3:50 PM
I didn't, nor would I, tell the poster not to be flamboyant. As far as I'm concerned he would take chances with that almost anywhere. I WOULD suggest, if you're going to be deliberately different, then -- WHEREVER you are -- at least try not to be too much of an ass on top of that. Your new neighbors are going to be looking at YOU just the same way you're looking at them, you know? Do you want them to be unfriendly toward you because you're different? Yeah didn't think so. Christ the kid could get hassled ANYWHERE for being flamboyant, but most/more likely if he's got an "go ahead and give me some sh*t about it" attitude. Anyway, Bed-Stuy is a good place filled with great, welcoming INclusive people -- and of course the very occasional scary dude who's looking for a reason to hassle you. But that's not specific to Bed-Stuy, needless to say. Anyway, when someone posts a query, "is this area safe" and I KNOW this area, I'm going to respond with what I've learned by living there since '85, which is, it's totally fine. Drat, the polyanna in me is coming out... even the tiniest little bit of human contact bridges huge gaps in understanding. It's such a no-brainer. So, in closing, wherever you end up kid, use your head... esp if it's park slope :) just kidding.
Posted by: herkimermaid at August 27, 2009 4:36 PM
I own a property on DeKalb a block from Nostrand, around Marcy and have rented to a couple (Caucasian male and Asian female) and I have a mixture of Caucasians and African Americans (males and females) living in my home. They have never complained to me about problems in the area. In fact when I gave them the option to stay month to month or sign a one year lease they opted for a one year lease.
DeKalb is a busy street so you will hear loud music when cars go by and you will hear loud talking from people on the street but except from that the neighborhood is getting much better than what it was a few years back.
Posted by: nako at August 28, 2009 1:14 PM
I'm surprised that the advice I'm getting is to be outgoing, friendly, etc. That I am, but thought it would best to keep my head down in Bed Stuy.
but here's what I've taken from this all:
Don't be overly flamboyant. Perhaps I mislead some of you. I'm just friendly, look like a nice person. Ive found that in some parts of NYC, that comes off as flamboyant.
be friendly: I think I am, but I've been told I have one of those faces (asshole faces.)
don't mind your own business: I'm a little suprised about this one to be honest. I thought it would be in my best interest to just blend in, not try to draw too much attention to myself.
I made a six month commitment, ddn't sign anything. I'm going to feel it out, but I think things will be great.
p.s.
pitbull: don't wear short shorts.
thanks everyone!
Posted by: bloomtransp at September 2, 2009 12:08 AM
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