Recognizing that places like Park Slope are pretty sweet, pretty and are bustling with many great restaurants, shops (even though I don't buy anything from there), and beautiful tree lined blocks and a sweet park, I've been a Bay Ridger for probably 25 years+ and purchased a building in Park Slope over a year ago. Although many foreigners to Bay Ridge like to poo poo it for coolness factors and distance to city and the ass-train, it's one of my favorite neighborhoods in Brooklyn, bar none. It really kind of is like a small town, the people are *real*...mixed like no other place i've ever seen in NYC, beautiful streets, walkable, quiet one block, nice and noisy on the next...As far as people go, there are no shortage of guidos (generally nice/secretly-bright/exposed-chain/slick haired Italians), arabs (stealthy/lebanese/palestinian/middle-eastern families and kids who are hard to distinguish from Puerto Ricans/et al, and being Lebanese, I know!), Greeks (see: Arabs), and tons of Irish and Norwegians (there's actually a Norwegian parade every year). People are nice, hospitable, maybe *slightly* on the older side (29-45)...and the hood is above all points I can think of: safe. "New Yorkers live in Bay Ridge" is very true. And remarkably affordable, all things compared.

Posted by: xxbobbyzxx at July 21, 2008 4:59 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

The Century 21 in Bay Ridge is WAY nicer than the one in Lower Manhattan.

Need I say more?

Posted by: 11217 at July 21, 2008 5:20 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

Century 21 rules!!

And 'ED' if you decide to 'troll' the neighborhood. Karam on 86th Street and 4th Avenue (around the corner from Century) has the best Mid East food. It's smalll, tight, and the Chicken Kabab is soooo good. The place is so uncool, it's packed! I love it so much, I once went there 10 days in a row. I am so cool.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at July 21, 2008 5:38 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

I wouldnt really call park slope "cool"

its pretty dorky.

most "cool" kids avoid park slope unless they're married.

Posted by: Santa at July 21, 2008 5:42 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

Didn't you hear, Santa...dorky IS cool these days!

I finally fit in!!!

Posted by: 11217 at July 21, 2008 5:55 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

Exactly who are the cool people, ED? If living around cool people is your only concern, go were ever it is the cool people tell you they live.

That said, I think anyone who recognizes what Bay Ridge has to offer is pretty cool.

Posted by: EGJ at July 21, 2008 7:42 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

So is she packed and ready to move there yet?

Posted by: Iknow at July 21, 2008 8:43 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

Aah, a subject I can sink my teeth into...

I used to live in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn but am now in suburban hell. We moved to this suburb for my husband's job, but now that he works from home, there is absolutely no reason for us to be here.

Would I love to move Park Slope? Yes, of course, but I have a family now and I need space, so I will likely go back to the neighborhood I know best.

My friends who are still there discuss with me the influence of new immigrants in the neighborhood, good and bad. The best of it I think is that they report that anyone who was stereotypically 'Bay Ridge' has already left and gone to Staten Island, Jersey or beyond. But the 'cool' ones have stayed, so it's now and interesting complex mix.

Do you have a family? I belong to a Bay Ridge Parents yahoo group and at least once a week, there is someone saying they just sold their brownstone or Manhattan co-op and bought a place in Bay Ridge and they think the new neighborhood is great. They might have made a decision also based on schools which are pretty good (maybe even better than 321) which you may not need to make.

I think that Bay Ridge's culture is food. Nothing high end, but a great variety of good down home eats of every ethnicity. Years ago, Time Out NY had Bay Ridge Restaurants as the COVER story.

Check out Three Jolly Pigeons. It reminds me of the Brooklyn Inn on Hoy & Bergen. Definitely cool people there of all ages and types. Admittedly it might be the exception to the nightlife.

Like the previous poster said, check it out! Make your own cool.

Posted by: HmmWhichNeighborhood at July 21, 2008 9:24 PM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

Ok I have no patience to read posts about what people THINK of Bay Ridge. I've lived here for 25 years and just bought my first home here 2 weeks ago. I love it and can't imagine living anywhere else in Brooklyn. Its spacious, friendly, safe and family oriented. If you wanted to, you would never have to leave to find anything you want to buy or any kind of food you want to eat. I'm 47 now so I really don't care if where I live is "COOL" anymore. But there are great schools here if you want to raise kids. If you can afford to send your kid to Poly Prep (92nd and 7th Ave)I know Meryl Streep's daughter was there a few years back with my dentist's daughter and John Tuttorro sends his kids there too.

It hasn't had a "cool" vibe since the disco days when there were 2 on every block. Thankfully they have all closed and gone away, but there are plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. There is a 5 mile long park along Shore Road and the Narrows Bay. There are huge grass ball fields, fishing piers, bike and running paths, dog runs and playgrounds. All safe, clean and with lots of room.

In the past year there has been a noticable increase of 20 and 30-something young couples with and without children who look remarkably the same as all those living in Park Slope and Billyburg. There are lots of lone young men with infants shopping in the Food City on 75th Street and many gay couples too. The Starbucks directly across the street in NOT closing, neither is the oragnic restaurant next to it, and a few blocks down an Artist's Coop just opened a storefront. (The Starbucks on 82nd

Posted by: premadas at July 22, 2008 12:00 AM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

Move to Lapland and santa will greet you at the entrance.
Now that's cool!

Posted by: madamlee at July 22, 2008 12:29 AM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??

i live in park slope now, but visit bay ridge often as friends live there, and i often think of moving there. "cool" is such a vague term, but i personally really like bay ridge for its diversity of food, more laid back pace, views of the water, diversity of housing stock, and actually being able to chat with people who arent overly stressed. the train ride really isnt all that bad, but i mainly hang out in the lower end of manhattan, not uws or ues.

Posted by: goldie at July 22, 2008 9:12 AM in response to Anyone cool living in Bay Ridge??