Dumbo: A Bridge Too Far?
Newsflash: Brooklyn’s not for everyone. This weekend The Times reports on a woman who lived in Manhattan for 17 years (mostly in Alphabet City) after moving to NYC from Australia; last year, however, she decided to uproot to Vinegar Hill after visiting a friend who had bought a condo in Dumbo. And now? “I feel…
Newsflash: Brooklyn’s not for everyone. This weekend The Times reports on a woman who lived in Manhattan for 17 years (mostly in Alphabet City) after moving to NYC from Australia; last year, however, she decided to uproot to Vinegar Hill after visiting a friend who had bought a condo in Dumbo. And now? “I feel trapped here in a way, she says, and apparently still spends a great deal of her time in Manhattan, despite the fact that she rents a studio for work only a few blocks from her Front Street home. She’s also been slow to explore nearby neighborhoods like the Heights and Dumbo, and says she occasionally feels unsafe in her new ‘hood. More than anything, the article is a curio for the Times’s real estate section, which so rarely expends ink on neighborhood stories that aren’t seen through a rose-colored lens. The question is, now that the real estate market is cooling, are we going to see more and more of these Brooklyn backlash stories?
She Left Her Heart in Manhattan [NY Times]
Photo by DumboNYC.
This was a ridiculous article and most of the comments here are absurd and totally uninformed. I live in this building and have heard from Grace that she was dismayed by the story and felt she was misquoted. When she stated that she feels trapped, she says she was making a reference to feeling trapped in a mortgage after many years as a renter.
Our building is a little over one block away from the F train stop on Jay Street and about 20 feet from the dividing line between Dumbo and Vinegar Hill. There is nothing desolate about the neighborhood, especially this part of it, unless you consider Dumbo desolate. There ARE street lights and Vinegar Hill is no more surrounded by the projects than Dumbo and Fort Greene are. Despite our proximity to Dumbo we also have absolutely no noise from the BQE and the bridges. Vinegar Hill and Dumbo are very well policed and there is a strong community in Vinegar Hill with an active neighborhood watch.
Several apartments in this building flipped since we all closed last summer and every one netted at least a $100,000 profit.
I love brooklyn but I wouldn’t want to live in Vinegar Hill. Dumbo’s far enough from the subway, it only has the F. I can’t blame her for being unhappy, but it’s no reflection on Brooklyn, but merely one of Brooklyn’s least desirable neighborhoods.
I feel so bad for her. A great apartment and selling those BUDDHAS for 2k-8k she is doing ok… If she wasnt single she probably would be happy in that apt… I dont get it the NYT is a joke seriously. A single woman moving to a desolate area what was she expecting. The factthey classify all of Bklyn like that is a joke.
I feel so bad for her. A great apartment and selling those BUDDHAS for 2k-8k she is doing ok… If she wasnt single she probably would be happy in that apt… I dont get it the NYT is a joke seriously. A single woman moving to a desolate area what was she expecting. The factthey classify all of Bklyn like that is a joke.
Seriously! Go back to Manhattan. If you like to spend all of your time there, why move to Brooklyn? I live in Dumbo and love it. It’s perfect for my lifestyle. And I love exploring the surrounding areas- the Heights, Cobble Hill, Ft. Greene. I would much rather hang out in these ‘hoods then in Manhattan. But it is not for everyone. If I were younger and single still, I would suck it up and pay the Manhattan rents to be in the middle of the action. This idiot “psychic” needs to move back to Alphabet City!
Seriously! Go back to Manhattan. If you like to spend all of your time there, why move to Brooklyn? I live in Dumbo and love it. It’s perfect for my lifestyle. And I love exploring the surrounding areas- the Heights, Cobble Hill, Ft. Greene. I would much rather hang out in these ‘hoods then in Manhattan. But it is not for everyone. If I were young and single still, I would suck it up and pay the Manhattan rents to be in the middle of the action. This idiot “psychic” needs to move back to Alphabet City!
guest 12:42 – You new here? Everyone knows anecdotal evidence on blogs trumps ComPStat.
thank you for not liking my neighborhood. i won’t have to deal with more clueless dipships congesting my sidewalk. now i can get back to enjoying the place.
As a pretty old broad too bitter to laugh at much, I would just like to say I LOVE my very real neighborhood (RED HOOK), and plan to stay until I’m under water.