Do Families Need to "Escape" From Brooklyn?
If your only source of information was the New York Times real estate section, you’d know that Brooklyn families are constantly thinking about one thing: should we leave? The latest article in The Gray Lady’s ongoing, informal series on leaving Brooklyn is a thoughtful essay by writer David Zweig on escaping from the horrors of annoying downstairs neighbors and the hardships…
If your only source of information was the New York Times real estate section, you’d know that Brooklyn families are constantly thinking about one thing: should we leave? The latest article in The Gray Lady’s ongoing, informal series on leaving Brooklyn is a thoughtful essay by writer David Zweig on escaping from the horrors of annoying downstairs neighbors and the hardships of finding an elementary school other than the “up-and-coming” one in their neighborhood.
The NYT’s previous story in their “leaving Brooklyn” series
After searching elsewhere in the city for a sub-million-dollar home, the Zweigs house-hunted in New Jersey and then upstate along the MetroNorth line. They finally settled on a home in Hastings, N.Y. that was more expensive than they’d planned.
But lo, their “grand prewar two-bedroom” in Prospect Heights sold for several hundred thousand dollars above ask — at exactly the same price as their new place, in fact.
Despite some misgivings, the Zweigs had no trouble settling in — the ice breaker at a school potluck was “what neighborhood of Brooklyn are you from?”
The Zweigs, it turns out, are not unusual — moving out of the city is an accepted migration pattern for families, one that Brownstoner has covered for years. Many families long for yards and other suburban amenities once their kids reach a certain age.
As a whole, Brooklyn has seen some ups and downs in overall population, according to a study from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Between 2006 and 2014, Brooklyn saw a 7.6 percent growth in population — outpacing the other boroughs and New York state as a whole. However, in 2014, more people moved out of Brooklyn than into it, resulting in a net negative migration.
That said, the forecasts for Brooklyn’s population growth predict that it could exceed Chicago’s population within the next five to 10 years.
Have you considered leaving? Why?
[Source: NYT | Photo: The Great Escape | Barbara Eldredge ]
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To my mind, this was not actually an article about real estate. (That was just a cover.) It was about a white guy whose kids were getting to be school age and who couldn’t deal with all the poor black kids at his local zoned public one. Hence, he decided to move to the suburbs, where he knew his children would be surrounded with other middle and upper middle class white ones. What a happy ending!
Im quite dismayed by lots of comments ive read about this article. Yes this person is fortunate/lucky/has earned (perhaps) the socio economic rank that he belongs to. But why villify him for that? Do those who have some substantive economic means not have the right to be unhappy/depressed/want change/have gripes/etc? I truly dont understand why those who possess some monetary means automatically get dismissed as cry babies.
Reminds me of an actor who a few years ago revealed that he suffers from depression and people attacked him as being rich and famous so he had no right to have depression.
Villifying the rich is nonsense. All people have issues and try to deal with them as best they could. If his loud downstairs neighbor was the final straw for him, so be it. We all have some qualm that others would find silly. And considering we are new yorkers, pretty much anything we complain about would likely seem insane to someone in a 3rd world country. Its all relative.
The issue here is a lack of introspection despite available means. NYC inequality is such that there is enough poverty which is comparable to the 3rd world, particularly when factoring the high cost of living and an inability to meet basic needs. And this has been the case for a long time – certainly more than 7 years. Disparaging housing options and available schooling which are “beneath” this transplanted suburbanite, yet would be palatial for an extended family holding down multiple jobs, is disrespectful.
It is also surprising that this person claims to make a living as a writer – unless his art form is carefully curated mediocrity. Less use of the thesaurus would be ideal. This is an objective assessment, regardless of how annoying the content comes across.
I think your last statement counters what you said above. “It’s all relative” is what I think all negative comments about this guy are about. He doesn’t understand that idea. Within each human being is a ‘center’ (philosophically, economically, even geographically). They see the world shaded by their own experiences, and judge situations based on how far away they are from their own personal ‘center’. Some people are able to step outside themselves for a moment and say “well, it’s all relative, and I can see how my views are affecting this situation.” This helps them come to a better understanding of themselves and a solution to whatever thing they think is a problem.
I think the main reason there are so many negative comments is because he wrote an article about this. Sure you can be rich and complain about something. But then get your act together and figure out a solution. No one would be bothered by this person if he had just realized that things were not working out for what he wanted his life to be like, and then he moved. Done. No talking about it, no writing about it to millions of people, no trying to defend his decisions or come up with reasons as to why he’s getting ‘pushed out’. But by writing about it he’s saying “see, isn’t this such a problem? I had to go through such hardships.” In the end he doesn’t really come off as happy about his decision. When you have to keep saying “I’m happy about my decision” that sounds like you’re just trying to convince yourself of this fact.
I also should add that there are different kinds of complaining out there. And when someone is called a ‘cry baby’ it is because they are complaining in a certain way (one that removes personal responsibility). I’m sorry if that is vague or if you don’t understand what I mean. I think greewoodgeneral said it more eloquently.
“why villify him for that?”
jealousy? bitterness with their own situations? insecurities?
Bedstuy13, why are you so rude toward suburbanguy? He’s made a choice he’s happy with. as many that do move out of NYC. As with anything the choices we make in life are based on our circumstances. So stop berating others that don’t want to life the same city lifestyle as yours. Maybe people with attitudes like yours is what turns off people from city life.
“you can just walk around the corner and you’ll have hundreds of restaurants to chose from”
Just curious, but which (100s of) restaurants do you have right around the corner from your home?
NO ONE in NYC has that. Can’t fit that many on one block.
Really? As someone who moved to NYC, as many people do, relatively late in life (my 30s) for work, I absolutely agree there are lots of reasons to like living here. And I do. Most of the time. I also miss so many things about the (much!) smaller cities in which I lived prior to moving to NYC. They too were fascinating, wonderful-in-many-ways-frustrating-in-others places to live. In the end, the reason my family isn’t moving out of the city is not because we love NYC so much, it is — again, perhaps like many people — because it’s the place we work and it’s not easy to uproot two working adults and kids to another place and think through commutes if you’re moving to the suburbs or new jobs if you’re moving farther afield.
Oh, and by the way, all this and just 30 minutes from Manhattan by car or train…
I am sure this is what you’ve convinced yourself but reality is that it takes you over an hour to get to Manhattan driving at 2am and with no traffic on the highway.
You are not there by choice and you know it…if you had the choice, you’d still be in Brooklyn as you won’t need the car that you use to drive 5 miles to a restaurant….you can just walk around the corner and you’ll have hundreds of restaurants to chose from; you don’t need the car to drive to Manhattan, the subway will get you anywhere, anytime. You don’t need to the car to go to a supermarket, you’ll just pick up your groceries on the way home from work unless you use the supermarket trip as a big family event as there is nothing else to do in your town …..