The Myrtle Miracle?
“Gentrification is always a hot topic and Myrtle Avenue has actually done a better job at achieving a blend of the new and the old. While there are still liquor stores with bullet proof glass, lots of bodegas and 99 cent stores, there’s also Gnarly Vines, Jive Turkey, Root Stock & Quade and Barking Brown….
“Gentrification is always a hot topic and Myrtle Avenue has actually done a better job at achieving a blend of the new and the old. While there are still liquor stores with bullet proof glass, lots of bodegas and 99 cent stores, there’s also Gnarly Vines, Jive Turkey, Root Stock & Quade and Barking Brown. Castro’s is probably the best Mexican around and Zaytoon’s tops the Middle Eastern category. I’m not a huge fan of chain stores but I gotta admit Walgreen’s is convenient. While I’m loyal to Moe’s, Rope does have better beers on tap and a backyard. Vesper is the Frank’s of Myrtle (well you can’t really have a Frank’s anywhere else but you get the point). Pillow Cafe is the Smooch of Myrtle. The only thing lacking on Myrtle Avenue is transportation.” — The Real Fort Greene
Wasder that is a great question we’ve also wondered about. Do you think the unending road construction along that stretch has much to do with it? The street scene is also lacking but maybe with the BID things will pick up faster now.
“This all raises the question of why a corridor with limited public transport thrives while Fulton street with its copious amounts of public transportation languishes..”
Those lamp posts were put in just a couple years ago.
I used to live on Myrtle and would often take the 54 (Myrtle bus) and 61 (Park Ave bus) from Jay St. when I didn’t want to bother with the G – maybe not the best option during the day when the buses were painfully overcrowded, but come 9 or 10PM when I was getting home from work, it was definitely the most efficient option.
This all raises the question of why a corridor with limited public transport thrives while Fulton street with its copious amounts of public transportation languishes…
Lived for 5 years off Myrtle, near the BQE. Rode my bike everywhere because it took so long to get to the subway. Tried all manner of bus and etc. to get around. (Yes, there was and probably still is a bus on Myrtle. One on Flushing, too, that goes to Red Hook, as I recall) Eventually the lack of transpo wore me down. Recently went back and shocked at how much it’s changed… But the lack of transpo would keep me from ever going back.
The B52 bus that runs on Myrtle is a decent option when one actually comes. It makes an appearance so rarely that I’ve walked many times from Waverly to Flatbush without encountering a single B52. So public transport is a bit of a problem in that area. The B61 on Park Ave. can be a handy way to get to Williamsburg/ Greenpoint if you hit it right, though.
those lamp posts aren’t original. you can tell by the garland wrapped around them. the real old lamp posts you sometimes see around the city didn’t have those garlands. these repros were brought in to make the area look more cutesy and NYC-authentic. i guess the original style wasn’t cutesy enough though, hence the garlands.
is there anyone who’s a real NYer who really thinks bodegas are cheap??? I love it. also, went to the pioneer on lafayette and grand recently b/c some friends said it had cleaned up and didn’t smell like urine anymore. that was true, but their prices for organic products were staggering. I compared a few items afterwards to freshdirect and fairway and in some cases DOUBLE, i.e. pasta sauce 10oz – 10.99 at pioneer, 4.99 at freshdirect. talk about gouging…
there are some real jewels on myrtle. and there’s something strangely beautiful about the streetlamps — remniscent of smith street.
i think the major lacking element is sidewalk dining. i emailed the the BID a while ago to try and figure out why this was the case…but apparently there’s enough space, just not enough restaurants take advantage of it (and i believe the license is expensive).
i don’t mind bodegas here and there, though i agree the product v. price is staggering. i just don’t understand the need to have 3 on the same block, and moreover, how they stay in business…