What's it Like in Crown Heights?
That’s what Brooklyn Based has been asking, and two Crown Heights residents—a relative long-timer and a newcomer—are answering. The 12-year resident pays $864.72 for a fourth-floor walk-up, likes the transportation options and the West Indian Day Parade, and doesn’t like the violence, not surprisingly. Still she feels safe. The three-year resident moved to a one-bedroom…
That’s what Brooklyn Based has been asking, and two Crown Heights residents—a relative long-timer and a newcomer—are answering. The 12-year resident pays $864.72 for a fourth-floor walk-up, likes the transportation options and the West Indian Day Parade, and doesn’t like the violence, not surprisingly. Still she feels safe. The three-year resident moved to a one-bedroom for $1,100. She finds the lack of big box commerce—dry cleaners and fruit stands but few big chains—a reprieve from mall-ized Manhattan, and like the longtime resident, appreciates the new upscale restaurants moving in. But she makes a point: new residents, and the businesses that accommodate them, seem to have little to do with longtime residents. Crown Heights has long been known as a neighborhood of duality, with African-Americans and Orthodox Jews sometimes in conflict, sometimes in harmony, but now there seems to be another Crown Heights emerging. Thoughts?
Photo by sahadeva.
It sounds like the leitmotif of Crown Heights has always been change. There is no reason to think that the community will stop changing now. Who knows? the biggest changes may be yet to come.
1152 – Perhaps you can get that street to secede from the neighborhood.
The photo is a poor representation of CH.
Let me be more explicit – the photo is obviously taken from a construction site (new) and looks at buildings that have been there for donkey’s years (old).
How can you say its pedestrian with the three (or possibly four) different housing types including that intertesting shack with a large garden. This isn’t a blog for kids where the picture is needed to illustrate the story to aid comprehension. You clearly suspect some motive in chosing that particular picture.
Yes people are sensitive but geez…..a photo of the houses down New York Ave in CHN…..or even a shot in my area of CHS down President St. would have been quite nice too.
Plenty going on, dittoburg, but not a slice of life in a typical Crown Heights block. It is not overly sensitive to want a more accurate portrayal. A block full of nondescript architecture and a row of curb cuts and front yard parking doesn’t represent the majority of Crown Heights blocks. Neither would only a block of mansions, and nothing more, which would be easy to do, by the way. Something in the middle, as represented by the additional links offered, would have been better.
I would be equally disappointed if an article showing the people of Bushwick consisted only of tatooed, young white hipsters, as was the case in a recent magazine, as outed by Gawker, and posted here a couple of weeks ago.
However, Lisa addressed it, when brought to her attention, and I’m satisfied with her response, and won’t be mentioning it again.
Montrose:
That’s an interesting point about assimilationist tendancies in the 50’s. I’m trying to remember if I ever picked up a cultural cue — and I can’t think of a single one! There wasn’t the big parade on Eastern Parkway, as I recall. And none of my friends’ parents spoke with a lilt or British accent. But you’re right, differences were subdued back then, especially if you didn’t know how to look for them.
NOP
bxgrl, I would have loved to find a true native to interview, and we can still do that, and just add it to the site. If you know of anyone, you can email me at brooklynbased@gmail.com.
We are always on the lookout for longtime residents and newcomers to mid-to-outer Brooklyn neighborhoods. We’ve done Bushwick and PLG so far, but are actively looking for new, and willing interview subjects (which is easier said than done!)