4th ave park slope
I am contemplating a move to 4th ave/Union Street from Cobble Hill (renting). I have concerns about traffic sounds/air quality and safety. Also (looking forward) public schools there vs cobble hill. The apt itself seems like a great fit for us though and appealing to be near food coop and park, BAM, subways. Does anyone…
I am contemplating a move to 4th ave/Union Street from Cobble Hill (renting). I have concerns about traffic sounds/air quality and safety. Also (looking forward) public schools there vs cobble hill. The apt itself seems like a great fit for us though and appealing to be near food coop and park, BAM, subways. Does anyone have any experience with living in this area?
Thank you all for your input. Definitely confirmed my thoughts about poor air quality (no big surprises there!) Although the apt is great not sure if it is fantastic and the neighborhood feel is certainly lacking and can’t compare to Cobble Hill. Thanks again.
I lived near there for several years, and the area itself is ok and has actually improved a bit in the last few years. You have the Garden on Union, which is quite lush and beautiful in the summer, the subway nearby, and lots of coffee/ diner options. If you face the street, noise may be an issue. And the school is ps 282, which isn’t the greatest (although I hear that the pre-k is fantastic and they’re trying to improve the upper grades). Good luck!
I lived on the corner of Warren (5 blocks from Union) and 4th Avenue for 5 years. My bedroom overlooked 4th avenue. The amount of black dirt we were constantly cleaning up made me wonder what damage I did to my lungs. I felt like I was sleeping in the middle of a highway. You do eventually learn to tune out the traffic noise but it isn’t a great quality of life. I did it right out of college but I would not do it 15 years later.
Depending on where in Cobble Hill you lived, you may find that part of 4th ave particularly loud & busy. Union St. is a major two way cross road frequently used by buses and taxis to come up from 4th to the park (and vice versa). You also get a lot of car (and nightly post-bar foot traffic) crossing the Gowanus from Smith St. It’s definitely a convenient location, and you’ll be within walking distance to the heart of the 5th ave amenities, but I would definitely prefer that my bedrooms didn’t face the streets.
The Union St bus was cancelled last year as part of the city budget cuts. Still, that stretch of Union in particular has a very trafficky and less neighborly feel, to me at least. It’s close to lots of things, but I think in that immediate area you’d be giving up the scenic green feel that makes both CH and PS so charming. The apartment would need to be pretty fantastic for me to want to make that tradeoff. All that said, I do think that area has been getting nicer, less fringe-y.
Lived on Union mid-block 4th – 5th years back. Bus exhaust from Union St bus coming in my windows (higher floor) made quality of life challenging. Lungs much preferred side streets with less traffic, no busses, or trucks – they were just as bad. Would never consider any block of Union after that.
Can’t comment on safety – block is nothing like what it was 25 years ago.