NY Magazine Discovers Prospect Lefferts Gardens
NY Magazine–along with editors of trendy magazines–discovers the neighborhood of Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Noting the diversity of housing stock, the closeness of residents and the sub-million-dollar price tags, the weekly seems to agree with one transplanted Manhattanite who promises (threatens?) to import his many tastemaking friends to the nabe: “It’ll be the next best thing.”…
NY Magazine–along with editors of trendy magazines–discovers the neighborhood of Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Noting the diversity of housing stock, the closeness of residents and the sub-million-dollar price tags, the weekly seems to agree with one transplanted Manhattanite who promises (threatens?) to import his many tastemaking friends to the nabe: “It’ll be the next best thing.”
Comment: Wow, what a edgy pioneer!
Excellent Prospects [NY Magazine]
Eric, I wasn’t trying to imply necessarily that Mr. Nixon himself was a racist, but that the process of American gentrification is historically rooted in race and class relations. Anonymous was right in pointing to the colonial idioms used to describe the process. The journalist and Mr. Nixon use words like “sophisticated,” “tastemaking,” and “underdeveloped” in the article. Clearly, these are euphemisms that differentiate Us (i.e., the writer, the subject, and the readers) from Them. I would strongly argue that Them is the racial and socioeconomic Other. The “native,” if you will.
So you see, I can, indeed, bend spoons with my mind. All it takes is the ability to decode the subtext of the article.
Funny, there are some thoughtful people like Gary welcoming people to the neighborhood and then there’s this other riff-raff who warns that you’re buying a house, that’s it, and you can’t expect to think what you want or do what you want… Hmmm. Really? Or else what exactly?
Truth is my wife and I were oh so close to buying a home in PLG but it was one block outside the historic district. One block, big deal you’re thinking right. Not at all. The homes in the historic district were beautiful indeed and the blocks pretty pristene and the people friendly. However, this one block outside we found trash on the street, all the street signs had been tagged with paint, the homes weren’t maintained at all, no one said hello (even when we said hello first), etc etc.) Moreover, do some research on the schools in PLG. Unless you can afford private school, forget about it. It’s terrible.
PLG overall is sort of blocked from Prospect Park (not as entry-friendly as the lovely neighborhood across the way). Flatbush Avenue leaves tons to be desired and if it is changing, well, it’s at a snail’s pace. Yes, the museum, zoo and children’s museum are close but good look finding a good restaurant or local amenities. You’ve got your handful of $.99 stores and enough beauty parlors to make you wonder how they can all compete. But hey to each his own. Not my cup of tea (and certainly not if I can’t think how I want or do what I want).
I think PLG is beautiful – mostly beautiful… but it does feel like a relatively small island in the midst of a lot of multi story apartment buildings. I love the architecture of PLG, and for awhile, it was my first choice when we were looking to move out of the Slope. But the more time I spent there, the more I felt that the blocks that interested us architecturally were not really integrated into the overall neighborhood. I still pine for the beautiful detached Georgian house I could have grabbed for under $700k several years ago. It was without equal. But the fabulous sense of community we found in another multi-ethnic Brooklyn neighborhood is what we opted for in the end. It was definately the right choice for us.
…or that they can think however they want and do whatever they want. They are buying a house. That’s it.
PLG does not have SOME beautiful blocks . . PLG is MOSTLY beautiful! I agree with the point that there is a current lack of services in our ‘hood. That truly is a pain. But we’re also witnessing a subtle creep towards improvement. And, our location is just fine, thank you very much! 20 minutes to Wall Street by subway; bordered by Prospect Park to the west and the BBG to the north. Walk to the GAP, the library, the tennis courts, the lake, and the zoo in minutes!
I certainly agree with those posters who say that PLG is a pretty well-established community AND that we also welcome newcomers. Let’s just hope that when these courageous new gentrifiers arrive, they will appreciate the strong family spirit that pervades the PLG and leave their anti-community elitism off our “island.”
PLG does not have SOME beautiful blocks . . PLG is MOSTLY beautiful! I agree with the point that there is a current lack of services in our ‘hood. That truly is a pain. But we’re also witnessing a subtle creep towards improvement. And, our location is just fine, thank you very much! 20 minutes to Wall Street by subway; bordered by Prospect Park to the West and the Botanic Gardens to the north. Walk to the GAP, the tennis courts, the lake and the zoo in minutes!
I certainly agree with the posters who says that PLG is a pretty well-established community and that we also welcome newcomers. Let’s just hope that when they arrive, they leave their anti-community elitism off our “island.”
Hey Eric,
I agree with you on the “veiled” racism. Of course, it’s hard for many of Brownstoner’s readers to see because they share similar sentiments. The tone that speaks to the spirit of being “pioneers”, “discovering”, bringing “tastemaking” friends tells it all!
JNO will soon find out what the rest of us know — his friends from Manhattan will come out exactly once (for the first big party) and then make excuses for the next 10 years. He should have moved to Brooklyn Heights if he wanted visitors.
Whether JC is right or wrong about “veiled racism” that New York Mag article is annoying on so many levels, but mostly because of that last sentence, which makes me want to hurl all over Jason Nixon Oliver and his tastemaker friends.