Park Slope Stroller Nazi Story Getting a Little Stale
We’re not exactly sure why this was a front-page article the the NY Times Sunday Real Estate section—seems more like City section material to us—but, there it was, another article making light of the number of strollers (and implicit bourgeois existence of their pushers) in Park Slope. The fact that there are a lot of…
We’re not exactly sure why this was a front-page article the the NY Times Sunday Real Estate section—seems more like City section material to us—but, there it was, another article making light of the number of strollers (and implicit bourgeois existence of their pushers) in Park Slope. The fact that there are a lot of young families (some of whose matriarchs aren’t averse to a little public nursing) in Park Slope just ain’t news anymore, so let’s just settle the fight for the soul of the slope once and for all in the hopes that another article never has to be written on the subject. In the words of The Times article, is Park Slope “Hipster Hell” or “Parent Heaven”? Update: As of 4:30 today, there were 216 votes for Parent Heaven and 158 votes for Hipster Hell.
The Park Slope Parent Trap [NY Times]
Photo by Kansas Liberal
I agree that NYT articles have a heavy slant towards Brooklyn, probably due to all the FL writers in Brooklyn.
Most of my writer friends live in Park Slope and Carroll Gardens so its not surprising to me they are writing about what they know.
Having fellow parent friends who live in PS and being a member of PS boards I think PS like any place has both good and bad points and to me it seems like its more good than bad. I do think it can be intimidating place to raise children if you are not confident in terms of your own parenting skills since there is a lot of opinions and judgement thrown around (what do you expect when you have a collection of well educated, intelligent, opinionated, socially aware people all in one concentrated area) and I do find some of PS people’s stance rigid and wearying at times even while I agree 100% with them.
I think BH area in some ways is more laid back than PS and I do find myself glad that I live in the somewhat anonmity of BH which to me is more like living in Manhattan. My neighbors are a tad friendlier than my Manhattan neighbors but they still keep a veneer of distance that I actually like and find comforting.
key food on 7th has been a great hotspot for me…
picked up some pretty good tail there…
if not, tried union hall?
on the list of *hot* spots in brooklyn i would add the pizza place on waverly and greene. those mexican guys are great! those mexican guys are the greatest!
“Whoever said he couldn’t get laid in Brooklyn is pathetic. Christ, just in the past month I’ve had more tail than a toilet seat.”
Really? What are the hot spots in Brooklyn? I’m talking about hot bars and lounges. I only preference because I know some of you fools like to camp out at local libraries, book stores and laundromats looking to score.
ha from the crown heights message board…
Actually, it wasn’t a Super Soaker, but some little asshole just threw at least a gallon of water on me at the intersection of St Marks and Grand. I saw about 20 kids running around throwing water on each other as I was trudging home from a long day of work with a huge sack of groceries and my dinner, but I (naively, admittedly) didn’t think they’d do it to just some stranger walking by. This kid, maybe 12 or so, stood five feet from me, holding up a bucket of water, and said, “Ya hot?” “Not that hot,” I said, and smiled, and he smiled too so I figured we were cool, and I started to cross the street and then I was *soaked.* It wouldn’t bug me so much if it had just been a cup of water or a water gun or whatever, but this was a full bucket and he totally soaked my bag (and thus my wallet, cell phone, calendar, etc. etc.). A couple of his friends were clearly shocked he’d gone ahead and done it.
I had to take my shoes off to keep walking (fortunately the sidewalk is fairly clear in that area) because my feet were slipping around in them, got about a block away, and called the police, mainly to get them to drive by over there and bust it up. And I know this is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things — I didn’t get mugged or hit in the head with a rock or whatever — but still. It’s a shitty thing to do. And I’m pissed off. And I really wish I had a Super Soaker right now so I could go back up there and find that little jerk.
honestly, most toddlers i’ve encountered in park slope are FAR more mature than most of the posters on here today.
toddlers are better than teenages
by a long shot.
Born and raised in Ditmas Park, I’ve lived in Park Slope for about 15 years. I don’t have a problem with families, mommies or kids, but what I do have a problem with is the overwhelming attitude of entitlement and “right of way” that many of the stroller pushing PS mommies I’ve encountered have. I shouldn’t have to walk in the street to pass by a gaggle of mommies with their broods who totally block the sidewalk and have absolutely no intention in the world of making room for others to pass by. I also shouldn’t have to suffer your unruly, unruled kids running amok while the mommies think that allowing them to do what they please where they please without any correction or reprimanding because they don’t want to harm their self esteem to the point where I have to find somewhere else to sit and think or read in peace.
Go forth and multiply as much as you please, but just don’t forget that just because you have a child doesn’t mean you are superior.
If I were to meet most of you at a party we’d probably have quite a civilized conversation. How is it that the anonymity of the Internet releases everyone’s inner vitriol? Same thing holds true for the thread on Gothamist. What gives?
“Can’t we all just get along?”
I’ve lived in Brooklyn since 1984, when I was in my mid-twenties: in Boerum Hill, Clinton Hill and (since 1993) in Park Slope. Honestly, there’s really not that much difference between any of the Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods, and I’ve lived in this area as a young struggling writer; a poor graduate student; a hard-working professional; a parent; and soon, I’ll be an empty nester as my kids go off to college. I’ve enjoyed Park Slope and the neighboring areas in all of my incarnations, and as I’ve contemplated where I might want to move once I have no kids at home, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s nowhere better — for me — than Park Slope. Sure, Clinton Hill is cool and has some nicer architecture; Fort Greene is more diverse; Williamsburg is more artsy; Red Hook is more down-to-earth; etc., etc. But we’ve got it all in Park Slope, including a larger, thriving commercial life of bars and stores and restaurants, and easy access to all of the other neighborhoods I’ve mentioned! Meanwhile, I’m GLAD young mothers feel safe breastfeeding in public here! I’m GLAD there are restaurants where families can take their kids — those of you who are parents know that you need to get out of the house with the kids sometimes! There’s also a reason I don’t go to Two Boots anymore: that was the place to go when I needed a place where my toddler could run around and get pizza dough from the kindly cooks and doting wait-staff. Now, I choose places without kids. I’m also GLAD there are cafes with wi-fi where freelancers can hang out. GLAD we’ve got Southpaw for music, and the Old Stone House for literary readings, and Prospect Park for luscious greenery; and the farmer’s market and the Co-op and Union Market and endless green grocers and bodegas for food; and all the great bars and restaurants on Fifth Avenue; I could go on and on, and I guess I already have, so I’ll stop.
But the real reason I’m staying in Park Slope is that I’ve made my home here, I like my neighbors, have fun cultivating my garden, know all of the local shopkeepers, enjoy being a regular at some of the top-rate local restaurants … and everyone who has settled in Brooklyn seems to feel the same way about their neighborhoods. It’s not that we’re wannabe Manhattanites; quite the opposite, I think most readers understand that once you’ve moved to Brooklyn, there’s no going back! Basically, everyone on this blog is a Brooklyn booster of some kind or another. I still fail to understand why that requires denigrating other neighborhoods.
Bottom line: there’s really no story here. Ever notice how many stories and columns in the New York Times end up mentioning or featuring Park Slope in one way or another? It’s just because so many of their reporters live here. And as usual with the NYTimes, they’re behind the curve in “reporting” cultural phenomena that have already been endlessly chronicled elsewhere. (Nonetheless, I expect to read a follow-up article chronicling the responses on this blog, in the same way that discussions on the Park Slope Parents listserv always end up in the larger media somewhere.)
Let’s all get a life, and enjoy this wonderful borough we call home.