Quality of Life--Or Lack Thereof
We’re sure we’ll get accused of being a heartless elitist and some wise-ass will tell us to move to the suburbs, but there are some quality of life issues that can make you question whether living in the big city is really worth it. In our temporary perch in South Williamsburg, for example, noise is…
We’re sure we’ll get accused of being a heartless elitist and some wise-ass will tell us to move to the suburbs, but there are some quality of life issues that can make you question whether living in the big city is really worth it. In our temporary perch in South Williamsburg, for example, noise is the biggest problem for sure. The one-in-the-morning commercial garbage pick-ups outside our bedroom window three nights a week, the next door neighbor with the mufferless motorcycle and the constant drilling and banging from neighboring construction sites are enough to drive anyone crazy. Even though we’re not living in the Clinton Hill house yet, homelessness has been by far the biggest problem there: During the past several months, we’ve had to dislodge three different people who decided our stoop was an ideal spot to sleep, eat, shoot up and relieve themselves–without even the decency to clean up after any of those activities. When asked to move on by us, initially quite non-confrontationally, we were often met with an indignant sense of entitlement, as though they had a right to be there. It’s mighty hard not to let one’s liberal values lapse when your 2-year-old has to navigate her way through crack pipes and pools of urine to make it in your front door.
But enough about us. Here are the top five complaints of Brooklynites from the recent straw poll conducted by Citizens for NYC and Baruch College and reported in today’s NY Post:
1. Dirty Streets
2. Potholes
3. Drug Dealing
4. Vandalism/Graffiti
5. Dangerous Intersections
Top City Gripes [NY Post]
Wow, I’m impressed. This thread has been pretty civil considering the “class” issues that could get raised.
Anyhow, I feel for you b-stoner. Even in 100% gentrified prime Park Slope, I have some of the same issues, partly because Prospect Park is a big local tourist draw on the summer weekends (and I live near the park) and partly because… well… it’s NYC… and there is garbage and litter everywhere and people love to hang out outside.
And, there is definately something about a stoop that cries out “communal property”. Back when I was in a bstone co-op, the neighbors from the next door rental building would use our stoop to hang out on – whether or not they were hanging with someone from my bldg. What was that about? I still haven’t figured it out.
And with my current building, our stoop seems to be extra-inviting to all manner of folks seeking a rest-stop on the way to/from the park. My wife (whom this drives crazy) chides me that I don’t seem to mind when it’s a pretty young scantily-clad female (and I must say that no… I don’t really mind… but don’t rat me out). Hey, as long as people don’t leave garbage and crap for me to have to pick up, or if they politely move out of the way so I can get by, and if they don’t smoke, and they’re not loud then I’m cool – they can hang as long as they want.
But, b-stoner, of course you have every right to be annoyed. And like someone else said, once you’ve moved in, the worst offenders will probably move on.
My pet own peave is garbage in the streets. Seventh Ave in PS is awful sometimes. The garbage cans on weekends are overflowing (what would it take to put extra cans on the corners), the local free newspapers are blowing all over the place in windy days, the curbs are filled with soda bottles, etc. And we keep having these freakin street fairs where the city barely makes an effort to clean up afterward. Also, people letting their dogs piss and crap right in front of my stoop. Why can’t they direct their dogs to the curb. I hate stepping from my stoop onto piss and crap. Sometimes I long for suburban tranquility (though I realize its not nearly as tranquil as it looks).
where i live the biggest problem i see is how 4th avenue can be a dangerous crossing for young and old alike. i’ll leave the QOL to others…
Brownstoner – your situation sounds horrible — I would get out of there as soon as possible. I’m sure your new place will be a big improvement.
No. I’m not saying there’s more homelessness now. And I’m homeowner in Brooklyn for over 11 years and a life-long resident of NY. It’s just you need to take a long view on these neighborhoods and how they’ve developed and how gentrification effects the population you’re moving in to.
“And maybe you should be griping about what the government and community leaders aren’t doing to help these people or how we haven’t found a way to balance the dipslacement and economic gap that comes with rapidly skyrocketing real estate prices…”
Reading between the lines, it sounds like the poster is drawing a connection between the fact that Brownstoner now owns the house and the fact that the guy relieving himself on the stoop does not have his own pot to piss in. Any hard evidence that there is actually more homelessness in CH now that it’s being gentrified?
I don’t know the area so for all I know you may be right but I wouldn’t automatically assume it. Displacement, yes, but I’m not sure that necessarily means homelessness.
Spare me the gentrification thing – owners/residents from any economic background hate their block or house to be used as toilet – in any ‘hood.
And enough with the exagerations -“10-15 years ago you didn’t go to visit someone at the Pratt Campus without a kevlar vest the neighborhood was so bad.” People in all neighborhoods of city are safer than 10-15 yrs ago – But I’ve visited friends by Pratt for past 30yrs and would never categorize so outragiously.
As long as we are griping, what about the mass of helicopters that sometimes congregates over the Brooklyn Bridge at 5:30 am? Sometimes there are 3 of them that make a quite a racket that’s rattles the windows where I live in Boerum Hill, a mile away. I called 311 once and was told the city had no jurisdiction and couldn’t help.
Well, while I feel for you because I’ve had my fair share of weedsmoking kids on my stoop and worse, and I know I’m going to get flack for this but I assume you moved to Clinton Hill because it was more affordable than some of the other Brownstone neighborhoods and usually that’s cause the neighborhood is what they like to call “rapidly gentrifying” (which is a nice way of saying a rough place that the upwardly mobile are now buying into). 10-15 years ago you didn’t go to visit someone at the Pratt Campus without a kevlar vest the neighborhood was so bad. So you gotta know what you’re in for based on the history of the place. Doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Doesn’t mean it’s not wrong for you to be a new and invested member of the community who wants to make things better. And I’d be pissed too if someone took a crap on my stoop. But considering the number of vacant lots, boarded up houses, and squats that used to dot Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, it’s been “their” neighborhood far longer than yours, hence the strange sense of entitlement, I’m sure. And maybe you should be griping about what the government and community leaders aren’t doing to help these people or how we haven’t found a way to balance the dipslacement and economic gap that comes with rapidly skyrocketing real estate prices that’s turning so much of Brooklyn into a playground for the elite.
I live a couple of blocks away from where I think your CH place is, Brownstoner, and we don’t get any of those problems. As the earlier poster suggests, hopefully you won’t have those problems when you move in.
I have two bugbears. No sooner do we put our garbage out than the bags are torn open and the contents spread all over the sidewalk. Picking up moldy chickenbones gets old fast.
The other is people driving down the block at 3am with car stereos so loud I can hear them at the back of the house. As we live near the stoplight at the end of the street we are treated to a minute or two of this every hour throughout the night.