Watch Out for the Swarming Volvos
Wrapping up what will heretofore be known as class warfare week on Brownstoner…We followed Set Speed’s post on Tuesday about the punk rock ass crack phenomenon (huh?) and wound up reading this excerpt from Hip Hop Diary that was written back in February in response to the Clinton Hill profile in the Times: If the…
Wrapping up what will heretofore be known as class warfare week on Brownstoner…We followed Set Speed’s post on Tuesday about the punk rock ass crack phenomenon (huh?) and wound up reading this excerpt from Hip Hop Diary that was written back in February in response to the Clinton Hill profile in the Times:
If the median income in this area is a bit over 40 grand, and the median price for a small-ass condo is half a million and it’s over a million for buildings, who’s buying property here now? And what does that bode for the neighborhood’s celebrated “economic and cultural diversity?” You know what I see when I walk around here now? Tons of not-exactly-fresh-outta-high school Pratt students (getting an MFA must be the same as getting an MBA was 20 years ago). Rich white dads with baby backpacks. People standing in front of the Clinton-Washington stop asking for directions to Myrtle Avenue. Nannys wheeling children in expensive strollers. And lots and lots of Volvos. They’re already swarming. I’ve gotta get out of here.
Comment: Hey, don’t look at us, we’ve got a used Subaru.
Biggie Shoulda Been Buying Real Estate [Hip Hop Diary]
Recurring Ass Crack Theme [Set Speed]
Wow how terrible people who work for a living moving into your neighborhood – OMG the ‘hood is going down hill!
BTW – If all those white dads were truly rich then they wouldnt be living in Clinton Hill or anywhere near Myrtle Avenue.
I want to echo Sassy here.
This has truly devolved into an asinine discussion. What do you think you can really learn about a neighborhood via Google maps and satellite photos? Guess what? You have to visit the neighborhood to get a feel for it and understand how it works.
I live in Carroll Gardens one block from the Gowanus Houses. If I had made a housing decision based on a map and the proximity to the projects, I would not be where I am today (and very happy).
There are plenty of projects all over Brooklyn. Some are better than others. To dismiss an entire neighborhood because from a satellite you see a large cluster of projects is ridiculous.
To Sassy: I scanned your blog a bit. I think you’re better off doing a short term rental/sublet somewhere for a few months to really get a sense of the place. You may find your more of a Brooklyn Heights person, who knows? And given the real estate market, if your going to buy something now, you may be stuck with it for a while if the market dives, so better to not make a mistake.
To “anonymous” who writes that the projects are on the other side of the tracks, you’re exactly right. In my years too it’s never been an issue.
To the other “anonymous” who writes that “To pretend there are no projects and to imply that the UES/UWS are the danger spots in NYC, is damn foolish” — I didn’t say that. What I was trying illustrate is that a cluster of buildings on a google map isn’t quite doing due diligence. My other point is that danger lurks… it doesn’t just sit there in CH waiting for you.
Oh and to BigBubba, love it. Hilarous. Good luck, Sassy. Enjoy the exploring. You’re fine on Clinton or Washington. Beautiful neighborhood, nice people and some wonderful restaurants.
Eeks – SanDiego – bigger bubble city than NY.
No, you won’t “see” projects if you live on Clinton or Washington. Just walk around the neighborhood if you visit, you’ll get a feel for where you feel comfortable. Everyone has different comfort levels. If you’ve lived in a less urban environment and you move to Brooklyn, many areas are going to seem much more urban and different than what you are used to. I’ve lived in Carrol Gardens, Ft. Greene and now Clinton Hill and love all of those neighborhoods – as well as the other Brownstone Bkln nabes…
I just checked the google maps satellite view on Park Slope and guess what… You can see massive swarming clusters of Volvo station wagons. And every 5 seconds, the wagons seem to divide into Bugaboos and all-terrain strollers. It seems to be multiplying and spreading beyond the Park Slope borders like a… like a cancer.
OMG
For those who are checking out projects via satellite photos, those projects are in really not even seen by the people who live in landmarked Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. They really are on the “other side of the tracks” (i.e. other side of Ft. Green Park, near downtown, and the BQE/Navy Yard) and don’t result in big neighborhood problems from the 6 yrs I’ve been in the neighborhood. Totally misleading to say the neighborhood is dominated by projects, when it in reality is not at all.
To pretend there are no projects and to imply that the UES/UWS are the danger spots in NYC, is damn foolish