Brooklynites Jumping Ship to Manhattan?
Could it be that many self-proclaimed Brooklyn loyalists are ready to trade it all in at the first sign of a recession? Was the borough’s surging popularity in recent years merely a function of Manhattan becoming unaffordable? Or is Brooklyn still a first choice for many? The Real Estate section cover story from yesterday’s New…
Could it be that many self-proclaimed Brooklyn loyalists are ready to trade it all in at the first sign of a recession? Was the borough’s surging popularity in recent years merely a function of Manhattan becoming unaffordable? Or is Brooklyn still a first choice for many? The Real Estate section cover story from yesterday’s New York Times certainly tries to create the impression that, given the chance, a number of folks who professed to like Brooklyn in recent years are finding the lure of affordable rents and proximity to work just too much to resists. Take Andrew Baisley, who describes himself as a “cheerleader for Brooklyn.” The Bushwick resident, though, just last month jumped at the chance to rent a $2,100-a-month one-bedroom in Chelsea. When you go to Manhattan, there’s an air of selling out, he says. I’ve accepted that. Let’s try to get a sense of how many fair-weather Brooklynites there really are out there:
Manhattan Calling [NY Times]
Wow. That’s a lot of comments and I’m way late to the party, but I have to jump in.
I’m Andrew Baisley, the “cheerleader for Brooklyn” and I agree with most of the comments here, but not all of them.
I’ve been in Brooklyn since 2002 (for the most part; I was in Astoria for a year). Most of that time was in Bay Ridge. Believe me, I loved living in Brooklyn and I still love visiting Brooklyn often.
No, I’m not a life long resident, but I’m also no hipster. As many of you guessed I’m a young professional without a family, so moving for the convenience factor is an easy decision for me.
I do have a sink in my bathroom (quite a nice one, actually). When I moved I upgraded to a nicer building, what I consider to be a better (and quieter) neighborhood, a newer apartment and an apartment with a large private outdoor space. It also happens to be an 8 to 11 minute commute to my office from the new apartment. I often bike there.
Would I raise my family here? Probably not unless I had a lot more money to blow. Would I raise my family in Brooklyn? You bet I would – and I plan to.
I’ll be back. But, for now, I’m a 20-something single guy, making decent money with a killer apartment in one of Manhattan’s most happening neighborhoods. For me it was a no-brainer. Did I mention I was single?
Andrew
The What, I think we just shut this sucker of a subject down! Makes my day.
I mean Amen iz, Amen. Man What take the meds!
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
“All this shuttling back and forth over the bridge is like the H&M of housing for the ADD generation — no real style, no real roots, just a constant search for the next cool thing with the least amount of commitment.”
BHO Amen Brother, Amen!
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
“The highs and lows of the business cycle soften as modern capitalism matures.” – lechacal
This time is different? Never. Classic head fake.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Crownlfc: that’s exactly what I think about this whole banal excuse for a subject (nytimes running out of ideas almost as fast as they’re running out of money).
Where people say they like to live makes no difference on the neighborhood. The best neighborhoods are often those where people have to live, for whatever reason, with no expectations and no requirements, and they make it the best place they can with what they’ve got. Those areas are sincere, authentic, charming for the modesty and hard work of the people who “end up” there. All this shuttling back and forth over the bridge is like the H&M of housing for the ADD generation — no real style, no real roots, just a constant search for the next cool thing with the least amount of commitment.
Screw ’em all. If you can’t fall in love with your neighborhood to the point where you want to make long term commitments to community organizations or neighbors or small businesses, then PLEASE DO US A FAVOR and keep reading these trashy rags and keep shuffling around like the brainless energizer bunny you are. We can see you a mile a way and we’ll just step aside as you ram your head into the next new thing.
I don’t see the what the big deal is with this “Loyalty” nonsense: If you have lived in/moved to Brooklyn because you couldn’t afford/got priced out of Manhattan, then go back the the first chance you get and don’t apologize for it, especially if you’re a renter (Brookly landlords don’t give your love of the borough any consideration when they raise your rent) so do what’s best for you. If you live in Brooklyn because you love Brooklyn, then I assume you’ll be here regardless.
“Actually, I think that the point is that now it is often the people who WERE popular in high school and were NOT picked on that amke up the bulk of the hipster population in Billyburg and the LES, etc.
this is why many hipsters suck.
Park Slope/Carrol Gardens/Brooklyn Heights?
OR
Upper West Side Manhattan?!
Would take any of those over the UWS personally.