House of the Day: Bay Ridge Beauty
Wow. The more Bay Ridge listings we see, the more we are impressed. (Is it just us, or does it seem like more of them are popping up with the bulge bracket brokers?) After already publishing the Open House Picks on Friday (in which we attributed this place to Jabour Realty), we came across the…
Wow. The more Bay Ridge listings we see, the more we are impressed. (Is it just us, or does it seem like more of them are popping up with the bulge bracket brokers?) After already publishing the Open House Picks on Friday (in which we attributed this place to Jabour Realty), we came across the same house on Corcoran for almost $100k more. Go figure. Anyway, this one-family limestone has some impressive original wood detail, especially on the parlor floor. (Though there is one shot of a wall of exposed brick in the kitchen which makes us glad we decided not to expose any brick in our house.) It seems like these Bay Ridge 3-story rounded-front limestones are similarly priced to those in Prospect Lefferts. Bay Ridge is probably safer and has more infrastructure, but Lefferts is more convenient for Manhattan and Prospect Park access. Which nabe do you think deserves a higher valuation?
78th Street [Corcoran]
I lived in Bay Ridge for 5 yrs, then moved to Astoria. It is funny to read posts that describe BR as a conservative and uptight community.
I disagree. I have never heard so many foul mouthed people in my life, mothers with kids in tow using incredibly vulgar language in common conversation at the bus stop, the supermarket…
Several times when out at a bar on 3rd Ave I had been asked where I was from. I wondered why these people thought I wasn’t from BR and each time I was told that women in BR look slutty and I didn’t.
There are two wonderful things about BR:
1) Provence en Boite – it is a fabulous little french restaurant on 3rd ave.
2) Shore Road – if you are going to move to BR, this is the street you want to be on . The express bus runs along it and the views of the Narrows are great.
Bay Ridge IS Brooklyn, as Brooklyn as it could be.
and as historical as it could be.
One of the oldest towns of Brooklyn. Look at the old maps.
We moved to PS from BR. Pure financial decision: the space, quality of space that we’ve got in PS is much better and cheaper that what we could get in BR. Sounds strange, but there is an explanation coming:
Townhouses are much smaller in BR. $750K for one family is more in monthly payments then $1300K for 3 family if you substract PS high rents. So far, we are paying less for more space for us and better financial appreciation.
The same is even more true for a detached houses.
Most are one family, or rents are too low to make real difference.
Otherwise BR is very good place to be. Safe, green, tons of restorants, old beautifull houses below 3rd ave, big lots, shore road park, owls head park, bike pass, shore botanical garden.
Commute: somehow nobody mentioned express buses. It took me literally 20 minutes door to door from my coop to my office in financial district. Bus time is 11-12 minutes. And you always have a backup of R train. There is an express bus to midtown as well.
I know, I had been wondering the same thing.
But to the Bay Ridge owners who wrote below, very nice. Sounds like you’re in a wonderful area. I’m just curious — did you elect to stay in Bay Ridge to continue residing in Brooklyn? I only ask because many people who move that far from the city elect to go to Staten Island or Long Island to get more for less (I know this isn’t always the case). I’m just curious what took you to Bay Ridge and if you had conversations about leaving the borough altogether. It really does sound like a great area. Nice move.
umm, how exactly did this thread come to be about Park Slope?
Here, here, with the complements to Bay Ridge. I have been a long time resident of Park Slope, since the late 70’s but We sold our brownstone for a huge profit, a couple of years ago to get a great limestone here in Bay Ridge. People have no idea the way the slope once was, it’s so fake, in my opinion. And yes the onslaught of carriages and dogs had made us sick. The new residents were to good to pick up after their own dogs. The amount of times I stepped into poo is absurd. A real shame what has happened to my beloved Slope. But we feel right at home here in Bay Ridge, and the Grand Kids love the parks, watching the boats come into the harbor. Sure, don’t get me wrong we made a huge profit on our home, when we sold it. But we found a better house here in Bay Ridge, for quite less. We put the money we made into our Grand Kids college fund.
i recently moved to bay ridge 2 years ago,i lived in park slope for 15 years,and my husband grew up there, i also work there
and when we started looking for a house we were quickly out priced, i have to say living in bay ridge has to be the best decision we made,i am a native new yorker,grew up in manhattan and bay ridge reminds me of what new york city used to be like …a cultural mix that is what makes this city so great, park slope has turned into this mommy stroller,dogs haven and you can’t even get a cup of coffee in the morning without tripping over someones child or dog rolling around on the sidewalk as if they owned the sidewalk, bay ridge is not like that. real people live here. we looked in LG but felt like the gentrification going on in LG,and bedsty were leaving the locals somewhat hostal,and why wouldn’t they feel that way,they are being pushed out of their homes for people who have more money to buy the homes they live in….i agree with the person who said bay ridge is like a little secret, and i don’t think that anyone else other than my family has to be impressed with where i live. i love it!
I was pretty close to buying in Prospect Lefferts on Fenimore Street but the house (which by the way is beautiful and still available last I saw) was one block outside the landmark district and the other homes on the block were somewhat rundown. Garbage on the streets. Spraypaint on some of the buildings. My wife and I argued for days before putting the kabosh on the deal prior to contract. Safety was somewhat of a concern but perhaps it was my own fear of going somewhere new — not quite sure. I stopped people on the street, all of whom were quite lovely. We had a beer at a local bar. We both loved the east/westside trains. If the market stays hot, this neighborhood is going to take off… if it hasn’t already (and I’ve read prices have increased dramatically in last 12-18 months). My inlaws are from Bay Ridge. Been there only twice myself and the subway commute seemed pretty far but nice buildings and people. Don’t quite get all the liberal/conservative comments going on here. What’s wrong with Park Slope? What about the MTV generation/culture/whatever? It’s a pretty ignorant comment to refer to certain people as “socal whackos” because they’re a part of the MTV generation. Excuse me? Let me guess — you don’t want the children of BR being influenced by anyone but you and your ideals right? Brilliant.
To the anon poster who takes exception to my liking Lefferts and Park Slope over Bay Ridge, I think your hostility speaks for itself. By the way, I’m actually a political conservative, so I don’t really fit in too well in Park Slope. And believe it or not, a Republican mayoral candidate (and pal of mine) lives in Park Slope too. I do not entirely subscribe to the Park Slope “liberal granola-chomping” image, nor do many of my neighbors, and I feel that at that the extremes, both conservative and liberal alike can be extremely closed-minded. What I do have in common with my neighbors, who come from all walks of life, is a respectful appreciation of our differences. Bottom-line, given that I simply don’t fit anybody’s stereotype, I prefer living someplace where attitudes are more along the lines of live and let live.
I did not say there was anything wrong with living in Bay Ridge or preferring socially conservative environments. I simply expressed an opinion and a preference, for which I was attacked. That in and of itself says much about why I prefer to live in PS, not next door to you.
lovevibe–
sorry for sounding like a townie, but as someone who has purchased in Brooklyn and made a pretty serious commitment to it, i think it’s foolish to ignore where the city’s (all 5 boroughs’) center of gravity is. I can go weeks with out entering the borough of Manhattan (better?)but to think that proximity has no bearing on property value is foolish.
Furthermore, comparing BR to SI or Queens was not a slap at either of them, just that they ARE generally more conservative than Brooklyn and Manhattan, both socially and real estate-wise.