Open House Picks: Houses

ok 2:49 let’s go at it. First off Bayside is in the hands down best school district in the city-district 26. many years running. look it up. Second, while you would be nuts to drive to Manhattan during rush hour, you can easily drive to midtown in 15 minutes from bayside for an evening out. I know I’ve done it. and yes I have lived there. Next issue, crime, Bayside and northern queens are way down on murder and rape as compared to most of Brooklyn, again look it up. Next issue, parks and recreation, the parks and recreation abound, you have Alley Pond park, you have Bayside marina, Little Neck Bay not to mention some darn beautiful blocks of tree lined streets where one can safely walk at 2:00 in the morning if one choose to. By the way, I don’t live there now, just giving folks the honest facts least they take your obviously jaundiced word for it. All they need do is go over easily available statistics. Again, if you folks want safety, beautiful streets, excellent schools within the city of New York, northern queens is an option with all of these amenities as well as cultural diversity. All for under a million. Stop the bulls..it. and tell things like they are.

Why do people here always HAVE to send their kids to public school for K-5? I went to private school, so did my husband. We could not bring ourselves to spend another million dollars unnecessarily, or live another hour further away from Manhattan, just to be in a good public school district. For which we make no apologies.

We had a certain budget to work with, we bought a beautiful house in a landmarked historic district in a so-called “fringe” neighborhood located a mere one express subway stop from Park Slope, and we’ll send our child to private schools. He’ll get exposed to economic diversity at home in the neighborhood he lives in, which is usually the reason people want their kids to have the public school experience; and at school he’ll get more focused attention in smaller size classes which is what we prefer anyway. It’s not for everyone, but that was our decision. There are lots of ways to do this, in the end it’s up to you all as individuals and what you and your own children’s needs are. And nobody should judge you for it! The cliquey conformist nature of this important decision in the Brooklyn brownstone community is disturbing. I’m glad we’re not going along with the lemmings on this one. I think I’d end up being very turned off by the fellow parents at these public schools.

Follow up on Northern Queens commute. 20 minutes to Grand Central by the LIRR, Bayside station or the good ol LIE straight shot into Manhattan through the midtown tunnel-15 minutes on a good night.

Bay Ridge certainly should be considered seriously by those looking for a house, but it is way far out and the transportation is a joke. I had an apt there when I first moved to NYC and I never got to Manhattan in under 45-50 minutes at rush hour, even when I switched to the N at 59th or 36th. If I were trying to get home late at night, forget it. We’re talking 20-30 minute waits for the R at 36th Street once I got off the N train. The neighborhoods of Crown Heights, PLG and Bed Stuy are closer to Manhattan, closer to Prospect Park, closer to Park Slope where all the best shopping and restaurants are, and each offer more than one measly subway. Plus sorry, the shops and restaurants in Bay Ridge are improving but are not the same as Park Slope. Bay Ridge is NOT Park Slope. You’re setting yourself up for ridicule saying that. Another thing Bay Ridge needs to do is get itself landmarked and get more tasteful renovations and facades on its houses. There have been so many ticky tacky renos done there over the decades, it’s dreadful. Some blocks are absolutely hideous.

where are the condo/co-op open houses?