New York’s Trendiest Borough: Brooklyn

Nicole Reddick

Hipsters near Bedford

When you take the L pass First Avenue in Manhattan, you do not really know where you’ll end up. When you’re passing Sixth Avenue, Union Square, and Third Avenue, you may not know the next stop out of the island is Brooklyn.

Step off the train at the Bedford stop and you find Williamsburg. It’s a little quieter than the city you left behind. It may not stay this way for long though with the increasing population of young adults.

They (they—being the local residents) say it’s a culture made up of college kids who could not afford to live in the East Village. So they moved out in groups and found themselves in Brooklyn. That’s exactly what local Diana Maduli says, as she visits the bars in the area.

“This is the new East Village,” she says, drink in hand.

She did not fit the stereotype of the hipsters. She would blend in in any bar, but in Williamsburg, she almost stood out because she did not have on the typical clothing of this new group. She notes the kids here are too cool to hang out in Manhattan, that’s why they’re chugging 2 dollar Miller Lites instead of sipping wine at an upscale wine bar in Midtown. Not that she could afford to do that either.

Converse sneakers, rolled up jeans, flannel shirts, and knee high boots describe the clothing of these hipsters. They are seen with hats and oversized black rimmed glasses. Many carry a camera, a guitar, or ride their bicycle. With a pack of American Spirit cigarettes, they are saving on costs until they end up running their Iphone bills up or buying too many Starbucks coffees.

They’re the graduated college students, from Ivy Leagues or New York University, who had parents who paid every dime, so they don’t worry too much about the recession. Or money in general. They’re in their twenties, so it is okay that they want to be artists, yet never really hold a steady job. They say they’re environmentally conscious even though they probably never recycled a single soda can.

Or a beer can for that matter—because Williamsburg residents love rooftop parties. It’s not a party until you’re so drunk you can’t remember what you’re saying and suddenly you’re talking politics with another guest. That means you’re well educated.

It’s not a stereotype. Well it is just a stereotype until you’re on the L train and step off and see it for yourself. It is a place where everyone who wants to wear vintage and be original, still resembles some sort of clone.

Suburban Life in Brooklyn Heights

New York City’s first suburb isn’t too far away. If you wanted, you could take a ferry and ride in style. Or you can take the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, F, M, or R and get there on the subway. Then walk towards the East River. It’s the place you can go if you want to find fall in the city in November. There’s a tranquil feeling to this sort of place. It’s the place you walk around and say to yourself—“I wouldn’t mind raising a family here.”

You don’t necessarily feel that as you walk down crowded streets between high rises and condos in other parts of the city. But in Brooklyn Heights, there is a place to park your car without fear that someone will vandalize it. Here, you may even have a garage and a backyard. It’s all the things a Midwestern home has by default.

Growing up in the Midwest, a city would not be considered an appropriate place to let children learn and play. But Brooklyn has a bit of a charm that says maybe this place would be better than somewhere in the middle of no where. Here is a place that can provide a cultural experience since it is part of America’s melting pot. Growing up in the city would have made anyone a different person than someone who spent the first eighteen years in Ohio.

Standing on the Promenade, you see a perfect view of Manhattan, as well as construction below. Behind the benches is a red brick Federal style townhouse with a family inside. Out stroll a mother, father, and two kids bundled up for the chilly air. All that was missing was the Golden Retriever barking at the door as the children wave goodbye. It all seems so picturesque. You can only imagine the father works on Wall Street and maybe the mother teaches grade school.

The Promenade marks a sign of gentrification. Tourists now flock there to grab photos of the Manhattan Skyline. Wealthy families find it is a wonderful place to commute to Lower Manhattan. To an outsider, that may make the neighborhood appear as more attractive. The only problem is, to a New Yorker, he or she won’t like tourists taking over.

Braving it in Bed-Stuy

Bed-Stuyvesant could be the heart of African-American life in Brooklyn. When you venture too far out of Manhattan, you wonder how safe you are when a place is very different from home. To paint the picture nicely, there are brownstones on the tree lined streets, which is similar to Brooklyn Heights or even Chelsea. The rents are low and the residents are diverse. You’ll also find a mix of Asian Americans and Caribbean Americans settled here.

You may have been told to avoid the area because of all the crime. In the 1960’s and 1970’s there were riots that made the neighborhood undesirable. But according to the NYPD, crimes of murder, rape, robbery, burglary, assault, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto had a 61% decrease from 1993 to 2001.

Of course there are little things that scare you off. You’ll see the ethnic population and contemplate how safe you are. You’ll notice the graffiti on the walls and wonder who is doing this. You will see a run down building and ask why no one has restored it yet.

Not to worry, revitalizations projects are underway for those who complained about living in Bed-Stuy. Luxurious condos are being built, as well as new buildings of consumption in the neighborhood. Business and housing corporations must make an area more desirable, otherwise the community will decrease.

From the view of an East Village resident, it must be nice renting a townhouse for the price of a tiny apartment on W. 13^th Street. Plenty of college kids live out there, hoping it will become the next hip location in Brooklyn. That’s something to look for next time you want to venture further on the A train.