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Subject: a few q's ...
hi, everyone. i'm someone looking to move to brooklyn in june to attend brooklyn college, and right now i'm just trying to gather as much info as i can before then. i've only really spent any time in manhattan, never in brooklyn, right now i'm currently in virginia and moving to japan for 6 months before returning to the states. the neighborhoods that seem most appealing to me so far seem to be prospect heights, park slope, and williamsburg, although the thought of being surrounded by hipster d-bags in williamsburg kind of lessens the appeal, but i suppose i'd put up with it if i have to. anyway, the main questions: 1. how is the safety in general in the aforementioned neighborhoods? are there any certain areas within the neighborhoods to avoid while apartment hunting? 2. how impossible would it be to find a decently sized studio or 1 bedroom for like 1400-1500 tops with utilities included in the neighborhoods? this is the prospect heights board, so i guess i'm mostly curious to hear about prospect heights, but any knowledge on park slope or williamsburg would help too. 3. from reading posts, seems like time warner is the most prevalent internet service, but that people seem pretty annoyed with it ... and i know fios isn't available in park slope, but is it available in prospect heights? and how is optimum online? sorry if this is a lot to read, i just wanna be prepared for the whole move when it comes. thanks everybody.Brooklynian » Forum » Prospect Heights »
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Subject: Re: a few q's ...
hipster d-bags in williamsburg???? "uh hi, I've never spent any time in brooklyn but I'm going to insult people who live there. Wanna be my friend?" -
Subject: Re: a few q's ...
bullyboy » hipster d-bags in williamsburg???? "uh hi, I've never spent any time in brooklyn but I'm going to insult people who live there. Wanna be my friend?"
We insult each other all the time! Maybe he meant dime-bags. Which would be totally cool. Maybe he meant dinosaur bags, makes no sense but he could be crazy.
Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
haha, sorry, i just know that williamsburg is full a lot of those types from what i've read and heard. i didn't mean to be insulting, i just don't wanna have to deal with a lot of that. i'm sure there are plenty of lovely people in williamsburg.
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raisedbywolves » haha, sorry, i just know that williamsburg is full a lot of those types from what i've read and heard. i didn't mean to be insulting, i just don't wanna have to deal with a lot of that. i'm sure there are plenty of lovely people in williamsburg.
So you didn't mean dime-bags? Crap.Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
i have no idea what a hipster dimebag would even be like. it boggles the mind.
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I would prefer a hippie dimebag. ...raised by wolves, you'll be fine. See you when you get here.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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i'm sure there are plenty of lovely people in williamsburg.
Except for those who traded their Birkenstocks for boat shoes. If you always have worn boat shoes you're excluded. Also I believe 'dime-bags' was: 1. A savings plan for the now defunct Dime Savings Bank. 2. A unit of volumetric measurement. (1000 dime-bags = 1 hogshead). -
haha, i hope i enjoy it. i just need to live in a big city again and i'm honestly clueless to brooklyn except for the bits and pieces i've dug up in research or heard from friends who live in manhattan who make it out to brooklyn. i admit, i enjoy indie music and indie films, but i tend to not enjoy the whole disaffected attitude that seems to prevail with a lot of hipsters and i guess it might be generalizing, but i hear they tend to flock around williamsburg. although i know there are those types all over. and i'm not a big fan of either birkenstocks or boat shoes, so i guess i'm safe for now.
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There's a thread somewhere around here about rental prices dropping. Hipsters aside, I don't see how Williamsburg would be at all convenient for reaching Brooklyn College. If it were me I would be looking at apartments along the 2/5, just to make my commute easier. You might also try southern Brooklyn: Marine Park, Mill Basin, etc. No hipsters there, but the rents are lower. Incidentally, you're the second person I've heard of who has moved to Brooklyn from far away specifically to attend BK College. What's so special about it?
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there's nothing especially special about it, i just want to complete my education while living someplace enjoyable. although it's apparently a pretty decent school. i might apply to hunter as well, but i wasn't sure if that commute would be worth it. i don't really know much about those neighborhoods ... i'd just like to live somewhere safe, relatively cheap, with interesting, enjoyable people and good establishments around. if any of those fit the bill, i'd be down with it. and i don't realllllllly wanna live in williamsburg in the first place, that's why i listed it last, haha. but i don't mind a 30 minute commute to school.
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Couldn't someone just lie and say "yeah, he meant dime-bags!" Why does everyone have to bring me down? WHY? I'm going to put on my chucks, my ironic t-shirt with Rainbow Brite on it, turn on Architecture In Helsinki on my iPod and hate you bourgeois bastards!Babies aren't meat! They're not even people!
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it better be 'in case we die' and not 'places like this' or my fist will shake mightily at thee.
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Last I heard you'd be "totes cray-cray" to even say you listen to AIH on certain corners in Williamsburg."the radio makes hideous sounds"
-bob dylan -
i'm gonna walk around with a boombox playing the killers or something, just to see what kinda reactions that'd get.
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rtraindweller » Last I heard you'd be "totes cray-cray" to even say you listen to AIH on certain corners in Williamsburg.
but...but...doesn't that just prove how cool I am??Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
i don't really know much about those neighborhoods ... i'd just like to live somewhere safe, relatively cheap, with interesting, enjoyable people and good establishments around. if any of those fit the bill, i'd be down with it. and i don't realllllllly wanna live in williamsburg in the first place, that's why i listed it last, haha. but i don't mind a 30 minute commute to school.[/quote] You might want to check out hopstop.com. It's a website that give you commute times and routes between two destinations.
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Anastasia Beaverhausen » [quote="rtraindweller"]Last I heard you'd be "totes cray-cray" to even say you listen to AIH on certain corners in Williamsburg.
but...but...doesn't that just prove how cool I am??[/quote] Snap, I think you're right. Cause that'd mean you'd be so far ahead of everyone else that you'd already come full circle and returned to an early starting point of cool, thus refreshing it and making it better than ever. You are wise!"the radio makes hideous sounds"
-bob dylan -
rtraindweller » [quote="Anastasia Beaverhausen"][quote="rtraindweller"]Last I heard you'd be "totes cray-cray" to even say you listen to AIH on certain corners in Williamsburg.
but...but...doesn't that just prove how cool I am??[/quote] Snap, I think you're right. Cause that'd mean you'd be so far ahead of everyone else that you'd already come full circle and returned to an early starting point of cool, thus refreshing it and making it better than ever. You are wise![/quote] Wait...this doesn't mean I have to move to Williamsburg, does it? Dear God, what have I done?!?!Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
this is why i only play 'float on' 24/7, just 'cause i'm trying to be there when the cycle comes back around and everyone's not angry about modest mouse having radio hits.
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Anastasia Beaverhausen » Wait...this doesn't mean I have to move to Williamsburg, does it? Dear God, what have I done?!?!
Oh heavens no. But I bet if you were to take a bus through the neighborhood you could get a police escort! Royalty!"the radio makes hideous sounds"
-bob dylan -
For the budget you give forth, you can certainly afford a studio in Prospect Heights, and you might be able to score one in Park Slope, if you're lucky. I'd stick to the North Slope or to Prospect Heights as close to Grand Army Plaza as you can get. Not only are those the best parts of each neighborhood (in my opinion) they are also the closest to great transportation, not only to Brooklyn College but to Manhattan via the Q train at 7th Avenue or the 2/3 train at Grant Army Plaza. Park Slope has more restaurants, bars, shops than Prospect Heights, but Park Slope is a tad farther along in the gentrification process. You'll be the judge of whether you think that's a good things or bad (I live in Park Slope). You can't go wrong with either neighborhood...both are fantastic. It's not unheard of to find a studio in North Slope for 1200 or 1300, but probably more like 1500 seems about average. I'd think you could pretty easily find a studio in Prospect Heights for 1200 or 1300. Maybe less. Economy's bad afterall. BTW, I totally agree with you on the Williamsburg front. Couldn't pay me to live there.
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thanks, that's very helpful. i have seen some just doing searches on craigslist and other places in park slope for 1400 with all utilities included ... just not sure how big they'd be, but i wouldn't mind living mildly cramped since it'll be just me. and that helps me out a lot, because i'm honestly clueless to travel within brooklyn, i know that the 2 or 5 go straight to brooklyn college. how fast is it to manhattan from those stops you mentioned? i'm thinking maybe prospect heights would be a better fit now, i guess as long as you live in the nicer areas, the safety thing wouldn't be an issue, and i guess park slope is close enough to visit for the shops and restaurants and bars and such from there, yeah? and i've never been to williamsburg, but from what i hear about it/read about it, it sounds like the type of place i'd sorely like to avoid as well.
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from the 7th Avenue Q train stop, you are 3 stops to Manhattan (Canal Street) and 4 stops to Union Square. 20 minutes... 30 minutes to midtown. On the 2/3 train, it's about 20 minutes to 14th and 7th in Manhattan and about 30 also to midtown, just with more stops along the way. Being near the Q really is a great thing, especially if you spend time in the East Village, etc. Not all blocks in Prospect Heights are as nice as others, and some still have some significant drug trafficking, so do take a look around before you settle on a place. Park Slope, you have less of those worries, but more about getting run over by a stroller.
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yeah, i realize you can get stabbed or mugged or shot at random in any big city, but i'd like to make sure i'm in area where i can quickly get out of the subway and to my place, haha ... i guess i'll have to cross my fingers for a good location.
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raisedbywolves » yeah, i realize you can get stabbed or mugged or shot at random in any big city, but i'd like to make sure i'm in area where i can quickly get out of the subway and to my place, haha ... i guess i'll have to cross my fingers for a good location.
Hon, if you can afford it and maybe find a good roommate. Come to park slope. There's good bars/restaurants/shops... right next to the hub of all subway stations (atlantic station) plus it's uber safe. Added bonus PS is easy walking distance to the P.Heights, Sunset park, carrol gardens, brooklyn heights.. etc... Also, my coworker that used to live on the UES moved to cobble hill and is freaking loving it. same thing, great bars, shops, food, easy access to subway.(\__/)
(=’.'=)
(”)_(”) -
i haven't really read much about cobble hill, how is it there? i'm open to anything, really.
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Cobble Hill's really nice but dang are it pricey. Same with it's neighbors Boerum Hill and Carrol Gardens."the radio makes hideous sounds"
-bob dylan -
as long as i had like 500-600 square feet or something, i could deal with taking a cheaper place, haha. might feel like a sardine in a tin can, but no biggie.
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raisedbywolves » as long as i had like 500-600 square feet or something, i could deal with taking a cheaper place, haha. might feel like a sardine in a tin can, but no biggie.
Are you effin' kidding me? 500-600 SF would be fucking palatial!Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
600 sq ft counts as a mid size 1 bedroom in NYC.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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REALLY? man. then again, i'm not good with dimensions, so i can't really imagine any sorta square footage, hahaha. it's a problem.
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Subject: Re: a few q's ...
raisedbywolves » and how is optimum online?
Could be worse. Their installers showed up when they said they would, and the people I've talked to on the phone have been knowledgeable and local. They have the ~$100/month deal for phone/broadband/cable tv, which lasts for a year before it jumps up. Here's their lineup for Brooklyn. (Had I realized that the regular package didn't include BBC America, I might have thought carefully about whether I wanted to live in their servicve area.) -
raisedbywolves » REALLY? man. then again, i'm not good with dimensions, so i can't really imagine any sorta square footage, hahaha. it's a problem.
Shit, if I had 600 SF, think of all the crap I could buy!!Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
how high does optimum jump up after the year? i saw they had that optimum rewards thing, which seems decent. i guess if i could get fios, that'd be alright, but it's so damn expensive. and jeez, i really didn't realize 600 was that much. i saw something on craigslist earlier that was 800. that must be like a mansion comparatively, eh?
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...you could get a dog for your dog...For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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whynot_31 » ...you could get a dog for your dog...
Oscar would love a puppy!! Is Dude available?Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
i might put in an electric bull, just for shits and giggles ...
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Dude is 7. He is simply short. anyway, back on topic. If you (raisedbywolves) stay generally sober (especially after 11 PM), don't flash $ or valuables, and avoid bored unemployed youths, you'll be fine. ...I'd give you this same advice if you were moving to just about anywhere...For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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yeah, i realize it's basically common sense. don't walk alone after 2 am, stay close to populated streets, areas with large amounts of people, keep a low profile, find the nearest subway or hail a taxi if someone sketchy is tailing you, that sorta stuff.
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raisedbywolves » yeah, i realize it's basically common sense. don't walk alone after 2 am, stay close to populated streets, areas with large amounts of people, keep a low profile, find the nearest subway or hail a taxi if someone sketchy is tailing you, that sorta stuff.
Ha. Welcome to the neighborhood.
Why attack God? He may be as miserable as we are.
- Erik Satie -
on Hunter College: When I worked near the Hunter 68th St stop and lived near the Franklin Ave 2/3/4/5 stop, the rush-hour commute, station to station was from 30-45 minutes. Hunter is right at that stop so not much time walking on that end. BUT, some of Hunter's programs are based in other parts of the city. I think some of the Occupational Health type stuff is near the 6 train 23rd St stop, fyi. I agree with the others. If you're counting on using trains for getting to campus, try to live near at least a 2/3 station, or even a 2/3/4 station (like Franklin). Your commute from most of Park Slope (R, M, and F trains) would be really annoying unless you planned to bike. Like others said North Slope near the Q is awesome but I think it's pretty pricey (when we moved within PS last fall I found the area near the Q to be much pricier than farther south, and sadly I have to live with the F and R now. I miss the Q).
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Doing a search on craigslist unfortunately is not an accurate way to get a sense of what an apartment in a certain neighborhood costs. There are many, many "bait and switch" ads, some scams, and lots of realtors stretching (lying about) neighborhood boundaries. (an apt in Bed Stuy gets listed as Williamsburg; Sunset Park gets listed as Park Slope...anyway, you get the idea) It's possible the NY Times classifieds would give you a better sense of rents. Also even though you are not looking for a share, clicking on the share area in craigslist might give you a sense of rental prices in various neighborhoods -- I think when people are listing shares on craigslist they are more likely to be accurate about locations and post actual photos of the apartment. and lastly, a commute from Williamsburg to Brooklyn College on the subway is going to be more than 30 minutes -- remember to factor in walking to the train, waiting for the train, and in Williamsburg you have to also factor in the horrendous crush of people on the platform of the L train and the fact that you have to wait for a few trains to go by before there's room to get on (rush hour only).
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yeah, i'm gonna try to be near the 2 or the 5, and possibly around the q. and, yeah, i realize that, but i don't really have much other than that and some other realty/apartment sites to go by for now. i'll be sure to make a list of viable options and then scope them out once i get to the city and have an opportunity to look around and see which will work. and i've all but scratched williamsburg out of my list. i'm mostly gonna concentrate on park slope, prospect heights, cobble hill, around those areas. oh, and i just thought of some other minor questions i might as well ask ... what are general expectations to pay for water, electricity, gas? i'll try to get a place with all utilities included if possible, but most places seem to only offer free heat and water. if it helps, the list of electronics i'll end up having will probably be a desktop, wireless router, a netbook, 37 inch lcd, xbox 360, whatever dvr i end up getting, possibly a blu-ray player ... most likely will run the desktop 24/7. this is gonna be my first apartment, so excuse me if these sorta questions sound real newbish, haha.
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It didn't sound like you realized it, since you were quoting square footage of 800 sq feet from a craigslist ad, and a rent price from a craigslist ad. Live and learn.
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raisedbywolves » if it helps, the list of electronics i'll end up having will probably be a desktop, wireless router, a netbook, 37 inch lcd, xbox 360, whatever dvr i end up getting, possibly a blu-ray player ... most likely will run the desktop 24/7.
So...when will you be gone from the apartment? :-'Babies aren't meat! They're not even people! -
The majority of places include heat and water b/c these are not separated out by apartment for billing. This does mean you can't control the heat. Higher floors tend to be cooler, imo so this is good to keep in mind if you care much about home temps. Electricity is around $70-100 maybe. Our cable tv/internet bill has always been more than electricity. If there is gas and you have to pay (and it's just the stove) it's pretty cheap...maybe $12/mo. I cooked a lot at home when we paid our own gas and it was never more than that--most of the cost are "delivery" fees, so the use rate is pretty low.
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haha, no, i wasn't really quoting square feet from any of the ads ... i was just guessing. but that comes down to my idiocy about measurements in general. and i'm guessing i'll be gone most the day except for night! so you can keep the place warm. anddddddd thanks for the info. i'm guessing they'll generally run the heat during the winter, so you just wanna be higher for the hot summer months, yeah? 100 a month wouldn't be so bad for electricity, i guess i can deal with that.
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We've always ended upon the first floor. In the brownstones, our place has always been much cooler than the upstairs neighbor's places (I know from hanging out in their places, not guessing) in the summer and warmer in the winter (not hot, just warm enough to not kill house plants). Not sure about the differences in temps by floor in the lowrise we were in, but the top floors seemed to turn their A/Cs on first but that could also be personal preference. That electricity price is on the high end, but we are two people and often one of us is working from home, plus we have the luxuries of a dw and w/d that probably use a lot of power. Good luck in the apartment hunt.
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http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/984893860.html this place looks good i would guess around 300-400 sqf.
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