[mmello]

I'm moving soon to Underhill AV x Dean St. I would like to know more about the hood. I have a 4 month baby and I was worried about schools, I didn't hear good things about PS 9. Are there moms and babies around? What is the other school option instead PS 9? Is it a safe place?

I'm coming from Bay Ridge and lived before in windsor terrace, I know PH is very different from those 2 hoods. Is this block nice?

Thanks

[roux42]

There are moms and babies all over the neighborhood. That corner is not as busy as most, but do have Tavern on Dean - which is a decent and nice place to eat. I am not a big fan of tots, but the folks at the Tavern treat them well and will provide small portions for kids.

Welcome!

[stacey]

there was some talk about it here
http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32664

[wytopick]

are u moving to the washington by any chance? which unit? we're deciding whether to purchase there and are sooooo torn. thoughts???

[poot]

Hi and welcome! I think the area you have moved to is beautiful. I walked the stretch of Underhill from Dean toward the park almost every day during my maternity leave and always thought it was lovely.

I haven't done a lot of research into public schools as our daughter is still quite young [haven't heard great things either though] but I can tell you that we split toddler activites between Park Slope and Prospect Heights, and there is tons to do in both neighborhoods.

[mmello]

Hi wytopick

I'm moving to 35 Underhill. I'm not buying, I'm renting, I liked the apt a lot, the common area andthe gym is really nice!

[ltjbukem]

wytopick, why are you torn? perhaps i can help you settle your decision...

thanks,

mmello, which unit are you renting? A or B?
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www.onehansonplace.com

[wytopick]

ltjukem- torn b/c of the block, the distance to the subways we take most often, the schools, the appreciation of the property considering atlantic yards will be about a block away etc.
thoughts?
thanks.

[phmimi]

AY is going to be bad, but you are at the far end of it. The street is obviously better than the ones to the east and not as nice as those towards Flatbush. It is definitely a quiet, out of the way kind of bloc with working class type of housing. (Those low income buildings across the street.) This has its pluses and minuses. You are close to Atlantic which is good if you drive. There are few stores, you have to go one block in either direction. The subway is maybe 4 to 5 blocks.

[stacey]

[wytopick]

must be dean btwn vandy and underhill, right?

[phmimi]

AY is going to be bad, but you are at the far end of it. The street is obviously better than the ones to the east and not as nice as those towards Flatbush. It is definitely a quiet, out of the way kind of bloc with working class type of housing. (Those low income buildings across the street.) This has its pluses and minuses. You are close to Atlantic which is good if you drive. There are few stores, you have to go one block in either direction. The subway is maybe 4 to 5 blocks.

[stacey]

[BrookFetish]

I live here...so, it's a good neighborhood.
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Doing just fine, thank you.

[mmello]

I think I'm renting tower A 2nd floor. My question is why AY is going to be bad?

Also, from that block, the C train is close, only 0.30 miles. 2 and 3 is not that close but still an option. I was only concearned about schools and safety, as I read a lot of roberry and rape cases.

Where do moms hang out with the babies on that area?

[BrookFetish]

[Shredder]

I live on Underhill btw Dean and Bergen too -- hi neighbors and neighbor-to-be! I love our block, especially with the friendliness of Tavern on Dean and Purity on the intersection, and the grade school just to the south. Aside from the Tav getting a little noisy on the weekends, it's a quiet, pleasant block. I rarely get hassled on the streets, and aside from a non-violent purse snatching back in 2003 down the street, I've never dealt with anyone particularly sketchy.

[stacey]

Shredder are you on the side of the school? Im the green house across the street

[Shredder]

Yeah, I am on the even side (school side). Funny to live somewhere for over 4 years and barely know your neighbors (because we are without stoop or yard, alas). I moved in when that whole block of apartments went up in 2002.

[stacey]

I know what you mean Say hi next time so we can properly introduce ourselves and then you will know more neighbors

[quig]

We live on Underhill and St Marks. The neighborhood is great. We moved here 3 1/2 years ago from Plaza St. We have a 3 yr old. The neighborhood is literally crawling with kids.

Tavern on Dean is great on Underhill.
Gen for Japanese on Washington and St Marks.
On Vanderbilt Le Gamin is very child friendly and Soda Bar hosts Music for Aarvarks (infant to 4yr old music classes)
The playground on Underhill and Prospect should be reopening very soon after a renovation. It is also close to Mt Prospect playground, the museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Library. My daughter is usually hanging out at one of these places.
The 2/3 train at GAP is about a 5-7 minute walk from my house and the B/Q is really about the same. The Bergen St stop on the 2/3 is also pretty close to you.

I believe that you will see a lot more positive feedback on ps9 in the next year or so. A number of neighborhood kids have started to attend and more are plannning for next year and the year after. A number of parents of future students have gotten involved to work on a committee to redo the playground at the school. It is huge and underutilized. Also, the last reviews on the school are almost 4 years old. Things are changing quickly. I really wouldn't worry about it if you are moving now with an infant.

[putz]

i think i need to start making bogus posts about i-pod muggings and registed sex offenders in the neighborhood - to try and keep my rent somewhat affordable, to be able to occasionally find a seat at joyce, to not have to listen to whiney kids everywhere...

sorry, grumpy.

[WhyFi]

OMG! Did you guys hear about the sex offender that was robbed of his iPod?! He tried to scream for help but he was choking on a dry scone from a local bakery!
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...not that there's anything wrong with that.

[alafairnadia]

[xueling]

By the time your little one is ready for PreK, PS9 may actually be a lot better than it is today. Supposedly the prinicpal is great and parental involvement is increasing. There are lots of moms and babies (and dads too!) around during the day. That Underhill playground will be great once it's done. You should get yourself on the ProspectHeightsParents yahoo group for more info on what to do in the nabe (also ParkSlopeParents which has much more info, more than you really need actually). I know there is a new parent/baby meeting going on at Cheryl's Cafe on Thursdays and maybe also on weekends at Soda (for working parents). Welcome to the neighborhood, it's great. We can't live the way we want to with 2 little kids here so we're moving this year, but I think it is great for new parents (and not-so-new ones, if you can afford the space).

[mmello]

[xueling]

Sorry, yes, it is. I just mean that personally for us it's not working (not just the neighborhood, the city in general). We'd like to have a home where we can live without tripping over toys all the time, a backyard, close to family etc, and we need more $$$ than we have now to be able to do that. We're moving overseas where hopefully the lifestyle will be a little more relaxed. My husband is tired of the ratrace and I'm tired of feeling like a single mom during the week!

[poopypoop]

I have been here since 1984, i arrived when i was 7 years old, when there was crack everywhere, when there were burnt out buildings all over the hood, i wnet to the public schhols and i believe that my experience was no better than the kids in Park Slope, so you are worried about schools for your 4 month old baby, you have about 5 more years til your kid goes to school, remember this neighborhood is not as it used to be 20 years ago, i think what you are trying to say is that you do not want your kid to go to school with a bunch of poor kids that go to our local schools, there are plenty of private schools in park slope where your child will be shielded from the realities of Prospect heights and the world in general so good luck!!!
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Prospect Heights Uber Alles

[stacey]

[poopypoop]

but it is implied!!!!just read the post i've heard schools here are bad???that reads perfect, how many of you have gone to schools here or have kids in them???
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Prospect Heights Uber Alles

[stacey]

No I did not feel that is implied and yes my son is now in the 5th grade at PS 9, my husband and his whole family attended PS 9, if you look on paper (the BOE's own website) PS 9 does not have a favorable report.. If you notice there are many parents who told the poster to check out PS 9 because it is only getting better. As a parent you want the best for your child and you want options nothing wrong with that.

[poopypoop]

sure!!!But your kids can go to the best school in the whole world and become criminals, it is not about the schools its about the parents, look at all the kids in Park Slope that have well to do parents they are all smoking weed, cigarrets drinking on street corners and guess what>>They go to Berkley Carrol, Polly Prep. ps 321, Saint Ann's so it is not about the schools, if you have a kid that gets education at home it does not matter how bad the school is.I went to John Jay back in the early 90's when Jonh Jay was the worse school in the city, shootings rapes, fights, weed and crack smoking but i love school my parents took an interest in my learning and just because the school was shitty it was me who wanted to be educated no matter of the circumstances!!!!!!!
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Prospect Heights Uber Alles

[Carnivore]

But still, I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that good parents+good school is better than good parents+crappy school. The OP asked about how the schools are. Presumably, how good the OP is as a parent isn't really the information he or she is coming to the site to find out.
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[stacey]

[dingleberry]

Hey it seems that you are the ones that do not have faith in teachers, i know plenty of teachers that work in KAKA schools and they do give a crap about their students and their schools even though they do not have the resources they need, so for you to say that teachers do not want to go the extra mile to help their students or their schools is very insulting to anyone who works in education.So do yourselves a favor send your kids to the private schools where you will be charged 10.000 to 20.000 a year i bet their programs will satisfy you and your spoiled brats!!!

[sweet tea]

I've worked in a "bad" school. (The kind of place featured in books.)

Yes, there were some wonderful teachers there, smart people who worked very hard and cared enormously. The students were still at a tremendous disadvantage because of the disorganization of the school, the frequent disruptions, the lack of facilities (like a library), the lack of enrichment classes, and the lazy attitude of the administration of the school, which tolerated teachers who were far from wonderful and which made the students feel disposable. To suggest that those students' parents would have been wrong to expect more, that they would have been "spoiling" their children is insulting. Those students, most of whose lives outside school had more than enough difficulty, deserved better. (Those wonderful teachers deserved better, too.)
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Bumping ancient threads with bot-like bullshit

[alafairnadia]

[stacey]

[Smokin' Joe]

[alafairnadia]

[quig]

For anyone interested in checking out PS9, they are having another open house. Make your own informed decision.



"Our open house will be held on Friday, February 16, 2207 at 9:00am.


Charmaine Derrell-Jacob
Parent Coordinator
Teunis G. Bergen School, PS9
80 Underhill Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238
ph: (347) 563-5324
fax: (718) 622-2961"

[pensodyssey]

Every time I look at this thread title, I can't help but have my inner Borat say... "Prospect Heights is to live... niiiice."
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Smacks of affectation.

[Carnivore]

I liiiike!
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[poopypoop]

Nmello there are rapes everyday that is why people live here, there aremuggins, murders, it is very unsafe to walk to the subway, the food is terrible, there are no places for you to hang out with your newborn, schools are crappy, teachers don't care and god forbid your child will be going to school with kids of different origins, rethink your move!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Prospect Heights Uber Alles

[pensodyssey]

Yawn.
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Smacks of affectation.