Crown Heights

janitordreams

I'm an African-American woman, mid-30's, recently moved to New York. I'm looking at an apartment here. I love the brownstones in the area and the price seems right. Is there anything I should know about this area? It looked quiet, but I visited in the daytime. How are subway stops there? Right now I have a job that requires me to come home around 10 p.m. Will I have a problem?

arlette

You should have visited this weekend. You would get a good idea of what summer is like on this block but there is always this coming weekend. Good luck.

janitordreams

I know there is lots of music and partying in the neighborhood during summer. I'm not so much concerned about summer as I am about how it is usually year-round, and walking home from the subway stops at night. It's a few blocks' walk from the Franklin Ave stop to get to my apt. Thanks for your response. I see lots of views, but only one reply. Can anyone who lives in this area give me an honest assessment of what to expect?

bondgirl

Hi bl, I moved to BK in 2008 & lived on St. Marks btwn Nostrand & Rogers. I had never lived in NYC as an adult before & didn't really know what to expect. I LOVED my apartment, but was concerned about the neighborhood. I am also a Black woman, a little later 30's & again, who wasn't used to Crown Heights. After a while, people started looking familiar to me, & vice versa (I say that because I think especially in that area, familiarity is a factor) - I really started feeling comfortable. Just do what everyone says, you know,

Be aware
Walk with purpose
Don't have your headphones on when you're walking
etc, etc.

What I didn't like:

The loud music
The Key Foods

So I would leave during The Parade (I AM West Indian) & get my groceries delivered. The A/C train is on Nostrand (& Fulton I think), the 2/3 is on Eastern Pkwy, & there's the Shuttle (I think on Prospect). Also, there are bus stops on Nostrand & Rogers. If you come home late regularly, maybe you can work it out w/ a car for a monthly amount to be picked up @ the station. Hope this helps-goood luck!

janitordreams

This is exactly what I wanted to know. Some of my native NYer friends are telling me Crown Heights has loud music playing all hours of the day and night, some (and the broker) are telling me the opposite, that I can find quiet blocks. I'm not sure what to think. I had a bad experience with loud neighbors previously renting in another state. I lost a lot of sleep that year, so the possibility of loud music playing out of windows year-round has me a little apprehensive. It's helpful to hear from someone familiar with the area. I do expect to meet people and get involved in the community. I will look into the car thing. I'm not familiar with how that works. Thanks for your insight.

tsarina

This block is pretty good as far a noise goes, compared to other blocks. The holiday weekends can be written off noise wise, but most summer weekends are pretty okay. Believe me, it has gotten alot better in the 6 years I've been here. You can PM me with a more precise location of the apartment (which side and east, center, west, and how close to the 3 apartment buildings) and I could more accurately tell you about potential noise problems from very loud churches, hair salons that like to party in the back or music entusiasts who enjoy their backyards.

cool the kid

I lived on Bergen & Nostrand.... it got loud at times, but was never 100% unbearable. The worst loud music culprits were actually my own neighbors who were a collective of gay white dudes. They would have parties and company probably once a month. Occasionally there were some loud cars, and once there was a loud Jamaican party at about 4 AM on a Sunday morning. But other than that, noise wise it wasn't bad.

I want to say to avoid any block with more large buildings than brownstones... that might just be my own personal bias though. I find that those kinds of buildings are more prone to loud parties and collections of people hanging out on the stoop or in the lobby. Also it's those buildings in which security may be more compromised- I lived a few houses away from a big building and at all times of the day would see bums and young kids kicking in the front door to get in. I'm sure the roof and back doors were equally as open.

Key Food blows but Foodtown on Fulton and Brooklyn Ave is great. Actually better than all the supermarkets I've been to in my new neighborhood. They have decently priced meat and all kinds of black people foods (jerk sauce, oxtail etc). There's also a good fish shop on the same block.

If I were you and I found a place, I would definitely take the time to just scope the whole neighborhood out on a clear summer day. Right now you will see the worst of the neighborhood, which for you may or may not be too bad. But I think all too often people see a huge place for cheap and come at a time that is quiet, and are blindsided later on. Me and my gf found our place and signed a lease in December- biggest mistake ever. So definitely check the neighborhood out as thoroughly as possible before signing anything. Now is the perfect time.

janitordreams

Thanks for the additional insight. I'm going to spend some time in the neighborhood today, since everyone has suggested that's a good thing to do before signing the lease. I admit I fell so in love with the apartment I didn't even think twice about checking out the neighborhood more in depth. I loved it and what I saw of the neighborhood going down Rogers so much, I got too excited to be prudent. That would have been a mistake, so thanks for the reminder.

Good point about the large buildings. I didn't think of that either. I'm not sure if this block has them? I'll be there today, guess I'll see?

I've been reading more threads here and I've seen some people complain about the lack of things to do in the immediate area, but I kind of prefer it if it means my block will be relatively quiet. I think I'm turning into an old fogey at the ripe age of 35.

nearnostrand

Cool The Kid wrote: and all kinds of black people foods (jerk sauce, oxtail etc).