Best Areas of Bed-Sty

tomzda

I'm thinking about moving from Clinton Hill to Bed-Sty. Can anyone tell me where the best areas to look are? (Close to train, good stores and restaurants nearby etc.)

the changeling

There are great little boutiques and eateries on Tompkins and on Lewis Avenues. These areas are not far from the Throop/Kingston A train stop. If you're near this stop you will also have the good fortune to be near the Food Town on Fulton, one of the few decent grocers in this neighborhood.

I'm partial to the part of the neighborhood around Bedford Avenue near the Bedford-Nostrand G train stop. The reason is that while there is a plethora of boarded up buildings on Bedford, there is also a rebirth going on (the Bed-Stuy Y, several new restaurants, etc.). I think in a few years it will really be hopping. I also like this area because it's not to hard to get to Williamsburg and/or Clinton Hill whenever you're in the mood to do so.

carmen

how do you get to williamsburg easily from here? I walk to clinton hill but i dont know how billyburg is much easier aside from walking or bike ridin down bedford...

the changeling

I usually take the G train to Metropolitan and walk from there. Once I exit the station and cross under the BQE I'm near a lot of my favorite thrift shops and restaurants in the area.

In addition to the G train people around this Bedford area can hop on the bus if they see it coming and it will take you to that terminal station in Williamsburg near Roebling and South 4th.

jamrock

i live on the side closer to fulton which is better for me due to the A train being at Nostrand or C at Kingston. You will not find shops as often..but tompkins near hancock seems up and coming. Also - a lot of my friends live near Utica stop in Stuy Heights which they love. but be prepared not to have the same shops/eats as you would in Clinton Hills.. but I recommend..anything between Gates and Fulton..

anonymous

Subject: spelling

It's spelled STUY like Stuyvesant, not sty in your eye.

Good luck on your nabe change! This post is very informative, so far.

tomzda

Anonymous wrote: It's spelled STUY like Stuyvesant, not sty in your eye.

Good luck on your nabe change! This post is very informative, so far.

I'm very sensitive about my sty

I agree though... very informative

Thanks

anonymous

The Changeling wrote: There are great little boutiques and eateries on Tompkins and on Lewis Avenues. These areas are not far from the Throop/Kingston A train stop. If you're near this stop you will also have the good fortune to be near the Food Town on Fulton, one of the few decent grocers in this neighborhood.

I'm partial to the part of the neighborhood around Bedford Avenue near the Bedford-Nostrand G train stop. The reason is that while there is a plethora of boarded up buildings on Bedford, there is also a rebirth going on (the Bed-Stuy Y, several new restaurants, etc.). I think in a few years it will really be hopping. I also like this area because it's not to hard to get to Williamsburg and/or Clinton Hill whenever you're in the mood to do so.

This is my opinion as well. As beautiful as Stuyvesant Heights is, it just feels so much further out than the area around the Bedford-Nostrand G. For drivers, the proximity to the bridges and the BQE is the best you can find in the Stuy. Also there seems to be so much construction going on around that area. Right now it seems desolate, but I think that will change in a few years.

carmen

I agree that this is an up and coming area of the stuy. I wish bedford would just clean up a bit! Literally- the street on Lafayette and on bedford is just so dirty all the time- lafayette would be pretty if people would stop exploding trash everywhere.
I like being near this G stop too because its equal distances from the L and the AC, and one more stop to the F. My landlord kicks ass and I know he's got other properties on this block if anyone is interested in moving to this part of the hood.

anonymous

bedford/nostrand on the g is definitely where i'd put my money-and i did-just bought a house on greene ave and love it there. we were long time clinton hill-ers looking for an area that felt familiar-this is it. the border of bed stuy/ch is great- the Y is close by, the neighbors are friendly, and it's a quick pop over to williamsburg and a short walk to fg/ch.

citizen o

Add my vote for the Bedford/Nostrand G-train stop. Floydcat has made an excellent investment ;-) . Even though the A/C is more convenient for getting directly to Manhattan, you can take the G in either direction and have a choice of connecting trains to take you into the city, which I love. As others have mentioned, the B43 will also get you to Williamsburg in 15-20 minutes. In fact, it drops you off right outside the Graham Avenue stop on the L. I also walk over to Clinton Hill all the time, and if I'm in the mood on a sultry summer afternoon, Fort Greene is just another couple of minutes by foot or by bus.

In summary--Utica Avenue around the A/"Stuyvesant Heights" is attractive and well-served by cafes etc., but for accessibility and true neighborhood potential, I'd recommend to the Bedford/Nostrand G train stop too. If only they'd add a few cars to that shortened G train and do some renovations on that god-forsaken station. I've read that changes to the line are in the works though...

anonymous

If access to the city is important the A train is a much better line, and for brownstones Hancock, Macon, Halsey, Jefferson, Bainbridge, Stuyvesant, Decatur, Macdonough have some of the best in all of Brooklyn. Grrne ave also has nice buildings.

isla

The Changeling wrote:
I'm partial to the part of the neighborhood around Bedford Avenue near the Bedford-Nostrand G train stop. The reason is that while there is a plethora of boarded up buildings on Bedford, there is also a rebirth going on (the Bed-Stuy Y, several new restaurants, etc.). I think in a few years it will really be hopping. I also like this area because it's not to hard to get to Williamsburg and/or Clinton Hill whenever you're in the mood to do so.

I also recommend this area. I really like the accessbility of it.

m

I have an apt for rent in BedStuy if you are still looking. 1 blk behind Dekalb between Marcy & Tompkins.
you can email me on [email protected]
if you are still looking!

solamami

i'd like to jump into this thread with a query myself: I currently live in CHN (love, BTW), but need to move, and with r.e. inventory being slim pickings south of Atlantic, it's looking like Bed-Stuy might be my new stomping grounds. I finally saw an apt. I liked on Tompkins @ Jefferson. From the outside, it's completely nondescript; but inside, this space seems to fit my needs. And the block itself seems nice--shops, cafes, restaurants, ameneties! As much as I love living on a brownstone block, now I'm thinking what kind of advantages/disadvantages to living on a street-level on an Avenue rather than a side street? Safety? Neighborly vibe? Obviously, Tompkins is not as crazybusy as Nostrand or Bedford, but still...

Also, to any parents out there: I was hoping, for my daughter's sake, to land in P.S. 3 zone, but alas, I'm 2 blocks too far east. Does anyone know how to circumvent the nebulous school-zone system? I still have a couple years to fret about this, but after moving 3x in 3 years, I'm hoping NOT to move again, if I don't have to.

TIA

anonymous

Subject: good gym

Does anyone know of a good gym/fitness centre around the Morgan stop on the L-Train? I am moving to that area from Toronto and am curious about joining a gym. Thanks.

the changeling

I'm a member of Maxim Gym on Driggs and N9th Street, and although that's 4 stops away on the L train, you could get there in a matter of minutes if you bike to the gym like I do. I live in the northern part of Bed-Stuy and I bike to that gym frequently. It should be easy to bike there from the Morgan stop.

anonymous

Thank you for the info. I have looked at the Maxim gym website. I have heard mixed reviews. Do you find it substantial for your needs? My plans are in fact to cycle to the gym. I imagine it to be only a 10 minute ride. I have heard it is more or less one of the only ones in the area?
Thanks again.

the changeling

You're welcome. It's a great gym for me. I'm not sure how good the classes are because I haven't taken any, but the cardio equipment and weight machines are everything you could ask for (treadmills,elliptical trainers,stairclimbers, and stationary bikes, etc.). Whenever I'm there it's quiet, but that's because I avoid Maxim's busy hours which seem to be 5-9 p.m. on weekdays. Even though it is the only game in town (I've heard some talk on www.racked.com that someone is in the process of opening up another gym in Williamsburg but who knows when that's going to happen...), this is no so-so gym. They do an excellent job for a business that doesn't have to worry about competition.

anonymous

It does sound like a good place, from your description, as well as from their website. Fortunately, I will have the freedom to avoid the busy hours as well. One last question, do you know the price of the memberships?
Thanks for all your help.
jj.

anonymous

Has anyone heard of Exodus Fitness or D'Annex Fitness? (same place apparently). It is located at 483 Grand Street. I would like some info on the place if somebody has some first hand experience.
Thanks!

the changeling

I believe Maxim's monthy rate is about $75. When I first moved to Bed-Stuy Exodus was the closest gym to my house. I thought it would be a great place to workout because it was near the subway stop and about 10 minutes away by bike. The best part about it was that it was open 24 hours a day and it was cheap too (if I remember correctly it was something like $35-40 per month)! But after I joined I saw why it was so cheap. They really didn't have enough equipment to serve the members, and broken machines were commonplace. Moreover, the place was small and cramped. The people who worked there were very friendly, so I hate to write a negative review about the place, but the truth is that they didn't put enough into that gym. After a couple of months I quit that gym and joined Maxim. Based on what you've said, it seems that Exodus has moved to Grand Street. I haven't been to this new location, but hopefully their service has improved now that they're in a new place.

the changeling

In case you happen to come across it, there is also a Richie's Gym on Stanwix Street. Avoid. At. All. Cost. The last time that I was at this gym, which was over a year ago, it didn't have a wide selection of cardio equipment, since the focus here is mainly on weightlifting, esp. free weights. I'm not even sure if they have classes. This is really a basic needs gym--none of those frilly extras in this place. The reason that I didn't like this gym was that it was ultrafunky, and I'm not talking about cool. All of those hot, musty bodies in there lifting weights--the smell was unreal. I remember going in there one day and nearly fainting because of it. Needless to say, after my one-month trial membership was up, I didn't go there again. Maybe they've updated their ventilation system, but I'm not going over there to find out.

anonymous

thank you for all of the info; it will come in quite handy.
jj