journalist request: (still) hating on the Slope

bluecat wrote: [quote=daver]What elephant?

I don't see any elephant.

And here's an anecdote for you. I invited a hipster friend who lived in Billyburg to Park Slope for dinner. We met at Cocoa bar and had dinner at Belleville. Walking back to my house the girlfriend remarked how pretty it was and that she'd like to move here.
Oh, OK then. I had no idea. Obviously there is NO hate on Park Slope.

Guffaw.

The reason Park Slope seems to get singled out over other nabes is because of silly articles like yours. They reinforce stereotypes under the guise of examining them.

The story just sounds like tired re-tread, but people are going to eat it up. Good luck.

i can't believe someone said they hated park slope because cocotte closed.

that place was mediocre, at best.

went once. never again.

doldrums wrote: When somebody attacks Brooklyn, all these neighborhoods band together and attack back. Why , because basically these Brooklynites are pretty much the same people with the same attitudes and ways of life. PS is a convenient way for people in other Brooklyn neighborhoods to express their self hate and aim it at an agreed upon target.

Nah, not buying it. Off the top of my head, people hate park slope because of stroller wielding nazi-moms that clip your ankles and baby talk their children about how rude you are to be in their way. People hate on park slope because they will go on for DAYS, nay, WEEKS about a boys hat. Well, how _do_ you know it is a BOY'S hat, you misogynist pig? People hate on park slope because they post stupid questions about why they should have to pay for their nanny's ticket to Europe, after all, she would never be able to go to Europe without them, shouldn't she be chipping in? People hate on park slope because the guys wear stupid pants. People hate on park slope because they go on for days about whether they should be allowed to bring their strollers into bars, nevermind the foregone conclusion of the children. People hate on park slope because there is a MINORITY there that seem to have lost touch with reality, and they do stupid things as a result. Think Tom Cruise. Everyone loves a car wreck.

In my long-term view, Park Slope was at its ideal before 1980 when it really was laid back and diverse when other parts of the country really weren't: bus drivers, legal aid lawyers, librarians, artists, teachers and bankers all hung out on stoops and talked to neighbors passing by. But, there were only a few restaurants back then too. People would sit around saying, What we need is a good bookstore/bakery/chinese restaurant...and soon one would open.
A smart friend once told me that Park Slope was described by Marge Piercy, the writer, as a place where old radicals from the 60s went. (btw, I've looked for but never found the quote, so it could be bogus). It certainly felt true.
Once people - Wall St types - starting moving in, primarily because they could get better rents/real estate deals than in Manhattan, things started getting sharper, more ugly.
I still love Park Slope in all its expanding borders (a woman couldn't go safely south of 3rd St or west of 7th Avenue back then and there were frequent gang dust-ups at Union and 5th) but hate what money has done to it. Nothing except realtors and banks are left on 7th Ave.
I am so sick of hedge fund scum moving in and immediately gutting their new "investments." Every summer my quality of life is ruined by some nearby construction project only inches from my outdoor space, kicking up noise and toxic fumes.
But where people "hate" us, it's become we - like Berkeley and the Upper West Side - are the ultimate Liberals, with a capital L, and "Liberal" has been a dirty word. When there is a spirited foodfight over a kid's hat (that makes the Times) we flesh out that stereotype. And then the media move in. By the way, the poster who pointed out the circular aspect of the media and "experts" is absolutely correct! Also, it's a MSM thing to point out the foibles of Liberals or to imagine conflict where none exists.
Finally, as much as I dislike what the Slope has become, I still love living here among the beautiful architecture, near the great cultural institutions and the park, and, yes, even the smarty-pants people. Until the time Atlantic Yards starts backing traffic up to my block, I'm staying put.

As someone who lives in Crown Heights, I sometimes hear some smack talking about the Slope. It mainly involves the same tired talk about a-hole parents and tripping over strollers.

I like Park Slope. I do a lot of my business there and work in the neighborhood about once or twice a week. There are quite a few restaurants that I enjoy and I really love Community Bookstore. I even belong to a book club there. Admittedly, I'd consider living there if I could afford it. I'm not going to lie.

That being said, I also really like Crown Heights. Although sometimes I feel like I'd take tripping over strollers over trash on the sidewalk any day.

belzjm wrote: i can't believe someone said they hated park slope because cocotte closed.

that place was mediocre, at best.

went once. never again.

Well, I don;'t hate PS because Cocotte closed-but, it was far from mediocre IMO

Dear eggcream:
=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

eggcream wrote: Surely NYmag can entertain it's readers with something a little more substantial other than another lame who hates Park Slope and why article.

Hey man, there are only so many nude pics of Lindsay Lohan to go around, then they have to do something else...

And as to why they do such articles? Because people like to read them. People like it when things get all snarky and they can bag on someone else, especially if it is uppity <insert>.

You know that when it comes out we'll be discussing it here, as will other folks. How many threads do we have on the naked Lindsay Lohan pics, hmm? That proposed article is pretty much guaranteed to generate a few beyond this one.

"belzjm" wrote: you sound bitter, wt girl.


although you claim not to be a park slope hater, you sure do sound like it.

well everyone is free to interpret how they want or resort to psychoanalysis and namecalling.

I am actually curious what is the root of the hatred--not whether the slope is hated or whether or not it is loved by its current residents.I find the visceral response against the slope indicative of something? But What? I don't know. It would be interesting to figure it out because it says something about both sides. But whatever, you are right, let's resort to "you sound bitter" and shut down discussions. It takes less thinking.


(BTW: I didn't say anyone on this board liked Elementi, but I did walk by the other night and it was fairly full so someone is enjoying crap overpriced food.)

"belzjm" wrote: you speak as if you are the authority on the subject, wtgirl.

If I were an authority, I would understand the subject. For whatever reason there aren't articles being written about the residents of WT. For whatever reason Park Slope evokes anger in many people and there are plenty of articles being cranked out. I don't want to argue with you because
a. I don't hate park slope. I just choose not to live there anymore.
b. I don't know what it is about PS that makes many people have a visceral negative response.

I think I better work. I have wasted too much time on this already.

Subject: Re: Sure, would love to hear from people who love the Slope

lynncorinne wrote: As I said in my post, I'd love to hear from Slope-lovers who are puzzled / rankled by the hate (or, as the case may be, haven't experienced it at all, and simply want to rhapsodize). By all means. If anyone has those $0.02 (or more!) to add, by all means; please comment here or PM me. Thanks!

I grew up in the West Village and Chelsea, so ideally I would live there.

Since I can't...here is my story. I moved out of the South Slope to Montclair for the schools. As soon as my kids were old enough (thank god my daughter decided to switch to a NYC school in the 11th grade), I packed my bags and moved back.

It's the best place in the world to have small children, conveniently located to several wonderful places to take small children and things to do with small children. You can't imagine the culture shock that I went through when I got to Montclair.

For grownups without small children, there are equally wonderful things to do that are conveniently located to the area. You can take or leave the Food Coop, the Park on weekends when the bike riders are there, the Botanical Gardens, the Brooklyn Museum, etcetra. There is plenty of diverse food in the area, and even though the majority of it is not all that good the atmosphere makes up for it. Exploring the next crappy restaurant is always fun. Finding a good one, priceless.

jamzer summed it up perfectly.

thank you.

i think it's refreshing in a city like new york that so many people LOVE where they live. if you have yet to experience it, it's a wonderful thing.

i feel for people pushed to other neighborhoods because of cost and know that many who would have liked to have stayed in park slope are no longer able, so i certainly do feel lucky. i don't take it for granted.

"belzjm" wrote: i feel for people pushed to other neighborhoods because of cost and know that many who would have liked to have stayed in park slope are no longer able, so i certainly do feel lucky. i don't take it for granted.

Don't feel bad for us in Windsor Terrace and Kensington....we love our community. Our buildings are not as pretty but we make up for it with the strong neighborhood commitment. Most everyone I know, left happily. I never felt as connected to my PS block as I do here and all the park slope refugees I know feel the same. Save your pity for something that warrants it.

But I do hope the conversation returns eventually to why because that is the only interesting part of this dialogue.

For me it is easy to see why people hate on the slope when we hate on each other so much. Does anyone else notice that some posters on this board go from zero to meanie in five seconds flat?

All you need to do is look at some of the posts to this article when people are torn apart for their opinions/posts. There is enough "in-hate" in the neighborhood to sustain a perception of "hating on Park Slope" for the the whole city.

Why can't we be nice to each other? Respect other opinions without trying to tear down others? I don't get it, but I've only lived here 12 years.