Moving to Brooklyn

rubyfruitradio · March 2008

I am going to be moving to Brooklyn in a couple of months and am considering moving to Sunset Park.

1) Are there many daycares in SP? I have a 9 month old daughter. It seems most daycares in Brooklyn are around Prosepct Park.
2) It is my understanding that lesbians priced out of park slope are moving to SP. Is there a section of SP that seems more queer than others?
3) Any parts of SP to avoid living in?
With #3, if I didn't have an infant distracting me, I'd be more likely to live in a sketchy area than if it was just me. I know some people say "SP is full of mexicans." but hey, I grew up in South Texas an hour from Mexico in a county that was 75% hispanic so I have no problem with that in fact, i'd prefer to live somehwere diverse and not live in whitey whitersville.

agitpunkt · March 2008

First of all, welcome!

1)I'm afraid that I can't fully answer to daycare options; I haven't seen any, but that doesn't mean they're not there.
2) Most people are getting priced out of Park Slope and are moving south. As for a large lesbian community...I live in Greenwood Height (Nestled in that wonderful sliver between South Slope and Sunset Park), and the big local bar is incredibly queer-positive, and there are plenty of lesbians in there most nights. I don't know where they live, but I know where they drink.

3) I don't think so. I wouldn't move too far in (the 40's, etc), but that's just because it's harder to get into Manhattan (if that's where you'll be working).

Sunset Park is a great area, but I would also suggest you look at Greenwood Heights if you're looking for diversity (Hispanic, Polish, Young homeowners, Artists, etc), great restaurants, and a distinct lack of pretension. I've lived all over Brooklyn, and this area is by far my favorite.

Good luck!

filmlover44 · March 2008

Subject: Re: Moving to Brooklyn

The area is definitely not whitey whitersville.

gags2008 · March 2008

Whitey Whitersville - is that near Honkey Crackerton?

kikintina · March 2008

A lot of people getting priced out of Park Slope are moving to Sunset, lesbians included. I've been here a little over four years, and I love it. (Not from Park Slope, though, so maybe my standards are different.)

There are daycare options, but it really depends on what you want. You get what you pay for, you know? Both Bay Ridge (to the south) and Park Slope (to the north) have loads of places.

There is a place on 44th and 3rd Ave called Bay Ridge Day Care. I don't know if it takes infants, however.

Check out http://www.dccnyinc.org/

They will send you information based on zip code and address information.

Some people hire nannies, especially for children under a year old. The going rate is usually a little under Park Slope prices, and most of the nannies I've met here are great.

As for areas, it totally depends on what you want. I'm in the 40's, and I like being close to the park and my favorite sandwich shop and the bus and so on. Some blocks in the 50's and 60's are fantastic too.

Personally, I'm happy to be up the hill. Being in close proximity to the BQE/Gowanus would be depressing to me. But some people like having less crowded Avenues to walk on. A caveat: You do get a lot of soot through the windows close to the highway.

As for sketchiness, 3rd Ave can be interesting for different career paths, especially after dark. 4th has the trains, so you get a little of everyone. 5th has all the stores/restaurants, so it's usually busy. 6th and 7th are residential, and they can be kind of deserted. It's all a matter of what you're comfortable with. It's not like your 9 month old is going to be outside playing on her/his own for a while, you know?

Feel free to pm me if you have other questions.

Good luck!

jane_birkin · March 2008

i would avoid living on the other side of the Gowanus/BQE. 3rd ave and below. that tends to be the area where sex workers meet their clients, and where the porn stores have moved since being shut out of Times Square. mostly warehouses and plenty of illegal loft apts inside. (my friend lived in one for a few months that was heated by a wood stove--probably not the kind of place where you want to keep a 9 month old.) plus it's right next to the water and WINDY.

36th street has express trains so that's better for commuting into manhattan. in older threads you can find discussions of the commute times from SP to parts of manhattan.

i'm not sure if there is a specific part of SP where the lesbians are moving but i can ask some friends. you can also find a decent sized lesbian community in jackson heights in queens, if you're not set on living in brooklyn.

firebird · April 2008

I am intrigued by your mention of loft space...how do you find one of these? Are they just unconventional or is it too cold to really live there.

armchair_warrior · April 2008

if youre in the asian side there is alot of day cares. i don't know about the spansih side.

jane_birkin · April 2008

hi firebird, the lofts/warehouses i've been in on the other side of the BQE have been pretty sketchy--i've seen nicer squats. where my friend lived was underneath a sweatshop--a real sweatshop, not just a garment factory. the guy who was the primary tenant of the loft used it as a recording studio and built a few walls at the other end of the floor to be used for bedrooms. i think my friend found the room from his posting on craigslist. the only heat was a woodstove, which only heated about 5 square feet of the 2000 sq foot floor. even with 2 space heaters in her room it proved too cold even for my michigan-native friend who wears flip flops through November. stairs crumpled under my feet when we moved her in. the place was pretty dismal, though i do have a bias for living places with heat

firebird · April 2008

Thanks for the info! Yeah, those lofts don't really sound habitable yet. Glad your friend moved someplace warm!

Moving to Brooklyn

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