Best areas of Sunset Park?

Subject: Re: best areas in Sunset Park

If I were you, I would make sure I lived relatively close to the subway. Otherwise be prepared to WALK A LONG WAY. I would live on either 4th or 5th avenue, since anything below 4th would be near some porn video shop, abandoned looking factory or just a desolate lot. Anything above 5th will be a hike to the subway. I would recommend anywhere between 25th street to 45 th street. After 45th street Sunset Park gets kinda trashy. There is an area on 4th avenue in the teens (think 22~ to 15 street) that is kinda desolate.

The 40s near the park are among the nicest blocks. If you live close to the park, you can take the D train from 9th Avenue, which stops at 36th Street, where you can change to the N or the R.

Kikintina wrote: There are some gorgeous blocks in the 50's, and keeping the subway stops in mind is always helpful. Between 5th and 6th is a good bet on many blocks, and between 6th and 7th can be cheaper, but farther from the subway.

Keep in mind that there is a stop on 39th and 9th for the D/M train. It's the last stop before the D goes express.

I'd just keep checking Craigslist and the NYT listings and visit a few places. Just like most places in NYC, it changes from one block to the next.

i'll second the comment about the 50s. some of the nicest blocks in the neighborhood are south of 45th.

If you have to pick between moving to Sunset park or Ditmas Park, I'd say Ditmas is the clear winner. At least they speak English in Ditmas Park.

seasidearms wrote: I would say the nicest areas are close to the park or at least between 6th and 7th avenue from 44th street and up. I would stay away from 4th and 5th avenue though it gets shady, you see some drunk people sleeping on sidewalks at times and other shady stuff.

Eh, you can see drunk people sleeping on the sidewalk anywhere. I used to live on 4th Ave, and while noisey I feel it gets a bad rap as this unlivable block. I liked it, especially the 5 minute walk to the train in either direction.

seasidearms wrote: I would stay away from 4th and 5th avenue though it gets shady, you see some drunk people sleeping on sidewalks at times and other shady stuff.

Listen. That was only the ONE TIME!

Honestly, I live in the aforementioned area for the last three years. I feel completely safe. In the time I've lived here I've seen only one "drunk" and that was about a month ago. He wasn't sleeping, he was slapping on the door to an abandoned building demanding to be let in.

also remember 8th and 9th ave is almost entirely Asian and 4th and 5th is almost entirely Hispanic. The areas are essentially the same but the stores are completely different.

also apartments like this are pretty easy to find and normally in nice row houses. http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/fee/919156995.html

Subject: RE: Best Areas

I have lived in Sunset a couple years now. I am partial to the area around the park between 40th and 50th streets. There are some really nice blocks but some of them are quieter and nicer than others. In general the brownstone and row house blocks are more desirable than the ones with large apartment complexes so it's best to do some scoping out before you decide to rent or buy.

As far as commute times...I've done the midtown commute and now to downtown brooklyn -- it's a about a 45 minutes "door to door" to midtown around Herald Square and about 30 minutes "door to door" to downtown Brooklyn. The 36th street station with the M,D,R,N is GREAT! The 9th avenue stop with the D and the M is merely OK. The D train friggin crawls between that stop and Atlantic avenue.

I love the block I'm on now on 44th between 7th and 8th. The schoolchildren during the day are about the loudest it gets. Just a quiet and very safe feeling block with the park right across the street. On top of the hill our apartment gets great sun and there are plenty of food options between the easy walk to 5th or 8th avenues.

Ray's pizza on 46th and 5th is probably the best Pizza I've found in the neighborhood and the mom and pop chinese resaurant (a real "hole in the wall" place) on 8th and 46th is great.

Other neighborhood highlights (for me) include the beer warehouse on 3rd and 39th and the Chinese markets on 8th avenue between 40th and 55th streets.

All in all I have found Sunset park one of the best values in Brooklyn. It's safe, relatively quiet, and has decent food and amenities. It's not park slope or Carroll Gardens but IMO it offers a good balance of affordability and livability. I'm in a gorgeous newly renovated 3RB rowhouse with a couple post-college twentysomethings and we love it here. Sunset Park really feels like a neighborhood. I think some pretentious 20 somethings with too much money and too much free time would feel out of place but frankly those people are better off with their types in Park Slope, LES and Williamsburg.