feedback on places where you feel there is community...
hi. i'm curious if there are places in park slope - mostly deli's or eating establishments or coffee places - where you walk in and you feel like the 'help' knows their customers(a fair amt), the customers know each other(at least some), and there is a mix between these two categories. are there places you walk in that eminate (? i think that's the word) friendliness and the idea of 'community?' i am wondering if that has gotten lost in nyc or if it exists... (i'm not talking about mothers meeting for a mommies group or something like that. and i don't think the co-op qualifies although people may meet up there, it's still so regimented,it's not what i have in mind.)
thanks for your feedback.
cat.
thanks for your feedback.
cat.
Comments
-
Todd at Dizzy's, Joyce at Key Food, everyone at D'Vine Taste, the tellers at Astoria, the guys at Pino's pizzeria, and I'm sure there are more but those are the ones that jump out at the moment.
-
If you don't think the Coop qualifies, then I'm not sure about your idea of community.
It's not like we're broken into groups at the coop and forced to make friends or something.... -
i'm not entirely sure what your point is, but there are a bunch of places where I go to eat where the 'staff' recognizes me, to the point where they know where i like to sit, what i tend to order or drink ... in the slope as well as prospect heights, and in manhattan as well. i guess it's because if i like a place and feel comfortable there (i.e., if it tends not to be really crowded or loud ... kind of a more intimate or subdued environment), i tend to keep going back (duh) ... conversely, in terms of other customers or patrons of these establishments, i very rarely see the same people anywhere more than once ... plus i'm not a very sociable person to begin with, so i probably wouldn't get to know them even if i did ...
-
Subject: Gourmet Grill
I've gotta hand it to Gourmet Grill on 5th Ave. for this one. Maybe it's just because I was one of their first customers, but the owners seem to make it their business to know the people in their neighborhood. There are lots of places in Park Slope that are the same way. It's great to walk into a place where they greet you by name. -
Subject: thanks for feedback!
what sparked my interest in this question is that i was in an establishment, not in nyc, the other day where i was astounded at (a) how friendly the service people were , (b) how many of the customers they knew and (c) how many of the customers knew each other. i felt like i was missing out. it was so warm and unusual. i frequent a LOT Of places in park slope and i just so rarely see that. the co-op, yes, you run into people you know, but the 'staff' always is changing and so in a way it doesn't qualify - but yes it could be close(although i'm sure we've all experienced unfriendly times). i've been in pino's and i never think they are very friendly there or even seem to know people who walk in -but okay i could go in there at moments when no one they know comes in,but the idea would also be that they'd be welcoming to 'new' people. but it's not *just* the idea that people are friendly, maybe nyc is just too big or something. i don't know... anyway, i appreciate people's thoughts & i'll definitely check out some of the places mentioned. i'd been in gourmet grill once and didn't get a warm, fuzzy welcome but i'd be happy to check it out again. thanks! -
I think it is an empty stereotype that NY is not a friendly place. You can't expect everyone to yell "Norm!" when a customer walks into an establishment for the first time. As with anywhere else, I find that the places where I am a regular are welcoming, as are the staff I've befriended over regular visits. People I don't know on the subway don't smile at me; my neighbors, however, are like family. This seems like common sense. One big difference between a large city and a small town, I think, is surface friendliness (an effusive cashier, a stranger's wave at the traffic light, etc.), which I try never to confuse with actual niceness.
-
smiley wrote: I think it is an empty stereotype that NY is not a friendly place. You can't expect everyone to yell "Norm!" when a customer walks into an establishment for the first time. As with anywhere else, I find that the places where I am a regular are welcoming, as are the staff I've befriended over regular visits. People I don't know on the subway don't smile at me; my neighbors, however, are like family. This seems like common sense. One big difference between a large city and a small town, I think, is surface friendliness (an effusive cashier, a stranger's wave at the traffic light, etc.), which I try never to confuse with actual niceness.
Dear Smiley,
Right on! Please register and stick around! -
I agree with "guest" that D'vine Taste is very convivial and familiar. You'll feel they know you even if it's your first visit.
The Park Slope Cellars wine store is also very friendly and helpful. They gave me and my wife a ride home once along with our wine. It's so friendly that I'll walk the 16 blocks from my house to buy my wine there.
The Light House bar at the corner of Carroll has LOTS of regulars, and that vibe rubs off on most week nights. The aura is sometimes absent on the weekends when they're really crowded.
Freddy's in Prospect Heights is very cozy and familial.
My wife shops at Eidolon a lot, and they seem very friendly. One of the designers (Andrea) calls us at home every time they are having a sale. I know that's really marketing, but she always remembers personal details about work and impending family visits.
The Park Slope Barbershop on 7th is really old school. Very friendly.
I'll have to say, I moved here three years ago from a small city in the South, and I've experienced more "southern hospitality" here than I experienced in the last 20 years down there. -
Dope on the Slope wrote: The Park Slope Barbershop on 7th is really old school. Very friendly.
Those guys are awesome. Totally friendly, totally old school, and they know everything that's going on in the neighborhood. And they give a good haircut. -
Subject: Re: thanks for feedback!
cat wrote: what sparked my interest in this question is that i was in an establishment, not in nyc, the other day where i was astounded at (a) how friendly the service people were , (b) how many of the customers they knew and (c) how many of the customers knew each other. i felt like i was missing out. it was so warm and unusual... maybe nyc is just too big or something. i don't know...
The experience you describe requires a lot of repeat contact among individuals in both planned and chance encounters.
Since Park Slope is a pedestrian neighborhood, we are far more likely to run into someone we know than a similar sized neighborhood where people spend a lot of time in their cars. On the other hand, the population density is high (40,000 + in the Slope?) and the number of establishments of a given type to choose from within a short radius is also high. If we only had one bank, one bodega, one dry cleaner, etc. you would have the same small town experience.
I think the real test of a neighborhood is how "friendly" strangers are to you. I find that strangers all over brownstone Brooklyn are quite friendly. Then again, I expect them to be friendly and I am open to interaction with strangers so it could just as easily be a property of the observer as the observed.
Maybe the question isn't whether a stranger smiles at one on the subway, but whether one smiles at them. Most of my smiles are returned, and I'm a homely middle aged man. I imagine others would have even greater luck. -
smile first, people almost always smile back!
-
vanilla wrote: smile first, people almost always smile back!
ehh... there must be something wrong with my face. am i doing this right?
-
Subject: Re: feedback on places where you feel there is community...
cat wrote: hi. i'm curious if there are places in park slope - mostly deli's or eating establishments or coffee places - where you walk in and you feel like the 'help' knows their customers(a fair amt), the customers know each other(at least some), and there is a mix between these two categories. are there places you walk in that eminate (? i think that's the word) friendliness and the idea of 'community?' i am wondering if that has gotten lost in nyc or if it exists... (i'm not talking about mothers meeting for a mommies group or something like that. and i don't think the co-op qualifies although people may meet up there, it's still so regimented,it's not what i have in mind.)
thanks for your feedback.
cat.
You should have been around in the 70's when Park Slope was a real community, like a small town where everyone you saw on the street you knew. There were many such places. The Purity on Union Street was one, there was the Machine Cafe, The Iron Horse, Gazebo, Aquarius Cafe, just to name a few. Lot's of live music on 7th Ave. Minsky's was like what you were looking for, that used to be on 3rd Street and 7th on the SW corner. There were some very creative newspapers to contribute to, and a real night life, musicians to jam with and various community theatre groups. Things changed rapidly during the co op phase of the eighties, then came the stock market boom of the 90's and prices sky rocketed as all of the Brownstones were polished with "Market Money" and bought up. I think the days of the community here are over. At least from my perspective at the moment. Maybe there will be a shift and some collective consciousness will return but I can't see that happening right now. The Food Co Op has somewhat of a community feel but it is so crowded that you can't relax, but you do have activities and see familiar faces. You might try the Tea Lounge or 2nd Street Cafe is nice. -
I recently moved here from San Francisco and I am delighted at the friendliness of Brooklynites. it took me a bit of time to understand that the the lack of eye contact from others is likely about privacy - mine and theirs -
it doesn't reflect a lack of interest or friendliness. every smile I send, every comment, every kind word is returned.
granted, I'm a woman of a certain marvelous age, but, like mother said: you get what you give. and, HERE, unlike in Poducd, you tend to get a variety of smart, well-educated people.
my only complaint is about the weather here. you people are a hardy breed! -
Subject: Re: feedback on places where you feel there is community...
thanks yeah. it's sort of easy for people to say 'smile, people will smile back' but that's not really what i'm talking about. although i think the comment about perhaps people keeping to themselves on the street as a way to create privacy is probably an accurate one. it's a vibe within places that determined community. (as with the landlord/tenant thread, i think there is a common theme going on between that thread andthis one. and it's easy if your life is more than 'okay' to say... "what's missing here? nothing." but there is - something. missing.) nyc can be a tough place to live ...granted so people have off days. but i know there can be something different and i am interested in the stories of the park slope of other years. when it was more bohemian. there's no edge in park slope. but that's not why people move here now. it's a beautiful place and that's what draws. and maybe that's enough. people are p.c. while being conscious of it, instead of trying to shift where the borders are.
thanks.
cat.mystic one wrote:
You should have been around in the 70's when Park Slope was a real community, like a small town where everyone you saw on the street you knew. There were many such places. The Purity on Union Street was one, there was the Machine Cafe, The Iron Horse, Gazebo, Aquarius Cafe, just to name a few. Lot's of live music on 7th Ave. Minsky's was like what you were looking for, that used to be on 3rd Street and 7th on the SW corner. There were some very creative newspapers to contribute to, and a real night life, musicians to jam with and various community theatre groups. Things changed rapidly during the co op phase of the eighties, then came the stock market boom of the 90's and prices sky rocketed as all of the Brownstones were polished with "Market Money" and bought up. I think the days of the community here are over. At least from my perspective at the moment. Maybe there will be a shift and some collective consciousness will return but I can't see that happening right now. The Food Co Op has somewhat of a community feel but it is so crowded that you can't relax, but you do have activities and see familiar faces. You might try the Tea Lounge or 2nd Street Cafe is nice. -
Subject: feedback on places...
I've lived in PS for 10 years and there are places I go where the staff know me and in some cases know my name - that's becsue I go to these places really frequently.
- Connecticut Muffin
- The MET grocery
- Setee (where I will be again this evening)
- Food Town (believe it or not)
- the green grocer across 7th from Food Town
- Nana
- Two Boots
- 2nd Street Cafe
- the bagel place at 5th and 5th
- the hardware store
although the slope has changed immensely since I've lived here (some would say not for the better - me included) there are still spots "where everybdy knows your name." -
Subject: Re: feedback on places where you feel there is community...
thanks to you and now I think I get what you're looking for...not the smily-face nice stuff, but community as involvement-digging into issues rather than lives wherein good wines have a too-important influence?
you got that right. I'm eager to get involved in community level organizations re: development/planning. I am fascinated by but cannot accept what I see as a srong desire by maby community activists to maintain blight - to fight change of any kind. I haven't made connections yet except for talking to folks who were registering voters on the sidewalk.
quote="cat"]thanks yeah. it's sort of easy for people to say 'smile, people will smile back' but that's not really what i'm talking about. although i think the comment about perhaps people keeping to themselves on the street as a way to create privacy is probably an accurate one. it's a vibe within places that determined community. (as with the landlord/tenant thread, i think there is a common theme going on between that thread andthis one. and it's easy if your life is more than 'okay' to say... "what's missing here? nothing." but there is - something. missing.) nyc can be a tough place to live ...granted so people have off days. but i know there can be something different and i am interested in the stories of the park slope of other years. when it was more bohemian. there's no edge in park slope. but that's not why people move here now. it's a beautiful place and that's what draws. and maybe that's enough. people are p.c. while being conscious of it, instead of trying to shift where the borders are.
thanks.
cat.mystic one wrote:
You should have been around in the 70's when Park Slope was a real community, like a small town where everyone you saw on the street you knew. There were many such places. The Purity on Union Street was one, there was the Machine Cafe, The Iron Horse, Gazebo, Aquarius Cafe, just to name a few. Lot's of live music on 7th Ave. Minsky's was like what you were looking for, that used to be on 3rd Street and 7th on the SW corner. There were some very creative newspapers to contribute to, and a real night life, musicians to jam with and various community theatre groups. Things changed rapidly during the co op phase of the eighties, then came the stock market boom of the 90's and prices sky rocketed as all of the Brownstones were polished with "Market Money" and bought up. I think the days of the community here are over. At least from my perspective at the moment. Maybe there will be a shift and some collective consciousness will return but I can't see that happening right now. The Food Co Op has somewhat of a community feel but it is so crowded that you can't relax, but you do have activities and see familiar faces. You might try the Tea Lounge or 2nd Street Cafe is nice. -
Subject: Re: feedback on places where you feel there is community...
cat wrote: it's sort of easy for people to say 'smile, people will smile back' but that's not really what i'm talking about.
my point (which i did not explain) was more along the lines of being open minded. if you walk around thinking "what a lack of community" then you will not find any. -
Subject: Community
Since I live in Windsor Terrace -
- the whole family (parents, daughter, son, and son-in-law) at Krupa's newspaper place on PPW.
- All 4 Paws - owner Jackie
- Terrace Bagels - owner and much of the staff
- Number One Garden - Celia at the counter and much of the kitchen staff, and the delivery guy (whose name escapes me at the moment)
- Eden Cleaners - owner Linda
- Lavender Nails - owner Jackie and nail techs, including Francesca
Also, the laundry on 8th Ave. and 13th Street - entire family (plus dog)
- Slope Cellars (as somebody mentioned) - owner Pattie, staff and dog -
Subject: Re: Community
Flexi wrote: Also, the laundry on 8th Ave. and 13th Street - entire family (plus dog)
you're talking about the golden lab? with the toy fetish?
that ferking dog is evil!
it will chew off your head and spit it out if you dare look at its toy
Gowanus Top 5
1. Total Wine Bar on 5 av + St. Mark's
2. Mule Cafe on 4 ave + Between St. Mark's & Bergen
3. Blue Sky Bakery 5 ave + Between St. Mark's & Bergen
4. Gorrilla Coffee on 5th ave
5. Great Lakes Bar -
Subject: Laundry Dog
Her name is Deborah and I've never seen her not like anybody. I took her for a ride in my car and a walk in the park yesterday.
Seriously - super-friendly dog. -
Subject: Re: Community
quijibo wrote: [quote=Flexi]Also, the laundry on 8th Ave. and 13th Street - entire family (plus dog)
you're talking about the golden lab? with the toy fetish?
that ferking dog is evil!
it will chew off your head and spit it out if you dare look at its toy
Gowanus Top 5
1. Total Wine Bar on 5 av + St. Mark's
2. Mule Cafe on 4 ave + Between St. Mark's & Bergen
3. Blue Sky Bakery 5 ave + Between St. Mark's & Bergen
4. Gorrilla Coffee on 5th ave
5. Great Lakes Bar
all this time I thought all of these things were in Park Slope and that I'd never been to Gowanus. who knew? -
5th ave definitely still counts as Park Slope. 4th ave is kind of the beginning of "Gowanus."
-
uh- those places on 5th avenue are in Park Slope-NOT Gowanus.
Also-where do we have a Food Town around here?????????? -
Pollio on 5th Avenue-the guys there are all great and make you feel like friends-plus-the food is good
-
Subject: okay i'd say that d'vine taste is closest to what i meant.
i've been in gorilla coffee and they are nice and i like it in there a lot but it's not exactly what i mean. but d'vine taste ... that is exactly what i mean! (on 7th ave.) really truly friendly, very laid back, extremely accomodating, and you just feel like you've known them forever.
cat. -
Everybody at La Bagel, actually everyone except for one, is supercool.
-
Subject: Re: Laundry Dog
Flexi wrote: Her name is Deborah and I've never seen her not like anybody. I took her for a ride in my car and a walk in the park yesterday.
deborah has you fooled with her golden retriever innocence
Seriously - super-friendly dog.
she is a beast borne from heck
i used to walk past Deborah's laundromat with my dog on a leash
whenever she saw us, Deborah, would run inside, to get her favorite toy and drop it on the sidewalk in front of the laundromat. daring my dog to even look at her toy, and she would growl.
and she would bare her teeth, and growl something about that toy belonging to the mighty deborah and that whoever even looked at it would have their face ripped off without hesitation -
Carnivore wrote: 5th ave definitely still counts as Park Slope. 4th ave is kind of the beginning of "Gowanus."
yes. granted all of those places are presently in park slope. except for Mule which is on 4th ave
but. it was only a few years ago that nobody in their right mind would have wanted to claim 5th ave as being part of park slope
give the realtors a few more years and 4th ave will become park slope and gowanus will be a quaint memory -
I have lived here for 18 years and have always considered 5th avenue Park Slope-what else would it have been?
Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
- 40K All Categories
- 27.1K Neighborhoods
- 5.1K Crown Heights/Prospect Lefferts Gardens
- 7.1K Prospect Heights
- 2.3K Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy
- 8K Park Slope
- 549 Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick
- 442 Flatbush/Midwood/Ditmas Park
- 657 BoCoCa (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens)
- 151 Red Hook
- 104 Gowanus
- 304 Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst
- 130 Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay
- 270 Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO and Downtown
- 598 Windsor Terrace / Kensington
- 673 Greenwood Heights and Sunset Park
- 749 Brooklyn and Beyond
- 6.3K Stuff
- 86 Brooklyn Back When
- 1.2K Brooklyn Pets
- 257 Brooklyn Kids
- 241 Brooklyn Eats
- 51 Brooklyn Booze
- 3.6K The Lounge / Random Stuff
- 611 Brooklyn Politics
- 122 Brooklyn Sports and Fitness
- 111 Brooklyn Photos
- 339 Site Issues
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- 6.2K Listings
- 1.1K APARTMENTS and REAL ESTATE
- 1.3K Sales Openings Events
- 2.3K The Classifieds