Why Crown Heights rocks

Thanks for the buzzkill of the crime stat KWAK.
1. That bar is in the not-so-nice part of St. John's Place.

2. I have no intention of staying out so late on a work night. I'll probably be wrapping it up and going home no later than 11.

3. The bar I mentioned is on Nostrand. Are you saying that I should celebrate elsewhere because of a crime that happened blocks away? Or that all bars in Crown Heights are unsafe even though I have no intention of staying out until 2 AM?

I mean, geesh, how was that at all relevant?

Well, I went last night and had a good time. Things really didn't get going until 11:30. I met quite a few nice people and some old geezer tried to pick me up. I changed my seat when he got too obnoxious. I didn't sing though because at that hour I was coughing pretty badly and realized that I didn't have the lung power to even attempt Lauryn Hill's Ex-Factor. (I can't wait until I'm completely over this flu! Ack!)

At midnight, I turned into a pumpkin and went home. On the way home, I met a woman who was doing the same thing I was, walking briskly to her building. But she still took the time to greet me:

"How are you this fine evening?"
"Just fine. How are you?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for asking!"

Of course, by the time we finished this exchange, we were a half a block away from each other in opposite directions because we were both walking so fast.

The people at Q were great, and I'll be back, though not as a regular. It's sort of silly for me to be a regular at a bar when I don't drink.

Well, geesh, CH is different in how open people are. I lived in Astoria for 11 years, and people are not that friendly with each other.

This sort of thing never happened in my old neighborhood. And while it's not a bad neighborhood and I had friends there, it also could be a pretty isolating experience, because of the typical big-city attitude. I think it's nice that you have small-town friendliness here.

And no, it's not an earth-shattering experience. And had it not happened on that particular day when I was having a REALLY bad day, I probably wouldn't have posted about it. I posted because it really did cheer me up when I badly needed some cheering up.

As far as the other thread, I just was posting because I got really sick of people asking me if I was afraid to live here. And I dug up something in my past that showed that I had been in far worse danger before. I thought it was cute. It backfired. And considering to the level I'd been attacked, I was seriously thinking about not coming back to this board.

As enthusiastic as I am, I'm NOT a Pollyanna. I admit I was at first apprehensive about moving here, so maybe I'm gushing with relief that it's not as bad as I feared and in many ways is cooler than I expected. 8) I still invested in a deadbolt. I still observe big city ways for safe passage. I believe in being cautious and alert, but I REFUSE to be paranoid! I may sound naive, but I have too much experience of living in big cities and not-so-safe neighborhoods to actually be naive. Is it so bad that I've found things about my new neighborhood I enjoy?

I can't do anything about crime except to observe safety rules, getting involved and calling the police when necessary. I see little point in bemoaning it. If there is something I can do about the situation, I'll do it, but kvetching about it here doesn't seem to accomplish much. (OTOH, kvetching at precinct and community board meetings might accomplish something!)

Now if y'all want to meet some Sunday night for Karaoke at Q, I'm up for it!

It's on Nostrand between Lincoln Place and St. John's.

Yeah, it's a tiny hole in the wall that only opens at night. The girl who bartends is real sweet.