What makes Brooklyn great?

jamesburger · October 2007

As frustrating as New York living can be, I simply love living in Brooklyn. And, skeptic that I am, I always ask “why?”

When people use to ask what I love about Brooklyn I usually say that when I get off the subway in Manhattan, I arrive on a street, but when I exist the system in Brooklyn, I arrive in a neighborhood.

My parents worked hard to provide my sister and me a good life, and to them that meant moving further from Brooklyn (I grew up in Westchester). So, when my mom, who grew up in Crown Heights, found out I was moving to Brooklyn 10 years ago, she was a bit disappointed. She has always been proud of her Brooklyn heritage, but wanted less humble beginnings for her children. Now, she is so proud to have reestablished her connection to the borough and is keenly aware of the differences between now and then.

So, I wanted to ask: what makes Brooklyn great to you? I am sure it is not just one thing, but what is it you love about this place? What makes Brooklyn so distinct from other places?

lilbangladesh · October 2007

Well, I'm still getting acclimated, so take it for what's it worth:

There is certainly quite a sense of community here that seems to be lacking in other boroughs. Maybe because there is a sense that we get dicked over in terms of resources and amenities, so we kinda band together.

I lived in Queens for over ten years and I never ran into a Queens blog like this.

prodigalson · October 2007

Hi Folks!

I haven't posed here in quite a while and hope remains well for everyone.

What makes Brooklyn great? Why, that's easy: its people.

But there's much more. And one such great thing is Brooklyn's history: the Dodgers, Coney Island, Brooklyn Bridge, Prospect Park, the Historical Society, Down Town, the Promenade, ad infinitum.

Up to just a couple of years ago, I did not know that East New York (this is where I grew up) was the Sports Mecca of the USA. Eastern Park was the venue for all kinds of athletic events that the LA Coliseum could never hope to match. Here's some proof of that:

http://www.mindspring.com/~luckyshow/football/ep.htm

For many years this great past remained largely hidden. Now with the Internet, we can see that it was sportsman's paradise!

I have also read that ENY was the cricket capitol of the USA during the Civil War years though Philadelphia took over that claim to fame.

This does not mean Brooklyn did not have its problems. For far too many years it was largely segregated and the crime rate was far too high. But in my book, the good always outweighs the bad.

And Brooklyn has and will always have far more good than anything else.

What makes Brooklyn great?

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