Clinton Hill - Area Around Pratt

Subject: Re: Clinton Hill - Area Around Pratt

DDA wrote: Hi all! I have just stated my apartment search (exciting yet overwhelming). Looking at my finances, I find myself looking in some very set areas, one of which is the area around Pratt. The area itself seems ok to me, and I have been out there visiting freinds, but I was wondering if anyone out there in Brooklynian.com world had any thoughts.

1) general area

My fiancée and I have lived in the area for a few years now and we absolutely love it. We've found it to be a welcoming neighborhood. It has a good mix of age/race/families etc. It has a lot of pretty blocks. It's got great character. And we've seen more and more good restaurants and affordable shops open up.

2) safety

(knock on wood) we've found the area to be pretty safe as long as you follow the usual guidelines. always be alert. be friendly with your neighbors. don't act intimidated. don't walk alone with your ipod on at 3 am. try to stay away from the projects late at night. etc

3) transportation - other than the G (oy!), how are the busses, etc?...I work in the Flatbush/Kensington area.

the buses are good. the only problem with them is that they get pretty crowded during rush hour, but otherwise they're very convenient. three buses run downtown (54, 61 and 38 ), and one bus runs towards Park Slope and beyond (the 69).

I commute to Manhattan 5 days a week and I've found the G to be reliable during rush hour. I had heard horror stories about the G but as far as my commute is concerned, it's been a breeze. Sometimes the G runs in sections on the weekend and that's when I avoid it at all costs. But otherwise I find the G to be like any other non-express train (aside from the fact that its short (4 cars)).

4) amenities - it is fairly residential, but how are the amenities? (grocery, hardware, general stores, restaurants, night life...)

We live near Myrtle and it has pretty much everything we could need. Associated is pretty clean and nice for a big chain grocery store. There is a great hardware store just past Washington Ave (Adami). There's laundromats and decent cleaners. There's a produce stand. There's even a fish market. There are a handful of good car services too.

There aren't a ton of bars in the Pratt area (we frequent about 3), but not too far away there are more choices in Ft Greene and Bed Stuy.

We're pretty happy with the restaurant selection too. There's good Mexican, Italian, Japanese, standard American. Pretty much every thing. Maggie Brown's is our favorite. Although the new Italian place is excellent too.

All in all we've loved the area so far!

I have lived in the area since 1999 and haven't had any real problems with it.

Everyone complains about the G but I find it no different than any other train in the city- I frequently ride the G, A, C, F, and the B61 bus (which is a bit slow and has one crazy driver who will start fights with passengers- but I guess that is what people like about New York)

The Associated suffers from mismanagement but otherwise is a suitable supermarket, and the grocer accross the street sells decent kimchi. The local hardware no longer sells wood so you have to trek to Park Ave Home or Home Depot in Bed Stuy for building material. We have a relatively new pharmacy but it isn't open every day. A walgreens is slated to open down the road.

I see Myrtle as becoming a shopping destination, maybe like Smith Street or Bedford Ave in Williamsburg, at least better than Dekalb in Fort Greene.

I'm not sure how the new luxury condos in the area will turn out- if they will get the $700+ /sq ft they are looking for or if they will have to adjust to resonable prices.

There is decent blog activity about the neighborhood, and a few organizations concerned with the area as well.

FMike wrote: [quote=Boygabriel]There's a produce stand. There's even a fish market..

Just curious.. Where's this fish market you speak of?? I'm not familiar with any in the area. Come to think of it, I haven't found a decent produce stand either. Where do you go?

There's a fish market on Myrtle between Vanderbilt and Clermont -- "Duncan's". Don't know about a 7-day-a-week produce stand, but there's the Greenmarket in Ft. Greene Park on Saturdays, at the southeast corner of the park.

Anonymous wrote: http://www.myrtleavenue.org/

The fish market closest to Pratt is Y2, it's not as popular as Duncan's.

I forget the name of the grocery with produce but it is next to Y2, accross the street from associated.

Yup. I don't eat seafood so I can't vouch for the fish market. But it's on Myrtle, directly across from Associated, between Ryerson and Hall.

The vegetable stand is on the same block, same side of Myrtle. It's right next to Los Pollitos III, one door down from the corner of Myrtle & Ryerson. It's pretty good. Not great, but between it and Associated I can usually get acceptable produce.

If you really want good fresh, local produce, join the Clinton Hill CSA! (the blog hasn't been updated in a year, but the CHCSA is still in effect)