Brooklyn: what's it like?

In the shadow of Brooklyn Tech?

Pretty nice. You're seconds away from Prospect Park for running. The museum, library, and botanical garden are on the plaza. Walking distance to the nightlife on 5th Ave. Walk or one stop by train to downtown Brooklyn. 20-50 min by train to anywhere in Manhattan. It's a good location. Plus, you've got the LIRR for weekends at the beach in the summer.

Brooklyn Tech is also in Brooklyn (hence the name), but like 1.5M away.

Frederick wrote:

Brooklyn Tech is also in Brooklyn (hence the name)

Gotta be careful with that...Manhattan College isn't in Manhattan

Thanks for the info. Should I be worried walking home late at night? Is it safe near there?

And parts of Long Island University are not on Long Island

yes, those locations are all safe and near subways. just avoid bet stuy, flatbush neighborhood for obvious reasons. park slopes really nice

Are you male or female? It is relatively safe for New York/Brooklyn but I would not like my wife walking home late at night there. I lived down 7th avenue in Park Slope which is safer but much more expensive. Still you have chosen a great area in which to live.

Top of the food chain, yo!

I lived off Garfield and 5th for a while with my sister, so, I have a little input. A little farther east of what you are mentioning can be dangerous at night. Most mornings you can run south and west without any concerns. Stay out of the park after dark. The south and east sides of the park can be a little risky. If anything, for long runs, do loops around the park (most grass you will see for miles around) or hit Ocean Parkway. Flatbush can get a kind of dangerous if you are not the "invisible" type.

Find safe paths to tracks around there. I had to run across the river to find anything good. Take your time to get used to the areas and keep your eyes and ears open. As long as you are paying attention, you should be fine. The park itself is nice. Lots of regular races with an occasional ringer showing up. 16 flat (give or take a few seconds) will win most neighborhood races. If you're not used to hills, you will be.

Living near the park was one of the main factors in choosing that area. I plan on doing my runs early morning before work to avoid the park after dark. How long is the loop around the park? Is it all paved or some dirt paths? I’m looking forward to the hills, thanks for the heads up.

i've been running for 18 years, and have never had anyone try to jack me while running*. and i've run through plenty of areas where shit goes down at night. runners have no money and can easily get away, so i don't know why anyone would worry about getting robbed or beat up while running. in fact, it's usually in the hood where dudes will say humorous shit as you run by. i do admit that if i was white i would stick out like a sore thumb, so i'm sure it might be different for white dudes running through the hood.

*i was on vacation in london once and some shots went off across the street as i ran by. i had run right by on my way out, but luckily had crossed to the other side on my way back to add some variety to the run.

*a couple weeks ago, i had some dude pretend like he was going to punch me as i ran near my house. i then turned around and talked some shit ("do that shit, blood!"), and so did he, and that was it (i hope).

sjq wrote:

i've been running for 18 years, and have never had anyone try to jack me while running*. and i've run through plenty of areas where shit goes down at night. runners have no money and can easily get away, so i don't know why anyone would worry about getting robbed or beat up while running. in fact, it's usually in the hood where dudes will say humorous shit as you run by. i do admit that if i was white i would stick out like a sore thumb, so i'm sure it might be different for white dudes running through the hood.

When I was in HS in Brooklyn we could run in a number of directions. One was about a 4 mile run to Prospect Park. Never a problem. One was a route which took us through an area in which a group of all white skinny cross country runners would stick out like a sore thumb in a black neighborhood. The worst we ever heard was a little smack talk and otherwise we heard encouragement. One other route took us through an almost completely white Jewish neighborhood where we had more shit thrown at us than I care to go into.

sjq: in fact, it's usually in the hood where dudes will say humorous shit as you run by. i do admit that if i was white i would stick out like a sore thumb, so i'm sure it might be different for white dudes running through the hood.

As a whitey I agree: definitely way more funny comments in the hood. I've never felt threatened, but often amused, in Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, etc. The teenage girls are the best - some of 'em totally uncensored, anything from vivid funny insults to blunt appreciation of the minimally clad human form in motion.

OP, you've got one of the ideal Brooklyn locations in my book. Very convenient to the park & other attractions & transportation, safe, hip, pretty laid back. Handful of blocks south & west into the heart of Park Slope is less edgy - among the city's very safest neighborhoods, more established, etc. Many prefer that for obvious reasons, but others (like most of my creative friends) find it less desirable, and the atmosphere and too many of the people kind of bland and grating in an overly entitled / self-impressed kinda way. If you like it, you're certainly close enough to spend most of your time there.

Been running up Vanderbilt to the park for years and watched it evolve into one of the city's coolest little stretches of street. I think you're near Bar Sepia too which seemed like a perfect neighborhood hang.

Bar Sepia, I will have to check that place out. I was hoping to find a neighborhood bar where I can have a beer or two after work. This place looks walking distance from the apartment I will be moving into. Thanks for the info.

That area has been yuppified beyond compare, so if that's your thing, you're set. I lived there over twenty years ago, when the gentrification was already well under way, and it's continued unabated since then.

There's some soft surface running in Prospect Park, but you'll have to explore a little to link together a decent route. There's still some crime in the park, but very little, and it's a lot safer than running on streets in Brooklyn or anywhere else, where your chance of getting hit by a car is a lot greater than your chance of being assaulted in the park.