Kingsland Ave, Williamsburg

Kingsland Ave is a tough one because it has a lot of goods and bads. The blocks of Kingsland closer to Metropolitan are great and they're not too far from the L train or any of the bars and restaurants in the Graham Ave area. One of my good friends lives on Kingsland right at Skillman it's not too bad as far as convenience goes. He also has a back yard in his apartment which is nearly unheard of for anywhere in New York. The street is definitely a younger one. There are a lot of artists, students and hipsters on it because the rent is a bit cheaper than parts of Willy that are even off of Graham which is only a few blocks away. And, the further north you go on Kinglsand, the cheaper the rent gets because the further north you go, the further you are from any sort of convenience. It's a really residential street so if you live up toward Greenpoint, there's nothing in the way of bars, restaurants or delis near you. But, the walk isn't too bad. The other bad thing about Kinglsand is that the northern chunk of the street has a lot of pollution problems. It's right under the BQE and a lot of the new, expensive condos on the street are built on former factory sites that had sewage problems. Also, a lot of the buildings were put up really quickly so they have sort of tape and glue problems (i.e. poor insulation, electrical issues, etc). I guess I wouldn't mind living on Kingsland -- especially if I could have a yard -- but I would definitely live as close to Metropolitan as possible and I wouldn't live in one of the newer "luxury" buildings.