JeanS

As someone who hails from Brooklyn, going to Queens was like going to a foreign country, especially trying to get around the borough with all of the numbered streets, roads and avenues. 218th Street is a really pretty street in some places, especially between Hillside Avenue and Jamaica Avenue. This strip of the street has large single family homes (some of them have been converted to duplexes) with nice front yards, some driveways and space between the houses. The neighbors are friendly and caring, and through the use of a neighborhood watch, keep any criminal mischief out of the way. There is good shopping on Jamaica and Hillside Avenue, and you aren't far from schools, houses of worship and public transportation. If you know your way around the borough, this is a good location to find a home and raise a family. I found that it was a very walkable neighborhood, since the surrounding streets had a similar feel. I felt safe and comfortable here. I just wish the streets had real names, instead of numbered names!

When you look out your front windows from parts of 99th Avenue in the Queens Village neighborhood of Queens, New York, you won't see your neighbor's house. You'll see a high fence which separates the street from the adjacent railroad tracks. This may be OK for some people, but I'm not real fond of living on top of train tracks. It appears that most of the people living in these modest single family homes are senior citizens. They're probably there because no one wants to buy a house that is so close to the train. If you travel up 99th Avenue a little farther, you will find some repair facilities and run down homes (I was not impressed with this part of 99th Avenue), but if you continue up the street for another half-mile or mile (and you will have to make a few zig zags to find the continuation of the street), you will find some very nice single and duplex style homes in a much more desirable area. The cross streets and avenues have lots of services, including some cute little mom-and-pop restaurants and luncheonettes. One of them even had egg creams on the menu! As long as you don't live near the railroad tracks, this is a decent street.

104th Avenue is in the Queens Village community of Queens, New York. Located within a few blocks of Hempstead Turnpike (a major shopping street), it is a pleasant street that contains mainly single family homes that are well-maintained and even have small yards and garages. This is an upper middle class neighborhood and the homes on this street are definitely more expensive than the average homes in adjacent neighborhoods. Many of the homes are newer construction, which is unusual in Queens. Access to the rest of Queens is good because of the major thoroughfares in the neighborhood. People are friendly and helpful and they keep their yards and streets clean. This is definitely one of the nicer areas to live.

Hull Avenue starts right near the access road to the Long Island Expressway, so there is the constant roar of traffic, both day and night. Not to mention the fumes, which can get pretty heavy, especially during the summer months. The homes on this street are very boxy and uninteresting, but if you want an easy way to access the Expressway, then this is a good street to live on. However, it seems like it would be hard to call this place "home," as there isn't anything that feels very welcoming on this street. In real estate, they say it's "location, location, location," and this location is not ideal, although it does get a little bit better the farther you you go on Hull Avenue.

If you're driving around Queens, be sure to take your GPS, since you will find a little piece of 64th Road backing up to Mt. Hebron Cemetery. They're nice homes, but do you really want a huge cemetery in your back yard? Probably not. However, on the other side of the cemetery and the busy Van Wyck Expressway, 64th Road continues into a nice, well-serviced neighborhood that is typically middle-class, white collar and moderately priced, with your choice of single family homes and mid-size apartment buildings. At the intersection of 108th Street, you will find lots of stores and shops, that continue up and down 108th Street. This part of 64th Road is interesting and a good place to live. Transportation options are limited, since you can't really walk to the subway, but you are in close proximity to bus lines.

I'm familiar with chunks of 150th Street and had an aunt who lived on the section between Willets Point Blvd. and Bayside Avenue. It's a friendly neighborhood, but rather boring and ho-hum. Not much has changed in the years since she lived there. Many of the same families inhabit the homes on her block and there has not been much retail development, so it is fairly stable. That's good and bad at the same time, since it almost feels as if time has stopped when on this street! At one end of 150th Street, you dump right into Queens College. Another part of the street runs into Kissena Park. The problem with 150th Street is that it is dissected by other streets or parks, and the massive Long Island Expressway. Each section of 150th Street is its own neighborhood, but generally speaking, there isn't anything extraordinary about it, unless you happen to live there and attend Queens College. Then you can walk to class!

64th Avenue is another interesting street. The prettiest part of the street has a median in the middle, so it is almost parklike, serene and a great place to take a walk or a jog. Yes, there is traffic on this part of 64th Avenue, but the sidewalks are wide and you can almost forget you're in the city. Other parts of this avenue are more citified and commercialized, with shopping centers, restaurants and even the campus of Queens College. The one "down" part of living on this street is that parts of the street are close to the very busy Long Island Expressway, so you may have to learn to get used to the hum and drone of the traffic.

162nd Street is centrally located, so getting around from here is easy. Living here puts you close to the major thoroughfares that go east-west, such as I-495, which is also called the Long Island Expressway, the Grand Central Parkway and Northern Boulevard. As with many Queens Streets, 162nd Street is not a through-street all the way, so it starts and stops and is interrupted by cemeteries, park, industrial sites and dead ends. Still, the residential parts of this street are lovely, with larger than average (but not huge) single family and duplex homes. Other parts of 162nd Street are more commercial, with businesses, offices and even some light industry. One of the problems of living in Queens is trying to figure out the street system, since many of the streets and avenues are numbered -- so it can be extremely confusing. Make sure you know where you're going and that you are on the right street!

123rd Street is an average, middle class neighborhood in the College Point area of Queens. I would describe it as "Archie Bunker's neighborhood," as the people who live there have been residents of this street for decades and are a bit suspicious of outsiders who try to move in. They want to know WHY you are moving to their street. If you have a good reason, you are welcomed with open arms. If not, you will find a chilly reception. This isn't bad. I think it's great that the people here look out for their own and try to be good friends and neighbors. Although not near any large major shopping malls, there are plenty of neighborhood shops and prices are about what you'd expect for a middle class Queens area. All in all, 123rd Street is a solid place to live. Very established and a decent place for families.

Lefferts Boulevard runs more or less north and south through the borough of Queens, with most of the street contained within what is considered the Richmond Hill area. Although it can be a very busy street with traffic whizzing by all day and all night, it is also a very middle class neighborhood that is convenient to other parts of Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. Plus, you can find public transportation available to get you into Manhattan, if necessary. Regardless of what type of home you'd like to live in (single family, duplex or apartment building), you will find many choices on Lefferts Boulevard, since it is peppered with small to medium apartments, attached townhomes, single family homes, and duplexes. Rents are average to above average because it is a good area with lots of amenities. Service stations, restaurants, groceries, lawyer and doctor offices are all along Lefferts Boulevard, especially around the major cross intersections. It's a nice street, although kind of busy at times. You jut get used to it!

Ross Street has a little bit of everything ... it has single and duplex homes, apartment buildings, and during my last visit, some serious renovations going on which promise to increase the neighborhood's appeal. Long ago, this area was considered one of the "armpits of Brooklyn," the area has been part of a renaissance and has had lots of young people moving in and setting up small businesses with a focus on creativity. This is a pedestrian's paradise, since you can walk to stores, houses of worship, schools and doctor offices. It is interesting that there seems to be a lot of physicians in this neighborhood, so you can expect to be healthy if you move here. You are close to the Interstate and there is the constant drone of traffic noise in the background, but people get used to it quickly. It is much better than other parts of Brooklyn which have the elevated trains running past their windows all the time. Rents here are average, but they have been on the rise over the last five to ten years, so that indicates this is a neighborhood with big plans.

Cambridge Street is nestled in the middle of what is becoming a more vibrant neighborhood as urban renewal hits this area in a big way. Close to Atlantic Avenue, with its eateries and services, Washington and Classon Avenues, with their major bus lines, and walking distance to the subway, you can't beat the convenience. It is also a perfect place to find an apartment if you are a student at the prestigious Pratt Institute, which can be within walking distance on a nice day. All in all, this is a great street. Most of the buildings are older, brick walk-ups. There are trees on the street, which gives it a nice feel and you can find easy parking close to your building. There is a good neighborhood spirit and feel with mostly younger folks living her due to the convenience of getting around. This used to be a pretty questionable area, but it is starting to become trendy, as you can tell from the higher rents.

As with most streets, Herkimer Street has its good parts and its not so good parts. The "good" parts definitely outnumber those that are lacking. Herkimer Street has a long and vibrant history and there are numerous brownstone tenements and multi-family walk-up apartment buildings here that have been well maintained over the years with residents who have been living here for decades. The street has a lot of neighborhood pride. Herkimer Street is right in the middle of a lot of activity from surrounding streets and avenues, including Fulton Street, which goes into "downtown" Brooklyn, Atlantic Avenue, Eastern Parkway, Fulton Street and Broadway. There are lots of small stores, bodegas and mom-and-pop businesses within walking distance, so you can live here without having to venture too far out of the neighborhood. Access to other parts of Brooklyn is very good because of numerous bus lines, and it is walking distance to the subway stations. This is one of the better looking streets in this part of Brooklyn and an address on Herkimer Street looks good on your resume!

Herkimer Place is a small street that is in the middle of a lot of activity. It is surrounded by some very busy thoroughfares that can connect you to all parts of Brooklyn and which have a lot of different services available. Living on Herkimer Place is a very mixed bag, since there are buildings that are used as warehouses, and buildings that contain loft apartments, plus a few small, multi-family units. It's not a pretty street and it may give some people the creeps to walk there at night, but if you go a block or two in any direction, you will feel like you are part of civilization again. I like the fact that you can pretty much get to anyplace else in the city from this street. It is close to bus lines and just two blocks from the subway stop. The major thoroughfares of Bedford, Nostrand and Atlantic Avenue are close by, as is Fulton Street. So there are good services within walking distance.

One end of of Chauncey Street is adjacent to train tracks and within spitting distance of a cemetery. That end of the street is also highly industrialized, so you definitely don't want to live on that part of the street. But if you travel down Chauncey Street, you will find that there are some nice homes and small businesses peppering both sides of the street. Chauncey Street is interrupted by a huge high-rise apartment complex, which looks to have about 20 massive buildings. It is supposed to be rent controlled, so getting an apartment here may be difficult, since no one likes to move out of a rent controlled unit. Schools and churches are close by, so if you are looking for a place to worship, you won't have to go far. There is ample transportation, with city buses running on the major adjacent thoroughfares and the subway line is a few blocks away. All in all, if you pick the right part of Chauncey Street, you will have very pleasant surroundings.

Blake Avenue runs through one of the large apartment complexes in this part of Brooklyn, which straddles the Brownsville and East New York sections of the borough. The street begins at Union Street on the west side and continues east, ending up in adjacent Queens. Some parts of Blake Avenue are uninhabitable, meaning that there are empty lots, crumbling buildings, some light industry and a generally rundown feeling, but other parts of this street are respectable and provide a comfortable place to live for folks who lead a blue-collar type of life. Transportation is good here, as there are lots of bus lines that can take you to other parts of the city, and the subway is a few blocks away. Schools are also conveniently located if you live on Blake Avenue, which is good news for the families that live in the apartment projects. Rents are reasonable in this part of Brooklyn, but remember that you get what you pay for. The neighborhood has changed over the years, but it is starting an upswing.

Livonia Avenue is home to an elevated subway line, a lot of high rise apartment buildings and smaller, poorly-maintained tenements. If you're the type of person who likes to roll out of bed and hop on the train to get to work, living on Livonia Avenue is for you, since the train is right outside your door. But don't expect peace and quiet, since you will have the rumble of the train both day and night. Although there are some mom-and-pop type commercial establishments on Livonia Avenue which will suffice if you need some bread, milk or other staples, you will most likely want to do your major shopping elsewhere. The same goes for entertainment and eating out. You will NOT have a romantic, candlelit dinner anywhere on Livonia Avenue, unless there's a blackout in New York City that cuts off electricity to the trains! Rents here are fairly low because of the atmosphere, but people do learn to live with and even love the sound of the trains.

Arlington Avenue is a rather unique street in this East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is a mix of different types of homes (some apartments, some smaller single family brownstones or town homes) and then there are some newer and very large homes that seem peculiarly out of place in this sometimes rough-and-tumble neighborhood. However, it is nice to see this type of development and the pride that neighbors are taking in keeping their homes looking nice. In terms of access, Arlington Avenue is just a block or two from the "J"subway train that runs along Fulton Street. It is also convenient to shopping, which you can find on Arlington Avenue and the adjacent streets. There are also houses of worship close by. Overall, an address on Arlington Avenue in this part of Brooklyn can be pretty classy!

Van Siclen Court really should be an extension of Van Siclen Avenue, since it is only one block long and is what New Yorker's call a "dead end," (although others refer to these streets as "cul de sacs" which sounds more elegant). The neighbors on this little street are a very tight group, since they all lie in single-family or two-family homes and are protective of each other's properties. They are conveniently located right off Jamaica Avenue, a busy thoroughfare, which has shopping and restaurants and other services within a few blocks. This neighborhood is a little rough these days, but the folks who have lived here for many years try to keep the neighborhood spirit alive. If you move here, be prepared to get involved with neighborhood watches.

Growing up in this neighborhood was a lot of fun, since there were always kids to play with and we didn't have to worry about the crime, which is more prevalent now than when I was younger. Amboy Street is in the East New York area of Brooklyn, and runs from the major thoroughfare Linden Boulevard to East New York Avenue. Amboy Street has high rise apartment buildings and smaller townhouse-like tenements, so you can find a suitable place for your family without a lot of effort. Rents are more affordable here than in other parts of Brooklyn and you have enough services on the avenues and adjacent streets so a car can be optional if you can't afford one. This is a neighborhood for street-savvy people. It's a little rough around the edges, not very pretty. But it is close to the Brookdale Hospital Center and has a nice little playground within walking distance. It's a low to middle income class neighborhood and is a decent place to live as long as you're careful.