meaghanp

Overall, it's a cute neighborhood - to me, it still feels like the city because there are a lot of eateries and restaurants that charge way too much for everything. The fact that the neighborhood is lined by two large parks is wonderful. Most of the streets are clean, and if you don't live near main strips (i.e. where the bars are on Broadway or Dyckman), it's probably quiet (I do live near both Broadway and Dyckman, and hear drunk singers and cars with loud music until late in the a.m. nearly every night when the temperature is above 60 degrees). There are a handful of grocery stores, and they're all expensive (downtown Brooklyn and even grocery stores in FiDi are cheaper). If you head just over the Manhattan/Bronx border, there's a large shopping mall which is a big plus.

It's a convenient neighborhood if you use public transportation: the A train will get you almost anywhere and you'll always have a seat. I commute all the way to Fulton Center (last A-train stop before Brooklyn) and it takes 40 minutes (if all is kosher with the MTA). VERY inconvenient if you own a vehicle: paying to park in a garage is as expensive as places in Midtown, and 9 out of 10 cars you see driving around are looking for parking (just like you). Many times, if I am trying to park in the evening after 7pm, it may take an hour of circling around to find a parking spot. DO NOT park only 15 feet away from hydrants, without a meter receipt for even one minute, or during street cleaning hours after the street has been cleaned - you WILL be ticketed and if the violation is for a hydrant, you WILL be towed. I have parked 15+ feet from a hydrant twice in the last 5 months - and my vehicle was towed, both times.

Overall, I think I would enjoy living in this neighborhood more if I lived east of Broadway, and did not own a vehicle.