photo by David Berkowitz

A recent transplant (she used to be in Williamsburg proper) and owner of a handbag company, Shira gives us the skinny on East Williamsburg.

How long have you lived here?

I’ve lived in East Williamsburg since last October, so a little bit less than a year, but I’ve lived in the Williamsburg area for about 5 years.

Can you describe this neighborhood for folks that have never been here before?

It’s slightly gritty, but it’s developing. There’s a mix of people who have lived here their whole lives, and there’s a spillover from the Bedford Avenue area.

How would you describe the types of people that live here?

Old and young, ethnic and diverse. Lots of post-college graduates. There are Puerto Ricans, some Asians, and there’s a nice Italian contingency.

Is this your ideal neighborhood? Why or why not?

No, I would like a place that feels a little less urban, and a little greener. This is a very industrial, citified area, and you get all the characteristics of that. That means noise, pollution, bad smells, and lots of traffic.

Are there any myths or stereotypes about your nabe you’d like to dispel?

It’s not as dangerous as some people think. I don’t feel unsafe walking home from the Subway at 11pm, and that’s how I judge the dangerousness of an area.

Were you surprised by anything when you moved here?

Well, they have great bike lanes all along Grand St. There are a lot more cute artisanal shops and restaurants than I expected, and they keep popping up everywhere.

What’s your favorite part about this neighborhood?

It’s close to the Subway, near the G and the L trains. There are great bodegas, supermarkets, and restaurants. It keeps me young!

What’s the best part of your neighborhood to live in?

I like the area near the Lorimer L train stop, not necessarily Grand Street, on which I live, because it can be a bit busy and not as peaceful. Some of the streets off of Lorimer Street between Union Street and Graham Avenue have cute parts.

Are there any bad areas in your neighborhood? If not, which street/block would you not want to live on?

Yeah, there are some shiesty areas. I don’t know the specifics, but it’s a bit shadier south of Grand Street. I wouldn’t live on Maujer Street, and I wouldn’t live on Grand Street again if I had the choice.

What’s the housing like here?

Since it’s up-and-coming, you’d think it would be less expensive, but it’s not Bushwick. It’s still Williamsburg. The property is still valuable. There are a lot of properties that look rough from the outside, but on the inside have a lot of charm and a lot of really nice details with the newer renovations that are happening. You wouldn’t necessarily know it looking from the outside.

What’s an average two bedroom rent monthly?

Probably around $2,200 or $2,300 a month.

If you were forced to leave this neighborhood, what neighborhood would you move to?

Prospect Heights. It’s greener, quieter, and less stress.

Are there neighborhoods in this city that you would never live in? What are they?

Maybe Bushwick. I’m just not interested. There’s a time and a place for a great loft space or a huge art studio, but I’m just not into that anymore. Now I’m more interested in creature comforts.

How is this neighborhood different from other neighborhoods that are similar to it?

It’s not as unified or trendy as maybe Greenpoint or Williamsburg proper, respectively. It’s a bit scattered. Greenpoint is somewhat unified in that there’s a huge Polish community and it’s very “neighborhoodie”. Williamsburg is trendy and filled with hipsters, other young people and it’s very expensive. East Williamsburg is a weird amalgamation of both kinds, so it doesn’t have as well defined an identity.

Do you have any advice, recommendations or suggestions for folks thinking about moving to your neighborhood?

Don’t pay too much! There are a ton of great apartments here, so don’t give up too quickly. You can find a good price, but you have to be patient. You have to be willing to look at a lot of places.

A South Slope local, Saredt tells about the cozy benefits of this nabe.

Can you describe this neighborhood for folks that have never been here before?

From all the neighborhoods in Brooklyn, I would say it’s the most family-oriented. South Slope is sort of like Greenwood Heights, with there being are a few more young people than there are in [Park Slope proper].

How would you describe the types of people that live here?

Mostly professionals; It’s a more higher-end neighborhood than in most of Brooklyn.

Is this your ideal neighborhood? Why or why not?

It’s a pretty safe neighborhood, and it’s easy to get to [Manhattan], so that’s convenient. It lacks a [big] younger crowd, but it’s pretty ideal.

Are there any stereotypes about the neighborhood?

Oh, you know, the strollers! It’s known for having lots of moms, usually non-native New York moms, mostly people who just moved to the city.

Were you surprised by anything when you moved here?

I guess how calm it was. It feels like a small town. I used to live in the East Village, so it’s very different.

Is there anything about this neighborhood that you’d like to change?

I wish there was more diversity. It’s mostly a white neighborhood, so it feels a little segregated from the rest of Brooklyn.

Are there any bad areas in your neighborhood?

I wouldn’t say there are any.

What’s the real estate like here? Is it expensive? Is it difficult to get property here?

Well, I haven’t tried buying anything! Rents are pretty high, but I got a good deal because the landlord likes us. It’s pretty difficult if you’re just a student.

What would you say is the rental price for an average two-bedroom a month?

Probably around $2,500.

What’s the most controversial thing that’s happened here recently?

I know there was a sexual assault at another bakery recently, because a lot people have been asking us about it.

If you were forced to leave this neighborhood, what neighborhood would you move to?

I would probably go to Clinton Hill.

Are there neighborhoods in this city that you would never live in? What are they?

Well, I’m from East New York, and I’ve lived in Sunset Park, and that was fine. So, not really. [Both East New York and Sunset Park have higher than average crime and poverty rates].

Do you have any advice for folks thinking about moving to your neighborhood?

Just be careful when [realtors] say South Park Slope, because they may be trying to sell you something that’s actually in Gowanus or Sunset Park.

Can you describe this neighborhood for folks that have never been here before?

Multi-cultural, artful, talented. These are the words that come to mind. Creative, energetic, hip, cool, new.

How would you describe the types of people that live here?

There’s a whole movement of people from everywhere. You meet people from Ohio, Nebraska, California, from upstate, New Jersey. It’s amazing, they’re coming from all over and they’re landing here in Crown Heights. People are friendly and welcoming. In the summertime, when people are BBQ-ing or having an event you can walk right in and they’ll offer you a drink.

How long has this movement been happening?

I think it’s been happening for the past 4 years. At one point there were no merchants who wanted to open up a store here; [Franklin Avenue] was once a place that no one would come to unless you were buying drugs.

Why do you think people are now moving here?

I think people are getting tired of living in Park Slope, and Williamsburg, and Cobble Hill, and Fort Greene and spending their life’s savings. They still want to be in a hip part of Brooklyn. They wanted something different, and you can walk to the Brooklyn Museum on a Sunday afternoon!

Is this your ideal neighborhood? Why or why not?

Yes. I wouldn’t change it for the world. People are humble. There are a lot of “mom and pop” shops; you’re not going to see a Starbucks or a multi-million dollar company. You’re going to see a lot of small business owners who are trying to please people in their community. There’s just so many places opening up, too. It’s just crazy. [Franklin] is going to be a destination avenue.

Are there any myths or stereotypes about your nabe you’d like to dispel?

I grew up in the Canarsie/Mill Basin area, so when I would think about Crown Heights before I moved here, I would think war, angry people, racial profiling,segregation, a lot of negative things. But when I moved here, I instantly fell in love with it. It’s nothing like it was 18 or 20 years ago.

What’s your favorite part about this neighborhood?

Franklin Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Dean Street. Just these few blocks— it’s like a revolution.

Is there anything about this neighborhood that you’d like to change?

I’d like to change the mentality of people who have been here much longer [than others] and are not welcoming the change. I listen; I’m a really active member of this community. I think a lot of the elderly are not embracing the gentrification, they’re more focused on people coming in and “taking over their neighborhood.” I have to disagree. Why would you not embrace people who also love your neighborhood and want to open businesses and beautify it? If you want to blame anyone, blame your landlords who are jacking up your rent, not the people who are moving here because they love it.

Are there any bad areas in your neighborhood? If not, which street/block would you not want to live on?

There isn’t any block that I wouldn’t want to live on. Are there particular corners that are known for being violent? Yes. I don’t know what it is about the corner of Lincoln Place and Franklin Avenue, but so many young men have lost their lives there over the years. From what I understand, it’s somewhat of a targeted area, with very few innocent bystanders getting hurt. I would like to see a little more love on that particular corner, a little more attention and peace.

Is it difficult to get property here?

It’s not easy. It’s harder to get an apartment now. Property value is going up because so many people want to live here. The realtors are doing very, very well. They’re trying to change the name [to Prospect Heights], even as far east as Bedford Avenue! Whenever the realtors are trying to change the name, you know the neighborhood is doing extremely well. That’s something you should know about New York real estate.

If you were forced to leave this neighborhood, what neighborhood would you move to?

Nowhere crossing [to the south of] Eastern Parkway. This side is hip.

How is this neighborhood different from other neighborhoods that are similar to it? What does this neighborhood have that others don’t?

I think this neighborhood has people that are a little bit more down-to-earth. When I think of Prospect Heights or Ft. Greene or Park Slope, I think expensive, overrated, unapproachable [people], and financially unwelcoming.  When certain people come in, different attitudes and expectations come in. Those neighborhoods have become kind of “bourgie.”

A bartender at Branded Saloon and Prospect Heights resident for 8 years, Brendan tells us how this Brooklyn nabe is changing and why it’s still his ideal place to live.

Can you describe this neighborhood for folks that have never been here before?

I would say it’s not completely gentrified, but I’ve seen a really big influx of people over the past couple of years. It’s gay-friendly, there’s a lot of “old neighborhood” people as well. It’s getting a lot nicer. The store down the street used to be a liquor store with three feet of glass and now it’s called The Wine Exchange…. You can walk up and down [Vanderbilt Ave] and you’ll see absolutely no Starbucks or anything like that. The only chain store that’s on this street is McDonald’s, and that’s been here for 50 years now. (laughs)

Is this your ideal neighborhood?

I would say so, the only thing that I don’t like about it is now it’s getting crowded. People are finally discovering it. I like working in this neighborhood. It has really down to earth people. We have [Prospect] Park, The Library, Grand Army Plaza, and the Brooklyn Museum right there. If you go down in the other direction you have the Atlantic Center and the biggest train station in Brooklyn with the Long Island Railroad.

What’s your favorite part about this neighborhood?

[Prospect Park] is pretty hard to beat.

Is there anything about this neighborhood that you’d like to change?

I wish there were more straight girls around here? I don’t know. That’s all I’ve got. It’s a really friendly place; it’s come to be my home. I’ve lived in the East Village and in Bushwick, and you get really small places there. When I moved in to my apartment here, I actually had an opportunity to build a home, because it’s large enough that I can have my things in there. I’m really quite happy. I don’t know if that’s everyone’s experience who’s moving here now, but that was definitely my experience 8 years ago.

What’s the real estate like here?

I feel like it’s still pretty reasonable from what I understand. People are excited to move here because of all the things that have opened up here. Vanderbilt Avenue has almost become like the main strip of a college town, like if you go to Chapel Hill [North Carolina]. They have that one street with all the bars and coffee houses.

What would you say is an average rental price in this neighborhood?

I’d say an average 3 bedroom is about $3,000 a month to rent. But it’s still [a neighborhood] where you can find a smaller place and a better deal.

Are there any disputes or new developments happening in your neighborhood?

Well, that thing down there [In reference to the ongoing construction of the Barclays Center and New Jersey Nets arena relocation that began in 2010]. That’s one thing I would change, the jackhammers in the middle of the night. They’re laying pipe down Atlantic Avenue. It can get noisy with it right there. It will get worse before it gets better.

If you were forced to leave this neighborhood, to which neighborhood would you move?

Anywhere I could find a neighborhood like this, now that my standard is for a good-sized apartment is higher than my need to be close to the action. I lived in a closet in the East Village for a while, and that’s great when you’re 24. I have a friend who lives in Sunset Park, and that’s pretty nice and still unmolested by the sort of thing that we’re getting around here now and that will definitely come once the Stadium is here.

Are there neighborhoods in this city that you would never live in? What are they?

I don’t think I could go back to the East Village or the Lower East Side. Those are a bit too saturated.

Prospect Park is a big highlight of this neighborhood. How does Prospect Park compare to other big parks in NYC?

Well, [for instance] McCarren Park in Williamsburg is really nice, but Prospect Park you can’t really compare to it. I like it better than Central Park. In Central Park, there’s nowhere you can go where you can’t see giant buildings, but in Prospect Park there are huge parts in the middle that you can just walk through without looming New York City around you.

Los Angeles: Neighborhood Spotlight on Silver Lake

Seattle: Neighborhood Spotlight on Columbia Cit

San Francisco: Neighborhood Spotlight on Forest Hill

Chicago: Neighborhood Spotlight on Oak Park

Boston: Neighborhood Spotlight on Fenway

Austin: Neighborhood Spotlight on RMMA

On May 18th, we’ll post ten submissions for the public to vote on, and the top four will get to play a show at Glasslands in Williamsburg on June 5th, where a panel of celebrity judges will decide which band deserves the glorious grand prize.

Click here for more details. Oh yeah…and tell your friends!

photograph by Vanessa Babineau

Just a few miles from East Hampton, Springs is a nabe that’s become renowned for many things in the East End. For locals, it’s where the artists live. For artists, it’s the only place in the Hamptons where they can concentrate and get away from the deafening wealth and celeb-fueled buzz a scant few miles over. Few artists agree with this sentiment more than Springs resident Peter Dayton.

A multimedia artist and legendary Boston punk musician, Dayton’s been featured in countless newspapers, magazines, and art and music blogs. His work–ranging from glazed faux-fiberglass surfboard prints to enormous mixed-media blow-ups of Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks record covers–is typical of an artist in Springs, in that it isn’t really “typical” at all. Like the late Jackson Pollack, a former Springs resident whose home has been transformed into a well-trafficked museum, many of the wildest, un-”Hamptons” artists and writers proudly call Springs home. I caught up with Peter at his cavernous art studio (actually a decommissioned auto-repair garage) last week, and he shed a bit of light on the appeal of Springs.

Can you describe Springs for some of our readers that have never visited the place before?

Springs is a very old, 17th century fishing and farming community located at the end of Long Island. It’s bordered by Three Mile Harbor and Gardiner’s Bay, two large bodies of water used by fishermen and recreational boaters as a base of operations. There are distinct neighborhoods within Springs, ethnically and socio-economically, but all the areas have one thing in common: a lot of woods.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Springs?

My absolute favorite thing to do is swim in Gardiner’s bay on a summer’s day. It’s clean, always warmer than the ocean, and there’s no danger of rip-currents or anything scary like that.

What’s a fun thing to do that you’d recommend to someone visiting here?

I would say that swimming, clamming, and fishing are the best recreational activities out here. There is water everywhere, so everything in Springs that’s fun is based around that. Springs is pretty close to East Hampton, which has parks, bowling, and a movie theatre.

What initially led to your decision to move to Springs?

I moved here expressly to be an artist in 1988, because we found a big house in good condition that had a large garage I could use for a studio. It was a good idea because I have been able to concentrate totally on getting things done. There is very little distraction here for a writer or painter… You have time in Springs.

Is there a specific genre of art that’s being created in Springs? If so, why do you think this is true?

There’s no specific genre or school of art related to Springs now, but 50 years ago it was a primary base for the abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollack. Springs attracts a wide variety of artists and writers because there’s nothing here to break your concentration. For better or worse, it’s very serene and isolated, so anyone looking to concentrate without a lot of interruptions is naturally attracted to Springs. It is also the most beautiful area I think, but don’t mention that to anyone as the rich folk might start nosing around!

What’s your favorite thing about living in Springs?

You have isolation and serenity in the winter, and then contact with the New York art world during the summer. It’s a great middle-ground for an artist.

Why live here and not in NYC?

Well, like I said, an artist needs to work without distractions. There’s so little going on out here, especially in the winter, so that’s really conducive to getting work done and being able to hone in on one’s creative “headspace.” New York is also way too expensive and way too noisy.

Has your work been inspired at all by Springs?

I would like to say yes, but I could not explain the reason why to you. I think it’s different for every artist…  Springs is like a blank slate. It’s so quiet and serene, you can do your best work here without being interrupted.

What are the downfalls of Springs?

The only things I can think of are the taxes, which are rather high because there’s no commercial manufacturing base, and some isolated parts of Springs are prone to crime. It’s also too quiet for some, but like I said, that can be a good or bad thing.

What are your favorite Hamptons neighborhoods, other than Springs?

I would say there is magic in Amagansett that’s hard to pinpoint…it’s another great artist community, with lots of music and creative work taking place. Sagaponack, which is the wealthiest zip code in America, has sadly been ruined by privet hedges and so-called ”landscape design,” but the produce is great.

Check out Peter Dayton’s work at his website and see him jammin’ old school here.

These creations rely heavily on the appeal of portmanteaus in order to seem cutesy and progressive. To the irritation of longtime New Yorkers, terms like BoCoCa (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens) and BoHo (Below Houston) pop up and confuse established neighborhood borders. BoCoCa lumps together fashionable parts of South Brooklyn that stand for brownstones, wealthy families, and intellectualism; BoHo refers to a strip of bars and clubs along the Bowery south of Houston. Others include GoCaGa (the area between Gowanus and Carroll Gardens) and iTri (no, it isn’t an Apple site, it’s actually the Iron Triangle in Willets Point). As you can tell, these experiments in nomenclature turn out sounding like a Frankenstein of muddled syllables. They have a hollow resonance that fails to connect with the city in a personal manner, coming across like the French language when you first heard it during recess.

Surprise, surprise, cluster neighborhoods tend to fall out of favor very fast. Rarely do you overhear people speaking BoCoCa or GoCaGa in public, unless referring to a blog post on Gothamist announcing its unwelcome arrival. More so than the general populace, businesses are the ones to pick up these terms, so as to align with what could become a profitable movement.

Even though this tactic has yet to succeed and portion out a new neighborhood on the city map, marketers continue to fly their freak card and introduce another cluster nabe to the expanding list.

Just recently, the area below Canal Street in Manhattan received such a treatment. The CanDo includes parts of Tribeca (a portmanteau), Chinatown, and the Civic Center neighborhoods.

part of the new CanDo nabe, photo by jenschapter3

According to The Daily News, a city marketing group has rebranded the blocks south of Soho “Canal Downtown,” or “CanDo” for short. According to the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Marketing Association, Clive Burrow, “The only reason people stay here is if they have business on Wall St. or they’re looking for a cheap room for the weekend. By packaging it, by giving it the feel of a neighborhood like SoHo, then you’re giving the whole area a pizzazz.”

This CanDo already has all the pizzazz it needs—it doesn’t have to be the younger, uglier sibling to Soho. What would New York do with another outdoor shopping mall, anyway? Small boutiques and people with “normal” incomes have long been pushed out of shopping-mecca Soho. CanDo makes for a place where the Big Apple’s little guys can thrive.

So far, much of the response to CanDo has been negative. One commenter on the original article summed up most of what people have to say towards this trend: “This proliferation of cutesy neighborhood names is an abomination and an embarrassment to the city of New York.”

As a matter of coincidence, one of New York’s latest and most popular neighborhoods benefited from adopting a portmanteau name for itself. In 1978, new residents in the western portion of Fulton Landing coined the acronym DUMBO, meaning “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass,” as an ugly name to deter developers from investing in this waterfront industrial area of Brooklyn. It kept them at bay for a little while, but the draw of industrial lofts and waterfront views eventually broke the seal on the DUMBO defense.

Time will tell if CanDo will gain some traction. What it needs is major support from the New York community. Si se pueda? Yes we can do, but what’s the point?

Flapjacks for sale at the New Amsterdam Market

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and if you want to be taken seriously at the big-person table for once,  you better start stretching your stomach. Uncle Bruce always goes back for seconds, and this year my friend, so shall you. This Sunday, in honor of Grains Week, and as a culminating celebration of all things carbohydrate, the Seaport‘s New Amsterdam Market hosts a Flapjack Breakfast.  Pancake offerings include spelt, buckwheat, wholewheat,  and white flour varietals, all grown within our regional food system. Traditionalists be warned: the very word Bisquick is verboten at this gig,  so come with a stretchy stomach and an open mind.

Local Grains Realize themselves as Bread During Grains Week at New Amsterdam Marke

A fully re-loadable pancake plate costs you $20 and all proceeds go toward sustaining the following oh-so  worthy organizations: The New Amsterdam Market itself, the Organic Growers’ Research and Information-sharing Network, and The Heritage Wheat Conservancy.

A Little History Lesson:

"Grill-a-Chef" serves up free cooking advice at The New Amsterdam Market

The South Street Neighborhood in Manhattan’s Seaport has been a market district since 1642, when ferries began transporting farmers and their goods from Brooklyn to a landing near today’s Peck Slip: the first public market of New Amsterdam. Today, the New Amsterdam Market gets its inspiration from London’s Borough Market,  Paris’s Les Halles district, and finally, the market stalls of 19th  Century New York. As part of the market’s mission, vendors  “source food directly from farmers and producers whom they trust to be good stewards of our land and waters.”

The Ravioli Store at the New Amsterdam Market

So, while you’re there getting your flapjack fix this Sunday, visit the many purveyors of local goodies. Bring something local to your family’s Thanksgiving table and feel good about placing your dye  and gelatin-free turnip au gratin right next to Aunt Rita’s famous ambrosia salad.

The New Amsterdam Market meets rain or shine on South Street between Beekman Street and Peck Slip in Lower Manhattan’s Seaport, just across the street from the Fulton Fish Market. Visit their website for information on upcoming events.

Directions: Take the A/C to Broadway Nassau; the 2, 3, 4, 5, J to Fulton Street; the M15 to Peck Slip; the M15 to Fulton St.; NY Water Taxi to Pier 16; Walk/Bike/Roller Skate the River Esplanade.