When my wife and I were looking to move to NYC back in 2008 we were truly starting at square one. Neither of us had spent any time in NYC, and, being born and raised on the West Coast, neither of us were very familiar with any part of the East Coast at all, or, for that matter, anything east of the Rocky Mountains.
We decided to focus on Brooklyn and ended up getting an apartment in Sunset Park. We lived there for a year, got to know Brooklyn and New York and eventually decided to move to Bay Ridge, where we have lived for the two years since then. And now, even after exploring most of Brooklyn and Manhattan fairly extensively, we still find that Bay Ridge is our favorite corner of BK. Let me tell you why.
Restaurants
I can’t tell you if there truly is more variety and diversity in Bay Ridge than in other neighborhoods around NYC, but it certainly seems like there is. Within one block of our apartment, for instance, there is a Spanish bar/restaurant, a French bistro, three coffee shops, a Thai/Japanese joint, three Italian restaurants, a bagel shop, two delis, a pool hall/sports bar, a swanky bar/lounge, an ice cream shop, Chinese take-out, and two pizzerias. Go a little bit further and there are incredible Middle Eastern restaurants, gyro joints, Mexican places, Vietnamese restaurants, Irish bars, burger joints, and pretty much anything else you could possibly want. Plus, the best part is that most of it is much cheaper than neighborhoods closer to Manhattan, not to mention Manhattan itself.
Access
We don’t have a car, so we really don’t care about the BQE or getting to Manhattan or Staten Island. What we do like, however, is the proximity to the N train which will bring you to Manhattan in 30 minutes or less. That is barely enough time to start reading a magazine article, making Bay Ridge deceptively close to everything in the city.
The Shore Boulevard Promenade
The promenade runs from the 69th street pier along the narrows all the way past Bensonhurst creating an unbroken four mile stretch of bike and running paths bordered by acres of open park space. This is my favorite place to cycle and run in the city, and it is absolutely breathtaking on a sunny day as the boats and ships drift by on the water.
Shopping
I’m not much of a shopper, but Bay Ridge has such an incredible number and variety of shops that I have never had to walk more than three blocks to get what I need, and I have needed some rather bizarre things at various points in time, including plumbing supplies, wires, cables, electronics, specific tools, and cycling gear. Century 21’s huge flag ship store on 86th street between 4th and 5th avenue provides virtually anything you might need in terms of clothing and accessories, and to add more choice you have the numerous specialty boutique shops along Fifth and Third Avenues.
Apartments & Rent
There are always plenty of apartments available in Bay Ridge and the rent is about half of what you would pay in the more affordable areas in Manhattan or even other parts of Brooklyn. New, large one and two bedroom apartments right along the water with balconies and incredible views are jaw-dropping steals at $1600 and $1700 a month. No joke.
A little je ne sais quoi
Bay Ridge still feels like a real neighborhood with real neighborly neighbors. People seem a little more friendly, a little more willing to smile, and a little more likely to say Hi on the street. Also, the last time I checked city wide crime statistics Bay Ridge impressed me as being one of the safest in all the five boroughs.
To be perfectly honest, however, I must admit that my wife and I consider moving to a different neighborhood once in a while. But whenever we start comparing all the things we like about Bay Ridge with whatever neighborhood has caught our attention that day for whatever reason, we quickly abandon these fantasies and again acknowledge that we really do live in the best corner of Brooklyn.