Brooklyn Parents

[Melinda]

My husband is likely getting offered a terrific career-enhancing job in NYC in the next several days, and I'm (we're) contemplating life there for us, as opposed to life in New Orleans. (My husband lived there for 7 years, pre-me & kids; I haven't lived there, but have visited many times.)

We'd be living in Brooklyn - the lifestyle there suits us better than Manhattan anyway. I will likely be SAHM, while he commutes via subway to Manhattan.

I'm wondering this from you parents: any suggestions on family-friendly Brooklyn neighborhoods or areas? I particularly would like somewhere pedestrian-friendly, with some playgrounds, not dangerous as a general rule. I'm not against "up & coming" as long as it's safe and has at least a few cafes, stores, and/or playgrounds. Any other suggestions are appreciated, espec. schools you particularly recommend or suggest avoiding. We have a 6 year old who will be entering 1st grade, and a 2 month old. My husband lived in Brooklyn the last 3 years he was here, but doesn't feel confident enough about Brooklyn nabe's as far as family-friendliness and whatnot (he was a working musician and creative designer).

Any info you offer is greatly appreciated.

[Melinda]

April,

You rock -- thanks so much for the thoughtful response! Very helpful, and very encouraging. It's really been quite amazing to hear all the positive things I've been hearing about Brooklyn and families. Your post was especially nice -- I just told my husband how uplifting it was.

We will be visiting soon for the final interview, and for a whirlwind tour of the nabes you and others have recommended -- I really appreciate you taking the time to give the info you did.

Melinda

[Lori]

I have a bit of a different perspective than the other poster. I lived in Park Slope (pre-stroller boom) and Prospect Hts when I was single. After a brief stint on the Upper West Side, having a baby forced us to leave Manhattan and head back to Brooklyn.

Here's my take on it - it absolutely depends on what you can afford. Will you be buying or renting? Do you want a house or an apartment? Detached house or rowhouse/brownstone? Co-op or condo? Walk-up or full-service building? What kind of a commute is your husband willing to make? What train line works best? Do you want to live without a car/have a guaranteed parking spot/always be dealing with alternate side of the street rules. These are all things to consider *in addition* to the school options. I think most of the Brooklyn gentrified neighborhoods (which is a lot of Brooklyn these days) are very child friendly. The schools are getting better all around.

In terms of schools - check out www.insideschools.org to get an idea of what the options are for public schools when you've settled on a couple of neighborhoods.

While the more established family friendly 'hoods have a lot of mommy & me classes and things within walking distance, let me plug my area briefly.

I live in Victorian Flatbush, aka Ditmas Park (although there are really about 8 distinct neighborhoods which frequently get lumped into this category because their names don't hold as much "cache" as DP). Our community is primarily made up of century-old and older Victorian homes. However, there is a bunch of new condo development that is going on, along with established co-ops and rentals. The schools are good and in terms of gentrifying, it's up an coming. We have a main road, Cortelyou Road, which has a Food Co-Op, Belle & Maxie children's store, T. Ackerson Wine Shop, Vox Pop Cafe, Connecticut Muffin, San Remo Pizzeria, The Farm on Adderley Restaurant, Picket Fence Restaurant, the public library, one of our public elementary schools, the "tot lot" playground, plus a host of beauty salons, Chinese take-out, sundry shops, grocery stores, and the Cortelyou Road subway stop. The area is extremely family friendly as a lot of parents are stay-at-home. I think it comes with having a more affordable living situation. There's a network of moms and nannies - unlike Manhattan - playdates will often involve both parents and nannies, not just nannies or just mommies. There's also the very popular Midwood Martial Arts on Avenue H which is home to more than just Martial Arts - there are child/adult/teen classes in dance, movement, music, etc. Just to get an idea....

Abutting our area is also southern Prospect Park (where the ice skating rink and tennis courts are). We're about a 5 minute drive from Kensington (which is another affordable up and coming area) and a 10 -15 minute drive from Park Slope.

I'd say if you really want it easy though, head to Park Slope. Center Slope is best. But it's also the most expensive part of the Slope. Everything is within walking distance. The routine is highly established. There are many restaurants, shops, and activities. There's even a Kidville (which started on the Upper West Side).

Good luck to your husband in the job process and to you all in your search.

[Melinda]

Lori,

Thank you so much for the generous reply -- it is really so exciting to read these posts & get info on the areas I hadn't heard of previously. It's so nice to know that it doesn't all end & begin with Park Slope! I will note all of your suggestions...much to consider :)

Melinda

[Myra]

Hello,

The two previous posters did an excellent job giving an overview of family-friendly Brooklyn neighborhoods.

I just wanted to add that we live in Carroll Gardens, which abuts Cobble Hill. Both are overrun with families with children under 5, and that's a great thing because we have a soon-to-be one-year-old. We absolutely love CG, as it combines the best of both worlds: tree-lined streets and small parks (Carroll Gardens Park has the usual swings, slides, and basketball court, AND a guaranteed kid favorite: sprinklers to run through in the summertime!) with urban convenience on every corner. The neighborhood is, well, neighborly. When we stroll with our daughter in the summer evenings, people stop to say hi to her (and us, lol). Our dry cleaner, Chinese takeout restaurant owners, and other shopkeepers routinely ask us how the baby is doing, when we pop in. It feels very much like home here.

We hate to leave it but as pps said the Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens areas are getting so expensive. We sold our 2BR, which was really more like a 1BR with den, to rent because we needed more space but we just weren't ready to leave CG yet. However, we can't afford a 3BR+ so we'll have to say good-bye to our beloved neighborhood next year.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll find the perfect neighborhood for your family. It's hard not to in Brooklyn. :D

[nicdesign]

Hi there. I see I'm coming to this discussion rather late, but I thought I would chime in anyway.

My husband and I used to live in Cobble Hill. We loved the neighborhood, still do. It's very friendly, easy to get around in, chock full of great restaurants, shops, etc. that are all family friendly. Schools are very good. We would have loved to raise our kids there.

Unfortunately, it's just gotten so expensive. We wanted to buy and get a place that we could start a family in, so we had to leave Cobble Hill. We did our research and wound up buying a 2 bedroom apartment in Kensington, right on the Ditmas Park border.

The area is safe and family friendly. It's extremely diverse, which I love -- I think that's very important for raising a child. For example, this week alone my Pakistani neighbors down the hall had their entire family over for a breaking-fast event for Ramadan, and the next day an orthodox Jewish gentleman came to my door and offered to help me do a blessing for Succot. I love that!

Sadly, our surrounding blocks do not offer much in the way of restaurants or shopping. It's mostly residential. However, just a short walk away is Cortelyou Road, which a previous poster mentioned, that has all the restaurants and shopping and parks we need. Because we're in the more residential area, we pay less for our apartment, so we figured we got the best of both worlds. And we're expecting our first child in January, so it seems as though we moved at the right time!

We're happy here as a choice for our family. Especially since we couldn't afford the other prime neighborhoods. But I really think Brooklyn is great overall for raising a family, so it's hard to go wrong. Just pick a safe neighborhood with decent schools, and you're fine.

Good luck!

[Melinda]

Wow, Nic, thanks! It's so funny that today I get this from you -- the job I originally posted about did not come through for my husband, and we were both really surprised & a bit disappointed about it. However, today, pretty much as I read this, he has a phone interview with another studio in Brooklyn. So, interesting timing on your post - but that's good!

We're really trying to get for him a position where he can best use his creative skills, and unfortunately New Orleans, where we live now, just isn't happening in his field (although that's debatable). Places that are happening are the east and west coasts, and NYC just seems to have the most opportunity for him. As for Brooklyn, he lived in Greenpoint for a long time before moving to NOLA, but we're looking at other nabes. Cobble Hill had definitely made my list, and Kensington/Ditmas Park also was on there after it was recommended a number of times by people. I love getting this new info, though - thanks for your thoughtful post.

Congrats on your upcoming baby, too! I find it hard to believe that my baby is almost seven months old now - it seems like I was just in your shoes :)

If we wind up in Brooklyn, maybe I'll do another Babble Playground post to arrange a meet-up for Brooklyn moms...

Take care,
Melinda

[Sara]

Hi Melinda,

We are in a similar situation to you. We recently (5 months ago) moved from St. Louis to Dallas, and my husband hates his job here, it's not really his field, and we feel totally out of sorts living in TX. We mainly moved here because my parents live in town, which is great for our daughter, but otherwise we're really not that happy. My husband is a freelance writer and editor, and he might be getting offered a great job with a Manhattan publisher, so we may be looking at a possible move. It's a HUGE decision, especially because of our daughter. I definitely think if we moved it would be to Brooklyn...keep me posted on your progress. All this info is very helpful!

Good luck,
Sara