STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

lynnie · Chanel

Brooklyn girls (and NYC girls!)

mckenke · BCBG

I am a brooklyn girl. My fiance and I bought an apartment in Caroll Gardens last summer and we lived in Boerum Hill for 3 or so years prior to that. I am a huge fan of brooklyn, so here are my thoughts. When we were first looking at Brooklyn we looked at Williamsburg, but the whole loft thing wasn't really clicking with me. The streets were also very empty at night, but this was 4 or 5 years ago now, so a lot has changed since then. I think if you are looking for something affordable in the Williamsburg area Greenpoint might be an option. My friend had a studio in Greenpoint for $800 a month that was large and she really liked it. The other thing to think about is where you will be working. The L train is a little limited based on where you might be working. I am a huge fan of cobble hill/boerum hill/caroll gardens (but I am a bit partial). They are on the F train or if you are far enough north you are close to the 4/5. The neighborhood has changed a lot over the past 4 years, but I feel like there is more of a community. I also like the access to smith street for resturants, atlantic avenue has some great shopping, there is a gym etc and I just like the vibe. Other neighborhoods are Park Slope. It is a little more family oriented. Fort Greene is another option of a place where you might be able to get something cheaper. I am happy to talk to you more if you want to pm me. And hopefully I haven't offended anyone that lives in some of these neighborhoods. I love Brooklyn and there is lots of good shopping (I can fill you in on that too!)

lynnie · Chanel

mckenke wrote:

I am a brooklyn girl. My fiance and I bought an apartment in Caroll Gardens last summer and we lived in Boerum Hill for 3 or so years prior to that. I am a huge fan of brooklyn, so here are my thoughts. When we were first looking at Brooklyn we looked at Williamsburg, but the whole loft thing wasn't really clicking with me. The streets were also very empty at night, but this was 4 or 5 years ago now, so a lot has changed since then. I think if you are looking for something affordable in the Williamsburg area Greenpoint might be an option. My friend had a studio in Greenpoint for $800 a month that was large and she really liked it. The other thing to think about is where you will be working. The L train is a little limited based on where you might be working. I am a huge fan of cobble hill/boerum hill/caroll gardens (but I am a bit partial). They are on the F train or if you are far enough north you are close to the 4/5. The neighborhood has changed a lot over the past 4 years, but I feel like there is more of a community. I also like the access to smith street for resturants, atlantic avenue has some great shopping, there is a gym etc and I just like the vibe. Other neighborhoods are Park Slope. It is a little more family oriented. Fort Greene is another option of a place where you might be able to get something cheaper. I am happy to talk to you more if you want to pm me. And hopefully I haven't offended anyone that lives in some of these neighborhoods. I love Brooklyn and there is lots of good shopping (I can fill you in on that too!)

Can you tell me a little more about the cobble hill/boerum hill/caroll gardens area? I've never heard of it! Where is it in relation to williamsburg- all i know vaguely is that park slope is considered "soccer mom" by my bf, haha. I want an area that is pretty young, doesn't have to be hipster filled, but just general good vibes. I would prefer not to live in a loft or studio, but an actual apartment, and I would like a roommate (female- anyone know anyone??) just so I don't have to always come home to an empty place at first.

kenzie · Chanel

Hey, lynnie, I don't have any info to offer you about the city, but as far as finding a roommate, you could try posting an ad on craigslist. Make sure your ad is specific (cost, area, roommate gender, pets, ect). The more specific the better the response. It also helps to post a little about yourself. I found my new future roomie thru craigslist and I tweaked my ad several times before I got decent responses. PM me if you want any other tips. I can copy my ad for you and you can go off of that if you want.

mckenke · BCBG

Boerum Hill/Caroll Gardens/Cobble Hill is south of Williamsburg. If you look at a map of Brooklyn Williamsburg is east of about 14th street in Manhattan and the area I am talking about is slighly south of Manhattan. The area is on the F line. It is also on the G line, which no one really uses because it just goes Queens/Brooklyn. It is useful however if you are going to Williamsburg from the neighborhood. I feel like Williamsburg is a little too hipster for me. I like going up there, but I feel like I am not sassy enough or something. I would say that my neighborhood which they have tried to rename bococa (New York is a little too obsessed with the abbreviations these days) is a nice mix of young people, young couples, old neighborhood folks and some hipsters thrown in. There is the conveience of grocery stores, resturants, movie theaters, gyms etc. I would suggest checking craig's list and if you are willing to pay a broker's fee I can give you the names of some real estate people. I don't really know what you are looking for in a neighborhood, but if you run across a listing that looks interesting I can tell you my thoughts for what they are worth.