My House in Bushwick

Former Bushwick Resident: 30th Sep 2005 - 05:10 GMT

I am a 36 year old hispanic female. Lived all my life in Bushwick. Four years ago, I decided to move to New England and escape the city. I was a single mother of 3. (a very difficult task - especially in Bushwick) Growing up in Bushwick "back in the day" was great. There were Italian Cafe's, Bakery and Pastry shops at every corner. In the mid 1980's most Italians (and other whites) began to move away (towards Ridgewood - a neighboring community, actually located in the boro of Queens) The population became more of a low income hispanic, west indian and asians. In the mid 80's Bushwick was plagued with Crack & Aids. The neighborhood went straight to hell. Troutman Street, I remember was so drug ridden and I'm sure it still is...that the police literally closed down the streets and set up a trailor that house police officers 24 hours a day! Things were crazy. Later in life I became a community organizer and organized block associations to get the residents to take pride in their community and take it back. Bushwick has lots of potential, the right political people are in office to assist with its renaissance. Its a slow growing process, but its comming along. For those looking to live in Bushwick for the first time...I have to say, unless you have been exposed to the Ghetto life previous to comming to Bushwick...this is probably not the place for you. Those who have been exposed the the tuff, crazy "Ghetto Faboulous Life" you'll feel at home! The plus side is Tony's Pizza on Knickerbocker Avenue on the corner of Dekalb...GREAT NYC PIZZA. The retail shops on Knickerbocker Avenue are Awesome. I still go back to the "hood" to shop for clothes! Great Bargains!

Carm: 12th Oct 2005 - 04:33 GMT

I use to live on Irving Avenue in the 60s. I am now living in Toronto Canada and have great memories of Brooklyn. I am planning to visit with my children, any suggestions, safety issues for the great north mother of 3.

Peter: 12th Oct 2005 - 14:42 GMT

its alot safer now than it was in the 60s, thats for sure!

randy: 13th Oct 2005 - 02:11 GMT

if u move to bushwick just keep your mouth shut and if u go overthere and rock a color thats not good u will get sliced da fuck up

oskar: 10th Nov 2005 - 22:22 GMT

i was raised in brooklyn Bushwick my whole life recently moved out. But it has changed a Lot . when i was a teen there was alot of people robbin, sticking people up from out of town or not from around the way. we can just tell when u aint from around here. bloods and crips and latin kings acting wild , cops acting up.Husla's on every usingle block, and i mean every single block. But i think it has calmed down alot since those days. if u aint used to the hood dont move to the hood from the good...

Josh: 28th Nov 2005 - 20:23 GMT

I live in Bushwick right now and its not that bad. The further away you live from Bushwick Ave., the safer it is. But there's not that much to worry about. The worst that's happened to me is when some guy tried to mug me around 2am while I was buying a cheeseburger lol. Just be smart, dont walk around alone aimlessly late at night and you should be fine.

alex : 28th Nov 2005 - 22:25 GMT

i jus moved to ridgewood from cooper projects in williamsburg and i live 4 blocks away from decatur and irving i see niggaz gettin down ova there its hood there fasho

bwicked: 11th Dec 2005 - 04:46 GMT

I GREW UP IN BUSHWICK AND I LIVED THERE MY WHOLE LIFE, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE WHAT GOES ON IN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, DON'T LIVE HERE. PS. STAY AWAY FROM LINDEN ST AND CENTRAL AVE, MENAHAN ST AND BUSHWICK AVE, BLEECKER ST AND CENTRAL, CORNELIA ST AND EVERGREEN AVE, TROUTMAN ST AND KNICKERBOCKER AVE, AND IT GOES AND GOES AND GOES ON, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?, GETTING MONEY THE EASY WAY IS THE BEST WAY AND THE ONLY WAY YOU LEARN HOW TO MAKE IT OUT HERE IS EITHER GETTING IT THE DRUG WAY OR JUST TAKING IT FROM THE NEXT MAN, LIFE'S A BI**H AND THEN YOU DIE

girliefromlongisland: 13th Dec 2005 - 20:00 GMT

i get the goods in bushwick, and popeyes in broadway junction :)

Gravedigger?: 15th Dec 2005 - 01:27 GMT

My fondest memory of Bushwick goes back to 1972. My dad and I went to Most Holy Trinity Cemetery on Central Ave to see my grandprents grave. A coupel of guys tried robbing us inside the cemetery and wanted to throw us into an open grave. Through the grace of God, we escaped harms way and I was never ever to return until 1997. I came back this time fully armed but things did change and now St Johns Cemetery now operates this small cemetery that has many German, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian immigrants buried in it. This place is famous for its tin "grave stones" I happen to work now for the City of NY and spend much time in this area and do see changes happening for the better.

yadontknowboutstreets: 21st Dec 2005 - 04:16 GMT

First i have to say that Bushwick is not something to be scared of. There are way more dangerous streets than this neighborhood that has a whole bunch of little boys that think they are tough and can easily be intimidated. The females are not even to speak about right now cause they are never a problem. They feel its cool to be pregnant at 16 and not even get checked for STDs. That is why it is claimed that there is such a large population of people with Aids out here. The spanish boys out here cant speak english or spanish right. I dont agree with the one that said that the only way to make money out here is by selling drugs when people who do that in this hood aint even making money like that. All they can afford is a new pair of Jordans. They are better off taking the drug than making it. There is nothing in these blocks (linden, knickerbocker, troutman and menahan)to stay away from except from a whole bunch of wanabees. Ask how I know? I live out here and ya can take my word for it!

Loc: 28th Dec 2005 - 04:15 GMT

aint ridgewood and bushwick kinda the same thing right now? i mean its right next door to each other.

vanessavargas@yahoo.com: 3rd Jan 2006 - 02:50 GMT

i have lived on menahan street off of myrtle ave for a little over a year now. Let me tell you now that bushwick is the next williamsburg...and if your thinking of moving here, you'd better do it while its still affordable. there is a 1-1/2 bedroom across the hall from me, newly renovated, going for $1250!!! you have to be careful anywhere you go! I know more ppl get robbed on the upper east side than they do in the "ghetto." i also think that word is being thrown around a little too loosely! yes bushwick is mostly low income hispanic immigrants, but they are good hardworking people. I have NEVER had any problems. Yes theres some trash in the neighborhood, but they are the minority. if i go to a club, i walk home alone at 4am with no problem. the 83rd precint is around the corner. all of the non minorities (whites) are moving in rather quickly, and they fit right in! they love it! i was looking at a rental website for new apts on myrtle, and one of their selling points is that white people are starting to move into the neighborhood! i had to laugh at that.

Flipsider: 5th Jan 2006 - 19:10 GMT

well i guess the whites are now considered minorities in Bushwick ! I jus recently moved from Da Wick 2 upstate new york, bushwick is not really that bad of a place compared 2 brownsville or flatbush or bedstuy. It was easy growing up there, it has its hot spots but so what ! What place in this world doesnt ?!

Anna : 12th Jan 2006 - 01:51 GMT

Question: My husband and I purchased a house out in Bushwick for investment purposes, do you think we will have a problem geeting tenants? I have screen the area it appers safe.

TMA1955: 12th Jan 2006 - 22:18 GMT

ANNA,
PROPERTY IN THE OLDER NEIGHBORS IN BROOKLYN ARE COMING BACK AND THERE IS MONEY TO BE MADE. I GREW UP ON TROUTMAN AND KNICKERBOCKER, WHEN PEOPLE STILL HAD NEIGHBORHOODS, WE CAME FROM THIRD GENERATION TROUTMAN AND KNICKERBOCKER. WE OWNED THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE SHOPS AND BUSINESSES,THOSE DAYS WENT OUT IN THE LATE SIXTIES AND THEY SAY IT TAKES ANOTHER GENERSTION FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD TO COME BACK, WELL, IT'S BACK ! AND I CONSIDER YOU FORTUNATE AND WISE TO BE IN ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR OF THE INVEST MARKET. I WISH WE HAD NEVER SOLD THAT HOUSE ON TROUTMAN ST. IN 1969, MY FAMILY SOLD FOR APPROXIMATE 13,000. AND THEY RAN LIKE WE STOLE FROM THE CHURCH, LAST I HEARD THAT SAME HOUSE SOLD FOR 365,000 ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO AND HAS SINCE BEEN RESOLD AGAIN. BEST WISHES, ANY TO ANY NEW COMERS, JUST USE GOOD SENSE, TREAT NEIGHBORS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TRATED AND DON'T TAKE EXCESS CHANCES. GOOD TRANSPORTATION, GREAT SHOPPING, CAN COME BACK STRONG AND I'D LOVE TO VISIT THERE AGAIN, AND AGAIN , AGAIN!!!!

ANONOMOUS: 12th Jan 2006 - 22:23 GMT

DOES ANY ONE KNOW OR REMEMBER A BLOND, FAIR HAIRED GUY NAMED STEVEN STRUCKER FROM THAMES STREET? HE'D BE ABOUT 50 NOW. CURRENTLY LIVING FURTHER UP IN RIDGEWOOD. I NEED HELP FINDING HIM, WE GOT UNSETTLED BUSINESS. THANKS

vanessavargas77@yahoo.com: 14th Jan 2006 - 21:39 GMT

The so called "bad neighborhoods," such as bushwick & bedstuy are very up and coming! go to craigslist and look for a 2 bedroom apt in either of those neighborhoods. you will be hard pressed to find anything below 1200. if you buy a rental property in bushwick or bedstuy, you should have no problem renting it out.

becca: 15th Jan 2006 - 04:30 GMT

My boyfriend and I live in williamsburg now. We wanted to buy in wb, but the price was sky high...so we bought in Bushwick. Our place is huge, we paid half of what we would have paid in WB. There is a cute little restaurant called Northeast Kingdom on Troutman and Wyckoff that just opened up and we couldn't believe how packed it was with 25-35yr old professionals. BTW..their food is great. I have a feeling that "L" train will just keep moving people on out there and the neighborhood will see a little boom.
At least that is my hope :) BTW...we walked around Troutman and Wykoff late at night and it just seems quiet to me. Knickbocker did seem sketchy yeah...but hey so aren't a lot of neighborhoods in nyc. You just need to be aware.

sexy sandy: 19th Jan 2006 - 16:52 GMT

I live in bushwick all my life.at first i live at palmetto st.but we had to move because the housing sucked and the apartment was small. then i moved to menahen st. That when my life ended! my mother was stay getting in trouble with the cops.and last summer two people got shot on my block. and housing still suck!

Vidal B UK Manchester: 20th Jan 2006 - 00:14 GMT

I watched a documentary on the bushwick projects/ghetto about 8 years ago and it looked and was very very ghetto. Fiends overdosing and getting clapped up and 9 year old cats blazing dro, Sick!

freebo the clown: 20th Jan 2006 - 05:18 GMT

i have lived in bushwick for about five years now. my boyfriend and i moved here in 2001 from williamsburg to find a bigger, cheaper space. we started out on jefferson street btw. irving and knickerbocker, which was pretty intense. nothing bad ever happened, but that street was pretty underdeveloped at the time-- lots of noise, garbage, and potentially dangerous situations.

but then we found a large loft on starr street between irving and wyckoff (right around the corner from the new northeast kingdom!...whoo-hoo for that beacon of hope in this burgeoning burg!) where for the past three years we have been rennovating and developing a theatrical performance venue. our theater company has performed many shows and hosted many events at the space, in addition to renting the venue out to other theater and dance companies, musicians, etc. and it has been so exciting to actually see people come out here...to give them a reason to visit our growing neighborhood...and to be a part of that growth. though gaining an audience out here over the years has of course been a challenge, more and more people are making the trip (shuttle bus or no shuttle bus) to check out what's going on in our neck of the woods.

and i guess my point is, ever since we dedicated ourselves to creating this space and being a part of the change in bushwick, i have 100% fallen in love with it. there is something very gratifying about supporting positive change in a community. so to all of you fellow bushwick-artists-creators-and-whatnot...let's keep it going! exciting things are happening!

pscarcelone: 21st Jan 2006 - 16:27 GMT

I lived in bushwick and attended st.brigids on Grove Street - lived on Menahan - between linden and wykoff. In FL now but went back this summer - Knickerbocker is looking a little rough but some of the streets seem to be coming back - depends block to block.

VEE: 26th Jan 2006 - 18:27 GMT

yeah...8 yrs ago the projects in Bushwick were crazy with 100 heads outside of every building...walking over to borinquen PJs and blastin kids...then robbing the Jamaicans in the park across the street. You can still see the graffiti murals on the gas station acros the street. I dont think it is getting better though, because with all this evil Bloods gang nonsense...the mindstate is deteriorating.

foodguy1: 8th Feb 2006 - 15:59 GMT

I'm planning alittle space on Bushwick ave..small italian trattoria style place?

I see those lofts on Mckibben filling up with new residents..anyone have any stories on the current area...Buswick from flushing to Montrose and surrounding area?

jake: 9th Feb 2006 - 19:00 GMT

I moved out to bushwick with my wife a few months ago and we are really settled in. We have a beautiful place for peanuts (that we fully renovated) and there are a lot of services in the neighborhood. We need more restaurants like Northeast Kingdom (which rocks!) but you can't beat the great train access (M, L) and I like the hispanic community feel of the place. Seems definitely on it's way up.

Leon: 9th Feb 2006 - 19:33 GMT

I visit NY atleast once every two months.
My girlfriend lives in Brooklyn (Gerritsen beach)
I always stay with my sister in Sheepshead, about a block away from Nostrand ...
I take the train extremely late at night with no problems.
If you meet a crazy, make sure you act crazier, and scare them away ;)
There's no better place to live in then Brooklyn.

$incere : 12th Feb 2006 - 22:16 GMT

i lived in bushwick ma whole life on knickerbocker covert back in da day shit was ccrazy mad pplz dyin and crack and heroine on every corner and now i live on stanhope and kncikerbocker and shit is still crazy like a month ago a man got robbed and shot to death a couple of block up on wyckoff and stanhope and shit is still crazy with gangs dont come thru if ya dont no nobody and to answer ma son question here:::: Loc: 28th Dec 2005 - 04:15 GMT
aint ridgewood and bushwick kinda the same thing right now? i mean its right next door to each other.

HELL MOTHAFUCKIN NAW RIDGEWOOD IS NUFIN COMEPARED TO BUSHWICK, RIDGEWOOOD IS MORE CLEANER LESS GANGS AND A BIG AMOUNT OF WHITE PEOPLE LIVE DERE WHICH MEANS IT SAFER N SHIT SO YEA RIDGEWOOD IS SAFE AND BUSHWICK IS NOT TRY WALKIN AROUND AT NIGHT BY URSELF IN BUSHWICK AND RIDGEWOOD AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE FCKING DIFERRENCE.

vanessavargas77@yahoo.com: 13th Feb 2006 - 05:39 GMT

been living in bushwick for over a year, and have not experienced anything bad...but then again, you wont find me hanging around outside of a bodega at 3:30 in the morning waiting for trouble to find me, which by the way can and does happen in every neighborhood...even the white ones (addressed to my friend who said ridgewood is safer because it is whiter). bushwick is changing, and if you're thinking about buying, NOW is the time to do it!

Lily: 14th Feb 2006 - 18:14 GMT

i agree with vanessasvargas. You could not compare the Bushwick of 20 years ago, to today. Crime has greatly decreased. Not saying it doesn't happen today, but you could not compare the crime extremity of the past to today. Bushwick is making radical changes. It has become an area of housing investments. I strongly belief, that simply thinking that Ridgewood is a safer area, simply b/c there are white people is a racist opinion. Bushwick will be a great and safe place with the hispanics it has now.

Lily: 14th Feb 2006 - 18:18 GMT

I am doing a researpaper on teenage Drug-abuse in Bushwick past and present, if you can help me w. any ifo please tell me. One of my questions is why do you think drugs is/was so accessible in Bushwick?

Peter: 14th Feb 2006 - 18:27 GMT

theyre not any more available there (or any more common there) than anywhere else in nyc...

Lily: 16th Feb 2006 - 16:25 GMT

so you're trying to say there are no more drug-dealers in Bushwick?

Peter: 16th Feb 2006 - 16:42 GMT

thats not at all what im saying. re-read what i wrote.

anon (d149-67-171-142.col.wideopenwest.com): 26th Feb 2006 - 15:26 GMT

In 2002 I returned to N.Y. to attend my 40th High School reunion on Long Island.(My family was one of the early ones to get away when the neighborhood changed.That was in 1956 ,and I honestly think we would have stayed but for the knife fight we saw through our front window one summer night.It was the final straw for my Dad.) I went back to Troutman Street on that trip in 2002 and was expecting the worst.Believe me, my husband thought I was nuts.It was a lovely august day and I actually got off on the right stop on the "EL'I wasn't even sure how to walk there,but I knew if I could get to Central Ave, I'd be able to find my old house.I was so thrilled to find 100 Troutman.Some people were in the "Stoop " and I told them I was born there in 1944.Pointed up to my old apartment,and I didnt realize one of them

anon (38.117.238.62): 7th Mar 2006 - 18:08 GMT

foodguy1 please open up an italian restaurant, but do it over on wyckoff ave. People are craving more places to eat over here. Right now all we have is Northeast Kingdom and we would love more places. Lots of new condo developments going in off of Dekalb...you'd have plenty of customers. Just check out how busy Northest Kingdom is on the weekdays.

anon : 7th Mar 2006 - 18:13 GMT

I'm a female and I've lived in Bushwick for a year now off of St. Nicholas and Dekalb and it isn't as scary as some of these people say. I walk my dog down wyckoff from greene to hart and no one ever bothers me. I think some of these guys are just trying to act tough. plz.

Lily: 8th Mar 2006 - 17:03 GMT

Thank you for the information. I agree with anon. I was born in Bushwick, I am now 17 years old. Bushwick has drastically changed and will continue. I think that the whole viewpt that b/c there's hispanics there is what makes it such a bad neigborhood. Is such a racist prespectice. Honestly, I am white but I think Hispanics are even more honrable and humble than we are.

Steven Fisher: 11th Mar 2006 - 01:04 GMT

Bushwick started out as a German, than Italian neighborhood. There were several big breweries in Bushwick. In 1979, mobster Carmine Galante was assassinated at Joe and Marie's Italian Restuarant at 205 Knickerbocker Avenue. A few years later most of the Italians moved out of Bushwick and the neighborhood went into severe decline. I've walked around there a few times and the neighborhood has slightly recovered. It's not for the faint of heart to walk around casually. One day I was walking around there and a kid outside of a deli pointed his finger at me, pretending he had a gun. He asked if I was with anyone. The nabe is still a bit rough, be careful and alert while walking around there.

anon : 13th Mar 2006 - 17:19 GMT

I was walking down Hart the other day with my dog and I man came up to me and my dog and smiled...petted my dog on the head, said "have a great day" and kept on walking. That really made my day. I almost feel like there are certain areas that are sketchier than most. If you walk down knickerbocker at night you can buy drugs....but cross over to wyckoff or st. nicholas and I find it's a totally different calm world.

Dizzy: 15th Mar 2006 - 04:57 GMT

I was just looking at places near bushwick avenue... around gates/palmetto. it's really close to the J train (gates avenue) - anyone have any opinions about this? Everyone keeps talking the parts of Bushwick that are closer to Billyburg! It seemed pretty cool.. HUGE victorians around there.. I dabbled in gentrification in college and part of it seems to have something to do with architecture and the appreciation of... hence fort greene (used to be all hood!) and Bedstuy with it's brownstones and such... where was I? Right, any thoughts on bushwick near those Gates, Palmetto etc? haha -- On a side note, if they turned ALL of those stores in Broadway (under the j line) into cafes, diners, thrift shops etc. THAT would be sweet!!!

Paulie: 20th Mar 2006 - 21:05 GMT

It's interesting to read all these various comments about Bushwick. I grew up there in the 1950s-1970s when it was still 99% Italian (I lived mostly on Hart Street near Knickerbocker). It was not at that time a place where the aspiring middle class moved to; rather, the aspiring middle class moved OUT of Bushwick, usually for good. It was a place of great shopping and food shops (salumeria), but also of "La Cosa Nostra" and it was generally a rough place to grow up. It could be unbearable during the summer because of the almost total lack of trees or gardens or much open space. I remember at least two friends who had relatives living in all or most of the same building as they did. There was very little divorce or split families until after 1970 and that gave the neighborhood a certain stability. I'm glad to hear others appreciating this part of the world but I doubt that I can or would ever want to live there again -- I have plenty of Bushwick memories already, many not pleasant. I wish I could have known it in the early 20th century, but that of course is not possible.

probshwk: 24th Mar 2006 - 15:18 GMT

North bushwick near flushing is going to be an up and coming area soon buy now

deedee: 25th Mar 2006 - 19:02 GMT

anyone out there remember macon street? I was born there many years ago and it was a great place to grow up.

pete: 26th Mar 2006 - 01:39 GMT

I'm thinking of moving to the area - I have 2 kids, 2 and 5 yrs. would u recommend it? or somewhere else nearby

anon (mail.tweezerman.com): 29th Mar 2006 - 17:19 GMT

There are still parts of Bushwick that are ghetto..that's basically the case whereever you have housing projects. Housing projects cannot be gentrified.

The people complianing about those saying that a white neighborhood is safer are "racists".....sorry hood rats, but the truth is the truth. The crime rates speak for themselves. Just look at all the ebonic speakers on this thread..you want to live near them? Want to raise your kids around them? Bad idea. I feel sorry for the hard working hispanics who have to raise their kids around hood rats, who never change their behavior generation after generation.

Nilsa: 3rd Apr 2006 - 04:38 GMT

I am trying to locate the sons of George Ocana who lived on Java street and then moved to the Bronx. He passed away in 2005 but I am tryin to locate his sons Richie and George. If anyone knows about them please e-mail at cfl@optilink.us Their sister Rosie is trying to locate them.

Ardis: 19th Apr 2006 - 02:25 GMT

I am thinking of moving to Linden and Bushwick on the Gates "J" stop, I've walked around at night, seemed low key enough, anyone from around there have anything to say? What about those guys who hang out all the time on Linden between Broadway and Bushwick Avenue on the south side of the street? Also how often does the subway come? I waited quite a while and it was only 9pm on a weekday night.

Zoila: 24th Apr 2006 - 03:32 GMT

Lived in Bushwick all my life. Seen the worst, experienced the worst, seen the best, experienced the best. I am in college now. Quite possibly the most opposing place to Bushwick. It's mostly white, in the middle of Northern NY and the concept of "hood" and "ghetto" stems from what the catchy tunes 50 cent raps about. This is to all folks living, planning to live or renovate in Bushwick. I plead to you to keep the spirit of Bushwick in all the buildings you renovate, in all the restaurants you open and all the condos you move in to.

The working class Hispanic families that you live right next to wont make their views on this wave of white folks moving in too clear. They are too busy working menial jobs and shuffling their kids to school. But I hope that you reach out to them. I hope and I pray that you not only build up the neighborhood but build up the folks already living there. If you open up a restaurant, a theatre or a hang out place extend your reach to the WHOLE community.

I have seen the changes on my return home from college. The old abandoned factory on eldert and irving was finally remodeled and two beat up Volkswagen Bugs were parked outside. Two white guys were taking drags out of their cigarettes commenting on something on the war and such. It was so bizarre to see a white guy in my neighborhood that wasn't a cop, teacher, or social worker.

So once again I ask that you extend your arms to the whole community not just the white folks moving in. Thanks for reading!

Ladii Kay: 27th Apr 2006 - 14:54 GMT

what what.....bushwick is the shit ....i lived there all my life i grew mup on knickerbocker and cornelia and there was alot of problems in general but still u get use to it..... holla bushwick brooklyn all day everyday........~BrOoKlYn BomBsHeLL~

BooBoo: 29th Apr 2006 - 01:47 GMT

Bought a 3 family brownstone on greene ave between St Nick and Cypress ave about three yrs ago for 260,000. my next door neighbor sold the exact same building as mine for 580,000 last year. I've thought about selling, but I'm gonna wait until more "Urban Pioneers" flood the area. Thats why Williamsburg is so priced out. I love Bushwick though.

Hazel: 10th May 2006 - 19:48 GMT

Eveyone is asking if it safe to move to Bushwick, why don't ya move to Ridgewood which right next door. It a part of Queens but a few blocks from Bushwick. If your looking for somewhere safe to go your better off there. Why do you think the houses are cheap in Bushwick because it ain't such a nice place. I am a hispanic who lived in Bushwick but my parents thought it was safer to live in Ridgewood. I can tell you the better schools are in Ridgewood. I was raise and still stay in Bushwick so if you want a nice to live in your better off living in Bushwick.

You gotta know how da hood works to live in it and it seems like ya don't so then don't make da move to Bushwick if you want a nice safe place to live in.

Yeah Bushwick gettin better but da reality is that it not such anice place to live in

Hazel: 11th May 2006 - 00:11 GMT

I meant your better off living in Ridgewood especial if you have kids cuz the schols in ridgerwood are bad Is 291 and 111 are horrible. I mean if you don't mind your 11 yr old daughter or son going through metal detector in the morning and getting beaten up. That why Ridgewood is better cuz I.S. 93 has alot to offer for the kids more programs and the school is safe. I only saw 1 fight through out my 3 yrs attending the school.

BOC: 11th May 2006 - 00:22 GMT

Ya think it cute to move to Bushwick. Ya don't know what ya doing to our neighborhood. It is known when white people move into to the neighborhood the price value of houses go up and rent soon enough us blacks and Hispanics have to move out cuz we can't afford to live in Bushwick no more. Then they take over build all these new stuff cafes, organic food store and nothing will be left for us.

Ya don't even know how it is to live in the hood. Ya talk about i been living here for a year and everything all cool well i been living here for almost twenty years and i can tell you it not. Ya must stay in ya house all day. Wycoff ain't even real Bushwick that closer to Ridgewood. Wycoff ain't even a pretty area. Go to Star, Bleeker, Menaham, Harmen, Jefferson, Knickerbocker, Central,Wilson and Bushwick ave. and see if you wanna move hear and the best time to see is in the summer when it startes getting hot that when the real streets come out. Yeah it may not be the same as 20 yrs ago but it still ain't nice.

Hazel right ya better off in Ridgewood

Vanessa Vargas i don't know where your stayin at but all that Bull Shit.
It seems as if your a realitor..........keep sayin buy now, yor so desprite about it as if your getting paid for it

friend of Bill Wilson...: 13th May 2006 - 03:40 GMT

Speaking of Bushwick - how many of you have ever been to yogi Bear Sunday School....

Well it's still going strong with over 20,000 kids in attendance every week

Stop by 403 Evergreen Ave. Between Grove and Linden...

Joe: 14th May 2006 - 18:48 GMT

I've lived on Jefferson btwn Irving and Knickerbocker for a year. It's gotten a little better just in that time. We moved here because we got priced out of our old neighborhood, Park Slope. Our old place now rents for twice what we were paying. People are raving about NE Kingdom on here-- it's a nice place, but too expensive to go to very often. It feels elitist going there b/c you look around and there's every ethnicity there except hispanic, who are the majority of the neighborhood. It would be a shame if this place really became the next Williamsburg, b/c then we'd have to move again as the prices get too high. But yeah, like BOC said, summertime is crazy here. It's a party in the street every day, with the fire hydrants open and flooding the streets, loud music... there's a little playground here and last summer there was a big pile of broken glass on the sidewalk next to it for two weeks; people barbecued outside and left raw meat on the sidewalk for weeks until it was covered in flies and finally got cleaned up when they got a ticket from the sanitation dept. Another time it was a dead cat. If you don't like spanish music, don't open your window-- it never stops. People look at you funny if you clean up after your dog, like you're doing something really weird. I haven't had any safety issues, but a girl in my building gets home in the early morning hours from work, and some guy at the Jeff. L station told her he was going to slit her throat. She got away. There's a cool cafe near the Morgan stop, and Life Cafe on Flushing Ave has great burgers. That's not really Bushwick, but it's walking distance from here. The park here is nice, but in the summer there are preachers there every weekend yelling about jesus through a PA system.
Some family had removed the seats from a car and would hang out sitting in them in front of their apt all the time. People here LOVE to be outside. It started raining and they didn't even go in, they just sat in their car seats with umbrellas. Yes, this is the ghetto. ;)
I never see hispanic people at the archive cafe, which is too bad... anyone can afford a buck for a cup of coffee, and there should be places where everyone feels welcome. Northeast Kingdom is not the answer. I've met some of my neighbors who have lived here for many years, and we're friendly with each other, but haven't gotten to know each other that well. I feel bad for the people that have been and will be displaced by the white (and middle class black, asian and hispanic) people who are moving in, but most of us don't have a choice. It's gotten so expensive everywhere else. If things keep going the way they are, before long NYC will be nothing but rich people and people in the projects, with no one in-between. It's almost there already, and it's a shame.

BOC: 15th May 2006 - 04:37 GMT

1st of all Gina I bet you know nothing about Bushwick. Your just being a stereotypical ignorant fool to think that every minority kid (because that all that in Bushwick) that lives in Bushwick does graffiti if you even know how to spell the word right.And just because the neighborhood is poor doesn't mean the people of Bushwick don't work. Many of them probably work harder then you ever will and struggle to make ends meat.You wouldn't even want the job they do. So you can't try to make the arriving outsiders seem better because they have the privilage of having access to a better job. What kinda of stupid comment is that, We should be happy. Happy of what that you people are moving in bring the price value up so we can't pay rent and have to move out cuz ya can't leave us alone when we finally have something ya gotta take it away. Well their kids be all over the place with their skate boards runnin into people how good is that. If the people of Bushwick don't want ya their then we don't have to deal with it ya not gonna take over n throw us out. Go plant grasss somewhere else

BOCKER: 15th May 2006 - 05:14 GMT

You making it seem as if the people are the ones who made it completely like this higher powers and not god had something to do with the way it is. Yeah the people added it on but it wasn't everyone of bushwick who did so just a selected few. the white man was the one to put the drugs in these streets (Italian mafia) and the banks and government are responsible for the poor housing conditions.

franny: 8th Jun 2006 - 04:59 GMT

I grew up in bushwick on bleecker and irving during the 60's & 70's. It was the happiest time I had in my life. It was a blue collar hard working neighborhood. You could sleep on your fire escape in the summer. no one would bother you. Cops were hardly ever called you just handled it between yourselves. Picture Bronx Tale the movie just in Bushwick. But the mafia brought in the drugs through the Sicilian connections and changed the neighborbood and the good hard working people (Italian, Polish, Yugoslavin, Spanish) started to run from there. They sold alot through the Italian coffee shops on Dekalb/Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker/Starr. They sold to there own kind. Many Italian friends of mine were hooked on junk and suddenly started dying from aids. Mob rub outs on Dekalb/Irving Knickerbocker/Troutman Greene/Forest Bleecker/Irving Soon many of the Puerto Ricans moving in started getting hooked and dealing for them. Many land lords starting setting blazes to get money for buildings no one would buy because of crime. My family sold their 6 family all brick house for just $130,000. Knickerbocker & Bleecker was one of the worst fires in NYC history it burned for two days and reached the M train it had to be shut down. By 1980 the neighborhood was number one in homicides. But the neighborhood is on the up swing. Just like Park Slope & the Heights. But it will never be the same. Because the ethnicity will not be there just people like Harvy Pumperknickel.

oldie from the hood: 9th Jun 2006 - 03:11 GMT

I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY, YOUNG & OLD, HAVING A MUTUAL PLACE TO COME & WRITE AT THIS WEBPAGE & SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES OF THE BUSHWICK NEIGHBORHOOD. WE ALL AGREE, THAT IT DESERVES OUR ATTENTION, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD. IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT IF YOU LIVED THEIR AS A CHILD, GROWING UP, IN WHATEVER TIME IN YOUR LIFE, IT HELPED TO SHAPE YOU. IT PREPARED US FOR THE THE REAL WORLD. IT SHARPENED OUR SENSES TO REALITY. THAT IS AN EDUCATION YOU CAN'T LEARN IN SCHOOL. SOME OF US BECAME SURVIVORS, OTHERS ARE THE VICTIMS. IT'S THE LAW OF THE LAND. THE STRONG SURVIVE! WE HAVE AGGRESSORS IN EVERY WALK OF LIFE, IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU LEARN TO BE A CRIMINAL. BEING A VICTIM IS JUST A RANDOM ACT OF VOILENCE, THAT CAN EFFECT ANYONE ANYWHERE.

Mushi: 13th Jun 2006 - 01:24 GMT

I actually just moved to Bushwick last week. I lived in Manhattan for two years but just couldn't afford it. Plus, I needed a larger space. For 30% less than what I was paying in Manhattan, I rented a loft that was at least 4 times the size of my little place in the West Village. I am able to have my car, my cat has a larger space, and I don't feel so claustrophobic. I am a single female and feel really safe in my building. When I've walked the neighborhood at night, I haven't felt unsafe -- I've just practice caution like I always do wherever I am.

I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, and everything I see on Knickerboker Avenue and Wyckoff Street is nothing I didn't see when living in East Hollywood and Silver Lake. Granted, NOTHING is as convenient as when I lived in the West Village; in fact, living off the the Jefferson "L" stop is about as unconvenient as possible. But I have space.

True, the neighborhood can be noisy -- this weekend with the Puerto Rican day was almost unbearable. I am hoping to get used to it.

The neighborhood can go nowhere but up. I would love to see more bars and restaurants. So what if it becomes the "next Williamsburg?" I would rather see a neighborhood come back to life with restaurants, bars, shops, and an influx of money than see it completely written off as a lot of people have been doing to Bushwick for years.

hello: 14th Jun 2006 - 16:09 GMT

i'm thinking of moving to brooklyn--the bush. i've been in the boogie down for about 7 years. just wanted to let everyone know---HELLO PEOPLEZZZ ALL OF NEW YORK IS CHANGING. FOR GOODNESS SAKES--I'M LEAVING THE BRONX TO MOVE TO BROOKLYN!! "THEY"(and we all know who THEY is...) built a freak'n dog-run looking park in my neighborhood. people don't walk dogs on leashes in the boogie down--and they don't us freak'n dog runs. HELLO!

this is just my opinion: this city is no longer looking to house poor folks--black, latino, asian, white, whatever... let's remember folks--ya'll voted this mayor and this president into office. neither one of them cares about affordable housing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i remember when harlem was having this discussion. wow! but on a lighter note i love reading the threads.

peace

affordablehousingnow: 23rd Jun 2006 - 22:05 GMT

I agree with the last post. Affordable housing, not inflationary prices for bushwick. Let's not push all of the people out of Bushwick like they were pushed out of wburg, etc.

vanessa vargas to BOC: 27th Jun 2006 - 02:25 GMT

ummm...you must have been high when you wrote that response talking about me being a realtor! i am far from a realtor...and i happen to live on menahan...probably not too far from you. as far as nothing being left for "us" - what are you doing to ensure that no matter what changes happen in the neighborhood that there will always be a place for you? i know all about the hood...but what happens is, ppl that are used to living in the "hood" dont realize that there is another side to life... a healthier one...that filthy streets, rats, and graffitied walls are not, and shouldnt be the norm. is that the way you want your kids to live? think more of yourself and your family to want more. do you know of a bookstore in bushwick? NO...there arent any. why? because entrepreneurs dont think ppl in bushwick read. there arent any healthy places to eat...why? because they dont think we know any better, or care enough about ourselves. as far as they can see, all we want are new sneakers and rice and beans.

I am not trying to be funny, but your post was full of misspellings and incorrect grammar, which is just what “they” would expect from someone from the hood. So...instead of complaining, why dont work on yourself so that you dont sound like just another ignorant fool from the “hood.” again, no disrespect, just expressing my opinion on a topic that often troubles me.

Changes...: 28th Jun 2006 - 17:19 GMT

I heard that north east kingdom is opening a coffee shop on wyckoff, anyone know of any other changes?

Mushi: 28th Jun 2006 - 23:27 GMT

OOOHHH!!! That would ROCK! I know they are doing something, but I just didn't know what!

I would love a coffee shop here! See? It can only get better!

Changes...: 30th Jun 2006 - 18:49 GMT

Mushi, lunch spot confirmed, i saw the owner and they want to be open by August...

movingtoBrooklyn: 2nd Jul 2006 - 16:32 GMT

Please give comments soon!:
Whiteboy wanting to move to Madison Street near Bushwick Ave. Moving from southern Brooklyn- not a weathly white boy, but originally from Texas-so you can't get much whiter! I need yes/no's if he should move into this neighborhood.

Thanks!!!

Mushi: 3rd Jul 2006 - 20:56 GMT

Changes, thank you so much for the update! That is great!!!!

I am glad to see North East Kingdom is doing well. And this neighborhood needs some other types of eating places...and a breakfast/lunch place would be wonderful.

The 'hood can only get better...

KQ: 8th Jul 2006 - 06:32 GMT

I was born n raised in bushwick, knickerbocker, and it was tha shyt!! i had lots of fun growing up there i even attended bushwick hs and it wasnt bad at all, well atleast not to me but then again i am boricua, the stores of knickerbocker are the best in bk, wish i could go back but i live in vegas now which is a lot diffrent then brooklyn.

Proud Bushwacker: 9th Jul 2006 - 00:38 GMT

I grew up on Wyckoff and Cornelia (BK) on the border of Bushwick and Ridgewood. To tell you the truth, my mom put me in schools in Ridgewood, the schools have always been better in Ridgewood. I’m 34 now, I went to PS 68, IS 77, JHS 93, and Grover Cleveland HS. I remember having a great childhood – as compared to my cousins that lived on Jefferson St. btw Evergreen and Central. As a kid, I always wanted to go to visit my cousins because it was wilder over there, lol. The neighborhood has changed a lot, I remember hanging out as a teenager on Stanhope and Irving – all the boys selling drugs.
I don’t think Troutman and Knickerbocker is as bad as it used to be – late 80’s early 90’s.

It’s all about family. I lucky/fortunate that my parents weren’t drug addicts. Now I live in Ridgewood, 5 blocks from where I grew up. When I visit my mom, I see all these blancitos walking up and down, it’s crazy. I eventually want to get away from the area and buy a house, not that I’m leaving Bushwick, you just have to grow up sometimes. I wouldn’t mind staying, it’s just that you can’t get a decent house on a decent block for even $500K.

I don’t think Bushwick is all that bad, if you put your mind to it, anyone can get out of the ghetto. I just received my Master’s from NYU and nobody held me back, not even being from a community that does get a bad rap.

Diana: 21st Jul 2006 - 23:47 GMT

I was born in Brooklyn , I went to PS 123 lived between Irving ans starr street in the 1970's . It really makes me sad to hear so many bad things of the neighborhood I have so many beautiful memories of. I live in Boston now I left Brooklyn 28 years ago. Ther isn't one day I don't think of Brooklyn I would love to go back and bring my children and show them were I was born and raised. Any advise from someone still there in my Beautiful Neighborhood . No matter what I will always love my BUSHWICK.

andrea: 23rd Jul 2006 - 10:15 GMT

I was born in bushwick, I grew up on putnum and evergreen, yea.. I remember my wild days there, wow,bk all the way. my older brother was in and out of jail for dealing drugs and robbery, I remember when I was 8 years old when my mother took me to rykers island to see my brother, he was always tellin me to stay out of trouble and do good in school, but I was a lil hard head when I was in public school, P.S 45, i always would get into fights and curse at the teachers, I was only in the 2 nd or 3 rd grade at the time, i guess growin up with out a father with my older brother in and out of jail made me biuld up anger, by the time I was in H.S. i ended up following my brothers foot steps , I was just gettin into alot of trouble in my freshmen year. I was selling weed in the class room wile the teacher was in there, but for some reason I just stopped, after my friend got shot and almost lost his life, so I straightend up and started gettin good grades right after my mother talked about moving out of bklyn, my brother was still serving time, right after i graduated in 95, we just moved from putnum a month after, now I live in las veges for about 11 years now, im still young, 28, and my moms is a proud grandmother of my two beautiful daughters and a proud mother in law of my wife of 7 years, I always wanted to visit new york I got cousins that told me that ny has changed for the better, I will always have brooklyn in my heart

MIGUEL: 5th Aug 2006 - 16:25 GMT

JUST WONDERING-- DO YOY THINK THIS IS A GAY FRIENDLY AREA-- I AM A HISPANIC GUY WHO WOULD LIKE TO CHILL WITH OTHER GUYS IN MY HOOD? I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO JEFFERSON STOP ON THE L TRAIN-- IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?

IS THIS AREA AS GAY AS WILLIAMSBURG?

boc----------------to vanessa vargas: 19th Aug 2006 - 04:38 GMT

Wow you really think you know what your talking about.
Well what am i'm doing for my self you ask, i'm actually in my senior year of college getting a degree to do something with my life so the question is turned to you. I also do know how outside the hood looks because i attend college in the University of Albany. There environment is definitly different from Bushwick. By the way that wasn't mispelling it was called slang and you don't have to be from Bushwick to know that. Even though im in college I don't forget where im from, when it comes to my college work it when i separate the two. So yeah i don't need to work on myself because that process has been done and by the way your the ignorant person who hasn't realize what it going to happen to the the neighborhood and the people who originally live here. But i guess you'll see it when it too late. To each is their own. Oh yeah just to let you know their is a book store on myrtle between greene and bleeker you just probably never notice it because something like that wouldn't intrest you oh and don't forget the library on bushwick also has book and their a subways on wycoff or maybe that not healthy enough for you. DON'T IT THE WRONG WAY I WAS JUST EXPRESSING MY OPINION AND SPREADING MY KNOWLEDGE TO THOSE WHO NEED TO GAIN IT.

vanessa vargas to boc: 20th Aug 2006 - 21:04 GMT

glad to see you're doing something with yourself. i know all about slang, but there is a difference between slang and incorrect grammar and mispellings (i.e. intrest, definitly, their vs. there, etc.). that is beside the point though. you initially attacked me as not knowing anything and immediately assumed i was out to make money by telling ppl they should buy now if they are interested in bushwick. there are huge social problems in bushwick that stem much deeper than the neighborhood. the ppl in the community have to start caring about themselves and start taking control of their lives they way you have. i applaud you! forgot about the subways and the one bookstore, they are minor. the majority of the neighborhood is occupied by 99cent stores, unhealthy fast food places, and liquor stores because they make money here...why...cause we poison ourselves with that shit. anyway darling, i have respect for you and your opinion; when ppl dont have opinions or the balls to express them, shit doenst change. peace.

vanessa vargas to boc: 20th Aug 2006 - 21:11 GMT

corrections to my previous post before boc attacks me lol

the ppl in the community have to start caring about themselves and start taking control of their lives the* way you have. i applaud you! forget* about the subway and the one bookstore, they are minor.

Susannah : 21st Aug 2006 - 06:43 GMT

Diana PS123 is in Park Slope - thats where I went. How could you have lived in Bushwick and gone there- Do you know Polhemus Place?

anon (198.138.134.32): 21st Aug 2006 - 11:36 GMT

I'm about to move Decatur Street. What's Bushwick like around the area bordering Ridgewood?

anon (user-0ccen13.cable.mindspring.com): 22nd Aug 2006 - 00:30 GMT

I am a reporter and I will be covering Bushwick. Any residents care to share their thoughts on the neighborhood? Please email me at snf2103@columbia.edu. Any thing you can tell me would be helpful. Thanks! I look forward to getting to know the neighborhood!

Susannah : 26th Aug 2006 - 23:02 GMT

Sorry Diana - PS321 was where I went ....didn't do me much good, obviously.

"harpo" middle village: 27th Aug 2006 - 20:06 GMT

Bushwick is full of illegals and disease . George Bush has allowed the destruction of Knickbocker Avenue with these third world entities . Apartments that once were over run with mice are now over run with illegals . I demand that all the illegals be rounded up . Circos on Hart Street is still awesome .

"harpo" middle village: 27th Aug 2006 - 20:16 GMT

My old church and school St. Brigids looks like some Guatemalan refuge camp . All the freaken phony whites from the 70 and 80' s moved out
and ruined the neighborhood - they were mostly Germans and Italians who really didn't love where they lived since if they did they would not have run away !
I still attend mass a few times a year at St Brigids - the Mexian people are friendly and shake your hand during the handshake of peace part of the mass
I have been mistaken for an Immigration office or a coyote by some of the parishoners during mass - I still see a few old-time elderly white people attending church but places like Miss Stewarts is long-gone !

"harpo" middle village: 27th Aug 2006 - 20:20 GMT

The Italian landlords really ruined Bushwick and Ridgewood
They rented to multiple families of central and latin Americans - at a ridiculous rate of rent and forced the whites out of the area
As usual these greedy landlords didn't live in these buildings so why should care who was living there - they only showed up to collect their rents on the 1st of each month with all their legal size white envelopes as they ventured from one 6-family house to the next
Bushwick and Ridgewood nostaglia is laying in a coffin at the Seneca Chapels on Greene and Seneca ... RIP my old neighborhood - RIP
The greedy Italians killed you off

Tony: 3rd Sep 2006 - 16:07 GMT

I WAS born in a house on Bushwick Avenue and Halsey Street. My father and mother were both immigrants from Italy, They left italy for the new world to improve their lives and to insure a better future for their children. All of us were born and breed here. All of us have grown up to become good law abiding citizens. Proud to be part of the American communities. At the time we grew up in Bushwick , it was predominately a German , area, Protestant Churches were many. as well as Catholic. We all according to our faith attended services on sunday. They were innocent times, MAFIA , i never experienced or really heard of them until later in life. Children played on the streets, games were our pass time, happy days we shared. Sure there were differences. Violence , drugs, killings, rubberies we escaped all that. Life meant something we honored. Yes there were difference ,yes people had prejudeces, but we found out that as we lived more and more together we become more understanding of our diffences and began to appreciate each other, My friends were mainly non italians as the neighborhood was not Italian. I was not blond or blue eyes, i was not eating roast beef and potatoes, i was totally italian. We grew up in a gentle home, mother and father gave us love and protected us with guidence and gave us appreciation for learning and aiming high as we could. My father came from Italy when he was nine years old , never attanded school, worked from the time he came to USA until he retired, no vacations , hard working and from the age of nine years old till he died at 72 he had worked hard to support his family. My mother cooked ,attended to house work and her children, almost never left the house. Our joy was being a loving family, enjoying each others talents and celebrating being American and Italian. There was always music, laughter and teasing . Always family games and good times, food was important and we had it , poor but somehow we survived depression and hard times. Intergrating both with OUR PRIDE IN BEING AMERICAN.
Mother and Father have died, but we are still all five us grateful to our parents who gave us the opportunity to grow up in a nation that gives us freedom and the possibility to become what our God given talents allow us to achieve through our own determinations and desire to reach a goal.
Bushwick in days of long ago,

Kem: 7th Sep 2006 - 19:31 GMT

I attended P.S. 299, I.S. 383 and Bushwick High School so yeah! I'm born and raised there. I haven't been back for some time. Most of my memories I hold dear beacause they do make me smile, I try to keep in touch with my girls from the area. I lived 95 Cornelia St. btw Bushwick and Evergreen and the last time I walked through there was 1985 and I cried. The house my parents raised me in had no stoop! so I guess they went in through the basement. My parents owned the house so it was normal for us to use the basement because we stayed on the first floor and our kitchen and den was the basement, but how did the people on the second and third floor make do???? I was astonished when I saw this and had to respond. I do visit my sister Pinky in Laurelton on a yearly basis. Maybe the next trip I will walk through my old hood and hopefully cry some tears of joy for a rebirth.
Although i've been all over the world and now enjoy tropic like weather in the South Carolina (Charleston), Brooklyn BUSHWICK in specific stays on my mind.

aer: 14th Sep 2006 - 19:11 GMT

Lived on Starr St from 1980-1992 (5-17 yrs old). I went to P.S. 123 and I.S. 383. It was pretty dreadful. Men in the warehouses whistled at me as I walked to school and I was like 7 yrs old. Men cruising east of Flushing Ave. tried to pick me up like I was a hooker when I was 12. After sundown, the one block walk home from the Jefferson Ave. L station was scary (not as scary as the Halsey Ave. stop in broad daylight, though). I was thrilled when we moved to Brighton Beach. I could walk around at night, get stuff at the bodegas and sit on the boardwalk.
Obviously, it's a lot different now. The Voice recommends bars on Grand Ave. for chrissakes.

Jim QV: 24th Sep 2006 - 01:10 GMT

Tony, I read your posting and wanted to respond to it. I was born in Queens, but my Moms whole family is from Bushwick. Her grandfather (my great grand dad) was the original owner of 87 Eldert St (between Bushwick and Evergreen) purchased in 1890. I have the original deed. My Mom and all her siblings were born in that house. I remember visiting as a child and it was like going back in time. The big stoop, coal shoot and stove, the beveled glass on the twin front doors, the carved banister post, parquet floors, the long dark hall with the corrugated tin covering the walls and ceiling, the parlor in the front of the house etc. We used to run wild, the elderly aunts didn't mind, they were saints. Over the first half of the twentieth century they'd taken in and cared for many sick relatives in that house.

Moms family owned 87 Eldert until her two aunts had to move in 1964. They were getting mugged right and left. They loved that neighborhood and especially Our Lady of Lourdes Church. They continued to travel back to attend mass at Lourdes even after they had moved to Jamacia, Queens.

In early 1980 I was assigned to the 83 PCT on Wilson and Dekalb Aves. The whole neighborhood had literally blocks and blocks that were entirely vacant where the housing had burned down. Eventually, lousy quality apartments were built in place of that terrific housing stock that was once old Bushwick. I was sad to discover that 87 Eldert was a burned out shell by 1980. Eventually it was razed and cheap low income housing was built in it's place. At a Thanksgiving dinner one of the aunts asked me how their old house looked? I told her, not as nice as when they owned it.

During my time in the 83, I was disturbed by the deterioration of that neighborhood. Recently I drove through and Bushwick isn't any better. Many posters on this message board have a cavalier attitude regarding the mess Bushwick has become, like it's a big joke. The people who've moved into Bushwick over the decades don't realize what a gem they had inherited...and destroyed.

Ellie: 26th Sep 2006 - 15:58 GMT

Hello Everyone,
I was born and raised in Brooklyn. I lived right off of Bushwick and Grand Street. I attented 196, IS 49 and Eastern District High. I moved to Florida in 1990, but my heart still belongs to New York. I was wondering if anyone knows a guy by the name of Israel Rivera jr. He goes by Izzy. He should be 36 or 37 years old by now. I lost contact with him and his family about 12 years ago and I would really like to hear from them. They lived in Menahan Street, between Bushwick and Myrtle Ave. If anyone knows him or his Fam, please respond to my comment. Thanks!

Kiana: 7th Oct 2006 - 20:25 GMT

Im a senior in high school.. in houston, texas. After graduation I plan to move to NY for school. Ive been to brooklyn and yonkers a few times - but that has not impact as of actually living there. Im already looking for studio/apartments and of course, being a broke-college student, Id be looking for a cheap place.. which comes down to bushwick. what I wanna know is - IS IT THAT DANGEROUS? I mean.. Ive lived around blacks and hispanics all my life and am aware of the stuff that goes down in a lower-class neighborhood..

p69: 9th Oct 2006 - 20:02 GMT

if you're into the neighborhood, you'll be ok, bushwick is great, but i'd think that not having lived in nyc and landing in bushwick could be a big shock.

as for crime, it happens everywhere. look at the stats, crime is high in bushwick compared to other neighborhoods.

pariah: 16th Oct 2006 - 18:54 GMT

Sometimes I wonder if the people defending Bushwick actually LIVE here.

Gang violence (Bloods) is up, especially around Bushwick Houses (housing project). Streets are still covered in garbage. Car alarms because of break-ins still blaring nightly. The two local supermarkets REEK of rotting vegetables and you're lucky to find a loaf of bread that past it's sell-by date.

The few white chicks I've seen walking around get openly harrassed ('snowflake', and the usual 'C'mere!') and look like scared kittens. I can look out of my window at night and count the rats dashing across the street.

While a few of you may love the neighborhood as is, the rest of us will be celebrating when we finally see a Starbucks take the plunge!

New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 01:27 GMT

I currently live in Manhattan - I bought a condo in Bushwick, Wyckoff Avenue. hope to see many development in the area! Hopefully the value of my condo goes up!! aha

New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 01:33 GMT

By the way, my condo is near L-train station in Bushwick. I do not find the area any dangerous at ALL. Meeting a lot of amigos. Many people cannot afford to keep a place in Manhattan. Along L-train line, all the houses are going to be very expensive - I already see the changes.

New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 01:46 GMT

Need more than Starbucks. Northeast cafe is the only one that I can relax and enjoy the meal at. Italian, Japanese restaurants would be wonderful.. Investors and developers out there - business will be booming at Wyckoff and DeKalb avenue - I visualize it and new comers in the area see that as well.

New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 02:41 GMT

To Pariah.
Which part of Bushwick are you talking about?
Bushwick is a pretty large area though.
My saying Bushwick, I do not hear any unwelcome noises. C-town suparmarket is a pretty clean, and quality is not bad at all. I can walk around in late night, of course with caution just like I always do even in Manhattan.

Mushi: 22nd Oct 2006 - 19:50 GMT

I live in Bushwick -- I've posted a couple times before -- and as I have said before, it can only get better. A Starbucks would be great, but the coffee house Wykoff Starr is a welcome addition.

roberto medina: 25th Oct 2006 - 02:28 GMT

i use to live in Hart st between knickerbocker and wilson i miss tonys pizza my aunt supermarket in dekalb ave i joined the army stationed in ft hood been in the army 12 yrs i live in texas now cause im stationed here on my 2nd tour in iraq makes me think over here how much you miss the hood where you from grew up live ruff in baghdad like ny life of a hustler here reminds me alittle ya keep it real over there ya got peeps from bushwick representing ya in the battlefield.

Alethea perkins: 26th Oct 2006 - 13:02 GMT

I am 17 years old now I live in brooklyn bushwick i live on cornelia between wison and nickerbocker. to me iam used to bushwick because thats were iam from . there is nothing wrong with bushwick area i would not want to move to any other place but stay in bushwick.

New Face in Bushwick: 26th Oct 2006 - 16:13 GMT

Here is very interesting info. for those of you want to invest in property in Bushwick close to L-Train station.
ave.price per sq.ft in 2004 $385
2005 $480
2005 $565

Lin Lynch: 27th Oct 2006 - 16:52 GMT

I am looking to move into an apt on Stockholm street, 3 blocks away from Wycoff Hospital. it's a private house, with an apt on the top floor. I have heard mixed reviews of that area of bushwick...it's right on the border of ridgewood...i would love to hear any comments anyone may have.

grace: 30th Oct 2006 - 02:48 GMT

I was born and raised in bushwick....lived on melrose st. until I got married in 1959...still keep in touch with very old and dear friends from that street..moved to canarsie and then to Long sland...have visited on occasion and was truly sad for the way the block looked...sincerly hope the area makes a comeback..went to ps 145, and then bushwick hs...any schoolmates out there? I was born in 1939....probably started PS145 in 1944 graduated in 1952 and then went to bushwick hs. graduated in 1955....

Rey: 6th Nov 2006 - 08:18 GMT

How come nobody talks about West Bushwick. The area that is more residential than along the L-train. You know Bushwick Ave. and Broadway along the J-M-Z trains. That area is changing too with new 24 hrs laudromats and a couple of new joints like Goodbye Blue Monday.

I bet that in the next few years that Broadway will be the next hot thing. It will be the other broadway, the brooklyn broadway, the one under the tracks. And that is what will be cool about. Its a shame that a broadway looks the way it does. Maybe more lights under the tracks will help to make people feel more safe.

Mushi: 13th Nov 2006 - 01:13 GMT

I am white, and I live in Bushwick.

And you all must check out the taqueria on Starr just north of Wykoff -- the tacos there are incredible!

Lucy: 14th Nov 2006 - 15:12 GMT

I was told that around DeKalb and Jefferson Stations - L train area called East Williamsburg, not Bushwick. Anybody knows about it?

Lucy: 14th Nov 2006 - 15:14 GMT

Any new shops and Restaurants in the area? I also heard that the 2 bedroom Condo at Hart Street (just passed Knickerbocker) was sold for 435,000???? Wow.

joseph: 15th Nov 2006 - 23:52 GMT

i was born in the 60s in b'wick and i still live in the area.i seen it all from the imergence of graffiti to the constant fightings from all the gangs that imerged in the late 70s mid 80s(wich i must sadly say i was "down" with),to all the robbings and asault that went on for about another 10 yrs after.but i got to say brooklyn has diffinately changed for the better everything seems so much cleaner and safer.im a dad of 3 wonderful kids now and i got to tell you i trust my neighborhood alot more than most places in nyc.my neighborhood is a prime location ,with the L train in one corner and a school in the other,a park across the street from the school,and 2 grocery stores.i got a feeling that the property value in this area in particular is gonna shoot even further up the roof.

new face in bushwick: 21st Nov 2006 - 21:14 GMT

Anyone know/go to any yoga classes in L-train stations (Jefferson, DeKalb )? Does not matter small or large classes...

CARAMELO: 1st Dec 2006 - 03:25 GMT

I was born, raised and live in Bushwick (near Flushing Avenue. I believe that the neighborhood is definitely getting better. Sure, you have your incidents here and there, but we live in NYC and anything can happen anywhere and anytime in this City..Just be alert and aware of your surroundings...Bushwick is great! Anyone who has moved here recently, I WELCOME you!

Yo Miss: 10th Dec 2006 - 20:42 GMT

i've been teaching at one of the neighborhood middle schools in bushwick for 5 years now, and even in just that short amount of time i have seen a TREMENDOUS amount of positive change in the neighborhood. year by year, the students seem smarter and less interested in that thug/gangsta attitude...the students we get now are more interested in making something of their lives than being tough. i walk around bushwick by myself all the time...even after dark...and have never felt threatened. oh yeah, and i'm white.

Alfred in ATL: 14th Dec 2006 - 19:47 GMT

I was born and raised in Bushwick in the building directly to the left of the building in the picture above. I lived in 336 Melrose st. which my dad owned from 1976-1996. The building in the picture used to be a shirt factory and had a huge rottweiler, that would bark at me when I played outside, in the parking space between the two buildings. While I lived there I witnessed shootings, stabings, gang fights and a lot of drug addicts over dosing on this very block. Our basement was broken into and robbed once. Those days seem to be a thing from the past. I've been back 3 times in the last year and have seen the changes made in that area although I saw a lot of the same exact people on the block that I last I haven't seen in 11yrs. It felt good to show my wife where I grew up and have all the memories and flashbacks.

Missing You: 15th Dec 2006 - 19:02 GMT

Born and raised in Bushwick. Remembering St.JO's and Tony's candy store corner of Suydam and Knickerbocker, such a wonderful innocent time, went back recently and it looks like a war zone, I pray it changes. It really shaped a lot of lives in the right way, hope it can make a turn around. Happy memories.

rammerel1: 17th Dec 2006 - 23:37 GMT

I was also born and raised in the Bushwick area. I went St. Joseph's on Suydam St. My dad went there and had Sr. Clarissa and well as me and my two brothers. We lived on Evergreen Ave between Willoughby and Troutman.

It was a great place to grow up. Do you remember going to Myrtle Ave under the El in the summer? They would turn on the sprinklers and we'd all bring our towels and "lay out" on the concrete.

Does anyone remember the name of the pizzeria on the corner of Central Ave & Willoughby back in the 60's? It was a restaurant-type place and they sold small individual pizzas for .50 I would love to chat with anyone from that area or Wilson and Madison, Woodbine area.
ellen

Mushi: 20th Dec 2006 - 12:56 GMT

Still living at Troutman and Wykoff, still having a good time!

The new coffee house -- Wykoff Starr -- opened -- thank goodness!

upfromflames: 7th Jan 2007 - 04:49 GMT

Ready for a piece of the past:

1946 brooklyn daily eagle booklet for bushwick 300 anniversary

upfromflames: 8th Jan 2007 - 23:48 GMT

I am historian working on a history of 1977-2007, to show how Bushwick has come. If anyone has some pictures of the past in Bushwick, I'd love to get a chance to see or use them for our show at the Brooklyn Historical Society.

anon (localhost): 12th Jan 2007 - 03:50 GMT

There are two Bushwicks, first is one where you can still buy heroin and crack everywhere from Jefferson to Himrod... Heroin always was and always will be Bushwick hottest commodity. Trust me I've been around this Bushwick for almost 15 years< true it gotten much better than 90's or 80's but it is still nowhere like East Village. So watch out, white people, be smart, don't walk around at night and flash cash.
Other Bushwick is yuppie and hipster magnet of today is nothing like I known it for many years. Who thought that there will be CONDO(!!!!!!!!) buildings on Wycoff street? It is going to be a grest new area just like Alphabet City became hip when cops and high rents drove all the dope dealers and others from avenue A,B,C and D.
The same thing eventually will happen in Bushwick, it is however will take a bit longer...the hood is bigger and heroin business is well established. There still spots all over just not as in your face as it used to be in the 90's when they used to hawk it to every white person who would get off at Jefferson street and wlak towards the park!

from starr st.: 15th Jan 2007 - 05:45 GMT

1st. off upfromflames, i am going to my storage space and look for my pics and send them to you. now i was born and rasied in bushwick. PROUD of it.just as proud of it as i am proud to be PUERTO RICAN !! I REMEMBER BUSHWICK when it was a real hood. not bad i mean a hood where if you did something wrong your neighbor would whip you then you begged them not to tell your parents cause they would whip you twice, once for doing wrong the second for embarrasing them and getting whipped by a neighbor. i saw when the then "godfather" galente was shot cigar still in mouth. i lived on troutman st. then and saw it from my fire escape. if one person saw a piece of paper on the floor the whole block came out with brooms and swept up. not only italians but the PUERTO RICANS also .the mafia and police brought the drugs into the hood. this was the plan from the begining. make a ghetto get the price down. then flip it just like drugs. but it backfired on the mob. they lost control of the business.all the mob cafes are long since gone the last one just a few years ago. BUSHWICK was the "best place to get drugs" as per the daily news.it showed a map with a star on troutman and knickerbocker. the 80's brought crack and the demise of bushwick.but as anything GREAT you can not keep it down for long.i am glad it is changing but i see it changing to much to fast.what are the real people from bushwick going to do now that the rents are skyrocketing. where do they go? to ridgewood? can not go to harlem spanish or black cause that is taken over.the ghetto was made. the schools where sub par. i weent to p.s. 123 then jhs 162 then graduated from clevland. ok i was lucky cause my mom was invloved and educated so i was one of just a few to get new books and real classes. but 90% of the students got old books if any at all. that is the real crime in bushwick. maybe the influx of the new breed will help and not just make one more hurdle for the real bushwick residents. look i got so much to say it will take 4 ever

old school: 15th Jan 2007 - 06:03 GMT

does anyone remember meatland on starr and knick. knicker bocker park? the toy factory? reingold beer factory? old man maxi's place on knick btwn jeff and melrose? paul the barber?

jose: 16th Jan 2007 - 03:26 GMT

i lived in brooklyn at 36 morgan ave,went to ps 145.i was 11yrs old when i came to brooklyn and i left in 1987,i miss the old brooklyn,chocolate egg creams,knishes,nathan;s dog at coney island.i attended eli whitney v.h.h. and married my first wife.had 3 wonderful sons who are still living in williamsburgh.please post old photos if you have some.thank you

thomas: 18th Jan 2007 - 06:00 GMT

i have lived in bushwick for 4 months now. i am a 19 yr old white student.
when i first moved there was the initial awkwardness of being new in the neighborhood, especially such a social one like bushwick. i live on stanholpe and irving, 1 block from the dekalb stop on the L. c-town is great and just a few blocks away. the Laundry mat like 4 houses down and the lady who owns it is extremely nice and always talks to me while i'm there.
i always feel relatively safe and i almost always walk alone, rarely very late but typically into midnight. as people are saying, being aware is key and having a confident demeanor when you're walking. the worst that's happened was at like, 8 in the morning on my way to the train some guy semi-robbed me using a hammer. which i actually thought was kind of original, since i was more expecting him to use a knife or something. still though, the situation could have been VERY easily avoided if I was a little more aware and stood up for myself more, but in my defense i was really fucking tired. it was also obvious he singled me out cause i was a young white guy. but oh well. my girl-friend is asian and she walks here by herself at 11 pm/midnight sometimes when i can't pick her up. she's never had any problems.
its a very interesting place. on the outside to me it doesn't seem that bad, but i'm sure there is a deeper side to it that i haven't seen. on the upside, our apartment is HUGE and we only pay $1100 for it in total.

leopold the dragonslayer: 18th Jan 2007 - 06:02 GMT

oh and by the way does anybody know about the movie-night-thingies? on the warehouses near the morgan stop they have these mini-film festivals on the roofs with projectors. ask around. lots of art-fag types.

Tiff: 21st Jan 2007 - 07:07 GMT

My family just moved to Bushwick a few months ago and I still don't know about the neighborhood around this area. People seem to be very friendly, however, some were very rude not respecting people's personal boundaries. I saw many people selling drugs for living and for other reasons. However, it doesn't all mean that they are bad or irresponsible at all or that they are not thinking. Some people lost their jobs for many reasons, low salaries, job opportunities, and others are doing it because they need to support themselves or their families. Nevertheless, I don't think those were the only reasons why people had to make these choices. I didn't get to see many male volunteers or leaders that actively participated in changing the neighborhood for the better. People needed someone to listen to them with respect and kindness. They need to provide more resources (not just handing a stack of papers, but spend more time listening to individuals and really help them to meet their needs) I only saw guys in the streets...no women or children. People should enjoy their life and be able to feel comfortable and smile often without having people looking at them funny, weak, or gullible. The first few weeks, my familiy was happy to move into a bigger place. I usually greet people and when people greet me, I usually respond to them. However, I see myself changed everydayI didn't like how I had to put a hard grin on my face and act as if I'm pissed off or someone who just don't care about anyone and anything...I believe in people empowering each other for the better and grow from experiences. I guess I need to start filling my own tool box with resources to be available for me and also for my friends and families...

Tiff: 21st Jan 2007 - 07:15 GMT

I love reading these comments..."thank you everyone" I'm learning a lot just by reading them and it's challenging me to do well in my areas of study!

Thomas H: 26th Jan 2007 - 21:08 GMT

I grew up on Stanhope and Knickerbocker lived there and around there from 1951 to 1966. I remember Knickerbocker shops and Bargin Town on Broadway.I remember sleeping on the fire escape and hitten two and a half sewers. Spauldings and 5 cent pretzels and Jackie fleishmans on Knickerbocker. Damn I am old.
I am sure that many of the people posting here are accurate and they mean well. I am also sure that you can be "jumped" by 5 white guys at 10 PM and intimadated by two Italians in a caddy bustin chops.
Bushwick is a neighborhood and like all neighborhoods it changes with immigration and economics. Good hardworking people make a life wherever they are. Todays Spanish population will one day look back on Bushwick and wonder why it went to hell after the eskimos moved in.
As for the tough and ill spoken ghetto slang posters here.......sometimes when you leave your lips moving you let all the stupid out.

First woodlands than farms than German than Italian than Spanish and than .......soon to be determined

JL: 30th Jan 2007 - 20:17 GMT

there are some really nice photos of bushwick (both new and old) here: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bushwick&w=47478553%40N00

nymasotto: 1st Feb 2007 - 00:25 GMT

Does anyone know anything about the Wilson stop on the L train? How is Decatur Street?

JLW: 1st Feb 2007 - 22:26 GMT

Does anyone have pictures of the old theater on Starr and Knickerbocker?

wyoming: 2nd Feb 2007 - 16:56 GMT

I'm in wyoming, my mother was born in brooklyn in 1926, and lived at 312 Jefferson in Bushwick until about 1935. She attended P.S. 123. My grandfather had a shoe repair shop near the corner of Starr and Knickerbocker. I would very much like to visit this area, but am concerned about the safety. Can anyone tell me anything about this neighborhood. Does anyone have any current pictures so that I can at least see what it looks like.

Cay: 2nd Feb 2007 - 19:11 GMT

My son just moved to Bushwick. Sharing space on Hart St.
I'm nervous since he's a white man from New England. Anybody have any survival tips?

anon (localhost): 2nd Feb 2007 - 20:19 GMT

yeah, does anyone have info. about Decatur and the Wilson stop? I've seen new condos online on that street. They look to be about 8 blocks or so north of Bushwick Ave.

anon (localhost): 2nd Feb 2007 - 20:20 GMT

Also, what about Cornelia St. in that same general area?

Jon: 4th Feb 2007 - 05:34 GMT

I am thinking about buying an apartment building around Harman and knickerbocker. What is the area like? Is this a good part of Bushwick and if not - where is? Thanks.

Cay: 5th Feb 2007 - 18:59 GMT

Also, does anybody have any info about bus lines from Bushwick to Flatbush? How late do they run?

upfromflames: 7th Feb 2007 - 03:46 GMT

If you were raised in Bushwick, lost your house, your house burned down, whatever. Contact me! I'm working on a spatial history of the area and will do my best to track down details of whats there now. Also, if you'd like to share more of your story, turn you story into history! wyoming, I am working on your request. Starr st. send it on! Others, contact me at upfromflames@gmail.com

upfromflames: 7th Feb 2007 - 23:57 GMT

To Jon: Knickerbocker was street that was always bustling and full of shops, evenin bushwick's hardest times. It was, and is, undeniably and overwhelmingly commercial.

I noticed that behind the gleaming wall of signs for cellphone and clothing stores, there are some old buildings that are probably pretty cheap still.

Its a safe street, convenient (a block from the knickerbocker M stop), and safe, alive at all hours. But, its also very busy, loud, not quiet at all. If its for rental income, go for it. But its not a block to raise a family in your dream home.

upfromflames: 7th Feb 2007 - 23:59 GMT

I think that Wilson stop is going to be looking pretty nice in a few years. The streets are pretty quiet and wide, the housing stock some of the most solid in bushwick. Lots of gut reno's going on.

upfromflames: 8th Feb 2007 - 00:03 GMT

Those who are looking for memories of Rheingold should look up Rheingold Gardens, the innnovative public-private housing development built on the site. Its NYC's first brownfield remediation site (industrial clean up) and it even has a green roof! As I am fond if saying, Bushwick is not about the past, its about the future.

Cay: 8th Feb 2007 - 15:27 GMT

I love your comment "upfromflames" about Bushwick being about the future. Sounds promising and what we all need to hear more of. Bless you.

yvonne: 14th Feb 2007 - 19:16 GMT

Did anyone go to ST.JOSEPH on Suydam St.between 1967-1971 love to here from you.reach me at ygg101@optonline.net

upfromflames: 15th Feb 2007 - 00:44 GMT

I was talking to Father Peter Mahoney in an interview tonight, and he mentioned working with this school, that was then struggling amidst the demographic changes (white flight, blockbusting by greedy realtors), that helped shut down the school eventually. Musta been a difficult time to be living there...

Mushi: 17th Feb 2007 - 22:34 GMT

I am a white girl from Southern California living in Bushwick by myself. I feel safe. Cay -- you really don't need to worry about your son. The neighborhood is noisy, but fine. I've had no problems.

Wyoming -- I think the place is fine to come explore. It's not the richest neighborhood, but there are FAR WORSE in Brooklyn. Bushwick is on the edge of Maspeth and Ridgewood, both really simple suburban areas. Congested, yes, but totally fine. I think it's amazing that you want to see where your grandparents lived. My grandfather grew up in The Bronx, and I've been in NYC for three years and still haven't seen where that was!

Antoine Whitfield: 19th Feb 2007 - 18:59 GMT

Yo,
I was born & raised in bushwick (Wilson ave btwn. cooper & moffat st). Growing up in bushwick btwn yr. 71'& 88' I was fortunate to see the neighborhood go through transition. I was 8 yrs old back in 71' and can remember when it was safe to play games like Crack top, Stick ball, Punch ball, and Skelly in the middle of the street. I remember when before they built PS 384 on Cooper st., there stood a card board factory. From the roof us kids used to throws eggs at passerbys who got off the LL train. Back when rap first started, myself and a couple of other friends would dismantle our parents stereos and sneak them to the parks and throw jams until the police came. Back then we didn't worry about gangs and aids... we worried more about stuff like girlfriends, gabordine's and report cards. The neighborhood started changing when the whites moved out and drugs took over. I'm not happy to say that I got up in the life for a time, but the toughness I learned from growing up in bushwick allowed me resiliency to survive and bounce back from detriment. Bushwick just like any other place a America... can bounce back ! Anybody out there from the old hood (BWC) holla back pernell43@hotmail.com Big ups Wilson ave., Decatur, Ballers from 384 park your know who you are holla back

Cay: 20th Feb 2007 - 16:16 GMT

Mushi and Pernell,
Mushi- Thank you, thank you. Its good to hear. Your a strong woman obviously and best to you.
Pernell- most definitely on the right track. Keep on going the straight and narrow. I love your description of your childhood fun times. Sounds like some I had way back. Neighborhood and a sense of community build strong character, that's why your bouncing back today.
Best to all,
Cay

susanw: 24th Feb 2007 - 16:25 GMT

I grew up on Cooper St. between Wilson and Knickerbocker and the upinflames mention of Fr. Peter Mahoney blew me away - I have been in touch with a nun from Fourteen Holy Martyrs, the church and school he was talking about.
My family lived there from the early 50's to early 60's and many relatives are buried in the area cemetaries. Bushwick was a warm friendly place then and I remember the influx of Cuban refugees that first moved in during that time. Most were educated and were a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I have relived those years many times with family and friends in conversations which never grow old and stale.

upfromflames: 24th Feb 2007 - 22:55 GMT

Cuban Refugees? I never heard that angle before! I always thought it was Puerto Ricans spilling over and displaced form Williamsburg...interesting. I guess they moved on from the area.

Nowadays, by the way, Bushwick is home to the second largest concentration of Mexicans in Brooklyn (great tortilla factories!) and many eucadorians, along with smaller populations of other latin american immigrants.

These new working class folks have really helped revitalize the area and make it much more of a community. The gentrifiers of today would be nowhere without the immigrant families who moved in the early 1990's.

Wyoming: 27th Feb 2007 - 19:14 GMT

Mushi - Thanks for your comments. I am anxious to come and explore the area, and you have made me feel a little more confindent about doing so. Hope you can someday soon see where your grandfather lived in the bronx.

Upfromflames - Thank you Thank you for all you're doing!

tache: 6th Mar 2007 - 15:20 GMT

I looked at an apt last night right near the Jefferson L. How is this area? I'd be moving in with my boyfriend and his brother. Right now we're living in Astoria. My boyfriend has been there for 10 years so his apartment is still low on the rent scale. We won't be able to afford anything in the neighborhood that will give us the space we need now. Compared to Astoria, the neighborhood seemed quite desolate. My only concern is of course being safe. Do any of you happen to live close by the Jefferson stop? How do you feel about the neighborhood?

anon (localhost): 6th Mar 2007 - 19:01 GMT

I don't live there...yet...but I visit quite a lot. I would recommend it. Never heard any of my friends complain about safety, crime or any of that. They just keep talking about the more and more people coming out there. And of course Wyckoff Starr and N.E. Kingdom.

There's new stuff popping up all the time. It's going to be unrecognizeable in a few years I'm afraid.

also looking to move there: 8th Mar 2007 - 05:05 GMT

my main concern is, i want to be able to get drunk in the city and cab it home.

a) around 2 am, will nyc cabbies be willing to take the ride?
b) if so, how much would that cost?
c) as an alternative, how often does the L train run around that time?
d) will i get killed if i ride the L at that time?

any feedback is appreciated. the hood does have a nice industrial flavor that i appreciate (aesthetically speaking)

Dave: 8th Mar 2007 - 18:29 GMT

Father owned a Italian Bucher Shop in the 50's-60's on the corner of Central and Bleeker, caddycorner from St. Barbara's Church ,burnt out in the 70's, never went back ! , What's there now ??, anyone with old photo's ?

Jimmy Legs: 8th Mar 2007 - 18:37 GMT

you know the drill, get into the cab first, THEN tell them where you're going. no one can say how much it'll cost since we don't know where you'd be in manhattan or where you're going in bushwick. anyway, why take a cab when we have some great train lines? as for the L train, you might want to take a ride on it, it's not exactly 'The Warriors' these days. cool thing about the L these days is they have those electronic signs that tell you how long it will be before the next train comes.

a friend of mine lives right off the jefferson stop and has had no problems. of course if they see you steppin out of a cab every night and drunkenly weaving to your door, that may be more tempatation than a thug can handle :)

also looking to move there: 9th Mar 2007 - 01:08 GMT

thanks, jimmy legs. from prior experience looking for cabs around 2am i always got the "where to?" question prior to getting in. i was never rejected when i said chelsea, but now that i may say "bushwick" i wonder what the reaction + price will be (starting the trip from soho going to jefferson L station). i love the L, but wonder what it's like late at nite, or early in the am.

i truly think there's something special happening in this hood. the industrial vibe resonates with a certain category of people (including me). naturally you get more space for the buck, since the region is not the most 'obvious'.

upfromflames: 9th Mar 2007 - 01:30 GMT

just what is happening there?
www.citynoise.org/article/6459

upfromflames: 10th Mar 2007 - 04:31 GMT

Central and Bleeker, in the midst of Hope Gardens housing project, one of the most successful housing projects ever built by NYCHA. The building on the corner was put up by the New York Housing Partnership, in cooperation with the Ridgewood-Bushwick (Senior Care Council).

Like many parts of Bushwick today, its back from the brink, and up from flames.

Cay: 20th Mar 2007 - 13:47 GMT

I remember Harry's candy store - in Maplewood, NJ growing up. I'll bet tons of others remember their "candy stores" from growing up. I wonder what future generations will remember for "candy stores?" Discounted aisles of bags of bulk candy from Walmart or some other chain? Not the same as looking at all the cool candy colors, sizes, shapes, and tastes as candy counter loose stuff. Thanks for sharing Chris. Filled my memory with color and warmth.

anon (cache-rtc-ac06.proxy.aol.com): 21st Mar 2007 - 00:44 GMT

Harrys candy store in Maplewood, NJ...NEW JERSEY ???????????

This is a Bushwick, NY board, what gives with NJ????

zinzee: 21st Mar 2007 - 02:34 GMT

For those of you looking to move here:

I live in Bushwick off of the Jefferson L. I'm one block from the L train. I really do enjoy the neighborhood. I did get my iPod taken out of my pocket but in all honesty I had been drinking all night and it was about 7am. I'm sure I didn't look sober and didn't think sober and had it clipped to the outside of my jacket. However, it was a snatch and grab so I can hardly say I felt unsafe. As the guy grabbed it I smacked him and said, "Congratulations, you're a bitch."

I moved from San Francisco and the course of a year living downtown my car was broken into, my bike stolen, and my purse stolen. It'll be a year in Bushwick in July so I think one iPod that I basically waved in front of a petty theft's face is not a bad record.

My landlord is really awesome. I moved from East Harlem where my landlord pretty much refused to fix my crumbling sealing. He preferred to patch over the mold that was forming. When I came to look at the place my landlord stressed how important it is to tell him if there is ever any leak. No problem!

I have a really nice size two bedroom apartment and have a great deal. Mu landlord also signed a two-year lease with me at the same price for two years. He owns three buildings on coinciding corners and is always willing to give my friend's first dibs on apartments opening to be rented. There's been one problem with my heat not coming on in the living room and he sent someone up the same day to have a look at it! Amazing!

I take a cab once or twice a week when I work late (coming home around two or three AM). I come home from the LES, which is nice and close to the Williamsburg Bridge. I don't tell the cab drivers where I'm going until I get in. Also, if they have a problem I tell them I can get another cab since it is fairly easy to catch one from that area. I know how to get to the neighborhood through a little cut, which makes the ride about $15 with a fair tip. I usually tip an extra dollar or two when I have a cool cabbie. I also make sure they know how to get back to the bridge and then ask them to wait until I get in the door.

I'd rather not wait on the L train after midnight, if possible. However, I've done it plenty before and the longest I believe I've waited is 20-30 minutes. It's pretty safe, even late at night/early morning. There's usually enough people on it that safety on the train is not a concern. You do just want to be aware when getting off. I think that is what will make you feel safe and thus be safe.

The taqueria factory is AWESOME!! The guy that makes the tacos is such a sweetheart! Plus they're the best tacos I've had since California, and that's saying a lot. Wyckoff Starr coffee shop is a very welcomed addition. Very nice staff and very good coffee. Northeastern restaurant has really good food. Slowly but surely I see this neighborhood changing before my eyes, and I haven't even been here for long. There was a 'sketchy' house on the block, which has since closed down. It looks like it's being renovated so it should bring the block up even more. It's such a relief to have the place being converted, even though I hear the former owner has fallen ill, which is not surprising but sad none-the-less.

Sorry to ramble on but I do so enjoy living here! I hope you enjoy it, as well!

Cay: 21st Mar 2007 - 12:23 GMT

Zinzee, I like your input about the late nights/early AM's. My son lives in Bushwick, and coming from rural New England its a change to be sure.
Hey, Anon, I only mentioned Harry's because the previous thread mentioned a candy store, and it took me back some. Sorry to mention Jersey on the Bushwick board, but Jersey is very cool, and always is the BEST place to be FROM.
Bye,
Cay

howie: 28th Mar 2007 - 20:14 GMT

i grew up on linden street between bushwick and evergreen/ went to st. barbara'sthis was from 1948 till 1959 any one know what this area is like now?

JimQV: 28th Mar 2007 - 21:20 GMT

Linden, from Bushwick to Evergreen Aves? I worked in Bushwick, it's pretty horrible. Very dangerous, and it's not going to get better. You have "newbies" to NYC on this message board who think cheap rent in Bushwick is worth risking their necks, how stupid. Of course, this post will never see the light of day. Any posts that are honest about the crime in that neighborhood get yanked right down. The board monitors only want happy talk about Bushwick.

upfromflames: 28th Mar 2007 - 22:30 GMT

Dunno where you are coming from with that. I am working out there now interviewing some of the folks of the block association, which helped the neighborhood to stay solid after the blackout, like starting that lovely garden at the intersection on the NE corner of B'way and Linden.

Its not just about where white folks have decided to live. Its a matter of everyone who lives in a place; old timers and young kids and everyone in between that makes a street a neighborhood. They all deserve safety and security.

Maybe you feel you are part of some Anti-gentrification block. And I understand that. Things are getting pricey in every area of Bushwick. But its not the gentrifiers' fault. Don't take your anger out on them, but rather maybe this crazed real esate market that makes it impossible to afford nearly anywhere else.

Scare tactics and race baiting are not going to accomplish anything.

Cay: 29th Mar 2007 - 14:53 GMT

There are people moving into the neighborhood from outside it. This should be a good thing if they bring their money and their good will with them. It benefits all the residents. Bad things happen everywhere, in all neighborhoods in NYC. I think mostly all people want to be safe. Its not "racist" or anti-poverty or any other anti out there.

JimQV: 29th Mar 2007 - 17:43 GMT

Yeah, over the months there have been people who've posted here, thinking of moving to Bushwick, asking for an opinion about the safeness of the neighborhood. Why not give them an honest opinion, based on the crime stats from the 83 Pct? This is how safe you were in Bushwick in 2006 according to the NYPD's own web-site: There were 6 people murdered in the 83 Pct, 39 rapes, 515 robberies, 394 felony assaults, 532 burglaries, 305 grand larcenies, and finally 262 people were the victims of grand larceny auto. So when someone from Idaho, who's sending their "baby dumpling" to the Fashion Institute of Technology, posts asking if it's a safe neighborhood for little Janey to get an apartment, why not tell them the truth as per the NYPD? Look for yourselves, it's on the Internet.

Is Bushwick as dangerous as it was in 1990? No, but there weren't ANY murders in my neighborhood in 2006, and all the other crime categories were proportionally less too. If you're a newcomer to Bushwick you better watch out, because you're going to be a target.

If you're thinking of moving to Bushwick, just to save money, you're taking a real chance with your personal saftey. The bottom line is that all this "Bushwick happy talk" is by real estate speculators who are playing flip this house. They want you to live in their mistake.

upfromflames: 29th Mar 2007 - 22:14 GMT

Word on that, from JimQV, although I did disagree with you yesterday for your approach.

But on that last point, its true.

Real Estate speculators have an interest in manipulating people---but its not just the young folks moving into the area for a bargain.Its also the more desperate homeowners who have been holding on through the worst years. When they are tagged by a speculator, pestered with offers to sell, shown suitcases full of cashes--I have heard about recently--its a sad thing--with all the other tenants in the building evicted (in the absence of rent regulation) polished up, and flipped. Its a nicer neighborhood after all these years, but hollower for all that is going on now.

I think that speculators, especially the hasidic Jews who have flocked across Flushing, are having a profound impact in this regard, distorting the real estate market in comparison with surrounding areas of Queens and Brooklyn. But, as one of them said to me, "if we did not do it, then someone else would be".

As a historian, I am very glad that the narrative I am writing leads Bushwick to a happy ending--but how happy is it really if those who labored cannot really enjoy its fruits?

Dcchanged man: 3rd Apr 2007 - 05:22 GMT

I lived in bushwick from 1968-1982
Comfort and hell in bushwick depends on which pocket you lived in.
The dead end streets of buswick Aberdeen , Granite , Desales Place and so on where a lot safer. The area around Pilling , Moffat, and Chauncy between Bushwick and Evergreen where pretty decent and had gorgeous houses/brown stones. However, when you got closer to the streets between Bushwick ave and Broadway, all hell broke loose. You were literaly a few steps and across the street from Bed-Sty and Ocean Hill Brownsville.
I welcome the new changes, however, when I think of my friends at the time (early seventies and eighties)getting beating and killed over stupid things like cazelle eyeglass frames, ugly sheepskin coats, radios formerly called "boxes", sneakers, and of course small amounts of drugs my mind becomes uneasy. It took me a long time to shake the negative memories of Bushwick. I am now a Professional living in a nice quiet suburb. To anyone who is not familiar with rough inner city neighborhoods, please, be very careful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some of the people you are communicating with don't share a common agenda or an out-look off life with you. You don't know their pains and mental conditions, They may harm you physically or mentally for things you have no control of. Like having a job , happiness, or common sense. If you plan to move there, beeeeeee veryyyyyyyyyy Careful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From one who knows
Take care

Mushi: 5th Apr 2007 - 00:37 GMT

I've now lived in Bushwick for 10 months. Other than the fact that where I live feels like a dorm sometimes (loud music, loud people), I do feel safe there. Yes, as I have said, it doesn't look like the most desirable place in the world, but it's cheap, I have a big space, and I have off-street parking.

JimQV sounds paranoid. I am saving money and getting a heck of a value. You hear just as many stories of people getting murdered, raped, and attacked in Manhattan. You have to be safe no matter where you go -- take the same precautions you would take any place else, whether it's the Upper Eastside or East New York.

Yes, I'd like to move, but just because I'd like to be closer to my boyfriend who lives in Long Island. In the meantime, I know people who live in tinier places and pay a lot more or have to have a roommate.

The taqueria is awesome. And thank goodness for Wykoff-Star.

Yes, I've said this before and I'll say it again, I do wish I had more things around me, like if I were living in Greenpoint. Yes, I do wish I lived in a more suburban area where it was a little quieter. But for now, living in Bushwick is fine and works. And the Western Beef Supermarket on Metropolitan is awesome and CHEAP.

Zinzee -- I agree with you. The place can only get better.

iman: 5th Apr 2007 - 02:03 GMT

i live in bensonhurst and it looks very similar to bushwick. i'm from long island and every town there looks completely different from another. i guess brooklyn is all the same. and it's a cool place.

Mushi: 5th Apr 2007 - 13:11 GMT

Uponflames and Jimmy QV -- also, when choosing a place to live, no real estate agent did an upsell to me. I didn't go through a broker to find my place, just an add online. Real estate agents will manipulate you if you let them -- I've never done that. I went into Bushwick with eyes wide-open.

Bushwick is a bargain because all of the rich snobs and trust fund babies have priced the middle-class out of Williamsburg and Park Slope. And you know what? Williamsburg and Park Slope weren't nice areas one upon a time as well. Things improve -- living within a 15 to 20 minute subway ride from Manhattan is what is important to people, and as a result, the bad areas will improve. It may take time -- it always does. But I know people who went to NYU 15 years ago when it was scary to walk in Washington Square Park during the day. Now that is one of the most desirable areas in which to live.

vvargas: 8th Apr 2007 - 16:07 GMT

all this talk about bushwick being unsafe and that only ppl looking to flip their properties are going to encourage you to live here is nonsense. change starts somewhere and it has already started. i have lived here for three years. when i got my apartment the rent was $950. i was looking on craigslist the other day and it seems impossible to find a 2bdrm for that price now. i have never felt in danger and actually feel very safe walking home at 4am when coming home on the very safe L train! ppl on the site who lived in bushwick 20 yrs ago when it was much like MANY other neighborhoods (including the very popular WILLIE B) have a bad taste in their mouth. many of them have moved into the suburbs and have become used to that style of living. so when they come back and see bushwick, even with all of its improvements, its still unlivable to them. i am not in real estate and stand nothing to gain by encouraging anyone to move to bushwick. if you are looking for an inexpensive place to live, that is 20 mins from the city, with 24hr stores and laundromats, bushwick is great. some blocks can be very noisy during the summer. i looked at my apartment when it was cold outside so i didnt get a realistic picture of what the block was like year round. ask about your neighbors, maybe even speak to one and ask them what the block is like during the warmer months.

Armstrong: 9th Apr 2007 - 02:10 GMT

I just got a two bedroom railroad in one of the big old brick tenements on Starr Street right on the park. I'm excited. I've lived in Bushwick since 2000 and I love it. When I moved here in 2000, if I saw another white person, we both would jump "is that a mirror?" I'd think. The area is getting better and the diversity is a good thing. Since there is so much rent stabilized housing, I believe that gentrification will be a bit more egalitarian and slow-moving than it was in Williamsburg, where the neighborhood became unrecognizable from 1995-2000. Bushwick needs an influx of money and TLC. Let's all start badgering Spitzer about increasing the $2000 rent cap on stabilized apartments to at least $3500.

Armstrong: 9th Apr 2007 - 02:22 GMT

Also, saying hello to neighbors and being openminded toward people on the street is the best way for newcomers to become part of the neighborhood. This is not easy but if I, as a white person, walk around with my head down, thinking that the long-time residents hate me, what must they be imagining that I'm thinking about them? Probably the worst. Sometimes I get attitude out here, but there are also times when a total stranger, even teenage guys sometimes, will say hello as I walk down the street. So be openminded, bring a good vibe, expect the best and at the same time, keep your streetsmarts. That's what I've been trying to do.

Jimmy Legs: 9th Apr 2007 - 16:45 GMT

i'd just like to point out that bushwick's crime stats are no worse (and in most cases, significantly better) than that of bed-stuy, east new york or crown heights in the last year. sure it has crime, but to view these stats out of context is to misrepresent what's actually happening, as much as the realtors who tell the new kids that bushwick is the new greenwich village.

dougieESQ: 11th Apr 2007 - 02:11 GMT

Bushwick AKA: East Williamsburg...yeah, no thanks. Keep drinkin' the kool-aid hipsters while I stay put in greenpoint.

blueeyes: 11th Apr 2007 - 03:50 GMT

Last year, I moved from Williamsburg "Prime" (Bedford stop), where I lived happily but cautiously for 7 years. During that time my next door neighbor was held up at gunpoint at our front door (2005), our car stolen (2003),mult iple nearby friends apartments were robbed, and I stayed through a murder spree (anyone else remember the shoe lace killer in 2000)... Despite the troubles of course, the place was "cool" and I would still be there if my rent had not doubled. So last year, I moved to Bushwick / Bedstuy border - where, (despite the lack of cool places to dine within close walking distance, and despite all of my WillyB friends turned up noses) I am surprised to find myself SO MUCH HAPPIER! While I will always remain cautious here as everwhere in NYC, my block actually feels safer and is far prettier than my "dirty but cool" warehouse. My street is clean, well lit, well patrolled, has a family feel, and the JMZ (I live by the Myrtle JMZ stop) is so reliable, runs more frequently and I get to work faster (


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Jake: 8th Apr 2005 - 20:40 GMT Re: My House in Bushwick: Brooklyn How is Bushwick? I am considering moving there, any parts to go for, any to avoid? seems like a lot of space for not much dinero.... STEPHAN A .P: Re: nOTHING SPECIAL MONTREAL CANADA RACHEL: 6th Jun 2005 - 18:28 GMT I plan to attend school in Manhattan and live in a house in Bushwick. I am Japanese-American. I would be riding the J train between 9-11pm 6 days a week. should I worry about safety? Peter: 6th Jun 2005 - 18:45 GMT hardly, if youre smart and know how to act. safety issues in nyc, especially the outter boros, are greatly overblown. its not the 1970s anymore :) elaine: 7th Jun 2005 - 09:58 GMT well, you shouldn't, you are giving mentalists a bad name. you should take up a different mentalist hobby, one more socially useful, like shouting your opinions loudly on the train, meeting people's eyes if you can, with a long stare elaine: drink on them only with thine eyes elaine: 7th Jun 2005 - 10:12 GMT it is a skill. you don't expect to acvance on the mentalist pathway without having to learn skills, do you? it would hardly be fair otherwise Anonymous (cpe-66-108-32-140.nyc.res.rr.com): 26th Sep 2005 - 03:19 GMT I'm thinking about renting an apt on Troutman street between cypress st and st nicholas, a really nice apt for a good price. The area seems very desolate. How safe is bushwick? Former Bushwick Resident: 30th Sep 2005 - 05:10 GMT I am a 36 year old hispanic female. Lived all my life in Bushwick. Four years ago, I decided to move to New England and escape the city. I was a single mother of 3. (a very difficult task - especially in Bushwick) Growing up in Bushwick "back in the day" was great. There were Italian Cafe's, Bakery and Pastry shops at every corner. In the mid 1980's most Italians (and other whites) began to move away (towards Ridgewood - a neighboring community, actually located in the boro of Queens) The population became more of a low income hispanic, west indian and asians. In the mid 80's Bushwick was plagued with Crack & Aids. The neighborhood went straight to hell. Troutman Street, I remember was so drug ridden and I'm sure it still is...that the police literally closed down the streets and set up a trailor that house police officers 24 hours a day! Things were crazy. Later in life I became a community organizer and organized block associations to get the residents to take pride in their community and take it back. Bushwick has lots of potential, the right political people are in office to assist with its renaissance. Its a slow growing process, but its comming along. For those looking to live in Bushwick for the first time...I have to say, unless you have been exposed to the Ghetto life previous to comming to Bushwick...this is probably not the place for you. Those who have been exposed the the tuff, crazy "Ghetto Faboulous Life" you'll feel at home! The plus side is Tony's Pizza on Knickerbocker Avenue on the corner of Dekalb...GREAT NYC PIZZA. The retail shops on Knickerbocker Avenue are Awesome. I still go back to the "hood" to shop for clothes! Great Bargains! Carm: 12th Oct 2005 - 04:33 GMT I use to live on Irving Avenue in the 60s. I am now living in Toronto Canada and have great memories of Brooklyn. I am planning to visit with my children, any suggestions, safety issues for the great north mother of 3. Peter: 12th Oct 2005 - 14:42 GMT its alot safer now than it was in the 60s, thats for sure! randy: 13th Oct 2005 - 02:11 GMT if u move to bushwick just keep your mouth shut and if u go overthere and rock a color thats not good u will get sliced da fuck up Anonymous (ool-45727e98.dyn.optonline.net): lll oskar: 10th Nov 2005 - 22:22 GMT i was raised in brooklyn Bushwick my whole life recently moved out. But it has changed a Lot . when i was a teen there was alot of people robbin, sticking people up from out of town or not from around the way. we can just tell when u aint from around here. bloods and crips and latin kings acting wild , cops acting up.Husla's on every usingle block, and i mean every single block. But i think it has calmed down alot since those days. if u aint used to the hood dont move to the hood from the good... Josh: 28th Nov 2005 - 20:23 GMT I live in Bushwick right now and its not that bad. The further away you live from Bushwick Ave., the safer it is. But there's not that much to worry about. The worst that's happened to me is when some guy tried to mug me around 2am while I was buying a cheeseburger lol. Just be smart, dont walk around alone aimlessly late at night and you should be fine. alex : 28th Nov 2005 - 22:25 GMT i jus moved to ridgewood from cooper projects in williamsburg and i live 4 blocks away from decatur and irving i see niggaz gettin down ova there its hood there fasho bwicked: 11th Dec 2005 - 04:46 GMT I GREW UP IN BUSHWICK AND I LIVED THERE MY WHOLE LIFE, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE WHAT GOES ON IN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, DON'T LIVE HERE. PS. STAY AWAY FROM LINDEN ST AND CENTRAL AVE, MENAHAN ST AND BUSHWICK AVE, BLEECKER ST AND CENTRAL, CORNELIA ST AND EVERGREEN AVE, TROUTMAN ST AND KNICKERBOCKER AVE, AND IT GOES AND GOES AND GOES ON, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?, GETTING MONEY THE EASY WAY IS THE BEST WAY AND THE ONLY WAY YOU LEARN HOW TO MAKE IT OUT HERE IS EITHER GETTING IT THE DRUG WAY OR JUST TAKING IT FROM THE NEXT MAN, LIFE'S A BIH AND THEN YOU DIE girliefromlongisland: 13th Dec 2005 - 20:00 GMT i get the goods in bushwick, and popeyes in broadway junction :) Gravedigger?: 15th Dec 2005 - 01:27 GMT My fondest memory of Bushwick goes back to 1972. My dad and I went to Most Holy Trinity Cemetery on Central Ave to see my grandprents grave. A coupel of guys tried robbing us inside the cemetery and wanted to throw us into an open grave. Through the grace of God, we escaped harms way and I was never ever to return until 1997. I came back this time fully armed but things did change and now St Johns Cemetery now operates this small cemetery that has many German, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian immigrants buried in it. This place is famous for its tin "grave stones" I happen to work now for the City of NY and spend much time in this area and do see changes happening for the better. yadontknowboutstreets: 21st Dec 2005 - 04:16 GMT First i have to say that Bushwick is not something to be scared of. There are way more dangerous streets than this neighborhood that has a whole bunch of little boys that think they are tough and can easily be intimidated. The females are not even to speak about right now cause they are never a problem. They feel its cool to be pregnant at 16 and not even get checked for STDs. That is why it is claimed that there is such a large population of people with Aids out here. The spanish boys out here cant speak english or spanish right. I dont agree with the one that said that the only way to make money out here is by selling drugs when people who do that in this hood aint even making money like that. All they can afford is a new pair of Jordans. They are better off taking the drug than making it. There is nothing in these blocks (linden, knickerbocker, troutman and menahan)to stay away from except from a whole bunch of wanabees. Ask how I know? I live out here and ya can take my word for it! Loc: 28th Dec 2005 - 04:15 GMT aint ridgewood and bushwick kinda the same thing right now? i mean its right next door to each other. vanessavargas@yahoo.com: 3rd Jan 2006 - 02:50 GMT i have lived on menahan street off of myrtle ave for a little over a year now. Let me tell you now that bushwick is the next williamsburg...and if your thinking of moving here, you'd better do it while its still affordable. there is a 1-1/2 bedroom across the hall from me, newly renovated, going for $1250!!! you have to be careful anywhere you go! I know more ppl get robbed on the upper east side than they do in the "ghetto." i also think that word is being thrown around a little too loosely! yes bushwick is mostly low income hispanic immigrants, but they are good hardworking people. I have NEVER had any problems. Yes theres some trash in the neighborhood, but they are the minority. if i go to a club, i walk home alone at 4am with no problem. the 83rd precint is around the corner. all of the non minorities (whites) are moving in rather quickly, and they fit right in! they love it! i was looking at a rental website for new apts on myrtle, and one of their selling points is that white people are starting to move into the neighborhood! i had to laugh at that. Flipsider: 5th Jan 2006 - 19:10 GMT well i guess the whites are now considered minorities in Bushwick ! I jus recently moved from Da Wick 2 upstate new york, bushwick is not really that bad of a place compared 2 brownsville or flatbush or bedstuy. It was easy growing up there, it has its hot spots but so what ! What place in this world doesnt ?! Anna : 12th Jan 2006 - 01:51 GMT Question: My husband and I purchased a house out in Bushwick for investment purposes, do you think we will have a problem geeting tenants? I have screen the area it appers safe. TMA1955: 12th Jan 2006 - 22:18 GMT ANNA, PROPERTY IN THE OLDER NEIGHBORS IN BROOKLYN ARE COMING BACK AND THERE IS MONEY TO BE MADE. I GREW UP ON TROUTMAN AND KNICKERBOCKER, WHEN PEOPLE STILL HAD NEIGHBORHOODS, WE CAME FROM THIRD GENERATION TROUTMAN AND KNICKERBOCKER. WE OWNED THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE SHOPS AND BUSINESSES,THOSE DAYS WENT OUT IN THE LATE SIXTIES AND THEY SAY IT TAKES ANOTHER GENERSTION FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD TO COME BACK, WELL, IT'S BACK ! AND I CONSIDER YOU FORTUNATE AND WISE TO BE IN ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR OF THE INVEST MARKET. I WISH WE HAD NEVER SOLD THAT HOUSE ON TROUTMAN ST. IN 1969, MY FAMILY SOLD FOR APPROXIMATE 13,000. AND THEY RAN LIKE WE STOLE FROM THE CHURCH, LAST I HEARD THAT SAME HOUSE SOLD FOR 365,000 ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO AND HAS SINCE BEEN RESOLD AGAIN. BEST WISHES, ANY TO ANY NEW COMERS, JUST USE GOOD SENSE, TREAT NEIGHBORS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TRATED AND DON'T TAKE EXCESS CHANCES. GOOD TRANSPORTATION, GREAT SHOPPING, CAN COME BACK STRONG AND I'D LOVE TO VISIT THERE AGAIN, AND AGAIN , AGAIN!!!! ANONOMOUS: 12th Jan 2006 - 22:23 GMT DOES ANY ONE KNOW OR REMEMBER A BLOND, FAIR HAIRED GUY NAMED STEVEN STRUCKER FROM THAMES STREET? HE'D BE ABOUT 50 NOW. CURRENTLY LIVING FURTHER UP IN RIDGEWOOD. I NEED HELP FINDING HIM, WE GOT UNSETTLED BUSINESS. THANKS vanessavargas77@yahoo.com: 14th Jan 2006 - 21:39 GMT The so called "bad neighborhoods," such as bushwick & bedstuy are very up and coming! go to craigslist and look for a 2 bedroom apt in either of those neighborhoods. you will be hard pressed to find anything below 1200. if you buy a rental property in bushwick or bedstuy, you should have no problem renting it out. becca: 15th Jan 2006 - 04:30 GMT My boyfriend and I live in williamsburg now. We wanted to buy in wb, but the price was sky high...so we bought in Bushwick. Our place is huge, we paid half of what we would have paid in WB. There is a cute little restaurant called Northeast Kingdom on Troutman and Wyckoff that just opened up and we couldn't believe how packed it was with 25-35yr old professionals. BTW..their food is great. I have a feeling that "L" train will just keep moving people on out there and the neighborhood will see a little boom. At least that is my hope :) BTW...we walked around Troutman and Wykoff late at night and it just seems quiet to me. Knickbocker did seem sketchy yeah...but hey so aren't a lot of neighborhoods in nyc. You just need to be aware. sexy sandy: 19th Jan 2006 - 16:52 GMT I live in bushwick all my life.at first i live at palmetto st.but we had to move because the housing sucked and the apartment was small. then i moved to menahen st. That when my life ended! my mother was stay getting in trouble with the cops.and last summer two people got shot on my block. and housing still suck! Vidal B UK Manchester: 20th Jan 2006 - 00:14 GMT I watched a documentary on the bushwick projects/ghetto about 8 years ago and it looked and was very very ghetto. Fiends overdosing and getting clapped up and 9 year old cats blazing dro, Sick! freebo the clown: 20th Jan 2006 - 05:18 GMT i have lived in bushwick for about five years now. my boyfriend and i moved here in 2001 from williamsburg to find a bigger, cheaper space. we started out on jefferson street btw. irving and knickerbocker, which was pretty intense. nothing bad ever happened, but that street was pretty underdeveloped at the time-- lots of noise, garbage, and potentially dangerous situations. but then we found a large loft on starr street between irving and wyckoff (right around the corner from the new northeast kingdom!...whoo-hoo for that beacon of hope in this burgeoning burg!) where for the past three years we have been rennovating and developing a theatrical performance venue. our theater company has performed many shows and hosted many events at the space, in addition to renting the venue out to other theater and dance companies, musicians, etc. and it has been so exciting to actually see people come out here...to give them a reason to visit our growing neighborhood...and to be a part of that growth. though gaining an audience out here over the years has of course been a challenge, more and more people are making the trip (shuttle bus or no shuttle bus) to check out what's going on in our neck of the woods. and i guess my point is, ever since we dedicated ourselves to creating this space and being a part of the change in bushwick, i have 100% fallen in love with it. there is something very gratifying about supporting positive change in a community. so to all of you fellow bushwick-artists-creators-and-whatnot...let's keep it going! exciting things are happening! pscarcelone: 21st Jan 2006 - 16:27 GMT I lived in bushwick and attended st.brigids on Grove Street - lived on Menahan - between linden and wykoff. In FL now but went back this summer - Knickerbocker is looking a little rough but some of the streets seem to be coming back - depends block to block. VEE: 26th Jan 2006 - 18:27 GMT yeah...8 yrs ago the projects in Bushwick were crazy with 100 heads outside of every building...walking over to borinquen PJs and blastin kids...then robbing the Jamaicans in the park across the street. You can still see the graffiti murals on the gas station acros the street. I dont think it is getting better though, because with all this evil Bloods gang nonsense...the mindstate is deteriorating. foodguy1: 8th Feb 2006 - 15:59 GMT I'm planning alittle space on Bushwick ave..small italian trattoria style place? I see those lofts on Mckibben filling up with new residents..anyone have any stories on the current area...Buswick from flushing to Montrose and surrounding area? jake: 9th Feb 2006 - 19:00 GMT I moved out to bushwick with my wife a few months ago and we are really settled in. We have a beautiful place for peanuts (that we fully renovated) and there are a lot of services in the neighborhood. We need more restaurants like Northeast Kingdom (which rocks!) but you can't beat the great train access (M, L) and I like the hispanic community feel of the place. Seems definitely on it's way up. Leon: 9th Feb 2006 - 19:33 GMT I visit NY atleast once every two months. My girlfriend lives in Brooklyn (Gerritsen beach) I always stay with my sister in Sheepshead, about a block away from Nostrand ... I take the train extremely late at night with no problems. If you meet a crazy, make sure you act crazier, and scare them away ;) There's no better place to live in then Brooklyn. oscar the grouch: hey LEON where do you live? $incere : 12th Feb 2006 - 22:16 GMT i lived in bushwick ma whole life on knickerbocker covert back in da day shit was ccrazy mad pplz dyin and crack and heroine on every corner and now i live on stanhope and kncikerbocker and shit is still crazy like a month ago a man got robbed and shot to death a couple of block up on wyckoff and stanhope and shit is still crazy with gangs dont come thru if ya dont no nobody and to answer ma son question here:::: Loc: 28th Dec 2005 - 04:15 GMT aint ridgewood and bushwick kinda the same thing right now? i mean its right next door to each other. HELL MOTHAFUCKIN NAW RIDGEWOOD IS NUFIN COMEPARED TO BUSHWICK, RIDGEWOOOD IS MORE CLEANER LESS GANGS AND A BIG AMOUNT OF WHITE PEOPLE LIVE DERE WHICH MEANS IT SAFER N SHIT SO YEA RIDGEWOOD IS SAFE AND BUSHWICK IS NOT TRY WALKIN AROUND AT NIGHT BY URSELF IN BUSHWICK AND RIDGEWOOD AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE FCKING DIFERRENCE. vanessavargas77@yahoo.com: 13th Feb 2006 - 05:39 GMT been living in bushwick for over a year, and have not experienced anything bad...but then again, you wont find me hanging around outside of a bodega at 3:30 in the morning waiting for trouble to find me, which by the way can and does happen in every neighborhood...even the white ones (addressed to my friend who said ridgewood is safer because it is whiter). bushwick is changing, and if you're thinking about buying, NOW is the time to do it! Lily: 14th Feb 2006 - 18:14 GMT i agree with vanessasvargas. You could not compare the Bushwick of 20 years ago, to today. Crime has greatly decreased. Not saying it doesn't happen today, but you could not compare the crime extremity of the past to today. Bushwick is making radical changes. It has become an area of housing investments. I strongly belief, that simply thinking that Ridgewood is a safer area, simply b/c there are white people is a racist opinion. Bushwick will be a great and safe place with the hispanics it has now. Lily: 14th Feb 2006 - 18:18 GMT I am doing a researpaper on teenage Drug-abuse in Bushwick past and present, if you can help me w. any ifo please tell me. One of my questions is why do you think drugs is/was so accessible in Bushwick? Peter: 14th Feb 2006 - 18:27 GMT theyre not any more available there (or any more common there) than anywhere else in nyc... Lily: 16th Feb 2006 - 16:25 GMT so you're trying to say there are no more drug-dealers in Bushwick? Peter: 16th Feb 2006 - 16:42 GMT thats not at all what im saying. re-read what i wrote. anon (d149-67-171-142.col.wideopenwest.com): 26th Feb 2006 - 15:26 GMT In 2002 I returned to N.Y. to attend my 40th High School reunion on Long Island.(My family was one of the early ones to get away when the neighborhood changed.That was in 1956 ,and I honestly think we would have stayed but for the knife fight we saw through our front window one summer night.It was the final straw for my Dad.) I went back to Troutman Street on that trip in 2002 and was expecting the worst.Believe me, my husband thought I was nuts.It was a lovely august day and I actually got off on the right stop on the "EL'I wasn't even sure how to walk there,but I knew if I could get to Central Ave, I'd be able to find my old house.I was so thrilled to find 100 Troutman.Some people were in the "Stoop " and I told them I was born there in 1944.Pointed up to my old apartment,and I didnt realize one of them anon (38.117.238.62): 7th Mar 2006 - 18:08 GMT foodguy1 please open up an italian restaurant, but do it over on wyckoff ave. People are craving more places to eat over here. Right now all we have is Northeast Kingdom and we would love more places. Lots of new condo developments going in off of Dekalb...you'd have plenty of customers. Just check out how busy Northest Kingdom is on the weekdays. anon : 7th Mar 2006 - 18:13 GMT I'm a female and I've lived in Bushwick for a year now off of St. Nicholas and Dekalb and it isn't as scary as some of these people say. I walk my dog down wyckoff from greene to hart and no one ever bothers me. I think some of these guys are just trying to act tough. plz. Lily: 8th Mar 2006 - 17:03 GMT Thank you for the information. I agree with anon. I was born in Bushwick, I am now 17 years old. Bushwick has drastically changed and will continue. I think that the whole viewpt that b/c there's hispanics there is what makes it such a bad neigborhood. Is such a racist prespectice. Honestly, I am white but I think Hispanics are even more honrable and humble than we are. Steven Fisher: 11th Mar 2006 - 01:04 GMT Bushwick started out as a German, than Italian neighborhood. There were several big breweries in Bushwick. In 1979, mobster Carmine Galante was assassinated at Joe and Marie's Italian Restuarant at 205 Knickerbocker Avenue. A few years later most of the Italians moved out of Bushwick and the neighborhood went into severe decline. I've walked around there a few times and the neighborhood has slightly recovered. It's not for the faint of heart to walk around casually. One day I was walking around there and a kid outside of a deli pointed his finger at me, pretending he had a gun. He asked if I was with anyone. The nabe is still a bit rough, be careful and alert while walking around there. anon : 13th Mar 2006 - 17:19 GMT I was walking down Hart the other day with my dog and I man came up to me and my dog and smiled...petted my dog on the head, said "have a great day" and kept on walking. That really made my day. I almost feel like there are certain areas that are sketchier than most. If you walk down knickerbocker at night you can buy drugs....but cross over to wyckoff or st. nicholas and I find it's a totally different calm world. Dizzy: 15th Mar 2006 - 04:57 GMT I was just looking at places near bushwick avenue... around gates/palmetto. it's really close to the J train (gates avenue) - anyone have any opinions about this? Everyone keeps talking the parts of Bushwick that are closer to Billyburg! It seemed pretty cool.. HUGE victorians around there.. I dabbled in gentrification in college and part of it seems to have something to do with architecture and the appreciation of... hence fort greene (used to be all hood!) and Bedstuy with it's brownstones and such... where was I? Right, any thoughts on bushwick near those Gates, Palmetto etc? haha -- On a side note, if they turned ALL of those stores in Broadway (under the j line) into cafes, diners, thrift shops etc. THAT would be sweet!!! Paulie: 20th Mar 2006 - 21:05 GMT It's interesting to read all these various comments about Bushwick. I grew up there in the 1950s-1970s when it was still 99% Italian (I lived mostly on Hart Street near Knickerbocker). It was not at that time a place where the aspiring middle class moved to; rather, the aspiring middle class moved OUT of Bushwick, usually for good. It was a place of great shopping and food shops (salumeria), but also of "La Cosa Nostra" and it was generally a rough place to grow up. It could be unbearable during the summer because of the almost total lack of trees or gardens or much open space. I remember at least two friends who had relatives living in all or most of the same building as they did. There was very little divorce or split families until after 1970 and that gave the neighborhood a certain stability. I'm glad to hear others appreciating this part of the world but I doubt that I can or would ever want to live there again -- I have plenty of Bushwick memories already, many not pleasant. I wish I could have known it in the early 20th century, but that of course is not possible. probshwk: 24th Mar 2006 - 15:18 GMT North bushwick near flushing is going to be an up and coming area soon buy now deedee: 25th Mar 2006 - 19:02 GMT anyone out there remember macon street? I was born there many years ago and it was a great place to grow up. pete: 26th Mar 2006 - 01:39 GMT I'm thinking of moving to the area - I have 2 kids, 2 and 5 yrs. would u recommend it? or somewhere else nearby anon (mail.tweezerman.com): 29th Mar 2006 - 17:19 GMT There are still parts of Bushwick that are ghetto..that's basically the case whereever you have housing projects. Housing projects cannot be gentrified. The people complianing about those saying that a white neighborhood is safer are "racists".....sorry hood rats, but the truth is the truth. The crime rates speak for themselves. Just look at all the ebonic speakers on this thread..you want to live near them? Want to raise your kids around them? Bad idea. I feel sorry for the hard working hispanics who have to raise their kids around hood rats, who never change their behavior generation after generation. Nilsa: 3rd Apr 2006 - 04:38 GMT I am trying to locate the sons of George Ocana who lived on Java street and then moved to the Bronx. He passed away in 2005 but I am tryin to locate his sons Richie and George. If anyone knows about them please e-mail at cfl@optilink.us Their sister Rosie is trying to locate them. Ardis: 19th Apr 2006 - 02:25 GMT I am thinking of moving to Linden and Bushwick on the Gates "J" stop, I've walked around at night, seemed low key enough, anyone from around there have anything to say? What about those guys who hang out all the time on Linden between Broadway and Bushwick Avenue on the south side of the street? Also how often does the subway come? I waited quite a while and it was only 9pm on a weekday night. Zoila: 24th Apr 2006 - 03:32 GMT Lived in Bushwick all my life. Seen the worst, experienced the worst, seen the best, experienced the best. I am in college now. Quite possibly the most opposing place to Bushwick. It's mostly white, in the middle of Northern NY and the concept of "hood" and "ghetto" stems from what the catchy tunes 50 cent raps about. This is to all folks living, planning to live or renovate in Bushwick. I plead to you to keep the spirit of Bushwick in all the buildings you renovate, in all the restaurants you open and all the condos you move in to. The working class Hispanic families that you live right next to wont make their views on this wave of white folks moving in too clear. They are too busy working menial jobs and shuffling their kids to school. But I hope that you reach out to them. I hope and I pray that you not only build up the neighborhood but build up the folks already living there. If you open up a restaurant, a theatre or a hang out place extend your reach to the WHOLE community. I have seen the changes on my return home from college. The old abandoned factory on eldert and irving was finally remodeled and two beat up Volkswagen Bugs were parked outside. Two white guys were taking drags out of their cigarettes commenting on something on the war and such. It was so bizarre to see a white guy in my neighborhood that wasn't a cop, teacher, or social worker. So once again I ask that you extend your arms to the whole community not just the white folks moving in. Thanks for reading! Ladii Kay: 27th Apr 2006 - 14:54 GMT what what.....bushwick is the shit ....i lived there all my life i grew mup on knickerbocker and cornelia and there was alot of problems in general but still u get use to it..... holla bushwick brooklyn all day everyday........~BrOoKlYn BomBsHeLL~ BooBoo: 29th Apr 2006 - 01:47 GMT Bought a 3 family brownstone on greene ave between St Nick and Cypress ave about three yrs ago for 260,000. my next door neighbor sold the exact same building as mine for 580,000 last year. I've thought about selling, but I'm gonna wait until more "Urban Pioneers" flood the area. Thats why Williamsburg is so priced out. I love Bushwick though. Hazel: 10th May 2006 - 19:48 GMT Eveyone is asking if it safe to move to Bushwick, why don't ya move to Ridgewood which right next door. It a part of Queens but a few blocks from Bushwick. If your looking for somewhere safe to go your better off there. Why do you think the houses are cheap in Bushwick because it ain't such a nice place. I am a hispanic who lived in Bushwick but my parents thought it was safer to live in Ridgewood. I can tell you the better schools are in Ridgewood. I was raise and still stay in Bushwick so if you want a nice to live in your better off living in Bushwick. You gotta know how da hood works to live in it and it seems like ya don't so then don't make da move to Bushwick if you want a nice safe place to live in. Yeah Bushwick gettin better but da reality is that it not such anice place to live in Hazel: 11th May 2006 - 00:11 GMT I meant your better off living in Ridgewood especial if you have kids cuz the schols in ridgerwood are bad Is 291 and 111 are horrible. I mean if you don't mind your 11 yr old daughter or son going through metal detector in the morning and getting beaten up. That why Ridgewood is better cuz I.S. 93 has alot to offer for the kids more programs and the school is safe. I only saw 1 fight through out my 3 yrs attending the school. BOC: 11th May 2006 - 00:22 GMT Ya think it cute to move to Bushwick. Ya don't know what ya doing to our neighborhood. It is known when white people move into to the neighborhood the price value of houses go up and rent soon enough us blacks and Hispanics have to move out cuz we can't afford to live in Bushwick no more. Then they take over build all these new stuff cafes, organic food store and nothing will be left for us. Ya don't even know how it is to live in the hood. Ya talk about i been living here for a year and everything all cool well i been living here for almost twenty years and i can tell you it not. Ya must stay in ya house all day. Wycoff ain't even real Bushwick that closer to Ridgewood. Wycoff ain't even a pretty area. Go to Star, Bleeker, Menaham, Harmen, Jefferson, Knickerbocker, Central,Wilson and Bushwick ave. and see if you wanna move hear and the best time to see is in the summer when it startes getting hot that when the real streets come out. Yeah it may not be the same as 20 yrs ago but it still ain't nice. Hazel right ya better off in Ridgewood Vanessa Vargas i don't know where your stayin at but all that Bull Shit. It seems as if your a realitor..........keep sayin buy now, yor so desprite about it as if your getting paid for it friend of Bill Wilson...: 13th May 2006 - 03:40 GMT Speaking of Bushwick - how many of you have ever been to yogi Bear Sunday School.... Well it's still going strong with over 20,000 kids in attendance every week Stop by 403 Evergreen Ave. Between Grove and Linden... Joe: 14th May 2006 - 18:48 GMT I've lived on Jefferson btwn Irving and Knickerbocker for a year. It's gotten a little better just in that time. We moved here because we got priced out of our old neighborhood, Park Slope. Our old place now rents for twice what we were paying. People are raving about NE Kingdom on here-- it's a nice place, but too expensive to go to very often. It feels elitist going there b/c you look around and there's every ethnicity there except hispanic, who are the majority of the neighborhood. It would be a shame if this place really became the next Williamsburg, b/c then we'd have to move again as the prices get too high. But yeah, like BOC said, summertime is crazy here. It's a party in the street every day, with the fire hydrants open and flooding the streets, loud music... there's a little playground here and last summer there was a big pile of broken glass on the sidewalk next to it for two weeks; people barbecued outside and left raw meat on the sidewalk for weeks until it was covered in flies and finally got cleaned up when they got a ticket from the sanitation dept. Another time it was a dead cat. If you don't like spanish music, don't open your window-- it never stops. People look at you funny if you clean up after your dog, like you're doing something really weird. I haven't had any safety issues, but a girl in my building gets home in the early morning hours from work, and some guy at the Jeff. L station told her he was going to slit her throat. She got away. There's a cool cafe near the Morgan stop, and Life Cafe on Flushing Ave has great burgers. That's not really Bushwick, but it's walking distance from here. The park here is nice, but in the summer there are preachers there every weekend yelling about jesus through a PA system. Some family had removed the seats from a car and would hang out sitting in them in front of their apt all the time. People here LOVE to be outside. It started raining and they didn't even go in, they just sat in their car seats with umbrellas. Yes, this is the ghetto. ;) I never see hispanic people at the archive cafe, which is too bad... anyone can afford a buck for a cup of coffee, and there should be places where everyone feels welcome. Northeast Kingdom is not the answer. I've met some of my neighbors who have lived here for many years, and we're friendly with each other, but haven't gotten to know each other that well. I feel bad for the people that have been and will be displaced by the white (and middle class black, asian and hispanic) people who are moving in, but most of us don't have a choice. It's gotten so expensive everywhere else. If things keep going the way they are, before long NYC will be nothing but rich people and people in the projects, with no one in-between. It's almost there already, and it's a shame. BOC: 15th May 2006 - 04:37 GMT 1st of all Gina I bet you know nothing about Bushwick. Your just being a stereotypical ignorant fool to think that every minority kid (because that all that in Bushwick) that lives in Bushwick does graffiti if you even know how to spell the word right.And just because the neighborhood is poor doesn't mean the people of Bushwick don't work. Many of them probably work harder then you ever will and struggle to make ends meat.You wouldn't even want the job they do. So you can't try to make the arriving outsiders seem better because they have the privilage of having access to a better job. What kinda of stupid comment is that, We should be happy. Happy of what that you people are moving in bring the price value up so we can't pay rent and have to move out cuz ya can't leave us alone when we finally have something ya gotta take it away. Well their kids be all over the place with their skate boards runnin into people how good is that. If the people of Bushwick don't want ya their then we don't have to deal with it ya not gonna take over n throw us out. Go plant grasss somewhere else BOCKER: 15th May 2006 - 05:14 GMT You making it seem as if the people are the ones who made it completely like this higher powers and not god had something to do with the way it is. Yeah the people added it on but it wasn't everyone of bushwick who did so just a selected few. the white man was the one to put the drugs in these streets (Italian mafia) and the banks and government are responsible for the poor housing conditions. franny: 8th Jun 2006 - 04:59 GMT I grew up in bushwick on bleecker and irving during the 60's & 70's. It was the happiest time I had in my life. It was a blue collar hard working neighborhood. You could sleep on your fire escape in the summer. no one would bother you. Cops were hardly ever called you just handled it between yourselves. Picture Bronx Tale the movie just in Bushwick. But the mafia brought in the drugs through the Sicilian connections and changed the neighborbood and the good hard working people (Italian, Polish, Yugoslavin, Spanish) started to run from there. They sold alot through the Italian coffee shops on Dekalb/Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker/Starr. They sold to there own kind. Many Italian friends of mine were hooked on junk and suddenly started dying from aids. Mob rub outs on Dekalb/Irving Knickerbocker/Troutman Greene/Forest Bleecker/Irving Soon many of the Puerto Ricans moving in started getting hooked and dealing for them. Many land lords starting setting blazes to get money for buildings no one would buy because of crime. My family sold their 6 family all brick house for just $130,000. Knickerbocker & Bleecker was one of the worst fires in NYC history it burned for two days and reached the M train it had to be shut down. By 1980 the neighborhood was number one in homicides. But the neighborhood is on the up swing. Just like Park Slope & the Heights. But it will never be the same. Because the ethnicity will not be there just people like Harvy Pumperknickel. oldie from the hood: 9th Jun 2006 - 03:11 GMT I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY, YOUNG & OLD, HAVING A MUTUAL PLACE TO COME & WRITE AT THIS WEBPAGE & SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES OF THE BUSHWICK NEIGHBORHOOD. WE ALL AGREE, THAT IT DESERVES OUR ATTENTION, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD. IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT IF YOU LIVED THEIR AS A CHILD, GROWING UP, IN WHATEVER TIME IN YOUR LIFE, IT HELPED TO SHAPE YOU. IT PREPARED US FOR THE THE REAL WORLD. IT SHARPENED OUR SENSES TO REALITY. THAT IS AN EDUCATION YOU CAN'T LEARN IN SCHOOL. SOME OF US BECAME SURVIVORS, OTHERS ARE THE VICTIMS. IT'S THE LAW OF THE LAND. THE STRONG SURVIVE! WE HAVE AGGRESSORS IN EVERY WALK OF LIFE, IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU LEARN TO BE A CRIMINAL. BEING A VICTIM IS JUST A RANDOM ACT OF VOILENCE, THAT CAN EFFECT ANYONE ANYWHERE. Mushi: 13th Jun 2006 - 01:24 GMT I actually just moved to Bushwick last week. I lived in Manhattan for two years but just couldn't afford it. Plus, I needed a larger space. For 30% less than what I was paying in Manhattan, I rented a loft that was at least 4 times the size of my little place in the West Village. I am able to have my car, my cat has a larger space, and I don't feel so claustrophobic. I am a single female and feel really safe in my building. When I've walked the neighborhood at night, I haven't felt unsafe -- I've just practice caution like I always do wherever I am. I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, and everything I see on Knickerboker Avenue and Wyckoff Street is nothing I didn't see when living in East Hollywood and Silver Lake. Granted, NOTHING is as convenient as when I lived in the West Village; in fact, living off the the Jefferson "L" stop is about as unconvenient as possible. But I have space. True, the neighborhood can be noisy -- this weekend with the Puerto Rican day was almost unbearable. I am hoping to get used to it. The neighborhood can go nowhere but up. I would love to see more bars and restaurants. So what if it becomes the "next Williamsburg?" I would rather see a neighborhood come back to life with restaurants, bars, shops, and an influx of money than see it completely written off as a lot of people have been doing to Bushwick for years. hello: 14th Jun 2006 - 16:09 GMT i'm thinking of moving to brooklyn--the bush. i've been in the boogie down for about 7 years. just wanted to let everyone know---HELLO PEOPLEZZZ ALL OF NEW YORK IS CHANGING. FOR GOODNESS SAKES--I'M LEAVING THE BRONX TO MOVE TO BROOKLYN!! "THEY"(and we all know who THEY is...) built a freak'n dog-run looking park in my neighborhood. people don't walk dogs on leashes in the boogie down--and they don't us freak'n dog runs. HELLO! this is just my opinion: this city is no longer looking to house poor folks--black, latino, asian, white, whatever... let's remember folks--ya'll voted this mayor and this president into office. neither one of them cares about affordable housing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i remember when harlem was having this discussion. wow! but on a lighter note i love reading the threads. peace affordablehousingnow: 23rd Jun 2006 - 22:05 GMT I agree with the last post. Affordable housing, not inflationary prices for bushwick. Let's not push all of the people out of Bushwick like they were pushed out of wburg, etc. vanessa vargas to BOC: 27th Jun 2006 - 02:25 GMT ummm...you must have been high when you wrote that response talking about me being a realtor! i am far from a realtor...and i happen to live on menahan...probably not too far from you. as far as nothing being left for "us" - what are you doing to ensure that no matter what changes happen in the neighborhood that there will always be a place for you? i know all about the hood...but what happens is, ppl that are used to living in the "hood" dont realize that there is another side to life... a healthier one...that filthy streets, rats, and graffitied walls are not, and shouldnt be the norm. is that the way you want your kids to live? think more of yourself and your family to want more. do you know of a bookstore in bushwick? NO...there arent any. why? because entrepreneurs dont think ppl in bushwick read. there arent any healthy places to eat...why? because they dont think we know any better, or care enough about ourselves. as far as they can see, all we want are new sneakers and rice and beans. I am not trying to be funny, but your post was full of misspellings and incorrect grammar, which is just what “they” would expect from someone from the hood. So...instead of complaining, why dont work on yourself so that you dont sound like just another ignorant fool from the “hood.” again, no disrespect, just expressing my opinion on a topic that often troubles me. Changes...: 28th Jun 2006 - 17:19 GMT I heard that north east kingdom is opening a coffee shop on wyckoff, anyone know of any other changes? Mushi: 28th Jun 2006 - 23:27 GMT OOOHHH!!! That would ROCK! I know they are doing something, but I just didn't know what! I would love a coffee shop here! See? It can only get better! Changes...: 30th Jun 2006 - 18:49 GMT Mushi, lunch spot confirmed, i saw the owner and they want to be open by August... movingtoBrooklyn: 2nd Jul 2006 - 16:32 GMT Please give comments soon!: Whiteboy wanting to move to Madison Street near Bushwick Ave. Moving from southern Brooklyn- not a weathly white boy, but originally from Texas-so you can't get much whiter! I need yes/no's if he should move into this neighborhood. Thanks!!! Mushi: 3rd Jul 2006 - 20:56 GMT Changes, thank you so much for the update! That is great!!!! I am glad to see North East Kingdom is doing well. And this neighborhood needs some other types of eating places...and a breakfast/lunch place would be wonderful. The 'hood can only get better... KQ: 8th Jul 2006 - 06:32 GMT I was born n raised in bushwick, knickerbocker, and it was tha shyt!! i had lots of fun growing up there i even attended bushwick hs and it wasnt bad at all, well atleast not to me but then again i am boricua, the stores of knickerbocker are the best in bk, wish i could go back but i live in vegas now which is a lot diffrent then brooklyn. Proud Bushwacker: 9th Jul 2006 - 00:38 GMT I grew up on Wyckoff and Cornelia (BK) on the border of Bushwick and Ridgewood. To tell you the truth, my mom put me in schools in Ridgewood, the schools have always been better in Ridgewood. I’m 34 now, I went to PS 68, IS 77, JHS 93, and Grover Cleveland HS. I remember having a great childhood – as compared to my cousins that lived on Jefferson St. btw Evergreen and Central. As a kid, I always wanted to go to visit my cousins because it was wilder over there, lol. The neighborhood has changed a lot, I remember hanging out as a teenager on Stanhope and Irving – all the boys selling drugs. I don’t think Troutman and Knickerbocker is as bad as it used to be – late 80’s early 90’s. It’s all about family. I lucky/fortunate that my parents weren’t drug addicts. Now I live in Ridgewood, 5 blocks from where I grew up. When I visit my mom, I see all these blancitos walking up and down, it’s crazy. I eventually want to get away from the area and buy a house, not that I’m leaving Bushwick, you just have to grow up sometimes. I wouldn’t mind staying, it’s just that you can’t get a decent house on a decent block for even $500K. I don’t think Bushwick is all that bad, if you put your mind to it, anyone can get out of the ghetto. I just received my Master’s from NYU and nobody held me back, not even being from a community that does get a bad rap. Diana: 21st Jul 2006 - 23:47 GMT I was born in Brooklyn , I went to PS 123 lived between Irving ans starr street in the 1970's . It really makes me sad to hear so many bad things of the neighborhood I have so many beautiful memories of. I live in Boston now I left Brooklyn 28 years ago. Ther isn't one day I don't think of Brooklyn I would love to go back and bring my children and show them were I was born and raised. Any advise from someone still there in my Beautiful Neighborhood . No matter what I will always love my BUSHWICK. andrea: 23rd Jul 2006 - 10:15 GMT I was born in bushwick, I grew up on putnum and evergreen, yea.. I remember my wild days there, wow,bk all the way. my older brother was in and out of jail for dealing drugs and robbery, I remember when I was 8 years old when my mother took me to rykers island to see my brother, he was always tellin me to stay out of trouble and do good in school, but I was a lil hard head when I was in public school, P.S 45, i always would get into fights and curse at the teachers, I was only in the 2 nd or 3 rd grade at the time, i guess growin up with out a father with my older brother in and out of jail made me biuld up anger, by the time I was in H.S. i ended up following my brothers foot steps , I was just gettin into alot of trouble in my freshmen year. I was selling weed in the class room wile the teacher was in there, but for some reason I just stopped, after my friend got shot and almost lost his life, so I straightend up and started gettin good grades right after my mother talked about moving out of bklyn, my brother was still serving time, right after i graduated in 95, we just moved from putnum a month after, now I live in las veges for about 11 years now, im still young, 28, and my moms is a proud grandmother of my two beautiful daughters and a proud mother in law of my wife of 7 years, I always wanted to visit new york I got cousins that told me that ny has changed for the better, I will always have brooklyn in my heart MIGUEL: 5th Aug 2006 - 16:25 GMT JUST WONDERING-- DO YOY THINK THIS IS A GAY FRIENDLY AREA-- I AM A HISPANIC GUY WHO WOULD LIKE TO CHILL WITH OTHER GUYS IN MY HOOD? I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO JEFFERSON STOP ON THE L TRAIN-- IS THIS A GOOD IDEA? IS THIS AREA AS GAY AS WILLIAMSBURG? anon : I Would say that it isn't anything like the burg cartoon:** damn alot of comments on brooklyn..... boc----------------to vanessa vargas: 19th Aug 2006 - 04:38 GMT Wow you really think you know what your talking about. Well what am i'm doing for my self you ask, i'm actually in my senior year of college getting a degree to do something with my life so the question is turned to you. I also do know how outside the hood looks because i attend college in the University of Albany. There environment is definitly different from Bushwick. By the way that wasn't mispelling it was called slang and you don't have to be from Bushwick to know that. Even though im in college I don't forget where im from, when it comes to my college work it when i separate the two. So yeah i don't need to work on myself because that process has been done and by the way your the ignorant person who hasn't realize what it going to happen to the the neighborhood and the people who originally live here. But i guess you'll see it when it too late. To each is their own. Oh yeah just to let you know their is a book store on myrtle between greene and bleeker you just probably never notice it because something like that wouldn't intrest you oh and don't forget the library on bushwick also has book and their a subways on wycoff or maybe that not healthy enough for you. DON'T IT THE WRONG WAY I WAS JUST EXPRESSING MY OPINION AND SPREADING MY KNOWLEDGE TO THOSE WHO NEED TO GAIN IT. vanessa vargas to boc: 20th Aug 2006 - 21:04 GMT glad to see you're doing something with yourself. i know all about slang, but there is a difference between slang and incorrect grammar and mispellings (i.e. intrest, definitly, their vs. there, etc.). that is beside the point though. you initially attacked me as not knowing anything and immediately assumed i was out to make money by telling ppl they should buy now if they are interested in bushwick. there are huge social problems in bushwick that stem much deeper than the neighborhood. the ppl in the community have to start caring about themselves and start taking control of their lives they way you have. i applaud you! forgot about the subways and the one bookstore, they are minor. the majority of the neighborhood is occupied by 99cent stores, unhealthy fast food places, and liquor stores because they make money here...why...cause we poison ourselves with that shit. anyway darling, i have respect for you and your opinion; when ppl dont have opinions or the balls to express them, shit doenst change. peace. vanessa vargas to boc: 20th Aug 2006 - 21:11 GMT corrections to my previous post before boc attacks me lol the ppl in the community have to start caring about themselves and start taking control of their lives the* way you have. i applaud you! forget* about the subway and the one bookstore, they are minor. Susannah : 21st Aug 2006 - 06:43 GMT Diana PS123 is in Park Slope - thats where I went. How could you have lived in Bushwick and gone there- Do you know Polhemus Place? anon (198.138.134.32): 21st Aug 2006 - 11:36 GMT I'm about to move Decatur Street. What's Bushwick like around the area bordering Ridgewood? anon (user-0ccen13.cable.mindspring.com): 22nd Aug 2006 - 00:30 GMT I am a reporter and I will be covering Bushwick. Any residents care to share their thoughts on the neighborhood? Please email me at snf2103@columbia.edu. Any thing you can tell me would be helpful. Thanks! I look forward to getting to know the neighborhood! Susannah : 26th Aug 2006 - 23:02 GMT Sorry Diana - PS321 was where I went ....didn't do me much good, obviously. "harpo" middle village: 27th Aug 2006 - 20:06 GMT Bushwick is full of illegals and disease . George Bush has allowed the destruction of Knickbocker Avenue with these third world entities . Apartments that once were over run with mice are now over run with illegals . I demand that all the illegals be rounded up . Circos on Hart Street is still awesome . "harpo" middle village: 27th Aug 2006 - 20:16 GMT My old church and school St. Brigids looks like some Guatemalan refuge camp . All the freaken phony whites from the 70 and 80' s moved out and ruined the neighborhood - they were mostly Germans and Italians who really didn't love where they lived since if they did they would not have run away ! I still attend mass a few times a year at St Brigids - the Mexian people are friendly and shake your hand during the handshake of peace part of the mass I have been mistaken for an Immigration office or a coyote by some of the parishoners during mass - I still see a few old-time elderly white people attending church but places like Miss Stewarts is long-gone ! "harpo" middle village: 27th Aug 2006 - 20:20 GMT The Italian landlords really ruined Bushwick and Ridgewood They rented to multiple families of central and latin Americans - at a ridiculous rate of rent and forced the whites out of the area As usual these greedy landlords didn't live in these buildings so why should care who was living there - they only showed up to collect their rents on the 1st of each month with all their legal size white envelopes as they ventured from one 6-family house to the next Bushwick and Ridgewood nostaglia is laying in a coffin at the Seneca Chapels on Greene and Seneca ... RIP my old neighborhood - RIP The greedy Italians killed you off Tony: 3rd Sep 2006 - 16:07 GMT I WAS born in a house on Bushwick Avenue and Halsey Street. My father and mother were both immigrants from Italy, They left italy for the new world to improve their lives and to insure a better future for their children. All of us were born and breed here. All of us have grown up to become good law abiding citizens. Proud to be part of the American communities. At the time we grew up in Bushwick , it was predominately a German , area, Protestant Churches were many. as well as Catholic. We all according to our faith attended services on sunday. They were innocent times, MAFIA , i never experienced or really heard of them until later in life. Children played on the streets, games were our pass time, happy days we shared. Sure there were differences. Violence , drugs, killings, rubberies we escaped all that. Life meant something we honored. Yes there were difference ,yes people had prejudeces, but we found out that as we lived more and more together we become more understanding of our diffences and began to appreciate each other, My friends were mainly non italians as the neighborhood was not Italian. I was not blond or blue eyes, i was not eating roast beef and potatoes, i was totally italian. We grew up in a gentle home, mother and father gave us love and protected us with guidence and gave us appreciation for learning and aiming high as we could. My father came from Italy when he was nine years old , never attanded school, worked from the time he came to USA until he retired, no vacations , hard working and from the age of nine years old till he died at 72 he had worked hard to support his family. My mother cooked ,attended to house work and her children, almost never left the house. Our joy was being a loving family, enjoying each others talents and celebrating being American and Italian. There was always music, laughter and teasing . Always family games and good times, food was important and we had it , poor but somehow we survived depression and hard times. Intergrating both with OUR PRIDE IN BEING AMERICAN. Mother and Father have died, but we are still all five us grateful to our parents who gave us the opportunity to grow up in a nation that gives us freedom and the possibility to become what our God given talents allow us to achieve through our own determinations and desire to reach a goal. Bushwick in days of long ago, Kem: 7th Sep 2006 - 19:31 GMT I attended P.S. 299, I.S. 383 and Bushwick High School so yeah! I'm born and raised there. I haven't been back for some time. Most of my memories I hold dear beacause they do make me smile, I try to keep in touch with my girls from the area. I lived 95 Cornelia St. btw Bushwick and Evergreen and the last time I walked through there was 1985 and I cried. The house my parents raised me in had no stoop! so I guess they went in through the basement. My parents owned the house so it was normal for us to use the basement because we stayed on the first floor and our kitchen and den was the basement, but how did the people on the second and third floor make do???? I was astonished when I saw this and had to respond. I do visit my sister Pinky in Laurelton on a yearly basis. Maybe the next trip I will walk through my old hood and hopefully cry some tears of joy for a rebirth. Although i've been all over the world and now enjoy tropic like weather in the South Carolina (Charleston), Brooklyn BUSHWICK in specific stays on my mind. aer: 14th Sep 2006 - 19:11 GMT Lived on Starr St from 1980-1992 (5-17 yrs old). I went to P.S. 123 and I.S. 383. It was pretty dreadful. Men in the warehouses whistled at me as I walked to school and I was like 7 yrs old. Men cruising east of Flushing Ave. tried to pick me up like I was a hooker when I was 12. After sundown, the one block walk home from the Jefferson Ave. L station was scary (not as scary as the Halsey Ave. stop in broad daylight, though). I was thrilled when we moved to Brighton Beach. I could walk around at night, get stuff at the bodegas and sit on the boardwalk. Obviously, it's a lot different now. The Voice recommends bars on Grand Ave. for chrissakes. Jim QV: 24th Sep 2006 - 01:10 GMT Tony, I read your posting and wanted to respond to it. I was born in Queens, but my Moms whole family is from Bushwick. Her grandfather (my great grand dad) was the original owner of 87 Eldert St (between Bushwick and Evergreen) purchased in 1890. I have the original deed. My Mom and all her siblings were born in that house. I remember visiting as a child and it was like going back in time. The big stoop, coal shoot and stove, the beveled glass on the twin front doors, the carved banister post, parquet floors, the long dark hall with the corrugated tin covering the walls and ceiling, the parlor in the front of the house etc. We used to run wild, the elderly aunts didn't mind, they were saints. Over the first half of the twentieth century they'd taken in and cared for many sick relatives in that house. Moms family owned 87 Eldert until her two aunts had to move in 1964. They were getting mugged right and left. They loved that neighborhood and especially Our Lady of Lourdes Church. They continued to travel back to attend mass at Lourdes even after they had moved to Jamacia, Queens. In early 1980 I was assigned to the 83 PCT on Wilson and Dekalb Aves. The whole neighborhood had literally blocks and blocks that were entirely vacant where the housing had burned down. Eventually, lousy quality apartments were built in place of that terrific housing stock that was once old Bushwick. I was sad to discover that 87 Eldert was a burned out shell by 1980. Eventually it was razed and cheap low income housing was built in it's place. At a Thanksgiving dinner one of the aunts asked me how their old house looked? I told her, not as nice as when they owned it. During my time in the 83, I was disturbed by the deterioration of that neighborhood. Recently I drove through and Bushwick isn't any better. Many posters on this message board have a cavalier attitude regarding the mess Bushwick has become, like it's a big joke. The people who've moved into Bushwick over the decades don't realize what a gem they had inherited...and destroyed. Ellie: 26th Sep 2006 - 15:58 GMT Hello Everyone, I was born and raised in Brooklyn. I lived right off of Bushwick and Grand Street. I attented 196, IS 49 and Eastern District High. I moved to Florida in 1990, but my heart still belongs to New York. I was wondering if anyone knows a guy by the name of Israel Rivera jr. He goes by Izzy. He should be 36 or 37 years old by now. I lost contact with him and his family about 12 years ago and I would really like to hear from them. They lived in Menahan Street, between Bushwick and Myrtle Ave. If anyone knows him or his Fam, please respond to my comment. Thanks! Kiana: 7th Oct 2006 - 20:25 GMT Im a senior in high school.. in houston, texas. After graduation I plan to move to NY for school. Ive been to brooklyn and yonkers a few times - but that has not impact as of actually living there. Im already looking for studio/apartments and of course, being a broke-college student, Id be looking for a cheap place.. which comes down to bushwick. what I wanna know is - IS IT THAT DANGEROUS? I mean.. Ive lived around blacks and hispanics all my life and am aware of the stuff that goes down in a lower-class neighborhood.. p69: 9th Oct 2006 - 20:02 GMT if you're into the neighborhood, you'll be ok, bushwick is great, but i'd think that not having lived in nyc and landing in bushwick could be a big shock. as for crime, it happens everywhere. look at the stats, crime is high in bushwick compared to other neighborhoods. pariah: 16th Oct 2006 - 18:54 GMT Sometimes I wonder if the people defending Bushwick actually LIVE here. Gang violence (Bloods) is up, especially around Bushwick Houses (housing project). Streets are still covered in garbage. Car alarms because of break-ins still blaring nightly. The two local supermarkets REEK of rotting vegetables and you're lucky to find a loaf of bread that past it's sell-by date. The few white chicks I've seen walking around get openly harrassed ('snowflake', and the usual 'C'mere!') and look like scared kittens. I can look out of my window at night and count the rats dashing across the street. While a few of you may love the neighborhood as is, the rest of us will be celebrating when we finally see a Starbucks take the plunge! New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 01:27 GMT I currently live in Manhattan - I bought a condo in Bushwick, Wyckoff Avenue. hope to see many development in the area! Hopefully the value of my condo goes up!! aha New Face in Bushwick: I want Starbucks in BUSHWICK. New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 01:33 GMT By the way, my condo is near L-train station in Bushwick. I do not find the area any dangerous at ALL. Meeting a lot of amigos. Many people cannot afford to keep a place in Manhattan. Along L-train line, all the houses are going to be very expensive - I already see the changes. New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 01:46 GMT Need more than Starbucks. Northeast cafe is the only one that I can relax and enjoy the meal at. Italian, Japanese restaurants would be wonderful.. Investors and developers out there - business will be booming at Wyckoff and DeKalb avenue - I visualize it and new comers in the area see that as well. New Face in Bushwick: 18th Oct 2006 - 02:41 GMT To Pariah. Which part of Bushwick are you talking about? Bushwick is a pretty large area though. My saying Bushwick, I do not hear any unwelcome noises. C-town suparmarket is a pretty clean, and quality is not bad at all. I can walk around in late night, of course with caution just like I always do even in Manhattan. Mushi: 22nd Oct 2006 - 19:50 GMT I live in Bushwick -- I've posted a couple times before -- and as I have said before, it can only get better. A Starbucks would be great, but the coffee house Wykoff Starr is a welcome addition. roberto medina: 25th Oct 2006 - 02:28 GMT i use to live in Hart st between knickerbocker and wilson i miss tonys pizza my aunt supermarket in dekalb ave i joined the army stationed in ft hood been in the army 12 yrs i live in texas now cause im stationed here on my 2nd tour in iraq makes me think over here how much you miss the hood where you from grew up live ruff in baghdad like ny life of a hustler here reminds me alittle ya keep it real over there ya got peeps from bushwick representing ya in the battlefield. Alethea perkins: 26th Oct 2006 - 13:02 GMT I am 17 years old now I live in brooklyn bushwick i live on cornelia between wison and nickerbocker. to me iam used to bushwick because thats were iam from . there is nothing wrong with bushwick area i would not want to move to any other place but stay in bushwick. New Face in Bushwick: 26th Oct 2006 - 16:13 GMT Here is very interesting info. for those of you want to invest in property in Bushwick close to L-Train station. ave.price per sq.ft in 2004 $385 2005 $480 2005 $565 Lin Lynch: 27th Oct 2006 - 16:52 GMT I am looking to move into an apt on Stockholm street, 3 blocks away from Wycoff Hospital. it's a private house, with an apt on the top floor. I have heard mixed reviews of that area of bushwick...it's right on the border of ridgewood...i would love to hear any comments anyone may have. grace: 30th Oct 2006 - 02:48 GMT I was born and raised in bushwick....lived on melrose st. until I got married in 1959...still keep in touch with very old and dear friends from that street..moved to canarsie and then to Long sland...have visited on occasion and was truly sad for the way the block looked...sincerly hope the area makes a comeback..went to ps 145, and then bushwick hs...any schoolmates out there? I was born in 1939....probably started PS145 in 1944 graduated in 1952 and then went to bushwick hs. graduated in 1955.... Rey: 6th Nov 2006 - 08:18 GMT How come nobody talks about West Bushwick. The area that is more residential than along the L-train. You know Bushwick Ave. and Broadway along the J-M-Z trains. That area is changing too with new 24 hrs laudromats and a couple of new joints like Goodbye Blue Monday. I bet that in the next few years that Broadway will be the next hot thing. It will be the other broadway, the brooklyn broadway, the one under the tracks. And that is what will be cool about. Its a shame that a broadway looks the way it does. Maybe more lights under the tracks will help to make people feel more safe. Lucy: Rey, I do not see any whites there... Mushi: 13th Nov 2006 - 01:13 GMT I am white, and I live in Bushwick. And you all must check out the taqueria on Starr just north of Wykoff -- the tacos there are incredible! Lucy: 14th Nov 2006 - 15:12 GMT I was told that around DeKalb and Jefferson Stations - L train area called East Williamsburg, not Bushwick. Anybody knows about it? Lucy: 14th Nov 2006 - 15:14 GMT Any new shops and Restaurants in the area? I also heard that the 2 bedroom Condo at Hart Street (just passed Knickerbocker) was sold for 435,000???? Wow. joseph: 15th Nov 2006 - 23:52 GMT i was born in the 60s in b'wick and i still live in the area.i seen it all from the imergence of graffiti to the constant fightings from all the gangs that imerged in the late 70s mid 80s(wich i must sadly say i was "down" with),to all the robbings and asault that went on for about another 10 yrs after.but i got to say brooklyn has diffinately changed for the better everything seems so much cleaner and safer.im a dad of 3 wonderful kids now and i got to tell you i trust my neighborhood alot more than most places in nyc.my neighborhood is a prime location ,with the L train in one corner and a school in the other,a park across the street from the school,and 2 grocery stores.i got a feeling that the property value in this area in particular is gonna shoot even further up the roof. new face in bushwick: 21st Nov 2006 - 21:14 GMT Anyone know/go to any yoga classes in L-train stations (Jefferson, DeKalb )? Does not matter small or large classes... CARAMELO: 1st Dec 2006 - 03:25 GMT I was born, raised and live in Bushwick (near Flushing Avenue. I believe that the neighborhood is definitely getting better. Sure, you have your incidents here and there, but we live in NYC and anything can happen anywhere and anytime in this City..Just be alert and aware of your surroundings...Bushwick is great! Anyone who has moved here recently, I WELCOME you! Yo Miss: 10th Dec 2006 - 20:42 GMT i've been teaching at one of the neighborhood middle schools in bushwick for 5 years now, and even in just that short amount of time i have seen a TREMENDOUS amount of positive change in the neighborhood. year by year, the students seem smarter and less interested in that thug/gangsta attitude...the students we get now are more interested in making something of their lives than being tough. i walk around bushwick by myself all the time...even after dark...and have never felt threatened. oh yeah, and i'm white. Alfred in ATL: 14th Dec 2006 - 19:47 GMT I was born and raised in Bushwick in the building directly to the left of the building in the picture above. I lived in 336 Melrose st. which my dad owned from 1976-1996. The building in the picture used to be a shirt factory and had a huge rottweiler, that would bark at me when I played outside, in the parking space between the two buildings. While I lived there I witnessed shootings, stabings, gang fights and a lot of drug addicts over dosing on this very block. Our basement was broken into and robbed once. Those days seem to be a thing from the past. I've been back 3 times in the last year and have seen the changes made in that area although I saw a lot of the same exact people on the block that I last I haven't seen in 11yrs. It felt good to show my wife where I grew up and have all the memories and flashbacks. Missing You: 15th Dec 2006 - 19:02 GMT Born and raised in Bushwick. Remembering St.JO's and Tony's candy store corner of Suydam and Knickerbocker, such a wonderful innocent time, went back recently and it looks like a war zone, I pray it changes. It really shaped a lot of lives in the right way, hope it can make a turn around. Happy memories. rammerel1: 17th Dec 2006 - 23:37 GMT I was also born and raised in the Bushwick area. I went St. Joseph's on Suydam St. My dad went there and had Sr. Clarissa and well as me and my two brothers. We lived on Evergreen Ave between Willoughby and Troutman. It was a great place to grow up. Do you remember going to Myrtle Ave under the El in the summer? They would turn on the sprinklers and we'd all bring our towels and "lay out" on the concrete. Does anyone remember the name of the pizzeria on the corner of Central Ave & Willoughby back in the 60's? It was a restaurant-type place and they sold small individual pizzas for .50 I would love to chat with anyone from that area or Wilson and Madison, Woodbine area. ellen Mushi: 20th Dec 2006 - 12:56 GMT Still living at Troutman and Wykoff, still having a good time! The new coffee house -- Wykoff Starr -- opened -- thank goodness! upfromflames: 7th Jan 2007 - 04:49 GMT Ready for a piece of the past: 1946 brooklyn daily eagle booklet for bushwick 300 anniversary upfromflames: 8th Jan 2007 - 23:48 GMT I am historian working on a history of 1977-2007, to show how Bushwick has come. If anyone has some pictures of the past in Bushwick, I'd love to get a chance to see or use them for our show at the Brooklyn Historical Society. anon (localhost): 12th Jan 2007 - 03:50 GMT There are two Bushwicks, first is one where you can still buy heroin and crack everywhere from Jefferson to Himrod... Heroin always was and always will be Bushwick hottest commodity. Trust me I've been around this Bushwick for almost 15 years< true it gotten much better than 90's or 80's but it is still nowhere like East Village. So watch out, white people, be smart, don't walk around at night and flash cash. Other Bushwick is yuppie and hipster magnet of today is nothing like I known it for many years. Who thought that there will be CONDO(!!!!!!!!) buildings on Wycoff street? It is going to be a grest new area just like Alphabet City became hip when cops and high rents drove all the dope dealers and others from avenue A,B,C and D. The same thing eventually will happen in Bushwick, it is however will take a bit longer...the hood is bigger and heroin business is well established. There still spots all over just not as in your face as it used to be in the 90's when they used to hawk it to every white person who would get off at Jefferson street and wlak towards the park! from starr st.: 15th Jan 2007 - 05:45 GMT 1st. off upfromflames, i am going to my storage space and look for my pics and send them to you. now i was born and rasied in bushwick. PROUD of it.just as proud of it as i am proud to be PUERTO RICAN !! I REMEMBER BUSHWICK when it was a real hood. not bad i mean a hood where if you did something wrong your neighbor would whip you then you begged them not to tell your parents cause they would whip you twice, once for doing wrong the second for embarrasing them and getting whipped by a neighbor. i saw when the then "godfather" galente was shot cigar still in mouth. i lived on troutman st. then and saw it from my fire escape. if one person saw a piece of paper on the floor the whole block came out with brooms and swept up. not only italians but the PUERTO RICANS also .the mafia and police brought the drugs into the hood. this was the plan from the begining. make a ghetto get the price down. then flip it just like drugs. but it backfired on the mob. they lost control of the business.all the mob cafes are long since gone the last one just a few years ago. BUSHWICK was the "best place to get drugs" as per the daily news.it showed a map with a star on troutman and knickerbocker. the 80's brought crack and the demise of bushwick.but as anything GREAT you can not keep it down for long.i am glad it is changing but i see it changing to much to fast.what are the real people from bushwick going to do now that the rents are skyrocketing. where do they go? to ridgewood? can not go to harlem spanish or black cause that is taken over.the ghetto was made. the schools where sub par. i weent to p.s. 123 then jhs 162 then graduated from clevland. ok i was lucky cause my mom was invloved and educated so i was one of just a few to get new books and real classes. but 90% of the students got old books if any at all. that is the real crime in bushwick. maybe the influx of the new breed will help and not just make one more hurdle for the real bushwick residents. look i got so much to say it will take 4 ever old school: 15th Jan 2007 - 06:03 GMT does anyone remember meatland on starr and knick. knicker bocker park? the toy factory? reingold beer factory? old man maxi's place on knick btwn jeff and melrose? paul the barber? jose: 16th Jan 2007 - 03:26 GMT i lived in brooklyn at 36 morgan ave,went to ps 145.i was 11yrs old when i came to brooklyn and i left in 1987,i miss the old brooklyn,chocolate egg creams,knishes,nathan;s dog at coney island.i attended eli whitney v.h.h. and married my first wife.had 3 wonderful sons who are still living in williamsburgh.please post old photos if you have some.thank you thomas: 18th Jan 2007 - 06:00 GMT i have lived in bushwick for 4 months now. i am a 19 yr old white student. when i first moved there was the initial awkwardness of being new in the neighborhood, especially such a social one like bushwick. i live on stanholpe and irving, 1 block from the dekalb stop on the L. c-town is great and just a few blocks away. the Laundry mat like 4 houses down and the lady who owns it is extremely nice and always talks to me while i'm there. i always feel relatively safe and i almost always walk alone, rarely very late but typically into midnight. as people are saying, being aware is key and having a confident demeanor when you're walking. the worst that's happened was at like, 8 in the morning on my way to the train some guy semi-robbed me using a hammer. which i actually thought was kind of original, since i was more expecting him to use a knife or something. still though, the situation could have been VERY easily avoided if I was a little more aware and stood up for myself more, but in my defense i was really fucking tired. it was also obvious he singled me out cause i was a young white guy. but oh well. my girl-friend is asian and she walks here by herself at 11 pm/midnight sometimes when i can't pick her up. she's never had any problems. its a very interesting place. on the outside to me it doesn't seem that bad, but i'm sure there is a deeper side to it that i haven't seen. on the upside, our apartment is HUGE and we only pay $1100 for it in total. leopold the dragonslayer: 18th Jan 2007 - 06:02 GMT oh and by the way does anybody know about the movie-night-thingies? on the warehouses near the morgan stop they have these mini-film festivals on the roofs with projectors. ask around. lots of art-fag types. Tiff: 21st Jan 2007 - 07:07 GMT My family just moved to Bushwick a few months ago and I still don't know about the neighborhood around this area. People seem to be very friendly, however, some were very rude not respecting people's personal boundaries. I saw many people selling drugs for living and for other reasons. However, it doesn't all mean that they are bad or irresponsible at all or that they are not thinking. Some people lost their jobs for many reasons, low salaries, job opportunities, and others are doing it because they need to support themselves or their families. Nevertheless, I don't think those were the only reasons why people had to make these choices. I didn't get to see many male volunteers or leaders that actively participated in changing the neighborhood for the better. People needed someone to listen to them with respect and kindness. They need to provide more resources (not just handing a stack of papers, but spend more time listening to individuals and really help them to meet their needs) I only saw guys in the streets...no women or children. People should enjoy their life and be able to feel comfortable and smile often without having people looking at them funny, weak, or gullible. The first few weeks, my familiy was happy to move into a bigger place. I usually greet people and when people greet me, I usually respond to them. However, I see myself changed everydayI didn't like how I had to put a hard grin on my face and act as if I'm pissed off or someone who just don't care about anyone and anything...I believe in people empowering each other for the better and grow from experiences. I guess I need to start filling my own tool box with resources to be available for me and also for my friends and families... Tiff: 21st Jan 2007 - 07:15 GMT I love reading these comments..."thank you everyone" I'm learning a lot just by reading them and it's challenging me to do well in my areas of study! Thomas H: 26th Jan 2007 - 21:08 GMT I grew up on Stanhope and Knickerbocker lived there and around there from 1951 to 1966. I remember Knickerbocker shops and Bargin Town on Broadway.I remember sleeping on the fire escape and hitten two and a half sewers. Spauldings and 5 cent pretzels and Jackie fleishmans on Knickerbocker. Damn I am old. I am sure that many of the people posting here are accurate and they mean well. I am also sure that you can be "jumped" by 5 white guys at 10 PM and intimadated by two Italians in a caddy bustin chops. Bushwick is a neighborhood and like all neighborhoods it changes with immigration and economics. Good hardworking people make a life wherever they are. Todays Spanish population will one day look back on Bushwick and wonder why it went to hell after the eskimos moved in. As for the tough and ill spoken ghetto slang posters here.......sometimes when you leave your lips moving you let all the stupid out. First woodlands than farms than German than Italian than Spanish and than .......soon to be determined JL: 30th Jan 2007 - 20:17 GMT there are some really nice photos of bushwick (both new and old) here: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bushwick&w=47478553%40N00 nymasotto: 1st Feb 2007 - 00:25 GMT Does anyone know anything about the Wilson stop on the L train? How is Decatur Street? JLW: 1st Feb 2007 - 22:26 GMT Does anyone have pictures of the old theater on Starr and Knickerbocker? wyoming: 2nd Feb 2007 - 16:56 GMT I'm in wyoming, my mother was born in brooklyn in 1926, and lived at 312 Jefferson in Bushwick until about 1935. She attended P.S. 123. My grandfather had a shoe repair shop near the corner of Starr and Knickerbocker. I would very much like to visit this area, but am concerned about the safety. Can anyone tell me anything about this neighborhood. Does anyone have any current pictures so that I can at least see what it looks like. Cay: 2nd Feb 2007 - 19:11 GMT My son just moved to Bushwick. Sharing space on Hart St. I'm nervous since he's a white man from New England. Anybody have any survival tips? anon (localhost): 2nd Feb 2007 - 20:19 GMT yeah, does anyone have info. about Decatur and the Wilson stop? I've seen new condos online on that street. They look to be about 8 blocks or so north of Bushwick Ave. anon (localhost): 2nd Feb 2007 - 20:20 GMT Also, what about Cornelia St. in that same general area? Jon: 4th Feb 2007 - 05:34 GMT I am thinking about buying an apartment building around Harman and knickerbocker. What is the area like? Is this a good part of Bushwick and if not - where is? Thanks. Cay: 5th Feb 2007 - 18:59 GMT Also, does anybody have any info about bus lines from Bushwick to Flatbush? How late do they run? upfromflames: 7th Feb 2007 - 03:46 GMT If you were raised in Bushwick, lost your house, your house burned down, whatever. Contact me! I'm working on a spatial history of the area and will do my best to track down details of whats there now. Also, if you'd like to share more of your story, turn you story into history! wyoming, I am working on your request. Starr st. send it on! Others, contact me at upfromflames@gmail.com upfromflames: 7th Feb 2007 - 23:57 GMT To Jon: Knickerbocker was street that was always bustling and full of shops, evenin bushwick's hardest times. It was, and is, undeniably and overwhelmingly commercial. I noticed that behind the gleaming wall of signs for cellphone and clothing stores, there are some old buildings that are probably pretty cheap still. Its a safe street, convenient (a block from the knickerbocker M stop), and safe, alive at all hours. But, its also very busy, loud, not quiet at all. If its for rental income, go for it. But its not a block to raise a family in your dream home. upfromflames: 7th Feb 2007 - 23:59 GMT I think that Wilson stop is going to be looking pretty nice in a few years. The streets are pretty quiet and wide, the housing stock some of the most solid in bushwick. Lots of gut reno's going on. upfromflames: 8th Feb 2007 - 00:03 GMT Those who are looking for memories of Rheingold should look up Rheingold Gardens, the innnovative public-private housing development built on the site. Its NYC's first brownfield remediation site (industrial clean up) and it even has a green roof! As I am fond if saying, Bushwick is not about the past, its about the future. Cay: 8th Feb 2007 - 15:27 GMT I love your comment "upfromflames" about Bushwick being about the future. Sounds promising and what we all need to hear more of. Bless you. yvonne: 14th Feb 2007 - 19:16 GMT Did anyone go to ST.JOSEPH on Suydam St.between 1967-1971 love to here from you.reach me at ygg101@optonline.net upfromflames: 15th Feb 2007 - 00:44 GMT I was talking to Father Peter Mahoney in an interview tonight, and he mentioned working with this school, that was then struggling amidst the demographic changes (white flight, blockbusting by greedy realtors), that helped shut down the school eventually. Musta been a difficult time to be living there... Mushi: 17th Feb 2007 - 22:34 GMT I am a white girl from Southern California living in Bushwick by myself. I feel safe. Cay -- you really don't need to worry about your son. The neighborhood is noisy, but fine. I've had no problems. Wyoming -- I think the place is fine to come explore. It's not the richest neighborhood, but there are FAR WORSE in Brooklyn. Bushwick is on the edge of Maspeth and Ridgewood, both really simple suburban areas. Congested, yes, but totally fine. I think it's amazing that you want to see where your grandparents lived. My grandfather grew up in The Bronx, and I've been in NYC for three years and still haven't seen where that was! Antoine Whitfield: 19th Feb 2007 - 18:59 GMT Yo, I was born & raised in bushwick (Wilson ave btwn. cooper & moffat st). Growing up in bushwick btwn yr. 71'& 88' I was fortunate to see the neighborhood go through transition. I was 8 yrs old back in 71' and can remember when it was safe to play games like Crack top, Stick ball, Punch ball, and Skelly in the middle of the street. I remember when before they built PS 384 on Cooper st., there stood a card board factory. From the roof us kids used to throws eggs at passerbys who got off the LL train. Back when rap first started, myself and a couple of other friends would dismantle our parents stereos and sneak them to the parks and throw jams until the police came. Back then we didn't worry about gangs and aids... we worried more about stuff like girlfriends, gabordine's and report cards. The neighborhood started changing when the whites moved out and drugs took over. I'm not happy to say that I got up in the life for a time, but the toughness I learned from growing up in bushwick allowed me resiliency to survive and bounce back from detriment. Bushwick just like any other place a America... can bounce back ! Anybody out there from the old hood (BWC) holla back pernell43@hotmail.com Big ups Wilson ave., Decatur, Ballers from 384 park your know who you are holla back Cay: 20th Feb 2007 - 16:16 GMT Mushi and Pernell, Mushi- Thank you, thank you. Its good to hear. Your a strong woman obviously and best to you. Pernell- most definitely on the right track. Keep on going the straight and narrow. I love your description of your childhood fun times. Sounds like some I had way back. Neighborhood and a sense of community build strong character, that's why your bouncing back today. Best to all, Cay susanw: 24th Feb 2007 - 16:25 GMT I grew up on Cooper St. between Wilson and Knickerbocker and the upinflames mention of Fr. Peter Mahoney blew me away - I have been in touch with a nun from Fourteen Holy Martyrs, the church and school he was talking about. My family lived there from the early 50's to early 60's and many relatives are buried in the area cemetaries. Bushwick was a warm friendly place then and I remember the influx of Cuban refugees that first moved in during that time. Most were educated and were a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I have relived those years many times with family and friends in conversations which never grow old and stale. upfromflames: 24th Feb 2007 - 22:55 GMT Cuban Refugees? I never heard that angle before! I always thought it was Puerto Ricans spilling over and displaced form Williamsburg...interesting. I guess they moved on from the area. Nowadays, by the way, Bushwick is home to the second largest concentration of Mexicans in Brooklyn (great tortilla factories!) and many eucadorians, along with smaller populations of other latin american immigrants. These new working class folks have really helped revitalize the area and make it much more of a community. The gentrifiers of today would be nowhere without the immigrant families who moved in the early 1990's. Wyoming: 27th Feb 2007 - 19:14 GMT Mushi - Thanks for your comments. I am anxious to come and explore the area, and you have made me feel a little more confindent about doing so. Hope you can someday soon see where your grandfather lived in the bronx. Upfromflames - Thank you Thank you for all you're doing! tache: 6th Mar 2007 - 15:20 GMT I looked at an apt last night right near the Jefferson L. How is this area? I'd be moving in with my boyfriend and his brother. Right now we're living in Astoria. My boyfriend has been there for 10 years so his apartment is still low on the rent scale. We won't be able to afford anything in the neighborhood that will give us the space we need now. Compared to Astoria, the neighborhood seemed quite desolate. My only concern is of course being safe. Do any of you happen to live close by the Jefferson stop? How do you feel about the neighborhood? anon (localhost): 6th Mar 2007 - 19:01 GMT I don't live there...yet...but I visit quite a lot. I would recommend it. Never heard any of my friends complain about safety, crime or any of that. They just keep talking about the more and more people coming out there. And of course Wyckoff Starr and N.E. Kingdom. There's new stuff popping up all the time. It's going to be unrecognizeable in a few years I'm afraid. also looking to move there: 8th Mar 2007 - 05:05 GMT my main concern is, i want to be able to get drunk in the city and cab it home. a) around 2 am, will nyc cabbies be willing to take the ride? b) if so, how much would that cost? c) as an alternative, how often does the L train run around that time? d) will i get killed if i ride the L at that time? any feedback is appreciated. the hood does have a nice industrial flavor that i appreciate (aesthetically speaking) Dave: 8th Mar 2007 - 18:29 GMT Father owned a Italian Bucher Shop in the 50's-60's on the corner of Central and Bleeker, caddycorner from St. Barbara's Church ,burnt out in the 70's, never went back ! , What's there now ??, anyone with old photo's ? Jimmy Legs: 8th Mar 2007 - 18:37 GMT you know the drill, get into the cab first, THEN tell them where you're going. no one can say how much it'll cost since we don't know where you'd be in manhattan or where you're going in bushwick. anyway, why take a cab when we have some great train lines? as for the L train, you might want to take a ride on it, it's not exactly 'The Warriors' these days. cool thing about the L these days is they have those electronic signs that tell you how long it will be before the next train comes. a friend of mine lives right off the jefferson stop and has had no problems. of course if they see you steppin out of a cab every night and drunkenly weaving to your door, that may be more tempatation than a thug can handle :) also looking to move there: 9th Mar 2007 - 01:08 GMT thanks, jimmy legs. from prior experience looking for cabs around 2am i always got the "where to?" question prior to getting in. i was never rejected when i said chelsea, but now that i may say "bushwick" i wonder what the reaction + price will be (starting the trip from soho going to jefferson L station). i love the L, but wonder what it's like late at nite, or early in the am. i truly think there's something special happening in this hood. the industrial vibe resonates with a certain category of people (including me). naturally you get more space for the buck, since the region is not the most 'obvious'. upfromflames: 9th Mar 2007 - 01:30 GMT just what is happening there? www.citynoise.org/article/6459 Cay: What's the L like at anytime day or night? Peter: its slow at night ;) upfromflames: 10th Mar 2007 - 04:31 GMT Central and Bleeker, in the midst of Hope Gardens housing project, one of the most successful housing projects ever built by NYCHA. The building on the corner was put up by the New York Housing Partnership, in cooperation with the Ridgewood-Bushwick (Senior Care Council). Like many parts of Bushwick today, its back from the brink, and up from flames. CHRIS PALMS: i remember maxi's candy store Cay: 20th Mar 2007 - 13:47 GMT I remember Harry's candy store - in Maplewood, NJ growing up. I'll bet tons of others remember their "candy stores" from growing up. I wonder what future generations will remember for "candy stores?" Discounted aisles of bags of bulk candy from Walmart or some other chain? Not the same as looking at all the cool candy colors, sizes, shapes, and tastes as candy counter loose stuff. Thanks for sharing Chris. Filled my memory with color and warmth. anon (cache-rtc-ac06.proxy.aol.com): 21st Mar 2007 - 00:44 GMT Harrys candy store in Maplewood, NJ...NEW JERSEY ??????????? This is a Bushwick, NY board, what gives with NJ???? zinzee: 21st Mar 2007 - 02:34 GMT For those of you looking to move here: I live in Bushwick off of the Jefferson L. I'm one block from the L train. I really do enjoy the neighborhood. I did get my iPod taken out of my pocket but in all honesty I had been drinking all night and it was about 7am. I'm sure I didn't look sober and didn't think sober and had it clipped to the outside of my jacket. However, it was a snatch and grab so I can hardly say I felt unsafe. As the guy grabbed it I smacked him and said, "Congratulations, you're a bitch." I moved from San Francisco and the course of a year living downtown my car was broken into, my bike stolen, and my purse stolen. It'll be a year in Bushwick in July so I think one iPod that I basically waved in front of a petty theft's face is not a bad record. My landlord is really awesome. I moved from East Harlem where my landlord pretty much refused to fix my crumbling sealing. He preferred to patch over the mold that was forming. When I came to look at the place my landlord stressed how important it is to tell him if there is ever any leak. No problem! I have a really nice size two bedroom apartment and have a great deal. Mu landlord also signed a two-year lease with me at the same price for two years. He owns three buildings on coinciding corners and is always willing to give my friend's first dibs on apartments opening to be rented. There's been one problem with my heat not coming on in the living room and he sent someone up the same day to have a look at it! Amazing! I take a cab once or twice a week when I work late (coming home around two or three AM). I come home from the LES, which is nice and close to the Williamsburg Bridge. I don't tell the cab drivers where I'm going until I get in. Also, if they have a problem I tell them I can get another cab since it is fairly easy to catch one from that area. I know how to get to the neighborhood through a little cut, which makes the ride about $15 with a fair tip. I usually tip an extra dollar or two when I have a cool cabbie. I also make sure they know how to get back to the bridge and then ask them to wait until I get in the door. I'd rather not wait on the L train after midnight, if possible. However, I've done it plenty before and the longest I believe I've waited is 20-30 minutes. It's pretty safe, even late at night/early morning. There's usually enough people on it that safety on the train is not a concern. You do just want to be aware when getting off. I think that is what will make you feel safe and thus be safe. The taqueria factory is AWESOME!! The guy that makes the tacos is such a sweetheart! Plus they're the best tacos I've had since California, and that's saying a lot. Wyckoff Starr coffee shop is a very welcomed addition. Very nice staff and very good coffee. Northeastern restaurant has really good food. Slowly but surely I see this neighborhood changing before my eyes, and I haven't even been here for long. There was a 'sketchy' house on the block, which has since closed down. It looks like it's being renovated so it should bring the block up even more. It's such a relief to have the place being converted, even though I hear the former owner has fallen ill, which is not surprising but sad none-the-less. Sorry to ramble on but I do so enjoy living here! I hope you enjoy it, as well! Cay: 21st Mar 2007 - 12:23 GMT Zinzee, I like your input about the late nights/early AM's. My son lives in Bushwick, and coming from rural New England its a change to be sure. Hey, Anon, I only mentioned Harry's because the previous thread mentioned a candy store, and it took me back some. Sorry to mention Jersey on the Bushwick board, but Jersey is very cool, and always is the BEST place to be FROM. Bye, Cay howie: 28th Mar 2007 - 20:14 GMT i grew up on linden street between bushwick and evergreen/ went to st. barbara'sthis was from 1948 till 1959 any one know what this area is like now? JimQV: 28th Mar 2007 - 21:20 GMT Linden, from Bushwick to Evergreen Aves? I worked in Bushwick, it's pretty horrible. Very dangerous, and it's not going to get better. You have "newbies" to NYC on this message board who think cheap rent in Bushwick is worth risking their necks, how stupid. Of course, this post will never see the light of day. Any posts that are honest about the crime in that neighborhood get yanked right down. The board monitors only want happy talk about Bushwick. upfromflames: 28th Mar 2007 - 22:30 GMT Dunno where you are coming from with that. I am working out there now interviewing some of the folks of the block association, which helped the neighborhood to stay solid after the blackout, like starting that lovely garden at the intersection on the NE corner of B'way and Linden. Its not just about where white folks have decided to live. Its a matter of everyone who lives in a place; old timers and young kids and everyone in between that makes a street a neighborhood. They all deserve safety and security. Maybe you feel you are part of some Anti-gentrification block. And I understand that. Things are getting pricey in every area of Bushwick. But its not the gentrifiers' fault. Don't take your anger out on them, but rather maybe this crazed real esate market that makes it impossible to afford nearly anywhere else. Scare tactics and race baiting are not going to accomplish anything. Cay: 29th Mar 2007 - 14:53 GMT There are people moving into the neighborhood from outside it. This should be a good thing if they bring their money and their good will with them. It benefits all the residents. Bad things happen everywhere, in all neighborhoods in NYC. I think mostly all people want to be safe. Its not "racist" or anti-poverty or any other anti out there. JimQV: 29th Mar 2007 - 17:43 GMT Yeah, over the months there have been people who've posted here, thinking of moving to Bushwick, asking for an opinion about the safeness of the neighborhood. Why not give them an honest opinion, based on the crime stats from the 83 Pct? This is how safe you were in Bushwick in 2006 according to the NYPD's own web-site: There were 6 people murdered in the 83 Pct, 39 rapes, 515 robberies, 394 felony assaults, 532 burglaries, 305 grand larcenies, and finally 262 people were the victims of grand larceny auto. So when someone from Idaho, who's sending their "baby dumpling" to the Fashion Institute of Technology, posts asking if it's a safe neighborhood for little Janey to get an apartment, why not tell them the truth as per the NYPD? Look for yourselves, it's on the Internet. Is Bushwick as dangerous as it was in 1990? No, but there weren't ANY murders in my neighborhood in 2006, and all the other crime categories were proportionally less too. If you're a newcomer to Bushwick you better watch out, because you're going to be a target. If you're thinking of moving to Bushwick, just to save money, you're taking a real chance with your personal saftey. The bottom line is that all this "Bushwick happy talk" is by real estate speculators who are playing flip this house. They want you to live in their mistake. upfromflames: 29th Mar 2007 - 22:14 GMT Word on that, from JimQV, although I did disagree with you yesterday for your approach. But on that last point, its true. Real Estate speculators have an interest in manipulating people---but its not just the young folks moving into the area for a bargain.Its also the more desperate homeowners who have been holding on through the worst years. When they are tagged by a speculator, pestered with offers to sell, shown suitcases full of cashes--I have heard about recently--its a sad thing--with all the other tenants in the building evicted (in the absence of rent regulation) polished up, and flipped. Its a nicer neighborhood after all these years, but hollower for all that is going on now. I think that speculators, especially the hasidic Jews who have flocked across Flushing, are having a profound impact in this regard, distorting the real estate market in comparison with surrounding areas of Queens and Brooklyn. But, as one of them said to me, "if we did not do it, then someone else would be". As a historian, I am very glad that the narrative I am writing leads Bushwick to a happy ending--but how happy is it really if those who labored cannot really enjoy its fruits? Dcchanged man: 3rd Apr 2007 - 05:22 GMT I lived in bushwick from 1968-1982 Comfort and hell in bushwick depends on which pocket you lived in. The dead end streets of buswick Aberdeen , Granite , Desales Place and so on where a lot safer. The area around Pilling , Moffat, and Chauncy between Bushwick and Evergreen where pretty decent and had gorgeous houses/brown stones. However, when you got closer to the streets between Bushwick ave and Broadway, all hell broke loose. You were literaly a few steps and across the street from Bed-Sty and Ocean Hill Brownsville. I welcome the new changes, however, when I think of my friends at the time (early seventies and eighties)getting beating and killed over stupid things like cazelle eyeglass frames, ugly sheepskin coats, radios formerly called "boxes", sneakers, and of course small amounts of drugs my mind becomes uneasy. It took me a long time to shake the negative memories of Bushwick. I am now a Professional living in a nice quiet suburb. To anyone who is not familiar with rough inner city neighborhoods, please, be very careful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the people you are communicating with don't share a common agenda or an out-look off life with you. You don't know their pains and mental conditions, They may harm you physically or mentally for things you have no control of. Like having a job , happiness, or common sense. If you plan to move there, beeeeeee veryyyyyyyyyy Careful !!!!!!!!!!!!!! From one who knows Take care Mushi: 5th Apr 2007 - 00:37 GMT I've now lived in Bushwick for 10 months. Other than the fact that where I live feels like a dorm sometimes (loud music, loud people), I do feel safe there. Yes, as I have said, it doesn't look like the most desirable place in the world, but it's cheap, I have a big space, and I have off-street parking. JimQV sounds paranoid. I am saving money and getting a heck of a value. You hear just as many stories of people getting murdered, raped, and attacked in Manhattan. You have to be safe no matter where you go -- take the same precautions you would take any place else, whether it's the Upper Eastside or East New York. Yes, I'd like to move, but just because I'd like to be closer to my boyfriend who lives in Long Island. In the meantime, I know people who live in tinier places and pay a lot more or have to have a roommate. The taqueria is awesome. And thank goodness for Wykoff-Star. Yes, I've said this before and I'll say it again, I do wish I had more things around me, like if I were living in Greenpoint. Yes, I do wish I lived in a more suburban area where it was a little quieter. But for now, living in Bushwick is fine and works. And the Western Beef Supermarket on Metropolitan is awesome and CHEAP. Zinzee -- I agree with you. The place can only get better. iman: 5th Apr 2007 - 02:03 GMT i live in bensonhurst and it looks very similar to bushwick. i'm from long island and every town there looks completely different from another. i guess brooklyn is all the same. and it's a cool place. Mushi: 5th Apr 2007 - 13:11 GMT Uponflames and Jimmy QV -- also, when choosing a place to live, no real estate agent did an upsell to me. I didn't go through a broker to find my place, just an add online. Real estate agents will manipulate you if you let them -- I've never done that. I went into Bushwick with eyes wide-open. Bushwick is a bargain because all of the rich snobs and trust fund babies have priced the middle-class out of Williamsburg and Park Slope. And you know what? Williamsburg and Park Slope weren't nice areas one upon a time as well. Things improve -- living within a 15 to 20 minute subway ride from Manhattan is what is important to people, and as a result, the bad areas will improve. It may take time -- it always does. But I know people who went to NYU 15 years ago when it was scary to walk in Washington Square Park during the day. Now that is one of the most desirable areas in which to live. vvargas: 8th Apr 2007 - 16:07 GMT all this talk about bushwick being unsafe and that only ppl looking to flip their properties are going to encourage you to live here is nonsense. change starts somewhere and it has already started. i have lived here for three years. when i got my apartment the rent was $950. i was looking on craigslist the other day and it seems impossible to find a 2bdrm for that price now. i have never felt in danger and actually feel very safe walking home at 4am when coming home on the very safe L train! ppl on the site who lived in bushwick 20 yrs ago when it was much like MANY other neighborhoods (including the very popular WILLIE B) have a bad taste in their mouth. many of them have moved into the suburbs and have become used to that style of living. so when they come back and see bushwick, even with all of its improvements, its still unlivable to them. i am not in real estate and stand nothing to gain by encouraging anyone to move to bushwick. if you are looking for an inexpensive place to live, that is 20 mins from the city, with 24hr stores and laundromats, bushwick is great. some blocks can be very noisy during the summer. i looked at my apartment when it was cold outside so i didnt get a realistic picture of what the block was like year round. ask about your neighbors, maybe even speak to one and ask them what the block is like during the warmer months. Armstrong: 9th Apr 2007 - 02:10 GMT I just got a two bedroom railroad in one of the big old brick tenements on Starr Street right on the park. I'm excited. I've lived in Bushwick since 2000 and I love it. When I moved here in 2000, if I saw another white person, we both would jump "is that a mirror?" I'd think. The area is getting better and the diversity is a good thing. Since there is so much rent stabilized housing, I believe that gentrification will be a bit more egalitarian and slow-moving than it was in Williamsburg, where the neighborhood became unrecognizable from 1995-2000. Bushwick needs an influx of money and TLC. Let's all start badgering Spitzer about increasing the $2000 rent cap on stabilized apartments to at least $3500. Armstrong: 9th Apr 2007 - 02:22 GMT Also, saying hello to neighbors and being openminded toward people on the street is the best way for newcomers to become part of the neighborhood. This is not easy but if I, as a white person, walk around with my head down, thinking that the long-time residents hate me, what must they be imagining that I'm thinking about them? Probably the worst. Sometimes I get attitude out here, but there are also times when a total stranger, even teenage guys sometimes, will say hello as I walk down the street. So be openminded, bring a good vibe, expect the best and at the same time, keep your streetsmarts. That's what I've been trying to do. Jimmy Legs: 9th Apr 2007 - 16:45 GMT i'd just like to point out that bushwick's crime stats are no worse (and in most cases, significantly better) than that of bed-stuy, east new york or crown heights in the last year. sure it has crime, but to view these stats out of context is to misrepresent what's actually happening, as much as the realtors who tell the new kids that bushwick is the new greenwich village. dougieESQ: 11th Apr 2007 - 02:11 GMT Bushwick AKA: East Williamsburg...yeah, no thanks. Keep drinkin' the kool-aid hipsters while I stay put in greenpoint. blueeyes: 11th Apr 2007 - 03:50 GMT Last year, I moved from Williamsburg "Prime" (Bedford stop), where I lived happily but cautiously for 7 years. During that time my next door neighbor was held up at gunpoint at our front door (2005), our car stolen (2003),mult iple nearby friends apartments were robbed, and I stayed through a murder spree (anyone else remember the shoe lace killer in 2000)... Despite the troubles of course, the place was "cool" and I would still be there if my rent had not doubled. So last year, I moved to Bushwick / Bedstuy border - where, (despite the lack of cool places to dine within close walking distance, and despite all of my WillyB friends turned up noses) I am surprised to find myself SO MUCH HAPPIER! While I will always remain cautious here as everwhere in NYC, my block actually feels safer and is far prettier than my "dirty but cool" warehouse. My street is clean, well lit, well patrolled, has a family feel, and the JMZ (I live by the Myrtle JMZ stop) is so reliable, runs more frequently and I get to work faster (

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