Staying in The South Bronx - or anywhere that's still got neighbourhood life

[Favelado]

Hello,

I am going to a wedding in New York City in September. I will either rent a room or a studio apartment somewhere for the ten days. I just need somewhere not too expensive. I'm happy to either be on my own or be with New Yorkers. I would love to stay in a neighbourhood that isn't too hipster and still has a lot of people coming and going, doing their day-to-day stuff - that's what I most love in the city I live in now and the others I have before. Brixton is my favourite place in london or example. Hipsters undeniably have the good food, but the homogenisation of big city hoods is a bit depressing.

Is there ANYWHERE left in Manhattan where working-class/lower-middle class people are just living their lives, that hasn't been turned into a cupcake-Disney nightmare? I'd really like to know. I look at images of Manhattan from the 60s to the 90s and my heart ACHES - as it is clearly where I most belong.

I would also consider Brooklyn or Queens. I'm not interested in Staten Island or Jersey really unless you have an amazing secret tip. I have been to NYC once before (in 2000) and had a nice look around Fulton Street in Brooklyn - which was very Brixton-esque. I'm worried of what has become of Brooklyn since then. Again - sure the craft beer and food is lovely but I'd be concerned that gentrified Williamsburg is much like gentrified London.

I know that the South Bronx is nowhere as bad as it used to be, and it occurs to me that it could be a good place to stay too - close to Midtown (where the wedding is) - I can try and impress some of the locals with my Spanish - and it's a place I have read books about and am in interested in. I'm sure it's absolutely fine during the day these days, but did wonder if anyone knows how careful you have to be after dark around there. I have a fairly high tolerance for this kind of stuff having lived in Rio (where crime levels outstrip even 70s/80s Bronx) - but I like to be informed , and I always trust Urban posters' opinions. It might also be my last chance to go there before it too becomes heavily gentrified, which seems inevitable.

So.

I want a relatively non-gentrified area of New York where I can get around easily - maybe somewhere where I can hang around in a diner (I know many of them have closed) and watch the world go by.

Any ideas? Or spare rooms?

 

[Johnny Doe]

I can't help but just wanted to register my extreme jealousy. I love NY but can't see anyway I'm getting there for a few years

 

[danski]

Hello,

I am going to a wedding in New York City in September. I will either rent a room or a studio apartment somewhere for the ten days. I just need somewhere not too expensive. I'm happy to either be on my own or be with New Yorkers. I would love to stay in a neighbourhood that isn't too hipster and still has a lot of people coming and going, doing their day-to-day stuff - that's what I most love in the city I live in now and the others I have before. Brixton is my favourite place in london or example. Hipsters undeniably have the good food, but the homogenisation of big city hoods is a bit depressing.

Is there ANYWHERE left in Manhattan where working-class/lower-middle class people are just living their lives, that hasn't been turned into a cupcake-Disney nightmare? I'd really like to know. I look at images of Manhattan from the 60s to the 90s and my heart ACHES - as it is clearly where I most belong.

I would also consider Brooklyn or Queens. I'm not interested in Staten Island or Jersey really unless you have an amazing secret tip. I have been to NYC once before (in 2000) and had a nice look around Fulton Street in Brooklyn - which was very Brixton-esque. I'm worried of what has become of Brooklyn since then. Again - sure the craft beer and food is lovely but I'd be concerned that gentrified Williamsburg is much like gentrified London.

I know that the South Bronx is nowhere as bad as it used to be, and it occurs to me that it could be a good place to stay too - close to Midtown (where the wedding is) - I can try and impress some of the locals with my Spanish - and it's a place I have read books about and am in interested in. I'm sure it's absolutely fine during the day these days, but did wonder if anyone knows how careful you have to be after dark around there. I have a fairly high tolerance for this kind of stuff having lived in Rio (where crime levels outstrip even 70s/80s Bronx) - but I like to be informed , and I always trust Urban posters' opinions. It might also be my last chance to go there before it too becomes heavily gentrified, which seems inevitable.

So.

I want a relatively non-gentrified area of New York where I can get around easily - maybe somewhere where I can hang around in a diner (I know many of them have closed) and watch the world go by.

Any ideas? Or spare rooms?

I think these are more like walking tour guides but may well be worth contacting

Big Apple Greeter - A Free Welcome-Visitor Service from NYC Volunteers

Big Apple Greeter - A Free Welcome-Visitor Service from NYC Volunteers

www.bigapplegreeter.org

 

[Favelado]

I think these are more like walking tour guides but may well be worth contacting

Big Apple Greeter - A Free Welcome-Visitor Service from NYC Volunteers

Big Apple Greeter - A Free Welcome-Visitor Service from NYC Volunteers

www.bigapplegreeter.org

That is very interesting. Thank you.

 

[petee]

prices in Manhattan will be far out of line from the other boroughs. there are chain motels in queens, e.g., literally next to a subway or LIRR stop and minutes from Manhattan.

Is there ANYWHERE left in Manhattan where working-class/lower-middle class people are just living their lives, that hasn't been turned into a cupcake-Disney nightmare

yes, i live in one. PM me Favelado, but the only lodging here would i guess be AIRb&b, of which i know nothing.

 

[davesgcr]

Back in 2019 when one could travel , I fancied a 4 day or so break in NYC to do some subway related travelling - there were masses of very decent and interesting places in Brooklyn to stay on Air BNB - to cut a long story short I went with MRs GCR - and we stayed in a hotel not far off Fulton Street , Brooklyn and it was excellent. We also considerably enhanced our USA trip to include Boston and New England.

When I go to to NYC again , Brooklyn is an excellent place to say. Apart from all sorts of human scale activities , it has (had ?) great places to eat and superior transit links. (I am talking subway of course !)

 

[Favelado]

Back in 2019 when one could travel , I fancied a 4 day or so break in NYC to do some subway related travelling - there were masses of very decent and interesting places in Brooklyn to stay on Air BNB - to cut a long story short I went with MRs GCR - and we stayed in a hotel not far off Fulton Street , Brooklyn and it was excellent. We also considerably enhanced our USA trip to include Boston and New England.

When I go to to NYC again , Brooklyn is an excellent place to say. Apart from all sorts of human scale activities , it has (had ?) great places to eat and superior transit links. (I am talking subway of course !)

Interesting. As I stated in my original post. I had a look around Fulton St. in 2000, and bought some nice trainers from Foot Locker there (we didn't have Foot Locker in the UK at the time!) I lived in Brixton and was struck as how similar the two areas were.

 

[davesgcr]

Interesting. As I stated in my original post. I had a look around Fulton St. in 2000, and bought some nice trainers from Foot Locker there (we didn't have Foot Locker in the UK at the time!) I lived in Brixton and was struck as how similar the two areas were.

Brooklyn (and I am a long standing fan / obsessive with NY) , really is an interesting place - and whilst economically much better than it was in the last few decades of the 20thC , seems to retain a vibe of a real place. Not been "cup caked and corporatively airbrushed. Great place for walking around. Move there next week......

 

[Favelado]

Brooklyn (and I am a long standing fan / obsessive with NY) , really is an interesting place - and whilst economically much better than it was in the last few decades of the 20thC , seems to retain a vibe of a real place. Not been "cup caked and corporatively airbrushed. Great place for walking around. Move there next week......

That's interesting. I was worried from what I had read, that it had become a giant hipster-ghetto. One enormous Williamsburg.

 

[Argonia]

BBC One - Brooklyn

Drama about an Irish immigrant (Saoirse Ronan) who lands in 1950s Brooklyn.

www.bbc.co.uk