1. Greenpoint
1. Greenpoint
Why You Should Move Here
Greenpointers are under the misapprehension that their quiet, lovely (but not dull) post-industrial waterfront neighborhood is still some kind of secret—it is not. But some of its gorgeous, quiet blocks retain a marvelous hidden quality (we’re looking at you Oak Street) just steps from the old New York neighborhood-bustle of Manhattan Avenue or the mellow gentrified sheen of Franklin Street. Maybe it’s the stalwart presence of the longstanding Polish community (half of the hood’s approximately 40,000 residents), or the isolating “G” factor but, somehow, Greenpoint has managed to absorb the northward seep of Williamsburg’s consumer-driven “counterculture” without turning into a hipster mall. And that’s why it’s our number one neighborhood in Brooklyn.
What the Future Holds
Long thought to be one of the most polluted, toxic neighborhoods on the Eastern seaboard—a fact borne out by tragically high cancer rates—Greenpoint is finally getting the environmental remediation it deserves. Given Superfund status in 2009, America’s most polluted waterway—the Newtown Creek—will be getting the full treatment (possibly even a boathouse!), and there’s $25 million from oil-spill culprit ExxonMobil to spend on dealing with a huge undeground oil plume (those are bad). On a lighter note, the recent addition of a ferry stop at the end of India Street takes a very small (but picturesque!) amount of commuting traffic off the G.
Where You’ll Find Us
Eating brunch at Five Leaves (if we can get a table). Having a nothing-but-local dinner at Eat. Reading under the trees at McGolrick Park (a book bought at WORD). Enjoying near-perfect cocktails at the Manhattan Inn.
Second Thoughts
So yeah, cleaning up generations of toxicity is going to take awhile… (But hell, if you’re living in New York City, environmental purity isn’t number one on your list of “WHY I LIVE HERE,” is it?)
How Much
Average two-bedroom rental: $2,600
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