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 (Soho) than ever before. I am in a huge new apartment at a fraction of what my drafty and poorly maintained loft was before. Do I miss Planet Thai, Bembe, Greenpoint Tavern? Sure, but they are still close and I certainly don't miss feeling like I was the only girl on the block whose daddy was not subsidizing all or part of the rent. Areas change, they hopefully improve as Bushwick is, and I will happily stay renting here until I can buy a place of my own and stop the rent game. Crime happens everywhere, and "PollyAnnas" or "Wild Bills" will have problems in every area. I did not get coerced into my decision by a realestate broker- my wallet and my need to be close to Manhattan made the decision and I LOVE IT HERE!

Eviva: 13th Apr 2007 - 00:25 GMT

I just bought a condo off the Dekalb Avenue L stop. I really like the area and while it's true that Bushwick isn't quite Williamsburg, I see ample potential. Also, real estate in Bushwick is lower than anywhere else in Brooklyn, apart from East New York. And, you get a lot more space for your buck..I love it here!

teachnyc: 14th Apr 2007 - 00:24 GMT

I work in bushwick's schools and I can't tell you how many times I hear my counterparts from our sister districts in queens talk about how bad it is in BW (they never want to attend conferences here in fear that someone might steal their cars). I will tell you I have enjoyed my five years here. You find a mix of people, a variety of great food *check out Ridgewood Eats on Seneca* (although we do need an indian and sushi place out there), and great bargain stores. Every major street you cross leads you to another cultural hubub. BW definitely has it's dangers (gangs, drugs), but what area in NY doesn't. I sometimes feel less safe in the city at night.

The only thing I have negative to say about my experience in BW is that education is not in the fore front for a lot of parents. I speak from experience not assumption. As an educator you have to work three times as hard to get the kids to work. We have gotten such a bad rap.....but I have met so many kids that I will never forget. I have lost two kids since I have been here. A young man with such a good heart died on the basketball court at tryouts a few years back (rest in peace) and another sent to a residential program due to psychiatric issues. Both bright children with great futures. We have more of THESE gems to nurture.....

The more the community is built up, the better it will be for the children. All are welcome in BW and that's the important thing. It's a great place to start off if you wish to stay close to the city but still get the feel of a community. My husband calls it the Village of Brooklyn.

Cay: 16th Apr 2007 - 12:23 GMT

Obviously from the threads above Bushwick is so much more positive than negative. Up is always the best direction to go. Keep a positive attitude, goodness in your heart, and no matter where you live you will thrive, and in the course of time will bring those around you up with you.

zilep: 22nd Apr 2007 - 00:01 GMT

Bought a house in the heart of Bushwick- on Central avenue and Cornelia streets (one of those cookie cutter homes with all the meters showing- you know the ones the BROWNSTONER people love to hate). And i LOVE it! Not an ideal neighborhood my any means, but i like the sound of affordable space!!! Just the right combination of ghetto and historical. Still undiscovered by many and hoping it remains untouched a little longer. For now, i'll enjoy the sights and sounds of old Dominican men playing Dominoes on the streets; Watching black girls braiding each other's hair on the stoops; Men bbq'ing in their front patio; Little kids running around the hydrants during those hot summer days; the REAL Puerto Rican parade; the cheap Latin restaurants with delicious home cooked meals (and if i want trendier restaurants I can choose between Williamsburg and Ridgewood); The cheap drop off laundromats; the tons of beautiful churches; Fixer upper brownstones, row houses, old mini mansions, flat fixed shops; Cheap hair blowouts by Dominican women (the best hair blowdrys) and of course the wonderful L train. Do i wish i lived in Prospect Park or the UWS? ofcourse who wouldnt? But those places have already been sanitized and broken into and i consider myself a trendsetter, a pioneer if you wish- so right now my home is BUSHWICK "the town of the woods." But hey, i wouldnt mind moving into Frederick A. Cook's old mansion (still in Bushwick of course). I wonder who owns that place?

I rent out 2 of my 3 apartments in my home and i've never had problems renting them out at competitive Brooklyn rates. I've had wonderful tenants and would buy this house all over again. And by the way, i'm 8 blocks away from the L train and 8 blocks away from the J train and it's a 35 minute ride to Union Square- and people are still lining up wanting to snatch up any of the 2 apartments. And they're not even loft apartments. When i post on Craigs' list looking for my tenants, i get many many many repsonses and even have to choose between the many potential tenants.

shoot it straight: 22nd Apr 2007 - 15:26 GMT

Some of these post make me smile and some are just annoying. The neighborhood does have potential, which one doesn't? Change starts with the people who are there and where they see themselves in the future. Bushwick CAN be safe but that depends on who you ask. I worked @ P.S 123 and it was great. the kids were fun, but they have lived difficult lives and need better role models. Our cars were broken into on the street across from the school weekly. I never did have any problems and the parents I met had my respect. They did however, let me know that it is different on the weekend and in the summer. arriving early from Queens, I would often see the Salvation Army vans "cleaning up" the streets of addicts who were passed out on the street or in the park before school opened. I am not saying it is any worse than anywhere else in NY. but it depends on if you ask, the guy who got shot at last night or the one who didn't. All in all dont blame the neighborhood

shoot it straight: 22nd Apr 2007 - 15:29 GMT

Also, i agree C-Town is good, the deli on the corner of Knickerbocker and Suydam, good too, and you can't beat the shopping on Knickerbocker.

Johanna: 24th Apr 2007 - 16:20 GMT

I've lived her for 27 years. I love this place. My parents came from the Dominican Republic in search for the AMERICAN DREAM. They have both prospered and have raised 3 children to be all that they can be while still remaining true to the place that gave them all street crede. Loving BUSHWICK is what BUSHWICKITE DO!

sick: 1st May 2007 - 11:27 GMT

bushwick is probabably the heroin capital of new york i know b/c i i go to the needle exchange placed so conveniently on broadway
dont raise your kids in this neighborhood they will grow up to be as mindless and drug addicted as there surroundings
i dont blame the neighborhood b/c youths have no other oppurtunities
i live on the island and go to bushwick to copheroin ruins my life
while money ruins the life of these gun toteing idiots who we both end up in jail
parents make it easy on yourselfs move too nice neighborhoods
streets riddled with kennedy chicken needle exchanges and smell like vermin fesces are the places least likely to have a neighborhood bookstore

upfromflames: 1st May 2007 - 15:11 GMT

There is, if this posting is real, an interesting story behind this. Ever see that scene in the godfather, where they are deciding whether to sell heroin or not? well, that is what happened to Bushwick. It was HQ'd there, run by Carmine Galante, who was murdered for going over the line with his heroin sales in 1979.
Anyway, as you can see, this is history, and so is much of what this guy refers to. There are not so much drugs on the street as there once was in the early 1990's.

As for today, you know where to get YOUR stuff, but most of my students, that have grown up in B'wick, don't have a problem with heroin. Green, yes, but not the brown. NYPD, please keep it that way.

Lora: 3rd May 2007 - 22:16 GMT

22 Goodwin Place- I am looking for a new development by that address. Anybody knows, is it there, because listing says it's Williamsburg. thanks

upfromflames: 3rd May 2007 - 22:27 GMT

Yep, thats bushwick alright, an interesting little one block street between
Broadway and Bushwick Ave. close to the train, and the bustle, but a great street. Picture of it here.

rosecolredglasses: 6th May 2007 - 03:14 GMT

While it is true the Bushwick is "trying" to come back, it haas a long way to go. Without a doubt, it is much better than the period of 1976-1994 when you could honestly say it was ground zero so far as crime drugs and violenece was concerned, to put things in perspective, stores that would deliver appliances and such, would not make deliveries to apartments in the area, and police would only respond to calls with two patrol cars. After all how many neighborhoods had whole streets closed off to traffic because of the drug problem. The bombed/burnt out houses are all torn down, and new expensive (overpriced) housing is being put up, but lets face it, the area has a long way to go.
The area that is still bad is boarderd by evergreen and st. nicholas from starr over thru Jefferson/Flushing. that area is very bad, look at the houses on jefferson near wyckoff/st. nich, there are actually official signs on the doors saying no one is allowed in except the tenants/landloard and NYPD. People, do not sacrifice your safety for "cheap" rent. It is not worth it. the area is coming back, but it has a long way to go. I know people who work in the new hursing home facility on Central, and they say the area is not safe, and they have trouble getting night workers and actually have a service that takes workers to the train, as they do not let workers walk by themselves. Some parts of the area will ALWAYS be bad. Please dont believe all you read, visit it yourself.

Armstrong: 6th May 2007 - 20:48 GMT

I just got an apartment on Starr St and Knickerbocker so I a little bit resent rosecoloredglasse's last comment. at the same time, I'm a realist and yes, that area would be considered blighted by many folks. yet there is a police presence - they just put up high-tech security cameras at two stoplights on Knickerbocker. the area rosecolored describes is definitely being cleaned up, and the new people moving on those blocks tend to be hardworking central american immigrants and artists. especially on starr street right on the park, I'm seeing hipster kids moving into those stately tenements that line the park. another thing to consider is the exact area (bordered by Evergreen and St. Nicholas from Starr St. over thru Jefferson/Flushing) is exactly the area that separates the trendy Morgan Stop from Maria Hernandez park and bustling Knickerbocker Ave. I really do think this entire area will be unrecognizable in 5 years.

Armstrong: 6th May 2007 - 20:53 GMT

unrecognizable in a good way of course! here are the views from my new apartment of Maria Hernandez park and Manhattan skyline (taken from the roof looking back towards Troutman St.)

Mike: 7th May 2007 - 18:36 GMT

I'm coming to NYC from England for 4 months in June, I was thinking of finding somewhere in Bushwick actually, what does everyone think for a short term stay?

anon (cpe-24-164-168-73.hvc.res.rr.com): 10th May 2007 - 06:44 GMT

thinking of moving in at halsey and broadway... seems almost nicer than the myrtle/broadway area, despite its being farther east. does bushwick/bed stuy sort of chill out between the marcy projects and east ny? what gives?

Cay: 11th May 2007 - 15:43 GMT

For a short term stay I'd suggest lower Manhattan. You'd be centrally located to everything and not have to hassle with BK unknowns.

Jimmy Legs: 11th May 2007 - 18:25 GMT

it's a strange attitude to adopt, rosecoloredglasses: bemoan safety issues but still admit the neighborhood is coming back. how does a neighborhood come back without change? and in this case one undeniable aspect of this is an influx of new residents. the people who move here only for cheap rent never last long, but then they never last long in this city at all.

re: anon, halsey and broadway is down near where i live, i really like it although it is pretty dissimilar than the north part of bushwick, more straight residential tho not without its rough moments. still some fools around here who use guns as a debating point.

Cay: 14th May 2007 - 14:09 GMT

Still, after this past weekend, I would recommend not staying in Bushwick. Enough said, but its a big mistake to think being young, white and naive will protect you from harm. Live somewhere else, gentrification be damned.

anon (): 15th May 2007 - 05:32 GMT

I USE TO LIVE IN BUSHWICK BROOKLYN SOME TIME AGO I LOVE IT THERE I HOPE TO MOVE BACK SOON.

Cay: 15th May 2007 - 17:10 GMT

I don't think its fair if I go into it, because I'd have a hard time finding words appropriate to the board. But, I urge all to be careful. There are some evil people in Bushwick, and while there is alot of police presence, its useless if they don't intervene. Be on guard.

Peter: 15th May 2007 - 18:31 GMT

come on cay, dont be a tease... i, for one, am particularly interested in knowing what happened, as im moving into that neighborhood as we speak... and i want to know what goes on around there...

Cay: 16th May 2007 - 12:28 GMT

If you can go in and out of your new place in the daytime, and literally live as a prisoner in your place in the nighttime, you MIGHT be O.K. That's all I can or will say.
Good luck to all of you. Goodbye Bushwick.

Peter: 16th May 2007 - 15:47 GMT

i dunno, cay. that sounds like scaremongering... or maybe you just had some bad experiences... ive been out and about around there a lot really late at night... never had any problems. i mean, i dont slink around in the dark recesses between abandoned warehouses, but who does? ive walked 10 blocks back back from the train at 4am, gone out for beer at the bodega at all hours...

but to each his own, i suppose... but without any details about what youre talking about, it seems like your opinion is based more on your feelings than on fact.

but if youd like to share the facts, that would rule.

Anne M. Berger: 16th May 2007 - 16:52 GMT

I grew up in Brooklyn in the forties and fifties. It was truly the melting pot. I went to St. Joseph's on Sydam St. My Irish friends went to St. Lenords on Toutman? not sure and my German friends went to St. John's the parish where my parent's were married. I never knew we were a low income family because I enjoyed everything from roller skating, biking which I rented from a store on Central Avenue for $2.00 a day and that is how I learned to ride a bike. We didn't have barbecues so we got a couple of bricks and a can that we brought down from our apts. a potato and a bag of marshmellows and with our parents by our side we roasted and toasted. We played kick the can, hide and seek, potsy (hop scotch) stoop ball, punch ball, stick ball with a broom handle or mop handle. Our parent's in the summer sat on the stoop or porches until late at night talking to neighbors and watched us while we played. During the day we all took the El and went to Cypress Pool. In the fall we all met at Flushing Meadows for Roller skating and Ice Skating. The Labor Lyceum had German picnics and dances and we all managed to go in and have great food and lots of fun. My Uncle Wally was a brew master for Schlitz Beer.

The neighbors would sit by windows resting their arms on pillows watching us play and if were doing something wrong we heard from them, talk about neighborhood watch? My Aunts and Uncles were 15 minutes apart from all of us and Sunday was always a family gathering always macaroni of some sort and lots of desserts.

We had Eddy's the butcher on Myrtle Ave., and Pete the Grocer on Willoughby and Evergreen and the candy store on Myrtle Aveneu where I could bring bottles back for money.
We also had a celebrity who would come in for a newspaper by the name of Julius LaRosa.

We lived on DeKalb first near Knickerbocker, and moved to Evergreen Avenue and then to Willoughby Ave. My memories are wonderful of growing up in a place that gave me independence and what we now call street smarts. I never felt I was missing anything it was all there.

There was a TV show called Brooklyn Bridge, this show brought so many memories back to me in which I actually lived.

Cay: 16th May 2007 - 16:56 GMT

Not scaremongering... God knows NYC is scary enough. But I'm just saying its not enough to be very careful, its not enough to just "be aware of your surroundings at all times." Had one bad experience, involving a weapon, and gang members and I'm not going back for more of the same.

Peter: 16th May 2007 - 17:56 GMT

cay: firstly, i think its humorously ironic that you qualify "not scaremongering" by saying "god knows nyc is scary enough". thats a dated, inaccurate and stereotypical statement that i dont appreciate much, as a new yorker. if you truly feel that way, you should consider relocating to wherever it was you came from before nyc put "the fear" in you... maybe brooklyn heights or park slope, or perhaps somewhere more pastoral, like jersey?

secondly, im not sure your singular, isolated incident makes bushwick a "bad" place.

but then again, i dont worry much. the last time i got jumped by an armed thug, i retaliated and ended up kicking the guys ass (shattering his right knee and femur in the process) and pressing enough charges to have him sent upstate... that is, after he spent 3 weeks in the hospital.

...and that was in freaking yuppie-ass prospect heights at 3pm on a balmy autumn sunday. that was my one and only bad experience out of about a decade and a half in the area.

bushwick is just like every other outer-boro working-class, racially-mixed neighborhood. it has its drama, thugs and underground schemes just like every other neighborhood. just because it hasnt completely gentrified (yet...?) and has a vague gang presence doesnt make it a place where you have to "literally live as a prisoner in your place in the nighttime".

sorry if i seem to be playing devil's advocate, but frankly, im psyched as hell to be moving to bushwick from prospect heights. ive scored an amazingly large (and dirt cheap) loft close to two trains, and the shopping, family life and culture in the area is amazing, rich and fascinating.

after living in about 8 different apartments throughout manhattan and brooklyn over the years, i actually think this place im moving to has me the most psyched of them all...

bring it on, bushwick!

upfromflames: 16th May 2007 - 22:45 GMT

Word, peter.

I was a bit shaken up this morning when I found out a fellow teacher was held up at gunpoint at 5PM Tuesday--on the M train platform at Central Ave--one that I have used everyday for 4 years.

Does that challenge my whole historical thesis that Bushwick has come "up from flames" and is different now than it once was?

farul: 17th May 2007 - 00:52 GMT

Yea, Bushwick is different than it was before. Cuz back in the day, they'd have got popped. Now they just get held up. Heh.

Mushi: 17th May 2007 - 01:24 GMT

There are mean people everywhere in this city, whether it's Bushwick, Sunnyside, Park Slope, the Upper Eastside, Soho...it doesn't matter.

People with attitudes like some mentioned above really upset me. Yeah, I'd love to live in Woodside. I'd love to live in Manhattan. But I'll never get a place as large as I have now unless I want to pay my whole monthy earnings on rent. Bushwick is fine. It works for people. It's just as dangerous as almost any other place in the city.

I am not a Pollyanna or anything of the sort. I don't like the noise in the summer. I don't like going out late at night by myself. Yes, I could get jumped here as well -- I totally get that. I could get jumped in Manhattan as well.

What am I trying to say? I am not sure. It just feels like there are people on this board that just want to cap on Bushwick because they can. Are those people snots who live in other parts of the city? Perhaps in the cooler, trendier...Morgantown? Maybe even in Williamsburg proper? Are thery just trying to act superior? Do these people go on the "MyHouseInEastNewYork" web site and cap on those people as well?

Glad to see Peter is psyched to be in Bushwick. Trust me, it could be a much worse place.

Cay: 17th May 2007 - 13:24 GMT

I started out hopeful and willing and embracing the challenge of fitting in and making it work. I'm just sharing with those who care to listen to go about their business, and deal with their personal safety. If cheap rent and large loft space are the draw, remember, you get what you pay for. And in Bushwick you are paying for Bloods, Crypts, Latin Kings, cat/rat fights in abandoned buildings, and absolutely schizo/paranoid people on the streets night and day, some armed. "Vague gang presence" is totally inaccurate. TOTALLY. So, do what you have to do. And Peter, NYC under Guliani really did have improved crime statistics and police presence. Under Bloomberg its started to slide, and anyone whose spent time in the city knows this to be true.

tito: 19th May 2007 - 00:46 GMT

i lived in bushwick(greene ave, bleeker st, wyckoff ave, you know how we did it in bklyn. move from block to block) I had a group of friends back when i was there that im trying to locate. we grew up from kids to young men and most of use left. we had our little clik back then "the 86 boys" for p.s. 86 on irving ave. if anyone remembers junior from greene ave, abbey "bald head" from greene ave, jose "joey" from greene ave, theres more but to many to list. If anyone remembers them or myself give me a holla...

Armstrong: 20th May 2007 - 16:30 GMT

All this talk of crime is interesting yet Bushwick is changing everyday. It is inevitable. I think it will change for the better, remaining a mixed neighborhood demographically and economically. It is closer to Manhattan than many other gentrified hoods and the city is expecting one million more residents. Even if the economy were to tank tomorrow, the demographics of people moving en-masse into the city will not change. Every hood within 1/2 hour to Manhattan will be gentrified. There is no doubt about that. As Bushwick has a large percentage of the city's stabilized rentals, I foresee an interesting decade ahead in regards to landlords being forced to fix violations or lose their buildings to the city. I think we will also see a lot more immigrant activism in regards to keeping the stock of stabilized apartments (a good thing) in the neighborhood, at the same time as more investors move to buy abandoned/manufacturing properties for development. I believe also that the areas immediately surrounding the Jefferson and Morgan stops will be rezoned in the near future to allow huge housing developments which will take advantage of the proximity of the subway. thoughts?

ROB: 27th May 2007 - 11:37 GMT

Bushwick sucks, Ridgewood too. I lived in both parts and Gendale too. Williamsburgh and so on. Bushwish/Ridgewood same crap is like this, one small raid road apartment for $1500 a month with 8 mexican, equadorian, el salvadorian, etc, sharing one railroad apartment. Puerto Ricans are the monorities now, along with whites and black, they are moving the hell out, I guess they are waking up. The only P.R, Whites, and Blacks still living in that hood is because their parents never did shit for them and now they are stuck. I thank God I am out of there. Drugs, Aids, Guns is what your kids will learn over there. Get out while you can, for real, for real.

Mushi: 31st May 2007 - 13:14 GMT

I agree with Armstrong -- change is inevitable.

Rob: if you don't like where you live, if you don't like Bushwick, then please lease. There are those of us who find Bushwick just fine for our needs.

PEMA: 1st Jun 2007 - 21:36 GMT

my husband grw up in bushwick while i myself grew up in tx. so some times its like we are from diff planets. anyway its interesting to see how you all talk about the place. i was lucky enough to visit last yr and i think that some times natives of brooklyn take for granted all beauty of brooklyn. yes beauty. dont get me wrong i prob wouldnt want to be out at 2 am by myself but its amazing some of the views of city you have. the empire state building lit up at night and the bridge. so i hope that you guys stop from time to time and try to see your home like some one whos there for the fist time. oh and gotta give props to al lthose great writters from bushwick. WEWE!!!!!

ROB: 2nd Jun 2007 - 09:29 GMT

That's true Pema, I'm from Brooklyn and Mushi, I did leave... Because if you have children that's that the place to be. IF YOU SINGLE OR LIVING WITH ANOTHER ADULT it's fine, just don't go out at night, because we have a saying in bushwish, The freaks comes out at night and Ecos in the night, if you know what I mean so if you have a family like I do, get out while you can or someday your kids will become another piece of art on some corner wall. If you know what I mean?

Honey: 5th Jun 2007 - 18:30 GMT

Bushwick was a great place to grow up back in 90's. Now since people grown up it's been just sex and drugs to them.

Honey: 5th Jun 2007 - 18:34 GMT

To RoB.. Just because your life didn't come out the way you like it, please don't sterotype any other race. Stop assuming shit and get your facts straight. Ignorant ass!! I'm hispanic and still living in Bushwick. I attend a fine institution in Manhattan and plan on doing big things in life. So don't think just because you stay in Bushwick, doesn't mean your parents didn't do anything for you.

PEMA: 6th Jun 2007 - 16:39 GMT

relax honey sometimes kind words go alot farther and last longer.

HSH: 6th Jun 2007 - 20:08 GMT

If there's anyone on this page who's actually living in Bushwick right now, I'd love to get your perspective and hear your experiences. I was just there yesterday looking at properties. Some really gorgeous stuff and one in particular was INSANELY priced. I agree that the neighborhood still has a way to go, but I've been going there for over 15 years and anyone who denies the changes is totally blind. The truth is, by the time it becomes another WB, it won't be affordable anymore. My family hails from Suydam street...straight off the boat in 1911 until they moved out in 1960. I've been determined to go back, though I'm fully aware it isn't 1955 anymore. My logic is, mind your own business and use your head.

Peter: 6th Jun 2007 - 20:19 GMT

im in the middle of moving to bushwick from prospect heights right now, actually. ill keep you posted. so far, i really like it in bushwick. if i was worried even the slightest bit, i wouldnt be moving there...

HSH: 7th Jun 2007 - 04:14 GMT

Peter, I'd love to stay in touch with you...you can email me at bbq_on_mars@yahoo.com. I personally have never encountered a problem there myself (though I did have the pleasure of witnessing 2 cops - one female - frisking someone outside C-Town yesterday. Oddly, it made me feel rather secure and certain about the changing climate of the area, as there were times when even the police gave up on Bushwick). I've been going there, like I stated, long before condos and lofts were even a vague thought in any developer's mind. I did a photo documentary of the area in 2000 and found the people to be very friendly, helpful and eager to engage in conversation. I feel Bushwick has long been neglected and left to fend for itself during desperate times and that its Renaissance is approaching. Hopefully, those moving into the neighborhood will take some pride, get involved in the current changes and help affect new ones.

upfromflames: 7th Jun 2007 - 10:33 GMT

HSH: I'd love the opportunity to see your photo doc on Bushwick.

I've been working on one this year.

To see part of it, check upfromflameson citynoise,

or better, hit the Brooklyn Historical Society's opening tonight for:
Up From Flames: Mapping Bushwick's Recovery 1977-2007
May 23-Aug 26, 2007

or see it this summer.

For residents past, current, and future.

upfromflames: 7th Jun 2007 - 10:37 GMT

[[www.brooklynhistory.org]] for directions and such....

And don't miss the walking tour this saturday...

meeting at Gates Ave Station on the J--Linden Ave and Broadway, that is--at 1PM. Its a two hour tour catching sites old and new.

I'll be leading it with Bushwick historian John Dereszewski.
Its not to be missed, if I do say so myself!

cjh: 8th Jun 2007 - 04:43 GMT

This is for upfromflames: I was born and raised (1969 to 1990) in the boarded-up house pictured in your February 10 article. The actual address of that building is 23 Troutman Street. What led to the ruin of this building and the three additionally attached buildings? It certainly was the owner. This piece of property was owned, and remains owned by St. Mark's Lutheran Church (conveniently located just around the corner on Bushwick Avenue). As the church's congregation began to dwindle, and financial resources began to shrink, the church leadership had this grand vision that they would raze these four buildings and build an addition to the St. Mark's Lutheran School.

The fourteen families that resided in these buildings were told in the mid to late-nineties that the church could no longer afford to provide essential services for the buildings and they must move out to make way for the construction of the new school. Although no actual funding was secured for the new construction of the school, tenants feared the loss of services and security and began to vacate their apartments. My father was the last hold-out and moved from 23 Troutman Street in 2000.

As I grew up on Troutman Street, neighbors looked out for one another and I believed my block, with not one boarded-up building or vacant lot, was one of the "crown jewels" in Bushwick. St. Mark's Lutheran Church destroyed a beautiful block and assisted with conjuring up negative visions of a Bushwick past.

St. Mark's Lutheran Church should have sold the property when they could no longer afford to maintain the buildings. They still have the ability to right a wrong and sell the buildings so that Troutman Street will enjoy the continued resurgence of an up-and-coming Bushwick.

cjh: 8th Jun 2007 - 04:49 GMT

This is also for upfromflames: As you can see from your February 10, 2007 photo, the buildings still have not been razed and St. Mark's Lutheran Church lacks the funding and has no new plans to construct a new school.

jms: 8th Jun 2007 - 15:25 GMT

my wife and I have a 10 month old. Currently, we're looking in bushwick - want to save and purchase a home/condo once the real estate market recovers (maybe in bushwick). I've lived in greenpoint/williamsburg for the last 7 yrs. During that time I've seen a ton of change, all for the better, and looking to see the same happen in bushwick. Any thoughts on new families in bushwick?

HSH: 9th Jun 2007 - 03:57 GMT

upfromflames, sure thing. in fact, I was planning on adding to it/continuing it. Email me at bbq_on_mars@yahoo.com.

upfromflames: 9th Jun 2007 - 12:03 GMT

cjh: Thats a powerful story, very telling. Thanks for telling it here.

The way citynoise threads work, you might also want to copy and post it 6257 with the the original topic.

--or one of the nice editors might do it for you.

JAY: 10th Jun 2007 - 02:34 GMT

I am writing a novel and have part taking place in Bushwick in the '40's. Can anyone give me an idea of what it was like back then. What kind of businesses? What were the
shopping streets? Who lived there? I'm told there were rich people in mansions. Is this so? Any help would be appreciated. I lived in the Bronx back then and Brooklyn could have been Czeckoslovakia to me. Thanks in advance.

JAY: 10th Jun 2007 - 02:51 GMT

UPFROMFLAMES.....

That 1946 book you talk about. How can I get a copy of that?

upfromflames: 10th Jun 2007 - 05:35 GMT

www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Town/Bushwick/index.html

There be a great story in these pages...and many nice pictures, too!

upfromflames: 10th Jun 2007 - 05:45 GMT

cjh: thanks again for your post. I used it on a walking tour of Bushwick today. One more story to add to the many, found in buildings gone, standing, and yet to be.

Hope you and other Bushwickers out there can make the July 21st tour of the Southern Tier of Bushwick, where a degree of economic stability allowed whole blocks (of 19th century rowhouses) to survive unscathed. Some great and sad stories, starting with the All Hands Fire, New York City's largest fire of the 20th century.

more info at [[www.upfromflames.com]]

jaybay: 11th Jun 2007 - 20:27 GMT

My friend and I just got an apartment in the western part of Bushwick, where Suydam Street and Bushwick Ave. intersect. WE are two white girls in our 20's. We walked around the area for a while, and everyone was very nice to us, smiled, said hello, and our neighbors even welcomed us to the neighborhood. I am originally from a very suburban area of tx. Should I be worried? My pops is a bit worried....but the first place I lived was in alphabet city in Manhattan, and there were freaks running around there day and night. Any advice, tips? Just want to make sure I know what to expect. Thank you!

JimQV: 11th Jun 2007 - 23:51 GMT

Jaybar, below is a paste of a two sentence news story from todays New York Post (online edition), "Police Blotter" column. You can decide how safe it makes you feel about Bushwick:

Brooklyn A man in his 20s was fatally shot yesterday on a Bushwick street.

The victim, whose name was withheld pending family notification, was struck in the chest on Wyckoff Street at 11:15 a.m. A suspect was in custody.

Eviva: 18th Jun 2007 - 21:46 GMT

JimQV: Wyckoff Street is located in Carroll Gardens and NOT Bushwick which only reaffirms that crime exists everywhere in NYC.

upfromflames: 18th Jun 2007 - 22:58 GMT

Um...sorry Eviva.

Brooklyn can be confusing. There are two Wykoffs. They were important folks in Brooklyn History, you see.

But in this case, Wykoff is a lot more important to Bushwick than Carroll Gardens. And JimQV may be a over-reacting, but he is accurate. I know the mother of that boy who was shot.

Kat: 20th Jun 2007 - 04:35 GMT

Is it true that the new residents of Bushwick are calling it 'Shiwck'? For serious, I will die if this is true. I've lived on Bushwick all my life, and the idea of some yuppies from Williamsburg/Manhattan calling it that turns my stomach.

Bushwick Native: 23rd Jun 2007 - 02:18 GMT

Jaybay: What a fool you are moving into Bushwick. You're probably paying a ridiculous sum of money to live in a rat and crime infested neighborhood. Don't think it'll be the next Williamsburg just yet. Just remember you and hipsters like you are the ones who drive poor people out of their own poor neighborhoods-Shame on you!

Peter: 23rd Jun 2007 - 07:05 GMT

bushwick native: ridiculous sums of money? my rent is less than a grand, and i havea huge, amazing space. with rentthis low for such space, my building is full of the sorts of poor people you say were moving out. just a thought. im white. so seems almost half of the neighborhood. its not so much gentrification as it is a shared space. as all spaces should be.

stop making the argument so black and white. i hate the constant referrals to crime, comparisons to williamsburg, etc. bushwick is its own place with its own flava, and i love it for that. its got a little bit of everything. i really need to do a better job of showing all the col, great, amazing stuff in this neighborhood on here... more to come.

Kiminbushwick: 23rd Jun 2007 - 14:04 GMT

Hi, new to the site, but have been following along in more ways than one. I am 7 years proud in bushwick, and just wanted to say, that I think ALL of this conjecture and talk about "is it safe", can I do this or do that, etc. is a clear indication that you should NOT move here. The more this conversation moves along, the more anxiety ridden I become. PLEASE DO NOT MOVE HERE. And for all the people that are big uppin it to everyone, PLEASE STOP. This is not an experiment, nor is it a hot-spot, nor is it up for your consideration.

Anyone who wants to get drunk in the city and cab it home, and has any question whatsoever about that, should NOT LIVE HERE. I am happy to hear that you all are fascinated by this area. Great. Please do it from afar.

Up from flames, I am happy to meet you, happy to know you, but I have to ask you with great respect to please stop advertising this area. And Peter, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP "showing what this neighborhood has to offer". I can't understand the need that some people seem to have-that once they found some place decent they have to shout it from the roof tops, blog it, publicize it, and for all intents and purposes shine a rabid hyper spastic spotlight on it for all the world to see. It's the internet equivalent of constructing flashing "vacancy" signs posted all over the rooftops. Why do you do this? Can't you just be satisfied that you found a cool place and leave it at that. Why all this need to telegraph out to whomever and basically create the idea that it might be cool to live here, when before you opened your big mouth, that thought was not there.

ALSO-you do this without the consent of the people that live here who do not want this irritating attention which inevitably leads to the destruction of what you love. Keep your mouth shut and realize the selfishness of co-opting a place just so you can tell the world how cool you are for being there. In short, the people that have to constantly advertise and talk about their area aren't really committed to it. If they were, they would know to do the opposite.

I moved here under my own choices, my own exploration, my own personal experiences, and without anyone having ever mentioned it to me before. I didn't need to discuss it ad nauseum, hemming and hawing, pro-ing and coning it, asking everyone about it, constantly involving outsiders in the discussion, etc. If there is any way possible, can we table this discussion so that the hordes pass us by. We are full. There is NO VACANCY IN BUSHWICK.

I think ALL of you should look at what Jaybay wrote in his last sentence. If you think it's not you, ask yourself this: do you live here already, and if not, then why would you be moving here to begin with. If you don't think he's talking about you, think again. And everyone who's been posting about it...you are the exact problem, you ARE gentrification, and this need to publicize and constantly draw attention here is the exact problem. I wish so much all of you had just never heard of this place.

upfromflames: 24th Jun 2007 - 00:51 GMT

Kim: You can't stand under a stone and ask it to stop falling.

You speak out romantically against historical forces much broader than the scope of your sentiment. The neighborhood will never be what it was back in the day--not the good old days that you remember, or the bad old days that others remember. It will change. Nothing can stop those economic forces. I am not making that happen. I am just making history of it.

Perhaps you should be the one to leave, to find the next "undiscovered" neighborhood, and start the process all over again.

Then you'll have more to rail against.

Dan: 24th Jun 2007 - 21:56 GMT

Hi, I went to university in manhattan (NYU), and during that time was privileged to live in some good areas. I hung around the Lower East Side a lot and it has obviously gotten a lot better since 5 years ago even.

School's done and I will be moving out to brooklyn. I found a place on Arion Place, between Broadway and Bushwick Ave. Is this area safe? If you're not familiar with Arion, it's right next to Melrose. Thanks!

Born and Bred: 25th Jun 2007 - 02:58 GMT

Kim -- Were you born here?

Nuff said.

Ali: 25th Jun 2007 - 21:28 GMT

i moved to bushwick about 6 months ago and i like it a lot. im white and i almost feel bad cuz i feel like since the area is populated with mostly hispanics, they probably feel like im moving in on their territory or something. and since im young (im 19) they probably think mommy and daddy are paying my rent or something. but thats not the case. i work hard and pay everything myself. i like the neighborhood mostly because it seems like a real "community." williamsburg is nice but its so damn expensive and there's no sense of "community" - its like everyone just wants to show off their outfits and other retarted shit like that. anyway, i like living in bushwick a lot and ill continue to until i cant afford the rent anymiore:) and also, a great stray cat came in through my kitchen window lol and had babies

Clay: 26th Jun 2007 - 01:58 GMT

There's an exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society called "Up from Flames." It chronicles Bushwick from 1977 to now. It has lots of articles in the 70's when Bushwick landlords were buring their buildings down to get insurance money. So many fires were going on that Nixon declared Bushwick a disaster area. There's great photographs, development plans, and mention of what the future of the neighborhood could be.

I learned about the Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development from this exhibit. Their lobbying to keep the gentrification from pushing long time residents out. Inspiring exhibit to say the least.

whowalkinbrooklyn.com: 27th Jun 2007 - 03:41 GMT

lots of interesting comments here, some ridiculous yuppie wannabes, but many more sincere & heartening-- esp. about Bushwick's Italian heritage & Spanish-speaking peoples. One thing i'd like to add tho' is, all this BULLSHIT about, say, W'Burg or Park Slope or wherever having been "bad" 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago... what, every place without lousy bistros & upscale baby boutiques was bad? Get real. Bushwick suffered it's own particular troubles as others have noted but this idea that, even in the 1970s & 1980s, that all of Brooklyn or the LES or wherever was the Wild West is insane...

stop believing the real estate version of history & talk to people of all kinds who lived here then. it's A LOT more complicated-- & interesting-- than most newcomers, even well-meaning ones, know.

Q: any ya'll remember the Bushwick hip-hop group The Arsonists?

also, i find it curious nobody has mentioned the Filipinos yet.

Knickerbocker, Wilson & Central represent!

upfromflames: 27th Jun 2007 - 10:22 GMT

I need to hear about the Arsonists! Tell me more!

upfromflames: 28th Jun 2007 - 16:25 GMT

great article on Bushwick in this week's Village Voice
www.villagevoice.com/news/0726,robbins,77040,2.html

KB: 28th Jun 2007 - 21:13 GMT

Lived in Bushwick on Eldert Street, btw Knickerbocker & Irving, from when I was born, until we moved away in 1967, when I was 16. Things had gotten rough in 1966, when there was racial strife, and murder. Sad, stupid, tragic. It happened. We left.

What was ironic, was that on my block, the first four or five African American families to arrive in the early sixties
were soldily lower middle class. Just like the white folks. No problems. My girl cousins used to babysit for their little kids. No biggie.

Then a whole load of white trash moved in, and that was the end of the good times.
And I mean TRASH! Tobacco Road Goes North kind of trash.

Consequently, the black folks moved out. We got stuck with the highly dysfunctional peckerwoods.
One of their recreational passtimes was to lay a beer bottle and a beer can next to each other, against the step that raised the front yard from the sidewalk, then let them roll towards the gutter. They'd make bets on which would get there first, the bottle or the can.
This was always done after eleven at night, when all the working people were trying to sleep. Usually the bottle, a quart of Rheingold, would smash.
Since it was summer, and no one had air conditioning, all our windows were open. You could hear the rolling, then the crash, then all of them laughing.

One evening, my Dad, and a bunch of other men, all WW ll veterans, paid them a call. The beer races stopped, but the general trashiness continued.

One of their kids became a friend of mine. He couldn't read, wasn't sure exactly how old he was, or what his real last name was. I'm not making this up.
One time, visiting his grandmother, I was totally grossed out by her apartment. In the frig, one of those old kinds you needed to defrost, the freezer was so caked with ice, you couldn't close the door. But what was astounding to me was that the frozen, caked condensation was full of roaches! They were like mamoths in Siberia, frozen in their tracks. And Granny didn't bother to clean then off!

The bathtub was filthy, and looked like a roach ranch. I went in to pee, and ran the hell out of there, never to return.
"Where ya goin'?" he asked.
"My Ma's calling me!" I replied

My old house (316 Eldert) still stands, but when I last saw it, was still cinder blocked up. Probably not for too much longer.

About three, or four years back, there was an article in the NYT real estate section, about an African furniture designer, who was living in a loft in the old factory on the corner of Irving and Eldert. He does great, high end work, which is sold in fancy shops in Manhattan. He's married to a young lady from Wisconsin, and they were expecting a kid.

That blew me away.

I wish everybody living in BW the best of luck. I hope it doesn't get so gentrified that it turns it into Willyburg East. I hope the crime goes way down, because the kids have
better options.
Peace to all.

Cay: 29th Jun 2007 - 13:25 GMT

KB, you have a unique way with words. What enjoyable anecdotal accounts of BW. You can't make that stuff up.
KB, you've told it like it was, and also like it is. Thanks.

Kat: 1st Jul 2007 - 20:35 GMT

Lol, 'BW'. Haa...

I was checking out this thing on Wikipedia. In it, they have a travel guide to Brooklyn, and when I went to look for Bushwick, they were calling it 'East Williamsburg'.

I edited it so that they aren't one in the same. Can anyone else think of anything other than Knickerbocker to talk about in that section? I've got nothing against Knickerbocker, I just can't think of anything else to put.
Here's the link: http://wikitravel.org/en/New_York_%28city%29/Brooklyn

The stuff about Bushwick, I wrote myself. If anyone can elaborate, please do. I terrible with describing things.

Dee: 9th Jul 2007 - 23:01 GMT

I grew up in Bushwick as a matter of fact iwas born in Bushwick.Iwas born in Wycoff Heights hospital in 1955.I lived in the same house with my family until I married in 78
my mom finally got the hell out of there in 87 after my dad died. I say got the hell out because I have seen this neighborhood transform from a wonderful place 55-62 to not so bad 62-68 reminded me of the movie Crooklyn, all the kids got along the Latinos ,the Blacks (some did some didn't) the Italians, Irish and whatever other nationality. We all hung out played stick ball, johnny on the pony ranked each other out as well as your motha.That was all good, we all knew we were culturally different but on the street we were buddies.
Now to the good stuff the 70's Bushwick sucked. Cedar street
was practically all burned down. the place was so depressing
packs of dogs running wild and people began to not care.We had some very nice neighbors, we treated them with respect and they did the same.However I forget the year but when Dr King was shot all hell broke loose riots on Broadway, fires
everywhere. I hated living there then ofcourse 77 the great black Bushwick burned and was raped they fucking robbed and looted. People running down our block holding televisions, stereos, whatever they could grab. These people killed Bushwick why did we allget along before? what the hell happened? All I know is when I would call car service they'd say we need a car in war zone, they called my neighborhood war zone can u imagine/ noo u can't.
by the way my fond memories os the L train is some schmuck with his weeney out. My friend who lived on Hart st was touched by some slob on the Wycoff ave station. And as far as your buddy being robbed on the central ave station boo hoo
some things never change. I wish all of u luck with ure investments I know the city has become a place for the very rich so good luck. I almost envy the fact that i don't have the balls to go back, ut for me it would be like visiting Auswich.
to the young lady that says people keep talking ab out Knickerbocker well thats because it was a great shopping area
and had alot of good food Jewish deli's, pizzerias great bakeries, candy stores too bad u people from Ohio or wherever never got to taste the real Brooklyn. Sis u know there was a pretzel factory on Starr st real pretzels not the shit they make today.

whiteP: 10th Jul 2007 - 16:12 GMT

Ahh Bushwick, what is funny is how young professionals live like kings while blacks and hispanics can barely afford wholesome food. Whats even funnier is the way these so called thugs have the biggest mouth and no bite. If you are thinking of moving to bushwick you will quickly come to learn that nothing is scarier to the local residents than white kids who arent afraid of Bushwick. These people are their own worst enemies. I mean what landlord wouldnt love a more gentrified neighborhood.

Cay: 16th Jul 2007 - 18:48 GMT

Dee I remember them real pretzels. They were unlike anything I've tasted. A couple of years ago I was in midtown for a month with a group of coworkers. I tried explaining the pretzels to the group. I got them to try them and they all looked puzzled. I took a bite and realized....some things DO change, and for the worse. The pretzels sold on the street in NYC don't even resemble the pretzels we had when we were kids. Vendors everywhere, they were awesome, so good. It makes me wish for one. Someone told me they were called "Philadelphia pretzels." Does anyone know if that's true?

ilana: 18th Jul 2007 - 19:49 GMT

my boyfriend and i (brazilian and half filipino/half white) lived in bushwick for 8 months. we shared an apartment with a wonderful ecuadorian woman, Carmen, and her daughter Patricia on the first floor of a house on Menahan Street between Myrtle Ave and St. Nicholas Avenue. Sometimes I was annoyed when I couldn't swipe my debit card at a bodega, or when I'd have to take the bus when the L train was down. otherwise, we encountered any problems. our block was notorious for teenagers graffitying the premisis with their tag "hooligan city," and the countless pairs of sneakers wrapped around cable lines. we moved to park slope about 2 months ago, but i miss the bodegas, hearing bachata and reggaeton out of the stores, being able to buy fresh fruit and churros for breakfast before i jumped on the train. i'd give up my 5th ave park slope apartment for a place as real as bushwick anyday

John Dereszewski: 20th Jul 2007 - 01:03 GMT

The recent "pretzel post" brought back some very dear - albeit fattening - Bushwick memories. When I served as District Manager of Community Board 4 in the late 1970's, I would walk to our offices at 335 Central Ave by going up Linden St. from the Gates Ave. "J" train station. After passing Evergreen Ave., I passed a small taxpayer building - just next to 101 Linden - that hosted a small but very active pretzel factory. The aroma was always enticing, and the prices that they offered drop-in customers - three fat salted pretzels for a whopping 25 cents - was irresistable. I consequently began all too many of my workdays downing my 25 cent breakfast - with a 50 cent coffee. The taste was great, at the clear expense of my waistline.

This business ceased operations no later than the early 1980's, though the little taxpayer building remains, at least for now.

Peter: 20th Jul 2007 - 01:49 GMT

hi john! will you be at this weekend's walking tour?

thirty years later, and coffee's still 50 cents around here...

upfromflames: 20th Jul 2007 - 03:27 GMT

He's leading the tour, dude! See ya there!

Meet on Wykoff @ Gates at 1PM on Saturday.

Bushwicks baddest chic aka Bobbi j : 21st Jul 2007 - 22:37 GMT

this goes out to all you bushwick peeps i was born and raised on irving the streets were two way back then i went to 86 what you know about that the 83 was not on knickerbocker im talking bout 1973 ya know .im tired of all you nuggas saying you from bushwick its okay if your 15 and live there for 15 years but if your 30 something and only lived on your block since you were 10 or 11 then your not from bushwick rosie perez is from bushwick jackie gleason is from bushwick i am from bushwick and i am missing knickerbocker right now .people brag about the old drink spots like Mr lees where you get any liquor drink in a wonton bowl and get drunk off your ass looking like your eating chinese soup thewn there was brooklyn drinks a bootleg mr lees or appolo iver in the southside what ever it was if you dont know about normandies on cypress and the bank on flusing then your probably not really from bushwick .....;..anyway whether your from bushwick or you plan on moving into bushwick the only thing you need to worry about for real is the big ass rats not the people ...Bushwick is not compton so people if you say bushwick is scary than your nothing but a punk .Love to brooklyn always representing I LOVE BUSHWICK ANS BUSHWICK LOVES ME I EVEN GOT MY OWN HUBBY FROM BROOKLYN althoug sweetheart you were from bed stuy you only hung in bushwick but the truth is you were born in money makin manhatten so this means baby boy your a round the way guy but i love you anyway im from brooklyn not you muwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh>>>>>>>,,,,,Lola loves you boo

bushwick facts:: 22nd Jul 2007 - 05:55 GMT

in the 60-70s all white italian and germans on irving side
Puerto ricans were from other side of central it was like a border
muslims locked down bushwick ave in the 70 -80s and prior to them the jews had shit on lock.Chinese were always around the best chinese rest are always in the hood.
bushwick high school colors were orange and black best swim team and foot ball till lane took over
Bushwick pool on flushing was one nickel to swim all day
johnny pumps and street gutters were our swimming pool turn on the pump and do it up.jump rope double dutch and skelly were sports youll see all day long the old italian goombas were in knickerbocker park playing baci ball. sun bathe yea on the fucking roof tar beach no money for train.you want to die go to woodhull,you want to get weed you use to go to the weed gate,swimming pools on sidewalks ,blue plastic pools,people always on stoop aka porch steps,buy ices for all the kids on block,there was and old man name peter on irving everyone called him grandpa he was so sweet,how bout the green bum?how bout bobo the clown or the man that use to dress like santa and walk around all year long giving lolipops,do you know mrs shushine?father kelly?Home of the best puerto rican cuchifritos,and if you could not find one some bodys moms sold food out the first floor window along with piraguas or limbers,who needed adryer when you had the hallway banister,no need for a slide kids slid down bannisters in hallw ays hung out on roof ladders dam bushwick was crazy funny oh what about the sneakers on the wires in the streets,rosie perez was from bushwick

Genuine brooklynite bushwick baby: 22nd Jul 2007 - 06:04 GMT

I am so proud of where i come from.Most people say bitches in bushwick are dumb.Never that Never me ,I just see what i see and i will always be me.Growing up in the hood did me good.Im bright and and full of knowledge even finished college.YOU may want to be me just recieved my doctrines degree.Im a product of your enviorment lord knows the streets were heaven sent,they taught me right from wrong sometimes i express it in my song.I went from living on rice to living very nice.i can have anything no worry bout the price,I talk street slang but i dont gangbang,when i have meetings i put on my best and "say hello" but all these people dont know im really from the ghetto.if you have brains and you street smart i tell you this you will get so far in life so keep being proud of where we come from and prove to the world that being from bushwick is not a bad thing at all

Bushwick love bug: 22nd Jul 2007 - 06:20 GMT

The best thing that came out of bushwick was my man the love of my life sorry ladies i got the best man from bushwick he is the best he is fine and he is my bushwick love boy do i love bushwick lola loves big lou forever and ever we both lives off the same avenue and never met till 20 something years later but it was worth it ill wait another twenty something years to find love like this if i had to love was waiting just around the corner damm boo you know i love you so much all your ex,s dont know what they let go thank you bitches you never know a good man till hes gone but i was smarter than you hoes i got him for the past 7 years and ill keep him thanks

anon (dyn-160-39-159-56.dyn.columbia.edu): 23rd Jul 2007 - 04:41 GMT

Is Bushwick Ave safe about 3 blocks south of Myrtle?

upfromflames: 23rd Jul 2007 - 19:12 GMT

Thank you for visiting. Please come again.

Brooklyn-Pete: 27th Jul 2007 - 08:20 GMT

Bushwick is not the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn, it's definately no Park Slope but it is not as bad as some would have others believe. The neighborhood is very noisy and extremely filthy on many blocks but there is a great sense of community and people generally look out for eachother. I was born in Bushwick in 1984, one of the very few white kids to grow up in Bushwick in this era. I grew up on Linden St in my grandmothers house. My family goes back in Bushwick to 1903 when my German immigrant ancestors purchased a tenement house at 55 Troutman St ushering in 4 generations in a neighborhood that has changed markedly since then. Although the neighborhood has improved somewhat since when I was a kid, many homes are still in terrible condition and vermin is also a major problem. I would hate to see this community polarized again like it has been in the past, but it seems that animosity runs strong between those of us already here and the newcomers. Many old timers fear a new East Village etc... and the newcomers tend to hold themselves aloof in the neighborhood being very anti-social and sometimes disrespectful of working neighbors, as some wealthier hipster kids my age tend to view Bushwick as an endless alcoholic LSD Trip of rooftop parties,drugs,drinking parties and the like, while usually being ignorant of the fact that many people live here with families and try to raise them in a semi-pleasant environment so hopefully they will one day improve themselves. While I strongly doubt Bushwick will ever become like it was in my parents time of tidy tree lined streets, elderly german ladies scrubbing their stoops, Italian widows clad in Black heading to St. Josephs, soda fountains, Dairy Queen and the once proud RKO Bushwick Movie Theater, I hope that a common ground could be found among all of us to make the neighborhood pleasant, hopefully clean it up alot lol, maybe put in more trees, keep a watch on these greedy real estate speculators, and put pressure on landlords to take care of their properties while still keeping the neighborhood working class. Surely we all must have more in common than differences and putting good ideas to use instead putting each other down would only be a plus for Bushwick and every other neighborhood in America.

upfromflames: 27th Jul 2007 - 11:15 GMT

Heez, brooklyn pete, where you been? You are the seemingly improbable middle ground who understands it all and says it well. I just wish we had heard from you earlier. If you have the time, I hope you would be able to come out Saturday, August 11, for a collaborative Bushwick walking tour. There is so much you have to share.

Tune in here for more info:
www.bushwickbk.com/forum/index.php?board=38;action=display;threadid=19060;start=1000000

anon (cache-dtc-ag08.proxy.aol.com): 29th Jul 2007 - 21:05 GMT

Gentrification is obviously evident not only in Bushwick but all over New york City,its just a shame that it takes race to improve a community. ie: Farmers markets,trendy stores, bistros, and uppyish bars. It also appears abundantly clear people are segregating themselves. Its just very unfortunate. Thank you.

Brooklyn-Pete: 29th Jul 2007 - 21:19 GMT

Thank You!
I only wish I had found this blog sooner.

I would love to go on a Bushwick Walking tour, and will try to keep August 11 open, keep me posted on updates.

-Peter

JJ: 1st Aug 2007 - 03:46 GMT

Broadway/ J-train/Halsey theater / 14 Holy Martrys / Wetson's hamburgers/ Pretzels from Starr st./ egg creams
from the fountain shops/ greasy spoon diner and stickball.
You guys shud hv seen Broadway in the early 60's around
christmas time. What a place to grow up.I'd love to see it make a comeback.Anyone out there from 14 holy martrys on
Central and Eldert st?

Tony T: 1st Aug 2007 - 06:12 GMT

Reading through all of these posts brings up a mixed bag of emotions. Like many here, I left Bushwick years ago (16 years ago actually). Japan is my home now, and it is a far and different from life in Bushwick as Knickerbocker is different from say...Jupiter? Anyway, I'll rant off a few personal facts and if anyone recognizes my name please feel free to email me at torres@pobox.com

- Schools (123, 162, Grover Cleveland 1983)
- Anyone remember Mr. Bromme at JHS 162? I'm still in touch with him
- Someone asked if anyone remembered Meatland on Starr & Knickerbocker. Yep, the owner was Frank and he was the nicest person I knew.
- Nicks candy store on Knickerbocker between Starr and Willoughby (a head shop right next store)
- I lived right upstairs from the now popular Northeast Kingdom restaurant on Wyckoff ave. That used to be a sweat shop. Can't believe they now serve $17 pork chops!
- I was at the RKO Madison theather when the lights went out in '77. Was watching The Island of Dr. Monroe. Had to walk back to Evergreen and Willoughby in the dark
- Watch the All Hands Fire from a block away. Hotest fire I ever saw.
- Saw them wheel away Carmine Galante from Joe & Mary's restaurant. Good riddance!
Saw many memories. I just hope the suckers...I mean residents currently buying $600,000 "condos" on Wyckoff enjoy their time in Bushwick as much as I did as a kid. Good luck!

tito: 2nd Aug 2007 - 01:33 GMT

Brooklyn bushwick is gangster look back in the 80's and 90' when john gotti was running it .
Now theres a new breed of gangster !!! The only thing that has change is the pack of dogs that use to run the streets and the blocks with burned down cars , broken down houses ,empty corner lots with crack heads in them.

Cay: 3rd Aug 2007 - 15:58 GMT

Realtors are the new gangsters. Selling dreams that go up in a puff of gunsmoke. Watch out.

upfromflames: 3rd Aug 2007 - 16:04 GMT

Cay: After your earlier alarmist pieces, I think you are getting closer the the real dangers lurking for Bushwick and NYC.

Cay: 3rd Aug 2007 - 19:57 GMT

"Alarmist" is your term, not mine. I prefer "personal experience."

Luis Acevedo: 4th Aug 2007 - 00:34 GMT

Bushwick is no diferent now than any other neighborhood in NYC. The rule has always been to go about your business and everything will be fine. If you go out at 3am nothing good could happen. But this is true anywhere. the 83rd pct does a great job of patrolling and the EMS and FDNY respond within minutes of calls. I am raising my family in Bushwick and I have no complaints. Had this been 20 years ago that would be a different story.

Cay: 6th Aug 2007 - 14:57 GMT

EMS, FDY, NYPD 83rd PCT, no problem with any of these everyday heros. I'm proud of them and all they do. Good and evil....always the balancing act on this planet.

John Dereszewski: 10th Aug 2007 - 00:22 GMT

This is just a notice that the third walking tour associated with the "Up From Frames" exhibit will occur this Saturday - August 11 - at 1 PM. We will gather at the Irving Ave. side of Maria Hernandez Park - between Starr and Suydam Streets - right at PS 123. This tour will include visits of North Bushwick and East Williamsburg. Among many other things, we will visit Joe and Mary's - where mob boss Carmen Galente was gunned down - the old 83rd Precinct, the area included in the Bushwick Initiative project, the site of the former St. Leonard's Church, the beautiful English Kills and several of the trendy places in East Williamsburg. The trip should last about 2 plus hours and end up at a great bar on Flushing Ave.

I hope both the new and long time residents of Bushwick will come out and make this tour a real - and very interactive - success.

Africarose: 12th Aug 2007 - 17:19 GMT

I'm no New Yorker no American, I have just been in the US for few weeks and came here to work with an organization. I come from Africa. I have found an apartment in Linden St. between Broadway and Bushwick Ave, close to Gates Ave station in the J line. and I have been reading some of your posts and I'm concernred with some of them, any advice?

not a gentrifier: 13th Aug 2007 - 21:30 GMT

Moving right around menahan and bushwick ave in bushwick. Anything to worry about?

Wyoming Native: 15th Aug 2007 - 03:42 GMT

I live in WY, recently visited NYC, stayed in Manhattan for a week. Rode the J train to Brooklyn for a bagel, then walked back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn bridge.
My area of interest is the Grove Street area of Bushwick. My Mother came here from Yugoslavia in 1938 and lived on Grove Street for a couple of months with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins.
My daughter and I were planning to go back to Brooklyn the day the tornado struck Brooklyn, and the subway tracks were flooded. So we had to scrap that plan and were very disappointed. My question is, does the address 1920 Grove Street exist today, and does anyone have any pictures they would be willing to share? She is 80 years old, and remembers vividly that their house was 3 stories, they lived on the ground floor and there was a patio type area at the back of the house with a clothesline that they took turns using with the house across the alley? Also, a schoolhouse a few blocks away. BTW, the house was stucco. I would appreciate any info/pictures that anyone has, with dates if possible. Thanks from my Mom and I. email me at snzrmom6@hotmail.com

Peter: 15th Aug 2007 - 04:02 GMT

wyoming native: thats less than a mile from my house. i might be around there this weekend; if so, ill snap some photos and email you...

Wyoming Native: 16th Aug 2007 - 03:11 GMT

Peter: That would be great! I look forward to hearing from you.

Kerry: 16th Aug 2007 - 04:11 GMT

I'm a single girl in my late 20's. I'm supposed to be moving to Bushwick in October, though I'm not sure what part yet. I have a dog and I do have to walk her at night, sometimes as late as 11 or midnight. Should I start looking somewhere else or are there parts of Bushwick that would be alright for someone like me?

Neighborly : 16th Aug 2007 - 07:45 GMT

I've lived in Bushwick for 3 years... gotta question. Why do most the kids who are mainly artists, musicians, new to the area, mainly white folks, got some pocket money - you know who I mean- why do they consider Life Cafe, Archive, Northeast Kingdom, etc the "only places" out here?? Ever eat at Tina's Restraunt, on the corner of Flushing & Morgan? Ever shop on Knickerbocker? I'm one of "those people" I listed above, myself. But I buy as much as I can at my closest bodega, instead of at the ridicously overpriced Brooklyn Naturals where things are at least a dollar more. Talk about feeling safe in the neighborhood, etc. - well why not be a part of the neighborhood that has been here for years, as much as possible, and maybe the neighborhood will look out for you in return. I say whatsup to my neighbors, now they wave at me every time I walk by - they're lookin out. I feel alot safer because of all that - the lady at the bodega knows me, the old men at the domino table know me. In my opinion, getting to be part of the neighborhood that has been here awhile is hella "safer" than just sticking to the new hipster businesses and never being neighborly with people who have been here a whole lot longer than you, and who can either welcome you in or drive you out without you even realizing it.

Chris Rodriguez: 17th Aug 2007 - 16:36 GMT

I live on jefferson av. off of evergreen an bushwick.... Ima tell u right now its the best place 2 live if u a kid. im 16 an shits hectic around here but i wouldn move away.. block parties cornershops an ma dominicans everywhere i look lol... but yeah ders da downsides... u got crips bloods kings ms13 d12 mm 2 much gangs an drugs erwhere u look an im tellin u if u white... don move in. jus a suggestion cuz i mean i kno som of ma friends if dey see someone u jus kno aint from around here or doesnt belong here they gonna fuk them up an i mean if im there im jumpin in 2... tonys pizza on knickerbocker=best pizza in da world if u there say wat up 2 ma man tony... look to stay safe keep ya mouth shut and your money hidden... oh an stay AWAY FROM CANARCY PROJECTS QUEENS an himrod st. brooklyn

Cay: 17th Aug 2007 - 18:08 GMT

So uh Peter and UpfromFlames.....what say you to Chris R's post???? Is he telling it like he experiences it or is he being an alarmist.

CartLegger: 17th Aug 2007 - 21:20 GMT

first off, I do agree that tony's is the best pizza, and he is a nice guy, too.

But if you mean how does some kid shooting his mouth off reflect the community, I think it really does not matter much.

Does he really represent the community, or is he just some 12 year old who found this site on a rainy day? Should people be scared because he is typing this...?

What do you think, Bushwickers?

upfromflames: 17th Aug 2007 - 21:20 GMT

PS, that was me above, writing under my other name...

Adam

Cay: 17th Aug 2007 - 23:39 GMT

Avoiding what you don't want to recognize is unhealthy.
Even if he is "just some 12 year old" his experiences and opinions shouldn't be dismissed. And, too, the highest number of crimes in NYC are being committed by a younger age group. So if he is shooting his mouth off or if he is sharing authentic dialogue I don't know, but it is worth reflecting on. After all its out here like everyone else's posts; one not more credible than any other.

larry: 18th Aug 2007 - 21:07 GMT

hey--anyone know much about brownstones on cornelia st. in ridgewood?

Cay: 19th Aug 2007 - 12:34 GMT

Good for you, Chris. The "culture" of the "gentrifiers" is not to be valued more than any other culture. We must all be invited to the table. ALL OF US. Crime happens to all of us,"just some 12 year old" and "gentrifiers" and people on "walking tours."

upfromflames: 19th Aug 2007 - 18:31 GMT

Chris: Many props to you for expressing your opinion in this forum. I hope my students at Bushwick Campus will do the same sort of thing: to speak what they know.

Peter: 22nd Aug 2007 - 13:57 GMT

its hard to be objective about "safety" and "neighborhoods" in nyc in general, as everyone has their own stories and experiences, and fluke things happen in every neighborhood, from the hood to park avenue.

but i can speak for my experiences... ive never felt unsafe in bushwick. as in just about every other neighborhood in any large, saturated urban area, if youre just generally minding your own business and doing your thing without standing out or making some sort of scene, everything stays status quo. i wear the same city-jaded face in bushwick as i do on 5th avenue, you know? its served me well for years.

i am amused, however, at how some people make bushwick out to be some sort of aggressive, life-threatening gauntlet. id even wager that some of the above commentary borders on boasting and talking big. everyone likes living in a neighborhood with cred, and some will say whatever it takes to capitalize on its reputation for that purpose. as far as my personal opinion goes, the most "intense" interaction ive ever had with other folks in the neighborhood has involved banal things like someone bumming a cigarette or kids playing in the hydrants.

but yeah. talk is cheap. id say take anything that any of us (myself included) say with a grain of salt, jump on the L or M train and head out to the area and see for yourself.

Chris Rodriguez: 22nd Aug 2007 - 18:24 GMT

Im not (just a 12 year old) im an honor student at bishop laughlin memmorial high school. Peter if you feel safe good for you... how old are you things are different for a 16 year old den for a 32 year old. an seriously yall got mad at someone up there for saying to stop inviting people... i mean they had a point... if you love bushwick so much the way it is... keep it that way dont turn it into just another community... seriously you found this place, then great you dont have to try to move in a whole new genre of people into the area... i mean seriously a walking tour to see what?? old crappy houses, corner stores, and hospitals? look around the street on one of these walking tours. Everybody on sidestreets and streets without buisnesses are either hispanic or black or asian... seriously try to go into a corner store owned bye a mexican and order a pound of salami... how? you dont speak spanish and they dont speak english... lol im starting not to make sence but basicaly what im trying to say is... if you have alot of money or if your succesful with money on the way... why in hell move to bushwick???? Staten island some parts of queens or manhattan but bushwick? Over here as soon as someone becomes succesfull the first thing that they do is move away!!!

Bushwick Girl: 22nd Aug 2007 - 18:55 GMT

My Bushwick...I love this neighborhood. I've been in the bush since 1988 I migrated here when I was 8 yrs old. Back then I was too young to understand what was really happening in this neighborhood but I don't forget the images in my memory of the M train full of graffiti, the bombs that freely did drugs in the corners, parks, etc.. I lived right on Harman and Knickerbocker behind minimax...the store is still there. Back then the Bush was full of addicts, prostitutes, dealers, mobsters, everything you can think off. It's hard to believe that this same city that was filled of mansions on Bushwick Avenue (a few of them are still there) and the largest brewery community who gave jobs to thousands of workers turned out to be so bad in the 70's and 80's. The man who discovered the North Pole lived on a mansion that still stands on the corner Willoughby and Bushwick Ave. It's red and gated. They've tried to fix it for years and never completed. After a law that was passed about the breweries (can't remember the name) most people lost their jobs, breweries closed, and then the wealth of Bushwick declined. Now we move into the Mob era, Joe & Mary's the site of the Mob boss Galante turned into a Chinese restaurant but is now closed. Maria Hernandez Park dedicated to a woman that fought to keep the area she lived in clean but after crossing paths with a drug dealer her life was cut short from a bullet to her head that came in through her window. The 2 men were caught according to news articles.

South on Knickerboker, past the shopping stores, I’ve always considered it Hell on earth and after so many years even with a Narcotics precinct a block away or the security cameras all over the area little seems to change. Bushwick in the late 80’s early 90’s was known to be the #1 place to most likely be killed, today the real estate market is booming, that is in some areas. A few years back you started to see the diversity come in. More Caucasian people started to move in the old warehouses of course not affordable to the average Bushwick resident. I live 1 block away from Ridgewood and I’ve seen my fair share of drug bust, murders, and cops getting shot all on the block. These sorts of things have not happen since Mid 90’s but still another block away you see the people selling and buying drugs even the Chinese restaurant owners sell cigarettes…that’s amazing only on WILSON AVE…..

To say the least I do love where I’m from I think Bushwick has shown me to be street smart and very attentive to the people I chose to be around me. It taught me to educate myself and not be a product of this neighborhood. I’ve never (thank god) had any bad run ins. Only in 2002 I purchased a home at the tender age of 21 today I have a bachelors degree and I’m pursuing my masters this is not common in my neighborhood were the average 21 year old has 3-4 kids, lives on welfare, and earns maybe 8,000 a year, so much to say about Bushwick. This very same house I bought for almost $300,000 is now worth almost $600,000 that is to show people that Bushwick has changed a great deal. It’s still a work in progress but it has changed.

For those who want to move into Bushwick, every neighborhood has its flaws you have to be wise about where you chose to live. Most Caucasians live in lofts, these areas are very lonely and I wouldn’t be caught dead in it. I won’t be surprised if Bushwick turns out to be the new Williamsburg where 10 years this very same neighborhood was the same if not worst then Bushwick, at least some areas were.

Bushwick there is no place like it!!!!

Peter: 22nd Aug 2007 - 18:59 GMT

im 30. im not rich. i live in bushwick because i can afford it and because its, for the most part, a hard-working, family-rich neighborhood thats free of yuppie condos, starbucks and the like. it makes sense to me here. the L and the M get me around. groceries are affordable. the park is nice. credit at the bodega is nice as are respectful neighbors, cheap rent, copious space and a nice community to hold all of this. sure, id love to live in luxury digs in a really popular, cool neighborhood. but guess what? that aint gonna happen. so i keep it real in bushwick. i got priced out of prospect heights, and let me tell you what- i heard of more muggings and drama there than you can imagine. the steady stream of affluent, young white kids there seems to attract it. thats not such a factor in bushwick.

i work hard for what ive got, and whether youre a thug or a hipster, i think everyone can appreciate keeping an eye on theirs. if you take a close look at the people in the neighborhood, its not hard to tell whos working to make their life livable there (regardless of how they do that- im not here to judge) and who's just blowing through with no respect, trying to make drama or a quick buck off someone else's misfortune. its the ones that dont respect (or recognize) that become victims. the rest of us just do our thing, get by, and make it work.

as for me, when i walk around, people dont step, because they can see it on my face that im not to be fucked with. if you cant rock that sort of composure (as any true new yorker should be able to), then youre setting yourself up to be a victim.

as far as the walking tours go, chris, do you even know any of the history of your own neighborhood? bushwick goes back almost 400 years, man... check this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushwick for starters. read up on some stuff like that, learn it, and maybe you'll see the hood is much more than run-down bodegas, menacing-looking-but-largely-harmless teenage thugs on the corner, petty crime and the occasional sur13 tag...

Cay: 22nd Aug 2007 - 19:49 GMT

Chris, congratulations to you for being an honor student at your school. The real secret to success is using your brain for your own empowerment. Seems like you're off to a good start. Keep up the good work. And actually you make more sense than most on this board. The rest of them will have to work hard just to keep themselves in rose colored glasses, as they keep getting them knocked off their noses as they walk through their paradise.

upfromflames: 22nd Aug 2007 - 23:54 GMT

Chris: if you can't figure out why anyone would want to give a walking tour of Bushwick, check out [[www.upfromflames.com]]. Or some of my other posts here. There is a lot of history in your hood, a cross section of this city's struggle in the 1970's: The ruin that once was, and how it became a place to talk about.

Chris Rodriguez: 23rd Aug 2007 - 04:39 GMT

i KNOW THE HISTORY OF BUSHWICK... i know the history of brooklyn, of all of new york. i wrote a 10 page essay on bushwick for school. Im not saying im a know every single little thing but seriously when i got walking down bushwick and i see freedom square and the mansion i dont wonder hmmm... which historical figure lived inside that mansion? honestly i found this page when looking for pictures of places dat i hang around. i got bored started reading this and i acutally like hearing other peoples point of views so thats why i keep coming back.

Chris Rodriguez: 23rd Aug 2007 - 04:42 GMT

i found those pix freedom square...

Tony T: 23rd Aug 2007 - 07:08 GMT

Chris, thanks for posting the Freedom Square pict. I grew up a block away on Evergreen and Willoughby. I'm 42 now and live in Japan, but I still enjoy looking at old photos of where I lived. When I was about your age, I wrote a paper about Bushwick and the housing problems we were experiencing back in the early 80's. Like you I am latino. In addition, I was raised in a single parent home and relied on public assistance to make ends meet. Sadly, my story was not so unique. Most of my friends came from similar backgrounds. I'm happy to see you engaged in this forum and taking the time to post your thoughts. So what I am about to say to you comes from good intentions, not unlike an older brother offering advice to his little brother. You mentioned in an earlier post that you are an honor student. That’s commendable. But I was surprised at your style of writing. I am not criticizing your spelling (we all misspell words, thank god for spellcheckers), but I was a little disappointed that your writing still lacks proper structure and is littered with slang terms more appropriate on Knickerbocker avenue than in a public forum. Perhaps you were just trying to “keep it real”, but some here may take that as your normal style of speech and think less of you. I strongly encourage you to read a lot and write often. Seek out criticism from teachers or those whose opinions you respect. Make it a point to improve your manner of writing and speaking so that if one day you decide like I did 17 years ago to leave Bushwick, you won’t have trouble finding your place in the world. There is no magic to change, it’s all about desire, and if you just put your mind into improving your speaking and writing skills, you will be amazed how much more respect you will earn from those who all too eager to judge you on your ethnicity. Good luck hermanito.

Cay: 23rd Aug 2007 - 12:41 GMT

Chris: Please listen to the most wonderful advise from Tony above. He's the example of positive change, of the empowerment of self that I referred to. In addition, there are many people that you will meet in positions to help you along the way; teachers, people at work that you will meet, who will become your mentors if you let them. Be open to suggestions as those from Tony are, and you will go a long way. Reaching out to the younger generation and bringing them up positive, helping and mentoring, are the true steps of positive enriching change for all of us. I'm proud of you Chris and I don't even know you. I wish you well. Move forward, one foot in front of the other, and you will become a positive force in the space in the world you inhabit, and you will be self-satisfied and centered, and a role model for others.

Editor:: 23rd Aug 2007 - 13:57 GMT

chris: see right above the box where you type your comments where it says "upload photos"? click that.

more information here, also: www.citynoise.org/about.php#faq8

Chris Rodriguez: 24th Aug 2007 - 18:08 GMT

Chris Rodriguez: 24th Aug 2007 - 18:16 GMT

I speak correctly when im in school when it matters and when I am talking to my superiors... But wen im around my friends i talk the way that comes 2 me first hand and im alot more loose so i mean i didn't realize i had to be puctual on dis website. Why would i try to be "keepin it real" on here? non of my friends come here its just the way that i talk... but fine if you want me to type in correct english then watever. Im only in Bishop Laughlin becuase of a full scholorship. I have a job that i help support my family with too. Ive got to go my aunt needs to use the computa

Cay: 25th Aug 2007 - 15:58 GMT

Chris, its not criticism, just helpful to you. And be proud of your full scholarship. That's awesome. Do good for yourself, Chris, don't foster attitude in yourself. Be willing to accept information from those with authority to help you in life. Its worth it in the end for all you do for your family that you help to support. Don't fight your progress, accept it and go forward.

Chris Rodriguez: 26th Aug 2007 - 06:19 GMT

WAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!! "Don't fight your progress..." "be proud of your scholarship" WAT? Do you think im ashamed in my scholarship? Does your head work right? Please people stop trying to give me nice little stupid avdvice. "Move forward, one foot in front of the other, and you will become a positive force in the space". Someone tell me what type of S*** is that? I have Parents lol. I have teachers the last thing i need is pointless advice ive heard a thousand times online. By the way, one of my friends popped that top left window in that first picture if you were wondering who it was.

Cay: 26th Aug 2007 - 12:02 GMT

Chris, guess you told me. Don't worry. I won't post to you anymore. But street-wise attitude will stop you cold. What good is a scholarship to a good school for recognized potential if in twenty years you're sitting around pissing and moaning about what you should have/could have been or done. Foolish is as foolish does.

Tony T: 27th Aug 2007 - 04:25 GMT

This is how I would have responded if I were 16 years old again and on this forum:

"Dear Tony and Cay, thank you very much for the encouraging words. As a latino kid, I feel that I already have many obstacles to overcome in this cold city. Poverty and prejudice are just the tip of a mountain of challenges I will meet head on. I was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship at a good school and I will work hard to show others that I am deserving of this privilege. I apologize for my poor writing skills, I can assure you that I will work to improve my literacy and appreciate all the support more experienced people as yourselves can offer. Again, thank you for the advice. My goal in life is to educate my mind so that it won't be necessary to "work hard" to support my family. Just work smarter. Thank you."

Well, that's the way I may have responded. Best not waste time on the unappreciative. Too many more deserving people in the world. Enough said on this topic. Ciao.

Cay: 27th Aug 2007 - 12:35 GMT

Tony T: You got the message. Thank you so much for the feedback.

Smudgy: 3rd Sep 2007 - 16:51 GMT

Well, I guess I discovered this site just a bit too late. I missed the walking tour and I missed the show at the BHS. I was born at Bushwick hospital in 1949. Lived on Linden St between Bushwick and Evergreen in my grandmother's house. We had a backyard with 3 peach trees and a yellow rose bush. One year we had a garden and grew everything from radishes to corn. I was only six when we moved away, although my grandmother lived there for another 6 years or so. What I remember: Hopscotch on the bluestone sidewalk, the butcher shop at the corner of Evergreen where my mother sent me to pick up meat and the candy store across the street from it where I had my first coconut popsicle, I once bought a Tabletop pie I ate all by myself, and I first saw Miss Rheingold ads. It had that great corner store smell. I also remember walking down Linden to Broadway to get the el and that the station had a coal stove going in the winter. There was a Genung's dress shop(?) on B'way where the mannekins were on platforms that revolved. Can you imagine such a thing today? Also an old timey soda fountain a little ways down the street, I think. Bushwick was magical to me as a young kid and it still figures in my dreams. Also, there's something aout the light in Brooklyn that's like nowhere else. Is it true that that block of Linden Street has been trashed?

John Dereszewski: 5th Sep 2007 - 23:55 GMT

Smudgy, your block is not doing that badly. Most of the really nice buildings on Linden between Bushwick and Evergreen, e.g., #64, are still there and doing very well. The few buildings that were lost - mostly on the "odd" side of the street - have been replaced by affordible "Partnership" housing. The apartment buildings near Evergreen are also doing well. So the block is pretty solid.

Linden between Evergreen and Central had a more daunting experience over the last 30 years, but is now doing rather well. While a huge number of buildings on both sides of the street were lost, they have now been totally replaced by Partnership affordable housing. The residents of the big apartment buildings - #101,107, etc, - which were abandoned by their landlords in the late 1970's - worked together to protect their apartments and now these buildings are thriving.

In short, you will not be disappointed if you pay your old stomping grounds a visit.

smudgy: 6th Sep 2007 - 17:21 GMT

John D, thanks so much for your hopeful comments. I was in #59. As young as I was back then, I was only allowed to go around the block without crossing streets. Except for the butcher shop and the elementary school, that is. :^>
Looking back through these postings I see you are a Brooklyn historian. Where would you say the best source of info/photos of the area is now that the show is over?

John Dereszewski: 7th Sep 2007 - 01:33 GMT

Smudgy, you should, at once, access the www.upfromflames.com web site ASAP. While the show has closed, the site is still live - for now. If anything, it has more info than the exhibit did. (An unapologetic plug. Please click on the "upfromflames" "Resources" button and download my "Bushwick Notes" article. I think you - and whoever else wishes to do so - will find this article, which traces the events of Bushwick's past 30 years and suggests some tentative ideas for the future, both interesting and provocative. But this is only my admittedly biased view.)

Beyond this, you should contact the Brooklyn Historical Society and the Brooklyn Room at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Both have a treasure trove on info and pictures.

Finally, you may wish to contact Adam Schwartz - the upfromflames contributer to this site and the wonderful curator of the exhibit. I know that many features of the exhibit will be maintained at the old Bushwick HS, but Adam knows a lot more about this than I.

Best of luck in your search!

Menehan Crime Family (MCF): 13th Sep 2007 - 15:11 GMT

I was born and raised in BUSHWICK. Bushwick is the livest pat of brooklyn. Lots of people give BUSHWICK a bad name but its not,its like any other place you look for problems you will find it. In BUSHWICK its all LATINOS & LATINAS. I still go Ova there to hang out and get these latinas in my car YA DIG ......;)

rose colored glasses: 13th Sep 2007 - 20:26 GMT

its coming back, but it still has a long way to go. The area from Willoughby to george st from evergreen ave to st. nick ave is still one of the worst areas in the city. all you have to do is visit www.familywatchdog.us and enter in as a zip code 11221, see how many sex offenders show up.

unsure: 14th Sep 2007 - 20:11 GMT

I'm reading very mixed comments on here about the safety of the Bushwick area. Some people are saying there's a ton of drug dealing and that people have actually gotten shot on their block (i can't remember which person or when, but the comment is towards the beginning) and others are saying it's safe and if you are aware of your surroundings, you'll be okay. I grew up in a very sheltered environment in the suburbs of NJ and I'm not sure to the atmoshpere of Bushwick. What would any of you say about working in Bushwick as a sort of Social Worker. I really want to help the community in various ways and be part of it's success, but I actually a little scared walking around there. Do I really have a reason to be scared, or is it all in my head?

unsure: 14th Sep 2007 - 23:02 GMT

Actually, as I look back on what I wrote, and after reading every single comment on this page (whew!), I realize that I do need to spend more time in Bushwick and see how I feel. People say that all of New York City can be dangerous, and of course, that is true, but according to the crime stats located on the nypd's page on nyc's gov website, bushwick does have more murders and rapes than where I live in lower manhattan, so that does say something. I think I might have to just change the way I think and remind myself of all the great things Bushwick has to offer and that I have to offer Bushwick by working there.

And to everyone on here that is saying don't move to Bushwick, don't gentrify it...You should be excited that people want to move to your area, that there is something they see in your neighborhood, hopefully besides cheaper rent. You should accept them with open arms and make your community actaully feel like a community. If businesses want to open up in Bushwick, embrace that, because that will bring jobs, a better sense of community, more positive and enjoyable things to do, and more people will come and see what a great place it is. There is so much negativity here...we all need to be positive and be open to change. And if you're scared rent prices will go up for those that live in Bushwick already, then help change that. Get involved in the organizations working on affordable housing and get involved in tenant organizations. You CAN fight the "man" (slumlords and speculators) AND still create a beautiful, successful community.

rac: 2nd Oct 2007 - 02:18 GMT

Well, I've been living in Bushwick for 6 months, now (off the Myrtle stop). I was born in the Bx and used to live in Hell's Kitchen for many years; and really its about the same in terms of security, etc. The best part about Bushwick, it that it is just a bunch of real people that live here. There's the Ecudorian Volley Ball tournaments at Maria Hernandez, there's the block parties in the summer, there's the Yemini Bodegas and there is Good Bye Blue Monday. There's the myriad of stores on Bway and Knickerbocker and there's the J Train (which can get you anywhere in the city). What more could you ask for? At least the place is still real. It will take many years for Bushwick to "Gentrify" and it will be worth living here until that happens (if it ever does). The point is - if you want to live in a real NY neighborhood then come to Bushwick. Yeah, you could be mugged, but you could get mugged in Times Square too. So, what do you have to lose? This will never turn into Williamsburg. There are too many real people here.

crimestats: 5th Oct 2007 - 10:33 GMT

dont always believe crime stats or any stats for that matter.

Stats are like a womans bikini, they reveal alot but do not show anything.

crystal: 7th Oct 2007 - 00:47 GMT

i use to live in bushwick, from the time i was born until i was six years old, my grandmother lived on stockholm and bushwick ave, she passed away in 74, so my stepmother and father, moved to east ny, until i was 11 and we moved back to bushwick, my address was 177 covert st bet wilson and central, i loved bushwick, i now live in ct. when i come to ny to visit i always come threw my old stoppin ground, back in the days halsey park have the summer jams, or halsey jhs park, there use to be fights but thats everywhere you go, dont act gangsta, you wont have problems, i use to always hang on wilson ave bet shaffer and decatur. it use to be the game room. but iam also talking over 20 years and better, but it's funny when ever i come threw i never have any problems, there are still people over there i grew up with. buswick brings back a lot of memories happy and sad.

John Dereszewski: 8th Oct 2007 - 04:30 GMT

Crystal, as I'm sure you know, the block on Covert that you lived on went through some very difficult times in the 1970's and 80's due to the many buildings that were lost through numerous fires. With that said, it was very heartening to read that, despite these problems, you loved living in Bushwick. I suspect that one of the reasons for this was that the people on this block worked hard through their block association to fight the blight and keep the block together. They also organized some terrific block parties. (I remember one when the Calabash Dancers performed.)

One of the block association's leaders and prime movers was Mrs. Maud Sykes who lived across the street from you at 174 Covert - the building with the little fawn in front of it. (I always saw the fawn as a symbol of hope for the block during even the darkest times.) Mrs. Sykes faught fiercely for the community. While we were always on good terms during the years I worked for the local councilman and then as the community board's District Manager, she would have no problems coming down very hard on me if she did not think I was doing my best to help Covert Street. For many years, she also ran a very fine after-school program for scores of local youth.

During the past few years, the block's fortunes have turned for the better with the construction of many affordable and high quality Partnership Housing that have literally filled just about all of the gaps created by the fires. Most unfortunately, Mrs. Sykes, who faught passionately for this housing, died just as construction was about to begin. But I'm sure her spirit continues to urge the block on.

I hope this adds to your fond memories.

UpFromFlames: 13th Oct 2007 - 01:32 GMT

It would be best to read all the posts above for your answer.

I think you'll be fine. But there is so much more to it than that.

Jane: 5th Nov 2007 - 17:00 GMT

I saw a nice a condo in Bushwick. It was located in between Montrose and Morgan stops on L train line. The major cross sections are Flushing and Bushwick. The apartment was lovely, I'm not sure about the area. Would you say that it is safe for a single woman to work about 5-6 blocks at 9 pm? Are there much stores and restaurants around that area?

Mushi: 12th Nov 2007 - 21:25 GMT

Jane,

I've lived by myself in Bushwick off of the Jefferson Street stop. My theory with being a single woman living in any part of NYC: take the subway until a certain part of the night you feel comfortable. If you are working or partying late in Manhattan and don't feel comfortable taking a train at night by yourself, take a cab or a car service. Unless you live in some really, really scary areas, it's a judgement call on your part. Places can only get better: Manhattan just keeps getting too expensive for places like Bushwick to NOT get better.

I walk a few blocks by myself in my neighborhood at night, and I've never felt threatened. I see women walking by themselves at night all the time.

There are definitely places opening up in the Montrose/Morgan stop area -- much more than off of the Jefferson stop!

Again, the area can only get better -- be positive!

Antwerp Kurzweil: 13th Nov 2007 - 03:19 GMT

dangerous citizens? man, what you need to be worried about is the dangerous NYPD. sure, there's always the chance you'll get mugged in nyc, but then again, theres also a chance you'll get an undeserved hail of NYPD bullets raining down on your ass for no reason. in case you didn't know, the cops here are indeed that evil and inept.

you're pretty much damned whether you do or don't. so get that place in bushwick or ridgewood! its cheap, and admittedly, the odds are in your favor that the next Nazi-like NYPD death-related faux pas will more likely occur in the south bronx, east new york or harlem before they'll happen in bushwick. you might come out on top.

But yeah, Bushwick seems to have some good karma popping lately; as well it should, granted its not to distant past...

Mushi: 13th Nov 2007 - 16:00 GMT

Stopped into the new K-Pax Deli on Starr between Wyckoff and Irving. It's a nice, CLEAN little place opened by a Polish couple (which is odd because the Polish population seems to stay in Maspeth, Greenpoint, and part of Ridgewood). It's like Brooklyn's natural only about 1/5 the size and, obviously, less items. It needs more pre-made foods, more fresh veggies and fruits, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. But it is very, very clean.

Again, at least the location is trying to change!

Peter: 13th Nov 2007 - 17:13 GMT

i pass that place every day going to/coming back from the train. i never see anyone in there. im assuming its because theyre still pretty new. with all the cheap (but admittedly spartan/utilitarian) bodegas around (two are within 50' of k-pax itself), theyre going to have to be both much better stocked and much more competitive price-wise than the rest of the neighborhood if theyre going to stick around for very long... saying its like brooklyn's natural is a bit of a stretch, but it is indeed a step in the right direction...

i am tempted by their soup offerings, though. as its been cold and wet recently, a nice cup of soup walking home from the train in the drizzle would be nice...

Mushi: 13th Nov 2007 - 21:51 GMT

I had the barley soup at K-PAX last night -- it was nice (and warm).

As for it being like Brooklyn's Natural, you can obviously see that is where K-PAX got their inspiration. And I said it was like 1/5 the size of Brooklyn's Natural only with lots of Polish groceries.

Pricing on their sandwiches are the same as the bodegas, and yes, they need to be better stocked (I was actually shocked at the low amount of diet drinks there), but again, it's improvement for the area.

Dark: 15th Nov 2007 - 09:11 GMT

What's the area like around schaefer st., near Wilson Ave. like? I believe it's right near the cemetery and the Wilson Ave. L station. Any info would be a big help.

like-iti-s: 15th Nov 2007 - 22:04 GMT

i would stay away if your going to live in bushwick (if you have to)

move to area closer to ridgewood. BUT not starr, troutman, jefferson, willoughby, etc. also visit www.familywatchdog.us and see a list of some sex offenders in the area many in the 11221 zip code.

Peter: 16th Nov 2007 - 14:16 GMT

interesting... i live smack in the middle of the area around starr/troutman/jefferson/willoughby, and think its actually pretty good here... id much rather live in this area than the "area closer to ridgewood", but thats just my opinion, i guess...

like it is: 17th Nov 2007 - 00:12 GMT

again visit www.familywatchdog.us and key in zip code 11221.

upfromflames: 17th Nov 2007 - 00:53 GMT

Is the difference real? Or is it just what feels better? Does it really take worn down buildings to house a pedophile? Seems to me they could live everywhere...

From my own experience, as a teacher, it seems that people watch out for their own, and that much more in neighborhoods not accepted as "nice". My kids are streetsmart, and would never let their personal space be violated.

It could even be that "nice areas", for all their superficial complacency, make families that much more vulnerable to physcical threats.

No matter how nice the area, what matters is who you are, how you raise your children, and most important, if you judge people by their skin, or by their character.

Peter: 17th Nov 2007 - 05:00 GMT

hey "like it is": even our 'beloved' hutchinson, kansas has more sex offenders per capita than bushwick! your brand of reactionary bullshit is just that... bullshit. whats your point? i mean... i live in bushwick, and trust me, worrying about where the nearest 'sex offender' lives is the least of my worries, yo. i mean, its almost laughable. where do you live? please let us know. id love to see how many predators live in your neck of the woods.

again... whats your point? people always want to talk about demographic dynamics in bushwick... race, gentrification, income, etc... but i can tell you this... regardless of their background, race, age or gender, id wager that most bushwick residents wouldnt hesitate to step up to a community menace if it came to that.

also, for the record, a site with the name "familywatchdog.us" sends a shivver up my spine, very much like the words "homeland security"... it just reeks of flyover-state americana and right-wing holier-than-thou-ness.

Logan: 18th Nov 2007 - 17:47 GMT

I am a 38 year old man born and raised in bushwick. I have seen bushwick go through many changes. I can remember when the wiseguys used to spend their days in the coffee shops on knickerbocker Ave by the park. The place was full of heroin addicts and alcholics. You would see them nodding in the streets all over the place. There were street gangs on Jefferson St. Flushing Ave and Wilson Ave. Such as The Devils Rebels, The Brooklyn Destroyers and The Crash Crew just to name a few. Peoples homes were broken into frequently and it was not uncommon to see people robbed in the street. These were the days of very long cars,funk music and abandoned buildings. I was just a kid but I remember. Then came the eightees along with crack. There were two major drug crack gangs in the neighborhood fighting over teritiory. I can remember coming home late at night and walking past dead bodies on many occasions. I lost many freinds during this time. You could be walking down the street and there would be gun shots. The crack heads were in the neighborhood by the thousands. They were like zombies all over the place. Prostitures, dealers, pimps, stick up kids, you name it. They would go into peoples hall ways all the time to get high, turn tricks whatever. Flushing Ave between Irving and Wyckoff was prostitute city. Special task forces were formed and police men were stationed in trailers permenantly on Troutman St. and Knickerbocker park to clean up the drug activity. I do not beleive the drug trade will ever be fully eliminated in Bushwick however it is much better than it was in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Most of the abandoned buildings have been restored or replaced with new constuction and many new businesses have appeared. It is not the best neighborhood but most of its reputation comes from its past not its present. I made some mistakes coming up which I attribute to the environment I was subjected to when I became old enough to go out by myself. Because of this I am very uncomfortable with the idea of raising my children there and have moved to a better neighborhood. However If I was a single man or married with no children I would not think twice to move back.

lil nancy: 19th Nov 2007 - 20:01 GMT

anyone remember Nancy and Felo's candy store on Knickerbocker Ave between Linden St. and Grove St., then she moved to the corner of Knickerbocker and Linden St.? She sold great sandwiches, the only penny candies to all the kids in the neighborhood, and had all the old video games in her store. This was about 1966 through 1990.

mushi: 20th Nov 2007 - 16:52 GMT

It looks like something might be opening up next to Northeast Kingdom. I noticed this morning that the security gate was up on the storefront next to the restaurant. That is very promising!

Bk Finest: 12th Dec 2007 - 05:54 GMT

I never lived in Bushwick but am very familiar with the nieghborhood. Its funny back in the days Bushwick was known for its good weed. As far as I can remember we'd take trips from Sunset Pk Brooklyn to buy that good weed on Hancock & Evergreen and Palmetto & Gates. This was in the 80's. Shortly thereafter I became a cop on worked that nieghborhood as an undercover cop buying drug. Unlike a lot of hoods Bushwick was never organized when it came to the drug game. Buying drugs in B'wick was never ending. K'Bocker & Troutman and all the spots on the darkside was sick. But I must say Bushwick has gotton a lot better. Although you still have some bad apples, i feel its only a matter of short time before it will be the place to be and raise children.

Seen: 15th Dec 2007 - 20:16 GMT

Someday, when Bushwick becomes accepted as a great place to live (face it, y'all, it's inevitable-- its on its way, and if you can't tell, then you obviously haven't ever been there) people are going to look back at this post and laugh at some of the comments.

rachael: 17th Dec 2007 - 01:16 GMT

hmmm...

many of the comments i've read have either amused me or angered me...but I'll go on anyway...

i'm a brooklyn native and originally from east flatbush. my parents left there to move to long island [for better schools for me and my bro]. i came back to nyc for art school for 4 years and moved to bushwick after i graduated.

i haven't experienced being robbed or being in any real danger since i've been here. but then again, i was raised in a not-so-safe place and i know to handle myself. the people here are nice.

now, my issue is with all those that call-out the hipsters and all that. i'm sure people in this neighborhood think that i am one, but i can't help looking like others [i'm also a west indian american female]. i'm not rolling in money in any way. i don't believe that i'm a gentrifier [if i'm paying pennies to live somewhere] and i hope others don't think that i am one. i work hard like anyone else and i've got bills like everyone else.

some of those hipsters you're talking about are just as broke as i am. art jobs pay well if you're lucky to find one, so yeah, us broke ass cheapos are going to move here because it's cheap and there's a sense of community here which is nice.

i feel that the 'hardcore natives' are too quick to pull the hipster card and dismiss everyone new in the neighborhood as rich, spoiled brats. let me assure you that anyone that fits that description still lives in w'burg. they wouldn't live in bushwick unless they had to. i live here because i can afford it and williamsburg is gross. great to visit..annoying to live in.

i dunno, i'd love the neighborhood to grow as in i'd love to see the community cater to all types and for all different types to have a greater relationship. i don't want skyscrapers and overpriced condos and coffee shops filled with people with sticks up their asses. i like the neighborhood as it is. regardless if i'm thought of as being a hipster...i'll just use my non-existant fortune and live peacefully here.

oh yeah, and for those that are wondering why gentrification is taking it's sweet time here... realtors are pawning people by calling the area east w'burg. happy rich folks are glad to come out and check the place out. once they step off of the l at jefferson and dekalb, they turn running. why? bushwick is large. and it has a large concentration of brown people. the brown people scare them. not all...but the ones that have an exaggerated idea of what 'brooklyn life' is. why do you think people aren't moving in droves to east flatbush? crazy west indians that's why. i know. i was one of them.

so, for those of you that can't wait for a starbucks to be opened out here, please do hurry up and find a place in williamsburg. you'll make us and yourselves very happy.

greene and knick: 21st Dec 2007 - 00:26 GMT

Reading this column.. Interesting, since I grew up near Greene & Knick. and remember the murder at the pizzeria on Irving and greene in the early 70's.
Just wondering, from the 11/17 comments, why would you percieve it as bad to have these people registered?

Low Kee Angel @aol.com: 22nd Dec 2007 - 06:18 GMT

Maria Hernadez, of whom they renamed Star Park after. Can someone please tell the real story behind this person and the events leading to her death.

UpFromFlames: 22nd Dec 2007 - 14:41 GMT

Its amazing the things that Google can do!
www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=186
I feel that this is a great summary.
I'd love to be able to identify Carlos, but he has since left the city and lives somewhere upstate.

FRED MEGLIO: 24th Dec 2007 - 15:20 GMT

I LIVE IN BUSHWICK SECTION FROM 1946 TO 1979 THE 50S AND 60S WERE GREAT! LIVED 1403 GATES AVE BETWEEN WILSON AND KNICKERBOCKER AVENUES WE NEVER LOCKED OUR DOORS AT NIGHT TILL THE 70S CAME CRIME DRUGS FIRES ALL OUR BROWNSTONES BURNED DOWN TO ASHES DUE TO THE LOW LIFES THAT TOOK OVER SAD TO SAY I WENT TO SAINT BARBRAS R C CHURCH BLEEKER AND CENTRAL AVENUES SANG THERE AND WENT TO SCHOOL THERE 50S 60S THE CHURCH IS BEAUTUFUL OUTSIDE AND INSIDE LOOKS LIKE THE VATICAN OF BROOKYN I HAVE MANY GREAT MEMORYS THAT I WILL TAKE TO MY GRAVE 1403 GATES AVE NO LONGER STANDING NEW BUILDINGS WERE BUILT ALSO I WORK AS A BAKER 1463 GATES AVE IVERING AVE BRANDLERS BAKERY NOW LONG GONE 1979 HAD TO CLOSE IT DOWN I WENT BACK TO VIST BUSHWICK 1993 IT LOOK LIKE A WAR ZONE HOW SAD AND HOW I WALK AROUND AND CRIED SUCH A NICE AREA OF GERMANS ITLANS POLISH AND IRISH FAMILYS WHO RAN FOR SAFTEY AND ABANDED THERE HOMES IT WAS A REAL DISGRACE! IM 62 YEARS OLD NOW AND PLAN TO VIST AGAIN TAKE PICS OF WHATS LEFT AND SEE SAINT BARBRAS R C CHURCH AGAIN WHICH STILL STANDS GOD BLESS BUSHWICK FRED MEGLIO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knickerbocker & Troutman: 25th Dec 2007 - 22:46 GMT

Carmine Galante, although not the most positive person, was loved and adored by the community. Old timers said he was very generous and took care of the community, but no way should they even consider renameing any street in his honor

Jim QV: 28th Dec 2007 - 13:29 GMT

I used to work with a guy named Al Sorbello and I remember him saying he grew up around Starr St, Troutman St and Knickerbocker Ave. He said he was born there in the late 1940's and lived there until the late 1970's. I also worked for a guy named Charlie Campisi, I think he grew up on Suydam St. They knew each other. They were both really good guys. Al died in the mid-1990's and is missed.

fred meglio: 29th Dec 2007 - 15:43 GMT

jim i knew al sorbello he was my dads best friend dads name was mickey meglio nick name real name john

fred meglio: 29th Dec 2007 - 16:48 GMT

ANYONE HAS MORE PICS OF SAINT BARBRAS R C CHURCH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE VUEWS CAN YOU E MAIL ME THEM I WOULD BE VERY GREATFUL MY E MAIL IS TYANDTODD1217@AOL.COM FRED MEGLIO THANK YOU ALL! I FOUND A FEW ALREADY BUT IF THERE IS ANY OTHERS PLEASE E MAIL ME THEM THANK YOU ALL

Low kee Angel@aol.com: 30th Dec 2007 - 03:53 GMT

Anyone remember a sad occurence that took place on Troutman St, where a father murdered the wife and a child, the other child hid behind the curtain escaping death. I think the little girl was very young, she is still a live today. Real sad, I think this happened in the mid 90's

desales pl: 30th Dec 2007 - 10:49 GMT

anyone can tell me anything about bushwick and desales pl

historian: 30th Dec 2007 - 19:34 GMT

Many of the crimes,and the one you are referring to, are in the archives of the NY times www.nytimes.com.

Also, the fire on Central Ave. in June 1974 where people were killed and the landlord was suspected but not charged, of course the Fremgen case and the maria hernandez incident.
However, i would like to know if any of you have info on the death of the teen in around 1966-67 who died when he was "playing" in the sewer construction on troutman st.

Michael Worsley: 31st Dec 2007 - 01:29 GMT

I Was Born On Sunday November 21,1971 In The Bushwick Section Of Brooklyn 37 Eldert Street Use To Love To Watch The J Train Run Down To Halsey Street Run Up To Chauncey Street,Years Ago My Late Father and I Use To Catch The J At Halsey Street Ride All The Way To Queens Blvd Before It Was Demolishing The Thrilling Years Of Yesterday.

sonia: 31st Dec 2007 - 03:48 GMT

bushwick is a very good place to live you have a lot of low income families who live there but there are alot of whites moveing in i have notice a lot of new houses being built and the streets look a whole lot better less empty lots and more residents moving in people pay taxes for thier new houses so i feel its makeing a diffrence in the community . i have live in bushwick for about 15 years and i recamend it to any one who is willing to make new friends . only one thing i do have to admit if you stick your nose where it dont belong you will find trouble just like any where else you live .

John Dereszewski: 31st Dec 2007 - 16:24 GMT

To DeSales:

I can tell you a bit about this small street in extreme southern Bushwick. First, it was originally known as Hull Street and marked the point where the then winding Bushwick Road took a turn south on its way to join the Kings Highway, which now forms a part of Eastern Parkway. This was durung colonial times.

The street was given its current name probably in the late 1800's. This was when the Roman Catholic parish currently known as Our Lady of Lourdes was named St. Francis de Sales. Since the parish was founded in 1871 (making it a very old parish) and renamed in 1900, the stret name change must has occurred during this time. I guess the emerging cult associated with Our Lady of Lourdes triggered the name change.

Incidently, if you are interested in reading more about this portion of Bushwick, you should visit the following web site:

www.cinematreasures.org/theater/7927

This is a cite dedicated to the old Colonial movie thretre that was situated at Bushwick and Chauncey and that now is a church. The many comments submitted since the blog was created in 2005, however, cover the entire Our Lady of Lourdes community and are really fascinating. (It reminds me very much of this blog.) So enjoy.

John Dereszewski: 1st Jan 2008 - 16:33 GMT

To DeSales again:

My long excursion into the history of this street might not have answered your question, which probably was: How would it be to live on DeSales Pl. now?

The fact is, DeSales is one of several lovely one or two block streets that run from Broadway to the cemetary. Pilling, Granite, Aberdeen and Vanderveer Sts. are the others, and two longer streets - Moffat and the Bushwick portion of Chauncey St. - also fit into this mold. These are quiet, tree lined, streets with fine one and two family wood frame housing that are very well maintained. This area is also well served by the L train's Bushwick-Aberdeen station. In short, if you are looking for a nice place to move, this might very well be it.

Uchie Martinez: 6th Jan 2008 - 18:27 GMT

Dear Old School:

I do remember Maxi's place, Meatland, Paul the barber, Knickerbocker park. I lived on Melrose Street between Knickerbocker Street and Wilson Avenue, best years of my life between 1965 and 1988. I still visit from time to time, have family there. Knickerbocker Street looks run down but Melrose Street is very livable. It's nice to know that someone from back in the days remembers these places and probably enjoyed the same things I did. Go old school.

Uchie Martinez: 6th Jan 2008 - 18:42 GMT

Hey Alfred in ATL:

I too lived at 336 Melrose Street and 338 Melrose Street your dad was my landlord. Moved out in 1988 but I still go back, have family at 338 Melrose Street. Why do you bash Melrose Street in Bushwick? It wasn't paradise but I have many fond memories. I had such a great time growing up there, made lots of friends and didn't have a problem with anyone. Bushwick rocks! Think of it this way, everything in life changes, change is good *sometimes* I'm sure you have some good memories of the place.

jimmy: 9th Jan 2008 - 11:10 GMT

Hi,
I was born in Bushwick, 1950 and lived there till 1963.
I lived on the corner of Grove Street and Evergreen Avenue.
I remeber the Halsey Bops, The Ellery Bops, The Flaming Saints. Cypress Park, Hyland Park, Stickball, Paul and Anna's Candy Store, St. Barbara's Church, The RKO Bushwick, the Loew's Gates, The Monroe theatre, egg creams, the Bushwick boys' club, and so much more.
I wrote a whole book about growing up in Brooklyn.
Jimmy

FRED MEGLIO: 9th Jan 2008 - 14:10 GMT

HI JIM I ALSO RECALL THE HALSEY BOBS AND ELLERY BOBS I RE CALL SINGING DO OPP MUSIC WITH A GROUP OF DUDES ON MY CORNER ANYONE RE CALL BRANDLERS BAKERY 1403 GATES AVE BETWEEN IRVING AND KNICKERBOKER AVENUES? I WORK THERE WITH MY BROS AND DAD TILL 1979 GREAT HAND ROLLS AND ALL KINDS OF BREADS YOU CAN SMELL THE BREAD BAKEING FROM MILES AWAY AWAY MANY GREAT MEMORYS 50S 60S 70S SAD TO SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO BUSWICK AREA ALEX CANDY STORE GATES AVE AND KNICERBOCKER AVENUES GREAT MOM AND POP STORES RUSSIOS GROCEY STORE PS 116 THE GREAT SAINT BARBARAS R C CHURCH THE VATCAN OF BROOKYN N Y KOLLETTYS ICE CREAM PARLOR ON MYRTEL AVE GODTLEBS FOOD DELLI RIPLEYS CLOTHES AND HOWARD CLOTHES GREAT! MEMORYS I MUST SAY

rich backes: 9th Jan 2008 - 14:43 GMT

lived at 624 chauncey st.in the early fiftees remember niehr's ice cream parlor the hang out of the rail road boys.went to our lady of lourdes our house is long gone my brothers and i go back and visit once in awhile none of the houses on that block look the same don't reconize one of them.remember the neighborhood kids kenny'bruce'larry his brother killed in vietnam bobby'neil and tommy in 56 we moved across broadway sill on chauncey though that block had tons of kids out on the street,all summer long we would play stick ball not like that anymore boy how i miss those days

Lydia: 10th Jan 2008 - 15:11 GMT

Hi Uchie,

You are so right! I also have fond memories of Melrose Street, remember I lived in 350 Melrose street from 1976 to 1980 and my sister lived in the building next to yours. Although it was for a short period of time,I still enjoyed living there. I now live in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; and I love it here. Yes,Bushwick has changed a lot from the time we lived there, I do not visit but I would never say I would not live there because you never know what live brings your way.

How can anybody forget Maxi's Candy Store, penny candies which today you do cannot find and his delicious Egg Cream soda. Wow! Knickerbocker Park and let's not forget Vito's Pizzeria, when a slice of pizza was .35 cents.

Those were the good old days. :-)

revisited: 11th Jan 2008 - 12:33 GMT

my father grew up on hart street thru early 60's. took him back to old neighborhood for tour. area is slowly coming back but still very bad sections. give alot of credit for tearing down the burnt buildings and putting up new ones. however, the area has no ammenities/stores except knickerbocker
Couple of points. while many of the tenaments were worn and needed sprucing up, ther were no "old cars" around. also why is it, that many woman have to wear clothes that are two or three sizes to small. passed myrtle near cemtral and there was a man who was in his forties playing music on his stoop with speakers that must of been 4 ft tall. it was so loud, that my car was actually shaking from the vibration. no regard for anybody else, if a baby was sleeping, person sleeping who was working nights, etc.

SCW: 12th Jan 2008 - 05:56 GMT

How about Bushwick East of Gates Ave and the proximity to Brownsville? Doesn't Brownsville have the highest murder rate in the city?

johnny quilez: 15th Jan 2008 - 21:35 GMT

i grew up in the bushwick section of bklyn and have many fond memories and many bad ones as well.but i don't have one regret growing up there,it made me wiser.i lived on the corner of knickerbocker and hancock from the early 1970's thru the 1980's.i went to p.s. 151,j.h.s. 162 then transfered to 296,the for h.s. i went to grover cleavland h.s.we moved just as the crack epidemic got worse.anyone from the block from around the same time i lived there please respond to this post or email me at dice735@yahoo.com

Angel from Sunset Park Brklyn: 22nd Jan 2008 - 03:46 GMT

Never lived there, but I must say Evergreen and hancock had the best weed in the whole city in the early 80's

FORMER BUSHWICKNITE: 3rd Feb 2008 - 19:13 GMT

WELL FOLKS, I'M A SOCIAL WORKER WHO CURRENTLY LIVE IN NORTH CAROLINA. I GREW UP IN THE BUSHWICK AREA. I'VE SEEN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THERE. I REMEMBER A GUY GO HIS HEAD SHOT OFF ON EVERGREEN. COULDN'T EVEN ID THE GUY. COULDN'T SEE HIS FACE. I'VE SEEN YOUNG WOMEN WITH 7 KIDS & NO JOB NOR EDUCATION. I'VE SEEN THE CRACK EPEDIMIC- IT WAS ROUGH. MOST OF ALL MY FREINDS DIDN'T MAKE IT. VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCES. BUSHWICK HAS COME A LONG WAY. THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD FOLKS THERE. BE CAREFUL IS THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE. TRY TO BE HOME BEFORE 11PM. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN AFTER 11PM. TAKE IT FROM MY EXPERIENCE.

Upstate Jim: 10th Feb 2008 - 04:06 GMT

Born in Bushwick in 1963 and moved to rural upstate in 1971. Lived on Dekalb close to knickerbocker ave (about 3 doors down from the pizzeria). I came from a great big family that was split up all around knickerbocker on hart street, dekalb ave, and some in Ridgewood. Unlike most inner city kids who strive to get out of the city in the summer, I always came back to the city in the summer to spend time with my family. As time went on my whole family moved away from Bushwick and even NYC in general, we have been out of Bushwick for over 25 years I am now 44 and my kids who never walked on brooklyn streets are adults. I drove through the neighborhood about 10 years ago with my kids to show them where I lived and they were amazed that I was from the "hood" funny I never considered it that way, it was just where we lived, I liked it and I remember I hated the thought of moving away when I was a kid. It is a shame that it got so bad there, as I read this blog I am pleased that some people think it is not that bad there. I hope you folks can clean it up, what a great historic neighborhood, don't reduce it to just "da hood", your better than that...

bob r: 12th Feb 2008 - 02:54 GMT

born in bushwick in '53. lived on Bushwick Ave one house off Jefferson, may have been 1212. I was 4 years old, my sis 3 and younger brother was an infant. While watching American bandstand, only because the Micky Mouse Club came on next, I heard my mom scream in the kitchen,my dad came in the front door early from work> Next thing I know there are police all over the house. Heard them say, "He fell back out the window". Years later I got the real story. Guy climed through the rear open window of our second floor apartment,grabbed my mom, dad comes home.....WE then moved to Richmond Hill. Years later I returned (as a detective), worked the area involving homicides and narcotic's. still rememebr being takin' to john's Bargain Store and seeing Snow White in the movies. My dad also delievered bread on the weekends for "Bonacoura's Bakery". "Murray's Antiques" was across the street, alongside a luncheonette. Baptized at Our Lady of Good Council, my cousins went to 14 Holy Martyer's.

Ed Swenson: 12th Feb 2008 - 21:35 GMT

I was just a baby in Bushwick. Born at Bushwick Hospital in 1937, saw Dr. Salpeter when needed. Family moved to Ozone Park in 1939 and then to New Hyde Park in 1942 but family was loyal to B Hospital, and when my sister was due in 1946 she was born at B hospital also. I heard that the hospital was downgraded into a nursing home. Does anyone know if it is still there, what it's address is...?
Next time I get to NY I plana to explore to see it.

yes it is: 14th Feb 2008 - 22:58 GMT

it is still there as a nursing home, looks somewhat forlorn to say the least. I took my m/f to old neighborhood and commented that imaging spending your golden years in that place....

geraldine: 17th Feb 2008 - 02:49 GMT

i moved to grove and bushwick over this past summer, and haven't had a single problem at all. it was intimidating at first (i'm 22, white, and female), but for the most part people have either ignored me or just stopped to ask about why the j train running late or where the bus is. my phone was stolen a few months ago, and my boyfriend called it, met up the people who found it, and they returned it without a problem. i just moved from grove and bushwick to eldert and bushwick, and my boyfriend and i walk down bushwick to each other's apartments at night all the time. i'm really happy with the neighborhood - my rent is cheap, the families in the building are really nice, and i don't find myself intimidated most people in the area.

JimQV : 18th Feb 2008 - 01:53 GMT

A young lady named Geraldine just posted that she had moved to Bushwick Ave & Eldert St, and doesn't feel insecure. My Mom was born in a house on Eldert St is 1922. Her relatives owned that house from the time it was built, for over seven decades. A year and a half ago I asked my cousin (who was 67 at the time) why they left? He said, "we had to get them out of there, those two old ladies were getting mugged, right and left". Then he added that "the final straw was when a mugger walked up to Veronica on Bushwick Avenue, punched her in the face, knocked her down and took her purse". He finished, "do you know how much money she had in her purse? Nothing! He knocked her teeth out for nothing!"

I was assigned to the 83 Pct in the early 1980's. At that time, the two elderly Aunts were still alive, and at one Thanksgiving dinner they asked me how their old house looked? I said, not as nice as when you owned it. Actually, by that time the house my Moms family had owned from 1890 to 1964 was a burned out shell. How sad...

You may feel safe 99.9999999% of the time, but there's always that tiny fraction of a percent, that in Bushwick, can be lethal. Think about the worst day you can have, not the best, when you contemplate living at Bushwick & Eldert. Sweet, gentile, elderly Irish women, like my Grand Aunts aren't living there anymore. Can you handle a very bad day? The NE Patriots were supposed to be a shoe in for the Super Bowl, but they had a bad day. Anyone can have a bad day. But bad days on Bushwick Avenue are the worst.

KayO: 24th Feb 2008 - 16:20 GMT

Wow! Dr Salpeter, havent heard that name in about 50 years. My parents went to him. I lived on Furman Ave. left in 1960 when I got married. My parents stayed as long as they could and got nothing for their house. The house was burned down eventually like the church Our Lady of Lourdes on Aberdeen St. People came out of their homes and shops in the morning and cleaned the streets . What happened?????Dont they sell brooms and mops anymore.

Bob: 26th Feb 2008 - 04:46 GMT

I was born in Bushwick in 1950. I lived on Starr Between Wilson and Central, great place to grow up. We had to move in 1962 because the city wanted to knock down PS 53 and build JHS 111. Anyone remember Charlie's candy store on Starr and Central, the Starr Movie, St. Joe's Feast? Great times. There used to be a pizza place on Central where you could buy a square of pizza. We would play ball all day in the summertime. We would go to Cypress pool or sometimes St. George pool. There was a candy store by St. Joe's where we would go after church on sundays and buy candy for a penny or two cents. Wax lips, dot candy on paper, all sorts of candy. We used to go to the pretzel factory on Starr and buy a bushel of pretzels and sell them on Knickerbocker avenue for three cents or two for a nickel. How about the cart that came around with the block of ice with the dirty rag on it and we would buy crushed ice and we would pick the color we wanted. Also the hotdog cart would come on saturdays and stay on the corner of Starr and Wilson, hotdogs costed 15 cents. You could buy two hotdogs and a soda for 45 cents.

I wish I could go back to those days, they were great times.

Rob: 26th Feb 2008 - 06:00 GMT

'Have to say, it's been a fascinating experience reading all of these posts and comments. I vistied Bushwick this afternoon as a tourist and while there's only so much ground you can cover in that short a period of time, I did get a much better sense of the neighborhood than the previous time I'd passed through in the mid 90's. I'm not someone who is thinking of moving there so, my contributions here are purely about being hopeful that change will continue in the most positive way possible. More than anything, the best measurement of fairness will come in the form of the people who've lived and struggled with the Bushwick of the past being priorities in terms of reaping the benefits of whatever success keeps spreading. As long as life is still here, we'll always have the opportunity to make things better.

Peace to all of those in Bushwick and good night.

Sylvia Aviles: 16th Mar 2008 - 14:35 GMT

I grew up in Melrose St. Corner Bushwick in the 60th. There was always something happening. But nothing as bad as I read here.I miss going back home, but I know it could never be home anymore. I have been living in germany for the last 36 years. I graduated from Eastern District Highschool 1964 and would be happy to have contact to anyone who knows me. (e-mail: lazylabelle@aol.com)

none ya: 18th Mar 2008 - 17:43 GMT

i grew up on suydam and knickerbocker till i was 21 im 28 now i still go back all the time and bushwick ain't what it used to be shit i remember when even the cops use to sell drugs in knickerbocker park crack viles needles in the old pools before they remodeled the park and i can say bushwick has come a long way its alot safer then what it use to be back in the day still not perfect but alotttttttt better then people on here are saying all thats left is a bunch of fake thugs just little kids trying to claim gangs and colors they know nothing about they only reason i left was to be closer to my business i recommend anyone thinking of moving to bushwick go for it you wont regret it the old neighborhood has changed for the better

jimmy: 19th Mar 2008 - 20:26 GMT

Hi again,
I posted here a while back...
But I just now put up some 8mm film on YouTube from 1954 of my family on the corner of Grove and Evergreen. And at St. Barbara's church. I'm only 4 years old in it but the video is great. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCGGJHpWBm8

Jimmy

Lily: 21st Mar 2008 - 03:07 GMT

Hey, now this is ~my~ house in Bushwick. Only with a different door. I was actually looking through this blog for a picture of a building that looks like mine, and here it is. Good old Graber building. Living there has changed my life.

Renee: 22nd Mar 2008 - 17:43 GMT

I enjoyed reading this thread. However, there are a lot a personal prejudices and biases here. However, that's Americans for you now isn't it. I enjoyed the person who said judge people by their character and not the skin color. I am not a parent yet, but I am a product of successful parenting. To my knowledge raising your children has a lot more to it than just where you live. What happened to the days when people sought out to raise their children to be head strong leaders instead of just following the crowd (no matter where they live)? Why it is an assumption that if you live in a "so called" good area your children will be fine. Do you not think your children will encounter people who are from areas such as Bushwick in life? By no means am I saying not to do everything to keep your children safe, so please do not assume this. A good parent will and that I understand. Anyway, here's a different type of Bushwick story. I am an 80's baby and I was raised in Bushwick (in the 80's of course), when drugs were extremely problematic. My fondest memories are from Bushwick. I am a Black Female in my twenties now, college educated Bachelors in Computer Science and soon to have an MBA in IT management. I work as a Linux Systems Administrator for a major corporation. I have never had a criminal record and I never will. I now live in the south :-( but am looking to relocate back to NYC, likely BUSHWICK. Furthermore, before the assumptions crowd around, being an admin in the IT industry I am not low income AT ALL so that is not my reason for moving to Bushwick.... I love Bushwick... It taught me how to survive/thrive ANYWHERE in this world. So, not a bad story for a Bushwick chic???? To put a spin on things about raising your children... where I live it isn't the low income kids who are having the problems with the drugs and such... It's suburbia kids with the parties, meth, coke, weed, alcohol, etc... The difference is that they do not become statistics like a kid in somewhere like Bushwick would (because you know they are allowed to make mistakes) so we don't hear as much about this problem. However, it exist because I see it. So like I said wherever you live raise your children to be Leaders because there isn't any environment that will do it for you.

Renee: 22nd Mar 2008 - 18:11 GMT

I wanted to add. I don't advocate for living in unsafe areas at all. Hell, when I decide to get married and have children I will definitely want my children to be safe. My personal opinion is that you should always work with what you have to the fullest extent and strive for more. Furthermore, YOU CAN RAISE CHILDREN SUCCESSFULLY ANYWHERE. It's up to the parent to put the time into their children, period. Also, I like the improvements that I've seen going on in Bushwick. It does need a lot more work and I think it will get there. I grew up there, and I want to be a part the change.

joe caiola: 28th Mar 2008 - 07:13 GMT

y grew up on willoughby between wilson and knickerbocker. went to st. joseph patron on suydam st and st. john's prp on lewis ave. those great days in the sixties hanging out at mikes ice cream parlour for burgers and playing the juke. and larry certa, zay, joey geramina and cathy and the beatles and haning out in larry cellar. oh yes one never will forget!!!!!!!!!!

Angela Bentley: 31st Mar 2008 - 20:22 GMT

I lived on Gates ave then on Onderdyke avenue use to hang out on Palmetto street. I am looking for a family that lived on Palmetto street. This would of been about 25-28 years ago. Her name was Kathleen Fisher she had a sister named Maryjane and brother named Robert. Anyone know them can you let me know. Thanks Angie

Angela Bentley: 2nd Apr 2008 - 19:31 GMT

Looks like no one has been on look at this wonderful site and letting people remember the past. I am still trying to find out if any one remembers kathleen fisher who lived on Palmetto Street. I grew up on gates ave then on ondondonk ave in 1971 through 1980. My godmother lived above the drug store on wyckoff ave on the corner. Used to go shopping all the time on myrtle ave. and stealing candy from the pathmark. lol If any one remembers this neighborhood i was born on dekalb my sister was born in wyckoff hospital even lived in williamsburg for a bit my stepfather worked for the housing department there. He retired from there. Anyone know Anthony Vitale or Matthew Vitale let me know how about Robert Mcquade used to live across the street from him on gates ave.

Barbara Leone: 6th Apr 2008 - 01:40 GMT

I lived on Gates ave in the 60s moved in 1966. Angela what year did you live on gates ave I lives at 1301 gates ave and had lots of friends on Palmetto st and Grove street.I went to St Barbaras. My best friend still came from Palmetto street.

Angela Bentley: 7th Apr 2008 - 15:18 GMT

I lived on gates have around 1975 or so then moved to onderdonk ave and palmetto street around 1978-1979

sicilian brookly gal: 8th Apr 2008 - 17:27 GMT

I grew up on wilson and george. big family building. every apt lived a relative. of course grandpa was the owner. went to st. jo's on suydam st. will never forget my years there with great friends. graduated from there in 1960. the candy store around the corner from st. jo's was Mr. Green. the candy tasted best on sundays after mass when it was lent or advent cause then u could break your fast. anybody who went to st. jo's from 1952-1960 please post a comment. it would be interesting to see if i know any of u.

bill: 10th Apr 2008 - 07:43 GMT

Born in 1941 at williamsburg hospital. Lived at 99 Stockholm until '46 when we moved to 41 Cornelia Street betweenBushwick and Broadway (third house down from the congregationalist Church. went to PS 56 (Madison and bushwick), halsey JHS (Eldert/covert streets) and FKLane efore moving to richmond Hill queens.

Broadway was Ludwig-Baumann furniture, Tell'd Epartment Store, the RKO bushwick, Loewe's Gates, Monroe theaters, Our lady of Good Counsel, Runi's ice cream parlor, Nedicks and a lot of candy stores that sold six cent cokes and eight cent pepsis. You took them out of the big red Coca cola ice chest snf had to pay two cents deposit id you took them out of the store. if you found a bottle on the street, you could collect the two cents. A few found bottles and you could get your own soda. Enough of them ansd you coud go to the movies.

Stickball, punchball and triangle, Chinese handball, boxball and stoopball. Ringalevio, zigzag tag and scully. Who needed computer games?

Learned to swim at the Bedford Y where I was one of about seven White kids among 75 or so Black boys. About nine o'clock when the lessons wer over a bunch of the Black kids would walk with us to the bus stop and wait until we caught the Gates Ave bus. Decades later I realized they were protecting us. wish I could thank them for that.

Rode on the back of the broadway trolleys until the conductor saw us and chased us away. Had snowball fights on Bushwick Avenue (one side against the other) as we walked home from PS 56, and the blizzard of 47 left snowbanks forever in the streets.

Horse drawn wagons sold watermelon in the summer. Garbage was picked up three times a week and we hung it on the fence in burlap bags. Cars still had running boards for us to sit on untl the owner came out. You culd sell scrap metal and newspapers to the guy that came by every week or two. And there were still icemen who delivered to those old folks who wouldn't accept a refrigerator as necessary.

And in case you are wondering, California isn't Bushwick. But it sdoes have more trees, baseball fields and mountains.

Bill

Puffy: 17th Apr 2008 - 03:49 GMT

Can anyone tell me what it's like today on linden street around central ave and evergreen?

John Dereszewski: 18th Apr 2008 - 09:10 GMT

Puffy, Linden between Central and Evergreen is a block that has undergone a considerable transformation over the last decade or so, clearly for the good.

I knew this block very vividly during the bad days of the 1970's, when I worked for Community Board 4, whose office was situated in the Health Dept. building at 335 Central. At that time, the block was seriously blighted. Two huge and filthy vacant lots dominated the south (even numbered) side of the block. One extended up from Evergreen and the other went from mid block to nearly Central. There were only a handful of occupied buildings remaining on this side of the street.

The north side was in somewhat better shape but was also under heavy pressure. The apartment houses situated just north of Evergreen had effectively been abandoned by their owner and, except for the efforts of the tenants and the local HPD office, would almost certainly have been lost. The rest of the block was a mixed bag, with mostly occupied residences but also several vacant lots that were the result of recent housing abandonment and fire. In short, this block was on the verge of complete collapse and the picture was hardly encouraging.

Things are substantially better today. The apartment houses survived and are now thriving as are the other residences that made it though the 1970's. Even better, affordable housing has, over the years, been constructed in just about all of the previously vacant lots. Thus, the state of this block is now as solid as it had previously been precarious. If you visit it today I'm sure you would be impressed.

Sylvia Aviles: 19th Apr 2008 - 15:34 GMT

Hi again,
Can anybody tell me what happens to Melrose St. I lived there in the 50th and 60th. I live now ( since 1972) in Germany.

Jim: 19th Apr 2008 - 16:36 GMT

WOW!!! I used to live in Bushwick in 50's to mid 60's! I went to St,. Barbara's school on Menahan!! I was there during the first blackout & read how awful the second one was there. I moved to Woodhaven for 3 years before coming down here to Fla. ! I read about my old hood in a N.Y. Times article, and there is nothing left of Central Ave. where I lived. I was inbetween Harmon & Bleecker. I do read about the area since we can get N.Y. papers here now. I hope to visit next time I get that way. Reading some of these posts I get the impression it is still strggling. Damn! What memories of my youth!

Peter: 19th Apr 2008 - 21:48 GMT

i know all of you who grew up in bushwick back in the day are eager to see more (one of the editors lives in bushwick, so email editors at citynoise.org with specific requests) but those of us who live here now are really interested in hearing your stories about the neighborhood. share something with us? tell us about what it was like here years ago?

Movin to Wick: 22nd Apr 2008 - 00:31 GMT

what is melrose between wilson and knickerbocker like as of today for a single white lady?

Peter: 22nd Apr 2008 - 01:14 GMT

hey "movin to wick", wake up! youre working with a conception of new york thats about 20+ years outdated... i mean, serously. youd think brooklyn was beirut. perhaps youve been watching too much law and order or taking many of the above half-baked comments too seriously? new york and brooklyn love to romanticize their violence and storied past, you know. maybe you just dont know better, which is ok. and figuring thats the case, i will give you some good advice as a new yorker (and a happy bushwick resident):

as long as you picture yourself as a "single white lady" (victim), youre 100x more likely to become just that... a victim. new york, and especially brooklyn, is one of the most diverse, open-minded places on earth, as im sure you well know. if youre moving here, youll thrive if you quickly visualize yourself as a determined, common-sensical, hard-working person. learn to use self-descriptors that will empower you... "im a newcomer whos ready to make a go at bushwick. any tips?" just sounds so much better than "im a single white female who is paranoid about her safety due to rumors about a neighborhood i know so little about that i have to google it to get some answers", dont you agree? are you sure you want to move here? are you sure youre ready?

and im sorry. i really dont mean to sound snarky, im just getting tired of all the potential-victims that surf here on an "is bushwick safe?" google query, and ask the same fucking question.

listen, people. bushwick (and every other damned place in the world) is what you make it, and will give you back exactly what you bring to it. trust me on this. do you want to be a potential victim transplant from anywhere, usa or do you want to just hunker down and make a go in a new place? if you think you have your doubts, i urge you to not move here. we dont need more victims, or more clueless unprepared people to muck up the works for those of us who came before. on the other hand, if youre ready for a real new york experience, and dont mind a little grit (and are perhaps reasonably passable in simple spanish), i say go for it. its cheap here, its sunny this time of year, the people are largely kind, theres an overwhelming sense of community (which is a rare commodity in new york city), and as quickly as you embrace the community and offer it your most postive traits/attitude, it will just as quickly embrace you, exponentially, with the same.

its common sense, really. didnt your momma teach you any common sense?

Movin to Wick: 22nd Apr 2008 - 11:58 GMT

actually I am from Brooklyn, Sheepshead Bay, but I have been out of the country for a time and had some concerns about that specific block because I just found and apartment there and it was mentioned earlier in the thread as being particularly bad. I wanted to know if the contents of this thread was the usual out of towner terror (because they are for the time experiencing what it means to be a minority in a community for the first time or if Bushwick and more so that block a crime zone.

Jimmy Legs: 25th Apr 2008 - 15:19 GMT

i say that part of Melrose is pretty safe nowadays. to me the litmus test is to go there on a weekend night and see how comfortable you feel.

and to Jim QV: th worst day on broadway and eldert might be very bad indeed, but no worse the worst day on Pierrpont st. eldert's doing pretty well these days!

JAY BUSHWICK: 26th Apr 2008 - 07:12 GMT

RAISED ON WYCKOFF 1976-1996 LOVE BUSHWICK MADE ME DA MAN I AM. NAMED COMPANY BUSHWICK TOWING . SUP 2 ALL THE OLD SCHOOL NIGGAS C.G.K ,M.S.D, K.F.C.,H.B.O.......U KNOW WHO U ARE. JAY BUSHWICK A.K.A. KID57... JULIO

E.stoned bushwick: 2nd May 2008 - 16:31 GMT

I was born in wycoff in 72 lived on wilson av.in stockholm st.went to 123 111@ 162 wrote graffiti, rymed saw allmost all my boy,s get hooked on crack, heron do bids remember my boy z.o got shot on troutman all the crewz b.s.k, h.b.o,c.g.k,t.o.s,m.s.d we all got fucked up at one time or another remember all my boyz l.g beeski all my boyz from suydam st. I use to sell crack in my j.h.s school even went to melrose 600 it was a different time ive seen puddles of blood in the morning walkin to school and bin there for 30something years w.t.c. serviver now i live in florida just chillin BUSHWICK ONE LOVE crazy writers forever. nelly still keepin my dauther from me thanks bitch

Peter: 2nd May 2008 - 16:46 GMT

any of you that came up in bushwick got any pictures of the neighborhood from back in the day?

disillusioned: 3rd May 2008 - 17:15 GMT

can someone explain to me how it is possible to make friends or have a boyfriend/girlfriend if you live in new york city, esp. williamsburg..it seems completely impossible since people are unfriendly and full of themselves. i read above that 'my boyfriend and i' and 'my husband and i' but i'm assuming you didn't meet them there right??? if anyone meets their future spouse in new york city it is a miracle unless you happen to be an asian girl since all white guys in these areas have a fetish for women with pre-pubescent bodies.

Barbara Leone: 4th May 2008 - 01:55 GMT

If anyone has pictures of St Barbaras please email them to me...........I miss that church so much. I lived on gates ave between central and wilson 1954 to 1965. Does anyone remember maxs grocery store on gates and central? My email is lioness2210@optonline.net thanks

anon (user-387hql9.cable.mindspring.com): 13th May 2008 - 01:08 GMT

i live in bushwick pjs my name is kenny wat poppin boy

Big Joe: 15th May 2008 - 06:53 GMT

I was one of the many Sicilian people that lived on Troutman street years ago. we moved out and the place years later went to shit. The mob guys created the dope trade there. Well, its gotten much better. There are many out of town people that want to live in the once factory settings called loft's It has a certain excitement about it. It will always be Brooklyn to me.

Summer Bushwick: 21st May 2008 - 02:58 GMT

Anyone familiar with the area at Myrtle and Grove? I'm living there this summer and trying to find out more about the neighborhood.

upfromflames: 21st May 2008 - 10:39 GMT

Some of the best tacos in all of Bushwick!

marco: 27th May 2008 - 23:10 GMT

hey i live a couple blocks away from you cool i live in Bushwick Brooklyn. riding the train at night is scary u should be very afraid.

upfromflames: 27th May 2008 - 23:53 GMT

Hear that folks. If you ain't scared, get some! But pick up some tacos on the way! I'm hungry!

Barbara Leone: 29th May 2008 - 01:25 GMT

Call it for what it is............bushwick can be very scary but so is the entire world! Grew up there and never had a day without fear but yet I loved growing up there. What I miss most is the corner stores and the people that owned then they were like family and that is what I miss. Will be going back this summer. I really want to see St Barbaras again.

Barbara Leone: 29th May 2008 - 01:25 GMT

Peter: 29th May 2008 - 01:51 GMT

ok, people... what is it, exactly, that makes bushwick so "scary"? i mean, really. i wish someone would just come out and spell it out for us, because i dont buy it. sure, the neighborhood has a storied past (dont we all) and is just straight up "real" sometimes, but whats actually happening, specifically, that has people so afraid?

because, knock on wood, ive lived here for a while and never had any drama. not really even observed much drama, truth be told. i just see a nice, hard-working neighborhood with a lot of proud residents, of which i am one.

all this "bushwick fear" (and general outsider "nyc fear" in general) is some sort of urban legend popularized by people who dont live here. looking back over this thread, it looks like many of you have watched "the french connection" one too many times.

i mean, not to downplay the risks and threats that anyone in any hardworking neighborhood would face, but what is it about bushwick, specifically, that has the peanut gallery coming out of the woodwork here to talk about how "scary" it is?

i really wish someone would address that fact once and for all...

i mean, the streets someone above mentioned as being "dangerous", i walk down them every day and see kids playing, people working, families having a good time outside after work/school as spring fades into summer.

whats so "scary" about that?

truthteller facts: 29th May 2008 - 22:21 GMT

the houses on jeffferson starr troutman that are drug infested. Signs on the houses telling people to stay out or get arrested, the drug problem so bad on knick that the nypd has cameras to watch the people, the fact that three of the top ten worst buildings so far as conditions go in all of nyc are in bushwick.

the problem with sex offenders in the area by the hundreds in that zip code. 70% dropout rate in bushwick high, very high teen pregnancy rate. the fact that wyckoff ave is always in the local papers so far as arrests go. evergreen, central, gates, linden all not that good an area. The big nursing home cant get people working their at night. they have to have someone take them to the train rather than walk alone. I guess other than that all is good.

herehere: 29th May 2008 - 22:23 GMT

Peter: 29th May 2008 - 23:03 GMT

truthteller: the signs on the building are standard nycha signage, stating "only tennants and their guests are allowed in building", you know, the sort of signs you see on section-8 housing all over the city... thats hardly a reason for a scare. additionally, your invocations of "drug infested" (what, is that like a termite infestation?) and the cameras on knickerbocker harken back to the 80s, when the crack epidemic put a blight on almost every neighborhood. i dont buy it, and i think your talk is sensationalist. and all these facts you freely quote... id like to see some sources/citations, as some of your figures just dont sound right. i call bullshit. also... "not that good an area"... what an overly generalized way to describe a neighborhood. have you ever lived in bushwick, or have you only read about it on the web and in the papers?

herehere: thats cool that you took your father back. i dont think "needs sprucing up" or "wearing clothes that are too tight" or "playing loud music" (didnt you know bushwick is renowned for its warm-weather cacophony?) have anything to do with the safety of the neighborhood. if the noie gets out of hand, someone can call 311... just like they do in every other neighborhood in nyc.

i tend to think bushwick gets a tough rap. you see trash on the street anywhere else in the city, you just walk past it. you see trash in bushwick, and you say "wow, bushwick is such a trash infested neighborhood!". its enough to make someone laugh, all these opinions based on stereotypes, generalizations, and a long-gone past...

truthteller: 30th May 2008 - 01:13 GMT

the cameras were installed only a few years ago. 70 % dropout rate is a fact as is teen pregnancies

Peter: 30th May 2008 - 02:45 GMT

source?

i think youre relying on hearsay to a large degree.

upfromflames: 30th May 2008 - 03:24 GMT

More to the point, you are confusing problem with solution, and memory with history

The cameras by Maria Hernandez park are part of the Bushwick Initiative, the latest in a long line of projects to fight the drug problems in "The Well", long one of the city's most notorious drug strips. But it is also about quality of life. And as people can tell you, quality of life is returning to this area.

The sad truth is that the damage was done by departing Italians, namely by the Galante Mafia family, which in the 1960's and 70's chose to sell heroin to the blacks and latinos moving into the neighborhood. It was a decision guided by disrespect. It was one that got many killed, including Galante himself. We are still recovering from that decision.

My point here is that its easier to dismiss people that it is to accept painful historical legacies that must be dealt with. Those cameras are doing that work.

So, Truthteller, who's ever truth you are telling, get over it.

Either come back to Bushwick or move on in your mind.

upfromflames: 30th May 2008 - 03:26 GMT

And 70% dropout rate! I am a high school teacher--and you sir, are quoting some racist drivel from a time long past.

Perhaps it suits your needs, but it does not suit the reality at hand.

always race: 30th May 2008 - 21:05 GMT

its always race isn't it. Let me ask you then, what percentage of students actually graduate from Bushwick high?

How many come from two parent homes?
http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/637

Angela Bentley: 4th Jun 2008 - 14:56 GMT

This is sad there is no need for all this bickering. This is a nice site to see if anyone of the old timers remember each other...I am still looking if anyone lived on Palmetto ave or gates ave or even onondonk ave in the late 70;s particular Kathleen Fisher or sister mary jane Fisher. Anyone know Anthony vitale or Matthew vitale they use to live near myrtle ave. Just wondering. I have some great memories from living there but some sad ones too. where ever you live in the us there are all kinds of "bad" neighborhoods it just the way you make them. Drugs are the devil and people who sell, take or buy them are going to hell.

upfromflames: 4th Jun 2008 - 15:43 GMT

Well, there is not one Bushwick High anymore, but rather four campuses drawing students from all over the city. I work in the Academy of Urban Planning, myself, and our rates are between 60-70% (depending on June vs/ August grads) But I'll check into the rates of the various schools if you are curious. I'd imagines that the Harbor school would be at least 80-90%, but I don't know.

CartLegger: 4th Jun 2008 - 15:48 GMT

Those numbers you are quoting are from back in the bad old days. There is not one Bushwick High anymore. The graduation rate for the Academy of Urban Planning, where I work, is around 55% on a paper, but higher in practice. I imagine that there would be higher numbers for a school like the Harbor school, but I'd have to look into that.

Busy MSD: 4th Jun 2008 - 19:12 GMT

It's really hard to forget a place like Bushwick, I used to live on Central Ave, between Putnam and Cornelia, and I still keep great memories. I used to hang out on Putnam, Between Knickerbocker and Wilson, also on Cornelia and Knickerbocker, I would like to get in touch with people from Bushwick, I still remember my brother Enrique Feliciano "Kike KI" from Gates and Knickerbocker... If anybody knows him tell him to drop a line... I haven't seen anybody from Bushwick since 1993... On that year I've got locked up and went upstate for a few years... Afer that I never came back to Bushwick... But I miss to drive around the neighborhood or walk down knickerbocker, great people, and no doubt the pizza, chinese food and the cuchifritos... Peace.

Angela Bentley: 9th Jun 2008 - 20:07 GMT

Hey busy what year did you live there? DO you remember a kid by the name of RAY RAY or his sister Maria. Just wondering.......

Al Pierro: 10th Jun 2008 - 16:33 GMT

Just came across this website in search of info on what has happened to St. Joseph's church where we used to play softball back in the 50's & 60's. I attended a grade school on Troutman St. between Wilson and Central Aves. which was PS 53. I then attended Junior High School 162 and then to Brooklyn Tech High School (Class of 1965). I lived at 177 Troutman St. between Wilson and Central Aves. I have many great memories of the neighborhood. Like playing punchball on the sidewalk and then graduating to the street between sewers, and punchball in the PS 53 schoolyard where we attempted to punch the ball onto the roof of an ajacent building, stickball with a catcher or drawing a box on the wall for the strikezone, softball anywhere we could get a game, basketball at the school yard, climbing over the 15 ft. fence to get into the school yard. In our younger days it was baseball cards, bikes, tops, skelly, box ball, kings, johnny on the pony, summer recreation at PS 53, making scooters from a 2x4, a skate and a milk crate, the memories seem endless. It really was a great place to grow up and seems to have been a much tamer place compared to what I am reading on the site here. Don't get me wrong there were those who took the drug route and ended up destroying their futures and there were those of us who did their tour of duty in Vietnam and before us it was Korea, and yes there were the gang fights but that was the exception not the norm. Most of us were serious about sports and played every chance we could get. I remember the feasts sponsered by St. Joseph's church which were great. I lived there from 1950 till we moved to Queens in 1963. Some of the many landmarks were the Star theater on Knickerbocker Ave., Ampalo Grocery, Benny's Grocery, Joyer Grocery, Caruso's Drug store on Jefferson St and Wilson Ave., St. Leonard's church on Jefferson and Wilson, Lenny the butcher on Wilson between Troutman and Jefferson Sts., the Green Garden luncheonette, Charlie's luncheonette, Circo Bakery on Knickerbocker, Palermo Bakery with the finest Italian ices and baked goods for miles around, Miamo's bakery, the Boys and Mens shop, the 83rd precinct, Giangrosso's bakery, Boarshead meatmarket, I think I could go on forever. We had a sense of community then and all of our parents looked out for all of us not just their own kids. You could be sure if you were caught doing something wrong and one of the neighbors saw it your father would find out. Our fathers' first instinct was not to defend our behavior if what we did was wrong. That was then. Well getting back to St. Joseph's church does anyone know what happened to it, is it still there?

CuriousGeorge: 13th Jun 2008 - 04:48 GMT

Anyone know what the neighborhood is like on Moffat St. b/n Central and Evergeen? Just off the L-Wilson stop. Looking for a new home in a safe area with modest conveniences -- grocery, dry cleaners, delis/take-out. And how long of a train ride into Manhattan?

ERIC BUSHWICK TAX CREW : 16th Jun 2008 - 21:15 GMT

please if any one knows were my dauther is I was a teen father and her mother went to clevland I Was in 111 her mothers name is nelly she grew up on dekalb bet knick and wilson they called me E.stoned ilived on stockholm in wilson please if any one can find anything out she should be in here 20's begining .here name that i know is lucenia she has black hair and lite skin I was never able to know her.her mothers name in the streets was cookie.
i got green eyes people always knew me in the 80's and 90's please write

remember 1966: 17th Jun 2008 - 11:01 GMT

trying to piece together deatils of a memeory. kid was killed in mid to late 60's when he was running thru the sewers that were being worked on around troutman. apparently he drowned. Does anybody remember this. let me know..

Busy MSD: 18th Jun 2008 - 18:15 GMT

Hey Angela Bentley... I remember Raymond, last time I knew from him in 1993 he used to live on wilson Ave. he has a sister named Maria,... Are we talking about the same person? I don't know what's up with him, but we used to be graffity partners, his tag name was RLC, let me know if we are talking about the same person... Do you still live in Bushwick? Where? Send me your e-mail address... Regards,

Michael Worsley: 19th Jun 2008 - 17:46 GMT

I Love The Bushwick Section Even Though I Was Raised In Bed-Stuy Right Now I'm Working On A Poetry Project About Bushwick The Years I Lived There,I'm Willing To Share With Other Bushwick Natives About My Story And If It Does Come Out It Will Be The Proudest Day In My Life,Believe Me It's Always Said ''Never Forget Where You Came From

The GumbyUF MSD: 26th Jun 2008 - 14:09 GMT

Bushwick...oh, Bushwick. How I love and miss thee. Sorry I left you, but I had to explore other states and neighborhoods. Needless to say, you are still the very, very best piece of real estate on the planet.

One year in Bushwick is a lifetime anywhere else.

Whattup MSD, Putnamaniacs!!!!

Bushwix All-Time Baddest: Gumby, Us First.

Angela Bentley: 3rd Jul 2008 - 17:41 GMT

Hey BUSY MSD---Ray and Maria had an Uncle named Tony and another name Matthew...Sound familiar last I knew they moved was wondering if anyone knew them. Email me at biggirl12668@yahoo.com thanks

anon: 6th Jul 2008 - 23:29 GMT

does the bushwick neighborhood extend to the intersection of montrose ave and humboldt street?

upfromflames: 7th Jul 2008 - 01:57 GMT

historically yes, but currently, no--according to the boundaries of Community Board 4

Bushwick stops at Flushing on the North...

Broadway on the West...

Wyckoff (roughly) on the East...

MostHoly Trinity Cemetery on the South...

So where you are talking about it is East Williamsburg--at least now.

anon: 7th Jul 2008 - 04:56 GMT

is the intersection of montrose ave and humboldt street relatively safe? im coming from the perspective of an inexperienced suburban white male, so im not sure what "safe" even means.

upfromflames: 7th Jul 2008 - 12:15 GMT

"Safe" is a psychological range that falls somewhere between what you are used and what people in the neighborhood are used to. So i don't know makes you feel "safe".

But you could take the time to read the posts above and get an idea of what others say about this, as its a controversial topic.

Peter: 7th Jul 2008 - 14:27 GMT

im fascinated by how often people, in a context such as this, tend to define "safe" as "comfortable, according to my standards"... ergo, it doesnt surprise me that someone that would inquire about the "safety" of this area defines himself as a "inexperienced suburban white male", heh...

like it is: 7th Jul 2008 - 20:56 GMT

dear suburban white male not that bad, but not great either, look in a different area

Ed: 27th Jul 2008 - 04:35 GMT

ARE THERE ANY CURRENT OR FORMER BUSHWICK BUDDIES HERE AT CITYNOISE?

Ed: 28th Jul 2008 - 02:32 GMT

Bushwick Buddies is a private web site devoted to former residents of Bushwick, Brooklyn. You can register by contacting the administrator at bushwickbuddies.com.
For the most part the site consists of pictures of 1950s Bushwick and discussions on many topics. The pictures are nostalgic and worth viewing by anyone who lived in Bushwick in the 50's.
However, many of the discussions are led by a group of older women who endlessly discuss inanities and flirt with the male old timers who join in. The men are right wing fanatics who have a military solution to every problem facing the country. They kicked me out because I don.t agree with their politics and conservative views on almost anything.
If you want a good laugh, try it. However, don't even try to disagree with them as they are closed minded and very defensive.

Excuzmepleez: 30th Jul 2008 - 08:33 GMT

This post is in response to "remember 1966."
I remember the sad accident. It happened on Troutman Street between Central and Evergreen and it involved a boy named Joey Mistretta who was 9 years old, he had a sister Annette, who I went to school with. Troutman Street was literally dug up by workers,(believe it was due to the construction of JHS 111) and large pieces of wood was used to cover and fence ( the digging) the area at night and weekends. Of course, kids being kids were attracted to the area, I myself was curious but I was more afraid then curious. Kids played near and around the area all the time, whenever an adult saw a child or children too close to the digging, they would reprimand them, chase them away and sometimes, the kids would go back playing after the adults left. That’s what happened , Joey and some kids went back to play in the ditch, the dirt was piled high in some areas of the ditch and the pieces of wood that was used for covering, the kids climbed on (like the monkey bars in the park.) Joey slipped and fell into an exposed sewer the other kids went for help and by the time the parents and adults arrived they could not find him. When the police arrived, one of the adults who lived on the block and who also," worked in sewers and knew the sewer system well "wanted and tried to climb into the sewer to try to find and pull Joey out. The police stopped him from climbing into the sewer, saying it was too dangerous. By the time the police sent down professionals to help in the recovery they could not locate him Apparently the water current in the sewer system swept Joey away, his body was found hours later and blocks away from where he fell in.
I remember Joey, he was a funny and likable kid. Such a sad, sad story.
In fact, a few years ago, I spoke with someone who lived on that block and her father was the person who wanted to climb down the sewer to help retrieve Joey.
During the late 50’s and 60’s I lived at 171 Troutman Street between Wilson and Central. With the exception of the accident with Joey, my brother and I have fond memories of Bushwick.

MTA: 30th Jul 2008 - 19:31 GMT

This is a great thread and really shows everyone's perspective on the past, the changes, and ideas about the future. I want to check in and see what folks think about Jefferson Ave. between Evergreen and Bushwick Ave. Any information would be great. Thanks

BushwickBaBY08: 31st Jul 2008 - 17:32 GMT

i live in Bushwick..right on Knickbocker Ave.btw.Jefferson n Troutman..well to start it off.. Bushwick needes to be shut down..its full of 14-16 yer old girls whom are pregnate..thats so uncalled for..but what can we do when there no body to show them right.then you have the lill HOOD BOyz..Please wearn there pant off there butts..who in the hell thnkz dats cute? well only the HOOD RATZ.not only that but every night we got the lill HOOD BOYz starting some DRAMMa With the new plp dat move in on the block. they even break in to plpz new Restaurants. how many of the YOung PLP.. Make it out THIS HOOD? with out Getting Shot at,,or giving the state time? thats the real question..i can not waite till i move out of this TRASH ASS HOOD...May B it may b on the rise...but why waite for it to come..when there are many diff places that ARE ALL READY BUILT?... NOW I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU...
WHich 1 is Easier.....
BE ABLE TO TAKe a PErson out The HOOOD..
OR being ABLe TO TAKE THE HOOD Out OF A PERSON....

in my point of view...even though plp are raised in low in come communties..they should ACT Like HOOD RATS...WHY Can they FInd it EAsy TO SEll DRugz..OR FIght da next person.... WHY Cant they BUST DERE ASS And FIght for a BETTER EDUCATION..A BETTER WAY TO LIFE...

emc: 3rd Aug 2008 - 04:26 GMT

ok- so after reading a lot of the above it seems that it may be a bad idea to stay at my friend's place who will be out of town. i will be visiting by myself and was going to rent a place for the weekend but he offered his for free...but would a single girl, who would spend a lot of time in LES or williamsburg, make it ok? i would be hitting the bars and meeting some folks. mind you i have never stayed in the city in general. just looking for honesty- no worries if the answer is no-i was just looking for guidance. thanks!

Excuzmepleez: 3rd Aug 2008 - 06:01 GMT

To emc,
Where is your "friends place" located? There are sections of Bushwick that I would consider fairly safe and other areas very questionable. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander and vise-versa.

MaverickMuze: 6th Aug 2008 - 03:02 GMT

Check a Film they did on Bushwick Projects @ www.youtube.com/maverickmuze

mami: 12th Aug 2008 - 06:34 GMT

bushwick cant wait to go back............. i lived in bushwick|flushing until i moved into my housing apartment in coneyisland and let me tell you i can:t wait to go back.... i miss siting in front of the building.chating with all the buchenchedas.walking to the cochefrito.Everybody knowS eachother p.r perade couldn"t wait .it wasnt much but it made me happy to be around my people.it seems like iam in another world coney island is so boring iam stuck with all this russians.if you ever wanna have a great summer bushck is were you wanna be...................i'll be thier soon....lol.lol... i but in a transfer.see you soon bushwick.

Ecto 5000: 13th Aug 2008 - 22:58 GMT

i lived on Menahan st and Wilson ave rite on the corner in the projects.They were called p60 now they are called Hope Gardens, ive moved away and came back and things have change.But for the better, back in the days (1990`S)this area on menahan st,grove st and linden st was buggin out shoot outs in broad daylight even if the precint was down the block.Drugs was on the rise and alot of wanna be drug dealers that didnt fight a fair one they would run and get their guns.Me i stayed clear from that life.Dont get me wrong every hood has its problems.My block was about football and basketball and 383 was the field.Linden park was also part of my life.Plus my window look out to the park.Bushwick is a very block oriented.If you walk down your block your givin plenty of "wasup"or "whats good"to everyone that is out on the stoops.Brooklyn has alot of bad places that are not worth movin too.But bushwick is not like any other hood we have Knickerbocker and Myrtle up by ridgewood.Plenty of good workin people livin their lives here.If i can grow up in brooklyn again i would live in BUSHWICK!!!!

mami: 14th Aug 2008 - 00:06 GMT

I.S49 in bushwick.i atteded 49 from 1994until1997.i had so much fun in that school.i still remember mr witney ms morrinson ms bostic ms raina mr lango ms love mr fernandez and mr rodriquez,did any one out their attend or have any memories please post IS49 will be changeing its name but its good to keep it:s memory alive waz good any one respond//////////Ps ,i use to tag up f.ster.

landlord: 18th Aug 2008 - 02:02 GMT

mami ,your kind is not welcomed back in bushwick

CHRISSY-46: 21st Aug 2008 - 02:54 GMT

what a cool site. I can't even believe I found people that came from my childhood, teenage, neighborhood. I grew up on Melrose St. between Knickerbock and Wilson in the early 50's. Went to P.S. 53 and 162. Remember all the wonderful times, fun and family events we had right on our own street. The knish man would come around/ does anyone remember? The half moon ride with the owner Tony? We had a man coming by sharpening kitchen knives and scissors? Caruso Pharmacy, St. Leonards, Pat's Pizzeria on Wilson across from JHS111. Hey how about Ampollos' Grocery store and Mr. Presti on Wilson between Melrose and George St.? How about Willies Candy Store on Wilson? Oh gosh were they good times.

Yes I remember Joey Mistretta. I went to school with his sister and we were very close. That was an awful time for all of us. What a horrible accident and terrible way to die. Poor kid!!!

How about Cypress Pool???? That only recently closed after many years it became a private pool club. Now I think there are residential bldgs.

I am not comfortable goind to the old neighborhood anymore but when I am there and walk a block or so, I see it in my mind the way it was back then; not the reality of what it is like today and that could be dangerous.

Anyway, more on little doggies. Don't look back. Those memories are wonderful and where they are supposed to say are in our minds and hearts forever and for me; Bushwick will always be called a home for me. The Bushwick of yesteryear of course!

Sara: 22nd Aug 2008 - 13:31 GMT

Anyone familiar with Bushwick Ave., close to the Halsey St stop? Safe or to be avoided?

anon (ool-182ced44.dyn.optonline.net): 22nd Aug 2008 - 14:37 GMT

Anyboby live on Arion in 1974......do you remember a McNally family???????????????

Frankie Five Angels: 26th Aug 2008 - 20:30 GMT

My nana lived at 154 Wilson Avenue until 1970...belonged to St. Joseph Patron and lived next door to Bonsignore Funeral Home..which is now a church. I have very fond memories of LaRossa bakery, Giangrasso's and Circo's ( still there)..anyone know the Adamo's, Iavvarone's, Scaturro's....my parents friends and very successful families now....what a great place to live !

Antoine Whitfield: 30th Aug 2008 - 17:15 GMT

crystal, i too used to hang out at the gameroom on wilson ave back in the day. I lived at 638 wilson down from the train station. wilson ave was the place to be and everybody who was somebody hungout there. If you down holla at me pernll43@hotmail.com maybe our paths have crossed somewhere?

Bill Diggins: 7th Sep 2008 - 23:27 GMT

i grew up at 77 granite street. off bushwick ave. pilling and chauncey and halsey streets nearby..dead end street that led to the bing belly hill over the tracks near aberdeen park. railroad boys??? brother harry and sisters adelyn and rosemarie. georgie walsh...paulie richie went to our lady of lourdes near desales pl. anyone remember form the 50s and 60s...gang fights? lol im at daringrebel@gmail.com say hello....

anon (ool-18babe68.dyn.optonline.net): 11th Sep 2008 - 05:31 GMT

Moving to Hancock off the J Halsey stop...what's it like there?

anon (dialup-4.237.219.23.Dial1.NewYork1.Level3.net): 12th Sep 2008 - 19:49 GMT

Dear moving to hancock,
Where are you moving from? Why Hancock and Halsey? Is Hancock low rent and easy transportaion?

wyoming native: 13th Sep 2008 - 21:34 GMT

Still looking for any and all photos of 1920 Grove Street. Old (circa 1938) or newer would be great! email snzrmom6@hotmail.com

JP1515JeffersonAve: 15th Sep 2008 - 17:06 GMT

I find it amazing that so many have so many different views yet we all have a common thread...the Love of our hood. I grew up in Bushwick back in the 70's through the 90's. From Jefferson Ave & Wyckoff, Stockholm & Wyckoff, Norman & Wyckoff and lastly Menahan and St. Nick before getting married and moving to Glendale. I found this site by chance after talking to some of my co-workers about the "good ole days". We were talking about the street games we all played as kids. Stoopball, Punchball, Kick the Can, Stickball, Ringolevio. So I got home and started surfing. I found some sights about street games. I found Lil Dave from Lil Dave Rockers on Youtube. Sites about Rocking, Apache and Rubberband Man and then I found this one. Well I read some stuff, positive, negative, and some of it true but I still love Bushwick Brooklyn. I went to St. Martins now St. Elizabeth. I grew up on Jefferson Ave with characters like Spunky, Mono (pronounced Mon-yo), Chino, Lefty was my cousin. Felix, Pablo, Angel and their sisters; JB, Robbie, Markie, Michael, Eric, Crazy Tony, Cho-co-la-te, Spidey (Jose he use to go out with Wanda whose sister Marible was fine, she probably still is. Lil Dave cousins Louie (Joe Rock Head), Daisy, Yvonne damn I can't remember anymore right now. Our block was fun even though it was tuff at times to fit right in. We had block parties, a "johnny pump" right on the corner so we could get the bus running on Wyckoff. We had bread dough fights, pea shooter fights, played ball on tracks that ran across the middle of the block. Jumped the roofs, went to battles at Sister Betty's place on Cornellia and Irving. Played stickball in 600, softball in Hylan Park, some guys even swam in the reservoir at Hylan Park. Despite all of the hardships and obstacles of growing up poor, latino, and sometimes with just one parent, I have wonderful memories of rowing up in "Bushwick". One Love.

Gemini: 19th Sep 2008 - 15:07 GMT

I have lived in Bushwick for most of my life. I have lived on my street for 34 yrs. Bushwick is like any other neighborhood it has it's ups and downs. I referred to it as living in the better half of the Ghetto.

We have the best block Party's and the Block elders and all parents look out for the little ones. The hardest part about living on the block for so long is when the older people pass on you are left feeling as though you lost a family member.

We have A Progressive Block Association and I am one of the original Weirfield Street kids. My children are second generation my new grandson made third. We still have fruit trees in our backyards. I have an apple and a boisenberry tree, wild rose bushes and violets that just sprung up from nowhere about ten years ago. My neighbors have cherry and peach. It's quiet at night and in the summer people Bar-B-Que and sit on their steps at all hours. These homes are two family private houses. Working and retired residents. We've recently had a Village Rock Band move in on the corner...they're loud but pretty cool they also do Tatoos. LOL!

To the woman that said its awful and Ghetto Fabulous.... living on Troutman would be just that. Troutman and every block after that has the highest population of Puerto Ricans that can't help but spray graffetti all over the place. So to say Bushwick is Ghetto is wrong its what the people in the area make it. (I have nothing against Puerto Ricans but that's just how it is in that direction of Bushwick).

I always say when I die I want to be creamated me and sprinkle my ashes on Weirfield Street on the day of the Block Party or sprinkle me in my front yard. Bushwick is affordable to most and the transportion is the best J, Z, L trains 26 bus that transfers to every line and the Jackie Robinson highway straigt up Bushwick Ave and the Williamsburg Bridge up Broadway. It just don't get any easier than that. Check it out. I welcome you.

Gemini: 19th Sep 2008 - 15:21 GMT

JP1515JeffersonAve you forgot the Scelly court. the kids just drew one on our street. They have the numbers in the wrong places but we have one. LOL.

wyoming native: 20th Sep 2008 - 23:45 GMT

Gemini: How close are you to Grove Street? 1920 to be exact?

fran z: 22nd Sep 2008 - 13:15 GMT

i lived on starr st between knick and wilson avefrom 1954 until 1995 miss that pretzel factory

wyoming native: 22nd Sep 2008 - 21:04 GMT

fran z: Do you ever remember going to Grove St.? My Mom lived there with her Aunt and Uncle for a couple of months after coming to America from Yugoslavia. I would like to have pix of anything from Grove St. to show her. She was only 11 at the time, and remembers a St. Aloysius School across the street from their house? They lived at 1920 Grove Street. Anything, old or more recent would really be appreciated!

arty lady: 23rd Sep 2008 - 02:37 GMT

Planning on renting an artist loft in Bushwick in one of the large loft buildings on Siegel st. I'm a woman of color and will be taking the L train. Don't really know Brooklyn well. The loft is cheap and I need to work. Can someone tell me if it;s safe for a woman to be working in that neighborhood- i.e. do i have to fear I can get mugged or raped on the streets in broad daylight or in the subway at the Bushwick end??

Gonebutnot forgotten: 23rd Sep 2008 - 18:27 GMT

Grew up on Montrose Avenue across from Most Holy Trinity Church. What a beautiful church. Always reminded me of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Had cousins who went to school there and remember walking to Grand Street for food, clothes and shoe shopping. The A&P was the only large grocery store. Bakeries and pizza on every corner. Took the train to Manhattan to work and buried my parents in Most Holy Trinity Cemetery and would say a prayer every evening as the train rose out of the tunnel and I could look over into the cemetery and see my parents grave.

Bless all who grew up in Bushwick.

Frankie Five Angels: 25th Sep 2008 - 17:49 GMT

Hey Sicilian Brookly Gal,

Did you know any of the Iavaronne's, Livoti's, Adamo's, Jesse Speciale Florist....all there and in St' Jo Patron during the 50's and 60's...

Angela Bentley: 13th Oct 2008 - 13:27 GMT

Hi everyone I asked this question before didn't get a response but I grew up all over brooklyn, last years in the city I grew up in ridgewood area Palmetto ave, gates ave and onondonk ave. I had family that lived on wyckoff ave over the drug store on the corner from the hospital. Does anyone remember the McNeil family. Colleen and Louie with their daughters Georgette etc. Anyone remember the Vitale family, tony and matthew and their neice and nephew maria and ray ray. How about the fisher family Kathleen, maryjane and Robert. If anyone knows these family please let me know. I loved gates ave and palmetto ave you can sit on your front stairs for hours just watching everyone. that was the thing to do. Let me know whats up.

Bea K.: 14th Oct 2008 - 04:41 GMT

Just goes to prove there's good and bad 'no matter where we live' and that includes Bushwick. For those who've moved on to "safer areas" (whatever that constitutes these days, as I most certainly 'don't' look for safety in a place, or even a person because there's NONE to be found no matter how 'safe' we 'think' we are.), then that's how your life was meant to be because look at the folks who've also moved to "safe areas" (cities, towns, countries, etc.) only to find out after disaster strikes,"I never thought it could happen here or to us" as the famous saying goes. We're, the world as a whole, living in some of the most dangerous and treacherous times we've seen yet, and truthfully I don't see things going to get any better from here (terrorists, bombings, almost every nightmare that we can imagine coming to life right before our very eyes.).
Not being pessimistic, just telling it like it is, even for those who don't agree. "Safety" and peace of mind come not from a 'place', or even a person, but from someone that mankind has denied since the beginning of time.

JP1515JeffersonAve: 19th Oct 2008 - 22:48 GMT

Gemini...Did you or any of your fam orfriends go to St. Martin/St. Elizabeth?
Do any of the Diaz Fam still live there? Is Father Hoffmann still with the parish? I went to school there from 1974 - 1982.

Brodidly AB: 5th Nov 2008 - 16:40 GMT

Bushwick!! What can I say? It can be an interesting place to live in and it can be a nightmare. To all those who are contemplating moving to Bushwick, on the serious tip you should do your research. As a late 60's child born and bred in bushwick at a young age I realized that I was in the midst of an ever changing community. I still have fond memories of the " Johnny-on-the pony-games', TAG, Co CO livio, 2- hand touch, stick ball, fastpitch, climbing the schoolbuildings of P.S. 151, the roller skating disco on Wycoff and Myrtle and oh buddy.. the Block parties... who could ever forget? But someting happened in the mid to late 70's on through the mid 80's...CRACK, APATHY, Wanna- Be "Scarfaces" and "Nino Browns" basically took Bushwick down a murderous and ugly path from which it is still barely trying to recover. The Bushwick of 25-30 years ago had more home ownership, business oriented people, (both Black, Puerto Rican, White, etc) . The sons and daughter's of the "ME ME ME' generation had sons and daughters of their own who basically disowned the search of self determination and fell into lust of " I am gonna get mines" and it is " all about me". What is the result? This has taken Bushwick into a 3rd world welfare state, where drugs still run rampant, kids cuss and swear like adults, you can hear the word Nigger used more often than in the south and moreso by people who are NOT white. Out of Wedlock kids is the norm, multiple baby daddys and multiple baby- momma drma are the relationship norms. You might ask me why I still go back after painting such a bleak picture? It is because of those "diamonds-in-the rough" those diehard Brooklynites,and Bushwick-folk that have never forgotten what community is and what a neighborhood is. These are the people that despite everything that has attempted to blight this section of Brooklyn, they have perservered and managed to raise their children to become productive citizens and good people who understand poverty, who understand the "ghetto-life". People do not understand how Bushwick can be a ghetto or in the midst of Poverty if you look solely at the real estate market. It is all about the people . It the people where you live ain't about "sh$$%t"... then basically they represent the neighborhood in which you live... ( don't care about how much the houses cost). Do you know how many half a million dollar homes in Bushwick are not worth 1/10th the cost that they are selling it due to the sacrifices that you would have to make? It would astound you. I will offer some Tips for anyone contemplating moving to Bushwick.

1. If you do not like Blacks, Puerto Ricans or Caribbean people- do not move here.
2. I would advise brushing up on some Spanish. It will definitely aid in your adjustment.
3. Before getting a home, check out the neighborhood thoroughly.
4. Look at the homes around summertime...mainly July -August. You will get the real feel of how many people you will be living next to. ( mainly because that is when you will see the different festivals, carnivals, activities, block parties and etc) If you can deal with that .. then you will be fine.
5. If you are the quiet type..look into lofts near the subway or apartment buildings near senior citizen homes or libraries..(most people will not loiter around there and will be constantly moving") Also stay away from Junior High and High Schools. That is a magnet for noise.
6. If noise does not bother you, then you will have greater options.
7.If you have children, I advise you to seriously consider access to extracurricular activities , ie Boys / Girls Club, Church, Sports, hobbies..something to keep them off the streets. Belive me...they will live a lot longer.
8.Finally .. the streets can read a person. If you are a hateful person , people will pick that up immediately, if you are someone who minds your business and is about something you just might be able to improve your immediate surroundings and possible your neighborhood. Take it from a person who grew up in Bushwick Brooklyn, got out before I hated it.. and came back to appreciate it. PEACE to ALL

Brodidly - Bushwick 4 Ever

Santana: 6th Nov 2008 - 15:13 GMT

Advice to all people curious about life in Bushwick. I spent 20 years of my lifes in bushwick. Left NY as a whole for 7 years to see what the world had to offer me. Since then have been to 17 countries and moved to three different states. Why is it after all this traveling and moving around the only place that does it for me is Bushwick and East Williamsburg. Now you ask if it is the shit? Hells yeah it is!!!

Santana: 6th Nov 2008 - 15:24 GMT

Brodidly AB and all the rest of you who got to live in Bushwick during the 60s and 70s are so lucky. Those were the years when "minorities" took over and made Bushwick what it is today. I was lucky enough to see the 80s and 90s. Still lucky enough to have seen change. I grew up on Menahan Street and Bushwick Ave. During the 80s and 90s that was one of the baddest streets in a two mile radius. So to see the neighborhood transform from Hood to almost unaffordable is by far the best thing anyone can ever see. Shows progress in the community. And big shout out to Diana Reyna the first women of Dominican-American descent to be elected as a New York City public office and still the counsil member of the 34th district. Which includes Bushwick as one of them. She is a major reason why there is more housing for low-income housing and more communities and activities in the neighborhood.

vanessa: 2nd Dec 2008 - 18:55 GMT

uugghhh @ Putnam btw Bushwick/Broadway... wonderful apartment...crackwhore Neptune Hotel on the corner, not so nice.

Jose: 6th Dec 2008 - 05:36 GMT

Hey I grew up in Bushwick. On Knickerbocker and Decatur. I moved to New england around 13 years ago. I miss playing dominoes in fron of the house and all the spanish music playing. WHen I was young we also had many block parties. You don't see that in new england. I use to visit alot when my mother lived there. But since she passed I in 2000 I really do not go there much. I loved Bushwick.

Janet: 7th Dec 2008: 7th Dec 2008 - 22:34 GMT

Hi. I grew up in Williamsburg on south 8th street. I loved it at that time had great friends there. I wonder how and what ever happen to them where they are today. From south 8th st moved to Stockholm & Central Ave in 1962 live in Phoenix now. It's always good to talk and hear from people of Brooklyn.

Nick Snewf: 8th Dec 2008 - 01:46 GMT

I live on the corner of Bushwick and Granite in the Biko Transformation Center. My only complaint about living in Far East Bushwick is the lack of a neighborhood bar (that is licensed and which I am welcome in) and the limited food in the neighborhood - but I remedy all of that by cooking and drinking at home and saving lots of money. Bushwick is a rich (in spirit) and vibrant area filled with Caribbean charms. I recommend it to anyone but when you bring your gentrification bring your rent control with you otherwise you'll be taking homes away from the current residents of the 'Shwick.

100% puerto rikan : 14th Dec 2008 - 22:37 GMT

What's good bushwick we had some good days murda moore what's poppin that's the block right there ya digg just wanna say what's good too all my niggasz out there 1 ...

JoseFromIrving: 15th Dec 2008 - 15:49 GMT

I was born and raised in Brooklyn during the 70's, 80's and 90's. I lived on Irving Avenue between Suydam and Hart St. I left in 1992 and moved "upstate" and I must tell you it was one of the best things I ever did in my life. Although Bushwick teaches you things, they are not necessarily good ones. I went to PS 123 (Mrs. Kriss's class) and JHS 162 (SP class 1985). During the 70's the neighborhood was mostly made up of Italians and everything had a sense of order, until they started to leave. Yes at that time the mob ran most of the neighborhood, but.... there was order. After the Italians left the area, the neighborhood became infested with crack dealers and heroin junkies. Living there through the mid 80's and 90's was rough and I would not wish it on anyone. Yes, the neighborhood made me a bit wiser but at what expense? My parents still live there and I visit them once a month. Every time I get there I quickly remember why I left. It's crowded, you can't park anywhere, people are rude, car alarms keep going off.. why bother. I am glad to see that they finally turned those old factories into "loft" apartments and hopefully get a bit more diversity in that neighborhood, it gets old seeing the same thing block to block. They don't even have any more italian coffee places anymore.. what a shame. I suggest that if you do have kids you do not move there. The schools are horrific and do not prepare you at all, overall it's a depressing place. Hey, you get what you pay for. Do yourself a favor and move an hour or so north and you will be glad you did.

Story: 17th Dec 2008 - 19:49 GMT

Hi, I am an artist living in Hackney, London in the United Kingdom. Me and a friend are looking to spend 3 months in New York next year doing the galleries and looking into artist residencies. She told me she has heard Greenpoint is a great place and the best artist community in New York. I've been told Bushwick is the place I should be looking for a flat to let as its affordable and has a great artist community. We are looking to network, does anyone know what I should go for? Is Greenpoint part of Williamsburgh? I've been in Hackney for 10 years and even though everyone thinks its dodgy it is an amazing and creative community with the highest concentration of artists in Europe. My road is nicknamed "Murder Mile" but I have never been mugged or as much as been talken to badly. I understand the mispresentation of neighbourhoods as my neighbourhoods gets it all the time, so a bit of grittiness doesnt bother me. I am looking for a vibrant area but not overly gentrified.

Story: 17th Dec 2008 - 19:54 GMT

I also have to say that the wikipedia entry about Bushwick is the most discouraging ever. Is any of this true?

no 1: 19th Dec 2008 - 23:14 GMT

100% puerto rikan : 14th Dec 2008 - 22:37 GMT
What's good bushwick we had some good days murda moore what's poppin that's the block right there ya digg just wanna say what's good too all my niggasz out there 1 ...

This is why yourt type of people are getting priced out of bushwick

John Dereszewski: 21st Dec 2008 - 14:48 GMT

Story, I think the Wikipedia picture of Bushwick is dated and far too pessimistic. While still pretty gritty, Bushwick has become a far more solid community over the past decade and boasts a growing and very creative artistic community. It's certainly worth exploring.

One site that you should check out is www.BushwickBk.com It provides a tremendous amount of information - and a vibrant commentary - about this community from the prospective of both newer and more established residents.

You probably should also Google "Bushwick" and "Arts" to get a better glimpse of the current scene.

Hope you make it to the 'wick!

Melissa: 23rd Dec 2008 - 15:52 GMT

I'm a single female living in Bushwick. All the bad descriptions of the area may seem daunting (like the history of Maria Hernandez park or Knickerbocker ave), but honestly the place is a gem. Lots of families and working people, no projects or slums. The only people who may seem dangerous are the crackheads at 2am or the little wannabe gangsta's riding on their BMX's whistling at teenage girls.

Plus, my apartment is beautiful, and my building has never been broken into. No rats or roaches. The train stations are clean and reliable. I cannot say enough good things about Bushwick!

Melissa: 23rd Dec 2008 - 16:04 GMT

ps. Learn Spanish. A little politeness goes a long way.

The fuckin man: 23rd Dec 2008 - 23:13 GMT

learn spanish,melissa surely you shit!!!!!!!!!!

noa: 24th Dec 2008 - 20:59 GMT

Ahhh Bushwick, I love it there. my friend lives in a place where rent'd be 250/month if we shared a room together.
How easy is it to get a job in NYC? I been trying to find employment for months, but to no avail. If I could work in NYC, then i could contribute to citynoise on a regular basis :) someone gave me a camera while i visited, thus i am inspired.

dreamsbushwick: 13th Jan 2009 - 18:46 GMT

wow some people are so dumb..it isnt safe anywhere right now you could be in the most whitest or richest place in ny and anything can happened of course you have to be careful everywhere you go not just bushwick ive lived in bushwick my entire life and i mean its not the best looking place but ive never had a problem yea there are gangs and fights ans shoot outs but umm turn the news on you see that everywhere you dont see bushwick in the news everyday..if you can find any apartment/loft/condo for cheap in bushwick buy it rent it or whatever because bushwick is changing more and more "white" people are moving in you see better people now in the streets and it seriously if you dont feel safe in bushwick you should not feel safe anywhere else because i believe anything can happen anywhere you at..plus the L train takes you into the city where you can transfer basically to every other train out in ny..also bedford is like 5mins away which has cool restuarants and stores soho is like 30mins on the train...im not going to lie and say its a great best place to live at but its an okay place to live at if you want to say out of trouble then thats on you live your life and mind your business and do what you got to do!!! by the way ridgewood is the same shit as bushwick same streets same people same everything...

remember: 22nd Jan 2009 - 23:53 GMT

does anybody remember Dr. Pelicane or dr's Klein or Viviani

Luis: 26th Jan 2009 - 04:10 GMT

I lived in Bushwick for 20 years,and I have to say it was the best years of my life. I moved out of NY about 16 years ago, but I go back home at least 5 to 10 times a year. Its crazy to see the changes, but change is good. I attended P.S.377, P.S,116, I.S. 291, and last but not least Bushwick H.S. Shit was nuts back then, I'm talking 80-93 when I was out there running around acting dumb. Back then I felt like I was just a product of my environment, but as you get older you realize that we make our own choices. Heroin and Crack were rampant back then, I remember seeing lines of junkies in Putnam Park. I'm not saying it isn't now, but it was much more noticeable back then. I remember 3 weed gates on my block alone Madison between Knickerbocker and wilson. I can go on and on, I still have relatives and friends that are still living in Bushwick. My point is that BUSHWICK has changed drastically.

latino in the south: 19th Feb 2009 - 18:33 GMT

hey is that picture up on top from Melrose street. If it is I used to live right across from it many years ago when it was still a factory.Wow i didnt grow up in brooklyn but my lady lived there and i lived there part time and downtown most of the time ( Carroll Gardens).Smith street...that neighborhood rocks. I miss it but now im retired in my 40s and in the dirty south. I love it here.God Bless Brooklyn !!!!!

gailbushwick 21st feb 2009: 23rd Feb 2009 - 05:48 GMT

well well well bushwick lets see .i lived there for 26 years i just moved out 2 months ago to redhook but i keep going back while i was there i raised 3 kids on my own i did see changes .but like all places nothing stays the same.yes there was alot of drugs and alot of crime .from time to time .but all things change when i moved there i was on himrod street and knickerbocker ave .i paid 250.00 in rent now the rents are 1,800.00 on the same block .for the same crappy apts .i think that all the smart people came into bushwick and thats when the rents went up.since it is only 10 min to the city.but i was reading earlier on here and it said something about teenage girls pregant and alot of crack and drugs.but this was not the only place that messed up things happen at.and that alot of the prison population is from bushwick.oh please theres people from all over.in prison.. life is what you make it and some people just make wrong choices.and there all NOT from bushwick its just like any other place you have some good and you have some bad.thats what make up our neighoods.,,my 25 year old son has a saying and that is how i will sum this up. IT IS WHAT IT IS . ......................

Thinker: 28th Feb 2009 - 00:39 GMT

The time is here Bushwick near the L train is becoming unaffordable

Thinker: 28th Feb 2009 - 00:39 GMT

The time is here, Bushwick near the L train is becoming unaffordable

Kriestine Mangel: 4th Mar 2009 - 01:45 GMT

to JP1515JeffersonAve
after reading your post I felt as if I could've written it. You described my childhood almost to the t. I lived on Halsey between Irving and Knickerbocker from 1964-1980. I also went to St. Martin/St. Elizabeth Seton school from 1974-1976 but went to St. Martin church from 1964-1980. Before that I went to ps 151 and afterwards to RFK which was a special program housed in St. Brigid's on Grove St. the things you describe like the bread dough fights...truly a unique experience to Bushwick. cocolivio, rck, skellyz, stoopball. and the nicknames, we had chuleta, chema, flea, airport, ham, boomer. priceless. I have so many fond memories.

i love reading people's comments and am pleased to see that in the midst of all the hype regarding crime, there are intelligent open-minded people who see Bushwick for what it is...a diverse community with lots of history. We can either Embrace the diversity and enrich our lives with all the positive things different people have to offer or complain about things that are different than you're used to and be miserable. Easy choice. I live in Orlando FL now, and don't get me wrong, Orlando is great, but as many have commented, people are fooled into believing that any one place is "safer" than another. The powers that be who have investments to protect (ie. tourism or any other big industry for that matter) do what has to be done so that a safe image is projected.

Based on what I'm reading Bushwick is the new hub for artists. Cool. when it starts commanding high rents and attracting those "powers that be", it too will "be safer" because that's what they'll want people to see.

after all that's been said, I consider myself fortunate and blessed to have been raised in Bushwick and to have that sense of community as part of my foundation. I'm willing to bet many feel the same.

allaboutharry: 18th Mar 2009 - 22:08 GMT

Looking for people who grew up in the Bushwick district of north-east Brooklyn in the mid to late 1940's and early 1950's. Doing research for a book on Harry Nilsson who lived at 762 Jefferson Ave. from 1941 to 1952.
I would appreciate background information about the way of life, quality of life, entertainment scene, and any reminiscences, if you came in contact with him. If you would like to participate in an exchange of information via email, please contact me at the following email address: allthingsharry@gmail.
Thank you,
Peter

upfromflames: 18th Mar 2009 - 22:15 GMT

From a Bushwick historian, let me suggest you check out Bushwick Buddies.

Thats a site for older former residents from the time you are interested in.
good luck.

Dave: 2nd Apr 2009 - 19:29 GMT

I work for a military museum and we were donated a WWII uniform and also in the duffel bag was an old Bushwick baseball uniform which appears to be from the same time period. It has a patch on the shoulder of an Indian Cheif. Could anyone give us some information on this uniform?

John Dereszewski: 12th Apr 2009 - 03:32 GMT

The baseball uniform in question is probably that worn by the "Bushwicks", an independent Minor League team. The Bushwicks played their games just beyond the Queens boundary, north of Jamaica Ave. Housing now occupies the site, though the good folks at the Woodhaven Historical Association have placed a plaque commenorating the old ballpark and the Bushwicks.

The Bushwicks were a very "major" minor league team, and played many exhibition games against such immortals as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They also developed a number of future Major Leaguers. One who comes to mind is Eddie Yost, the famous "Walking Man" who played for the Senators and the Tigers over a long and distinguished career. He played for the Bushwicks in the late 1940's/early 1950's, when the team was just about to fold.

The one thing I do not know is why the team was called the Bushwicks? As far as I know, they did not play in their "host" community. If anyone has more information to share on this, I would love to here about it.

annette: 14th Apr 2009 - 22:57 GMT

I lived in Bushwick from 1961 until 1976. My friends and I played outside all day. growing up in Bushwicks makes me appreciate all that i have. I remember hanging out on the stoop, playing stoop ball, hit the stick, skellzy, hopscotch, red light green light, Mary's candy store(she made the best malteds- egg creams- and had the best penny candy- she also sold spaldines, tops, yo yos) on summer evenings the grown up would bring out their beach chairs and hang out. Everyone knew everybodies kids-so had better behaved! We had an italian bread store(they made focaccia although i called it pizza and you bought it by the square- what a treat) on the block as well as an italian grocery. i have some great memories. i think i had more fun growing up with less than my kids had growing up with excess- i know our generation wanted to give our children-stuff-stuff we never had. i tell stories of growing up in the ghetto-my children laugh! i remember shopping on Knickerbocker ave-Myrtle ave. we did alot of walking. St Brgids was 8 blocks from my house. I remember going to 45 Harmon to get a summer youth job- scary- i waited in crowd for 8 hrs. But it was so exciting to get a paycheck 1.35 an hour. Great memories i wouldn't change for the world!!!!!!!

Peter: 16th Apr 2009 - 00:40 GMT

some factual crime-statistics from the 83rd precinct (bushwick) are available here...

Frankie 5 Angels: 20th Apr 2009 - 20:55 GMT

Hey remember:..I still go to Dr. Viviani,..the dentist!

Progrock71: 23rd Apr 2009 - 02:25 GMT

Lived in Bushwick from 1975 to 1992 and I have to say it wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be BUT it depended on which part you were in since it is indeed a very large neighborhood. I lived in Hart street between Central & WIlson avenue and also in Willoughby between Suydam and WYckoff.

Hart street was actually ok. Most of the families on my street knew each other, the kids could stay out all day playing unattended and nothing much ever happened. There was a mix of blue collar & poor, renters and homeowners, it wasn't all "ghetto land". Of course, walk just two blocks past Central, towards Bushwick Avenue and it got pretty scary very quick. Same thing if you walked up towards Jefferson/Troutman by JHS 111, ESPECIALLY in the mid to late 80s with all the crack dealers and thugs.

It was a strange neighborhood - you'd find a nice well kept street and then in the next block find a few abandoned/burned buildings, garbage everywhere, hoodlums hanging out (expecially towards Bushwick High, at the end of Knickerbocker).

Even Knickerbocker Park (what we called it then even though it was officially "Bushwick Park" and now Maria Hernandez Park) had 2 sides to it. I would hardly ever go to the side over by Starr Street because it was usually dangerous especially the corner by what is now I believe and Associated supermarket (was A & P back in the day) but the opposite side was relatively safe and me and my mom would walk home many late nights in the summer coming from my sister's without problem. There would be usually be people out on the stoops, old ladies gossiping, just hanging out enjoying the night air and being friendly and waving hello.

And walking just 2 blocks on Willoughby past Wyckoff and you were in a quiet almost suburb like area with large 2 family houses w/garages - this was nearer to Maspeth (towards Grover Cleveland), probably the borderline but you were still in Bushwick.

Not saying it was an oasis or paradise, but the neighborhood was definitely not East New York, Bed Stuy or Park Slope back in the day (of course Park Slope today is more like Soho, heh). It had its share of rough and decent and I myself have a lot of both good and crazy childhood memories. And I kind of saw both sides, having gone to I.S. 383 (Philipa Schuyler) which was a specialized junior high for "smart kids" while occasionally cutting to hang out with some of the rougher element from JHS 162 & 111. (And it was the same in H.S. - went to Brooklyn Tech but also hung out with my boys from Bushwick and other schools - anyone remember Eastern District?)

Eventually I moved out to Maspeth (not too far) then to Astoria and discovered this blog here which is bringing back a whole lot of memories!

Frankie 5 Angels: 1st May 2009 - 19:21 GMT

Hey Progrock71,

My mom came from sicily in 1920 and her father bought one of those white limestone apartment buildings next to the park on Starr....they used to polish the brass handrails every saturday. Those were the days!...glad to hear you have some recent fond memories..and I agree, there are spots that are still very livable....

viviani: 17th May 2009 - 22:53 GMT

ask him if his father/grandfather was a general practitioner, office was near myrtle & hart

Linda: 20th May 2009 - 16:27 GMT

Oh my gosh, I used to get Pretzels every Sunday after church (piping hot actually coming off the rollers) at the Pretezel Factory. I will never forget that.

elaine r.: 27th May 2009 - 05:19 GMT

this is to annette:
I grew up on wilson ave.('71 ) and moved out in 2004. I believe the bakery you're talking about was my dad's, Giangrasso bakery. Yes, the sicilian square pizzas were the best thing you'll ever get. They were what we had at my school for parties. (I went to St. Francis on Suydam) It was operating until he sold the building in may 2004 and has since passed in 2007.

In reading some of these entries, i have bittersweet memories of growing up there. At times it was very scary because when it was bad it was bad. I'm very happy living in the burbs now, but do have to admit I still drive by like once a year to get some pizza from Tony's and get a glimpse of our building. It seems like another world to me now!!

elaine r.: 27th May 2009 - 06:32 GMT

hey frankie 5 angels, any chance your mom's nickname was kitty?
my dad is Dominick Giangrasso.

Frankie 5 Angels: 28th May 2009 - 19:07 GMT

Elaine,

No not Kitty...but, I do remember Giangrasso's ( which i thought was still there)..also, Valencia on the corner of Hart and Wilson and LaRossa for pizza dough...the St. Joe's feasts were also wonderful....great times Elaine..

Ciao,

Frankie

Frankie 5 Angels: 28th May 2009 - 19:16 GMT

Hey Viviani,

I also used Dr. DeVita ( foot doctor) and Dr, Gerraputo ( dentist)....the guy had a drill he used to pump with his foot!!!....

stine: 2nd Jun 2009 - 17:52 GMT

I love this site! What a great place to get insight on Bushwick.

We are looking at a place on Menahan and Wyckoff, but are not familiar with this part of Bushwick. Do anyone know this particular area and would like to share some of their knowledge? Anything would be much appreciated!

Thanks, and hope to be your neighbor soon.

Teresa G: 10th Jun 2009 - 22:16 GMT

Gee, I never thought I would find a site that would keep me at a computer until my ass became like DEAD. The best was when someone mentioned Palermos bakery. Actually it was Palermo and Canepa. It was my grandmothers sister who owned it. I left Bushwick in the mid forties. Last place I lived was Greene and Wilson. My folks had a six family there. Brandas grocery was on the corner. I can't forget those days..so different from some postings. Loved reading them tho. Keep them coming and would love to hear from anyone who would be my generation or younger to reminesce with.

Teresa G: 12th Jun 2009 - 17:26 GMT

updating on comment...my last address in bushwick was 1263 Greene Ave at the corner of Wilson...before that 1501 Dekalb Ave between knickerbocker and Irving...do any of you Bushwick High attendees know of the Bonura brothers Peter and Frank. ..they lived across the street from me on Dekalb....would love some input! Thanks

Frankie 5 Angels: 16th Jun 2009 - 19:36 GMT

Elaine r....dont you mean St. Joseph Patron on Suydam?

Me: 20th Jun 2009 - 03:33 GMT

Reading some of the posts have brought back many memories. I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Ridgewood queens..Putnam and Myrtle. I spent alot of time at the movie theater on Myrtle (I forgot the name of it)..I bought my jeans at #1 Jeans right next to the Chinese take out place.

I live in Florida now..Been here since 1990 when I graduated from Franklin K. lane H.S. which I heard is really bad now. Its a shame. I also went to J.H.S.93 the annex and the main building..I think they changed the name of those schools now. I was trying to find some pics of the J.H.S if anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it.

Debbie: 22nd Jun 2009 - 16:38 GMT

To Frankie 5 Angels...actually the School changed its name from St. Joseph Patron to St. Francis Cabrini in Sept 1975. The church is still St. Joseph Patron. Growing up in Bushwick was great. Those are memories you can't forget. They make us who we are today whether we still live there or have moved away.

NayNay: 28th Jun 2009 - 20:38 GMT

Bushwick like any other neighborhood has its ups and downs. All that depends on what kind of crew you like to mingle with. I lived in Williamsburg for 13 years of my life. I lived on Grattan st. between Bogart and Morgan Ave. I have been living in Bushwick for 23 years now. I also work in Bushwick. I refuse to leave our children of tomorrow struggling and standing alone. In life you have to have a little bit of love, hope and faith and together all is possible. Crime is everywhere. Thugs go to the greatest neighborhoods to vandalize and steal. I live on Dekalb btwn Wykcoff & Irving. I have been there for 20 years. No issues. People come out for a little while to mingle and back into their homes. It is very family oriented. People on the block have been there just about a lifetime. We have a diverse group of ethnicity in the neighborhood. I must say for the most part everyone is respectful. Life is what you make of it where ever you go. In life we are going to be influenced, whether its good or bad we will be affected. It is up to us to choose our paths. You can only hope that your children walk out that door with the morals and values that you have instilled in them. Is tough in the streets regardless where you go. Creeps are all over the world. Bushwick has had a wonderful facelift. I happen to enjoy working with the kids from Bushwick, I can relate. I hate when people who are middle class, from Long Island or Staten Island want to dictate to our kids like "Why you misbehaving". The reality of it is that they are being obligated to become adults. You have a single mom providing for a family of 4-5 kids, juggling work and school, or simply 2 jobs. No time for the kids to be kids. Times is really hard. So before you stop a kid and think about their behavior, think of yourself as an adult who can't handle half the sh*t on your plate. So who needs to grow up?

DON S.: 14th Jul 2009 - 00:06 GMT

I was born at 263 Central Ave. That's between Greene and Harmon Streets. It was a time when there were no robberies or muggings. It was a time before the great escape. We could sleep on the fire escape in summer. If we left the car door unlocked, the car was still there in the morning. Eveyone knew one another. Knickerbocker was filled with mothers pushing baby carriges, shopping, or just to meet friends and shoot the breeze. Believe it or not, Bushwick was a safe area in the 1950's and 60's. One could walk to Bargaintown on Gates and Broadway in the evening without fear. I remember Norman from the Boys and Men's shop on Knickerbocker fitting us all with our St Barbara's uniforms. It was a sweet time, a time that will never happen again. Even though I am a Politically Incorrect person and proud of it, one would only have to think realistically about why Bushwick fell. I don't have to say more.

billy: 24th Jul 2009 - 05:46 GMT

kb-28 jun,2007
I lived on eldert st.between wilson and central, from 1957 till 1964 and I WILL TELL YOU THIS AT THAT TIME PERIOD THAT DID NOT HAPPEN,THE DMZ WAS CENTRAL AVE. THAT SAID THEIR ARE GOOD AND BAD IN ALL GROUPS.BUSHWICK WILL CHANGE BECAUSE NOTHING EVER STAYS THE SAME THAT IS A FACT OF LIFE.

Barbara Leone: 30th Jul 2009 - 02:26 GMT

HAVE NOT BEEN HERE FOR AWHILE. I LIVED AT 1301 GATES AVE IN THE LATE 50S TO EARLY 60S. LOVED ALOT OF THINGS ABOUT BUSHWICK BUT GOING TO JJUNIOR HIGH 296 WAS ROUGH AND MOST OF MY FRIEND MOVED AWAY BEFORE ME. REALLY HAVE TO GO BACK TO SEE ST. BARBARA'S THINK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME. IF YOU KNOW ME YOU CAN FIND ME ON FACEBOOK

Angela Bentley: 30th Jul 2009 - 17:42 GMT

Ok its been a while for me to haven't been on for a while....since there are some new names on the site maybe you can help me out. I lived in the area when I was young back in the 70's we lived on gates ave and onondonk ave I am looking for a couple of people. kathleen Fisher and her sister maryjane fisher who lived on Palmetto street. Also Anthony and Matthew Vitale. I am also looking for a guy named Michael Alessandrini who used to work at St. Barbara's church back in 66 and 67. If anyone knows of these people please let meknow. Thansk

Maggie: 30th Jul 2009 - 21:21 GMT

OMG! This site has brought back so many memories, good and bad but mostly very fond ones. I grew up in Bushwick from the mid to late 70's until early 90's and regardless what some think I am from Bushwick. Even though I moved out I still was around hanging in the area due to family and friends that still lived there. I grew up with my family on Suydam between Wilson and Central right across from St. Joseph Church (which incidently I went back to baptize my daughter at this church in 2003) went to JHS 111 than WB Bryant HS till I got expelled and sent to Eastern District HS. E.stoned bushwick: 2nd May 2008 - 16:31 GMT or Eric Bushwick Tax Crew whatever you call yourself, I know you....we use to hang with the old crew...LG, BeeSki, Tommy, Angel (you said was your cousin) Lisa, Lil Melissa, Lisa Lee she use to date Angel for a bit around the time Angel Lisa and Melly's Mom passed away, than after they left with their Dad, she was messing with BeeSki for a while (she was pretty crazy too) you were dating Cindy at the time ....you both looked like Blanquitos light skin and green eyes. We called you ERock at the time. We had some great times, When I ran away and Lisa too you helped us sneak into your hallway and sleep, shit it was cold out there and you looked out and almost got in trouble with your crazy Mom. I'm not exactly sure which cookie (Nelly) ur talking about but if you post on this site let me know email me at vmsmile411@live.com. Sorry u were kept from your daughter, but if memory serves me correct perhaps she did it for the best back than you were a bit troublesome back than and didn't have your head on straight I guess that was her way of protecting her, but it would be nice to see u guys get in touch and finally meet each other if that is what she wants. I remember all the local club spots from than Normandie's on Cypress (first club I went to @ 17) it was so drug infested with all the Dominican and PR small time drug dealers coke distributed all over the place, The Banks over by Flushing past the Morgan TRain station, hard for me to refer to Maria hernandez Park when all I have ever known it to be was Knickerbocker park. It was such a cool place to hangout and meet up with your school crushes. It was a tough place to grow up and we had experience the gang and drug violence as some became statistics of the environment some of of chose to surpass that and make it out and do something positive with their lives. I remember the drug infestation on Jefferson and Troutman, Starr Street and Willouby by Wyckoff and St. Nicholas. The Rebel Devils, Koskiosko Boys, than the small timer youngins TOS, HBO and so one. The Block Parties were fun not to mention the House parties....OMG the first one I went to when I attended JHS 111 was on Jefferson between Evergreen and Bushwick (I believe) it was a blast. My first apt. was on corner of Wilson and Willouby.......went to college, had a good job and decided I wanted to get out of the area, had my heart broken at 21 and decided it's time to leave and go elsewhere. A decision I never regretted, went to Elmhurst where I lived for several years loved it! Close to everything even my girls that still lived in Ridgewood, so I still came by to hang. Than left Queens moved to Starrett City and from there left in 2002 when I had my daughter and decided this is it out of here and moved to PA. I love it here, my home is beautiful, my daughter a blessing. I still work in the city and travel back and forth but I don't miss living in Bushwick even though I had some great great memories, that I don't regret. It made me wise and street smart and tough, cause I don't take no shit from anyone and anyone that knew me from the neighborhood knows this of me. I also kept my head straight to succumb to the drugs or as the fellas put it Hoin' (lol) with every Tom Dick or Harry. I also didn't wind up a pregnant teen with no education, or on welfare. I moved out of my intolerable mother's before I was 18 attended LIU with my mom's helping pay my tuition till I decided to work fulltime. Had my own apts. since I was 18, always lived in very nice apts, especially when I lived in Queens, bought my own car, traveled to many countries (for pleasure) had my daughter at 34 so I enjoyed my single life plenty before her and thankfully have been able to accomodate her with the life I have always wanted to give her. But I will say it took living and seeing Bushwick the way it was to be the woman I am today and strive hard for the lifestyle I have wanted for myself and my daughter. I haven't been to Bushwick (well the area I grew up) for a few years, I would say since 2003 or 04. I still visit Williamsburg as one of my closest friends lives in the South Side and I visit her as well as my sis-in-law in Ridgwood and most important my hairstylist also in Ridgwood. Not givin up my Dominicana, they are the best for hair! I'm glad to hear Bushwick is coming along, the people there deserve it, but like someone in the other post indicated the people are what make the place. You want to have a cleaner and brighter future for Bushwick don't wait for the blanquitos to come in and do it for you, you have the power to do it together my fellow Latinos! As my Mom says "Querer es Poder". In other words the power is in you to make it happen. I hope to someday drive by and feel it safe enough to show my daughter where I grew up and where Maggie was made be the tough cookie she is today. I thankfully never had anything happen to me while I lived there, but in all fairness I was from there and they rarely messed with you when they were familiar with you but I have seen some ugliness from murder, to overdoses, to petty theft and burglary even to the racism and brutality of the police dept to the residents in the area. I have also seen a community that came together when one of their children was in need. I know quite a few of us that left the neighborhood and done well for themselves some better than others and the legit way too! lol! Take care my Bushwicknites, and anyone that recognizes me and remembers give me a shout on vmsmile411@live.com. All the best to you all even the newcomers.....like all places you always have to show caution, don't be naive and mind yours. I'm sure you'll be alright.
E

anon (c-71-228-246-94.hsd1.tn.comcast.net): 1st Aug 2009 - 19:21 GMT

my daughter is seriously considering a loft apartment at 385 Troutman/Wycliff, she says it is convenient to Jefferson L train. Any comments about safety in this area? She is coming from the midwest.

Peter: 1st Aug 2009 - 21:08 GMT

How about you trust your daughter's judgment rather than going online and second-guessing her?

anthony E (ZOOK): 4th Aug 2009 - 14:50 GMT

i grew up (short time) in bklyn moved out in '66 lived on bushwich ave across from bushwick houses, i remember when wearing converse (sneakers) was the shit! i loved playing stickball,skelly,,cracktops i remember "pops"a little sitdown joint where penny candy was great,, there was also a chocolate syrup place next to our apt (forget the name) where i use to go and buy a bottle of choc syrup lol i will always love "B" town! peace!!

believe it or not: 4th Aug 2009 - 19:17 GMT

my father had a friend who worked there in the 40's (choclate syrup factory) was also called sambo soda. couldn't call it that today

Peter: 5th Aug 2009 - 16:55 GMT

anyone remember Denaro Bakery?

this is what it looks like now:

Ontop: 22nd Aug 2009 - 21:01 GMT

I've lived i Bushwick all my life. Bushwick has definitely changed for the better. A lot of caucasians are moving into Bushwick so i would say thats a big change. The value on the houses are going up a lot. Im 41 years old I live on Menahan Street and Evergreen. I plan on being here for another 10 more years. I recomend anyone to live in Bushwick. Its only going to change for the better.

Ray: 2nd Sep 2009 - 16:23 GMT

Cornelia & Irving is where i used to live. 80s & 90s. Moved to Tampa, Fl. But my heart will always remember Bushwick!

marina: 3rd Sep 2009 - 00:24 GMT

This thread is better than a lot of books I've read! it sounds like ppl who would pass eachother on the street and not say anything but only wonder what the other person was thinking are finally getting to talk to eachother. I'm from St. Louis and I've never been to Bushwick, I spend a lot of time on the Internet reading about diff stuff (unemployment is a bitch lol). I think its interesting that some ppl are using this site to scope real estate in a future/capitalist manner while most ppl are using it to connect to the past/community. Honestly how u r using this site says a lot about u as a person. . .

Chris Rodriguez definitely said the smartest and most concise stuff on this site. For ppl that are upset w the way other ppl talk/type, I ask what about you makes you so special that the way you talk/type/live/consume/shit makes that way the "universal" way to do things? Are u saying the Internet belongs to you? Unless ur Al Gore that ain't true lol.

I don't know bc I did not grow up in an area like Bushwick, but I would think for newcomers you need to understand that whatever is bad about the neighborhood, u r entering and maybe even trespassing in something that is very sacred and rare in America today. . . an actual community where ppl know eachother and share memories. I know I've overstepped my boundaries before just like anyone else, but all the cultural tourism in this century is really gross but I have hopes that we as a ppl can make something better out of it. Why move to a poor neighborhood if ur just going to treat its citizens like brown ornaments, a backdrop for ur fabulous funky city life? Why do yoga if ur still going to talk shit when ur tech assist guy is in India?

I'm not there but maybe what ppl are saying about not having walking tours is the context, let the ppl who created the neighborhood, who were there when it sucked, show it off how they want to. Not to stereotype but that might be by tagging or blasting music. Not the right kind of pride for you? You can have ur walking tour in Bushwick but if Bushwick ppl go to the Upper East Side or the nice ass parts of CT and bump My President Is Black they prob still get pulled over. That might be why its unfair. I think there's a way to do this right. . .it just doesn't get done a lot.

I try not to be cynical and I really hope we can all treat eachother w respect someday. Thank you all for ur stories.

anon (ny-bas00.csfb.com): 4th Sep 2009 - 13:13 GMT

Hi Everybody,

Need your thoughts. I'm looking at a really great 2 family house on Norman Street, right off the corner of Wyckoff. It's about a block from the Halsey L train. What do you guys think about this area? Is it safe? I have friends who live in Ridgewood and love it but they're on the other side of Myrtle (central Ridgewood). This would be right (literally) on the Bushwick border. There are some factories in between the 2 hoods but it's right there. I did notice that there have been some loft conversions and a huge new glass/steel (dozens of units) condo building on Irving Avenue too - units just went on sale last month. So, is this area safe? I don't want to be afraid to walk around, in the day or the night, and I don't want to worry about my parents walking around there. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Sharon

Deb: 8th Sep 2009 - 17:23 GMT

to anon (c-71-228-246-94.hsd1.tn.comcast.net: my 21-yr-old daughter from the jersey suburbs is living in Bushwick not far from where your daughter is considering living...write me at deborama19@gmail.com if you would like to talk. My daughter's been in the neighborhood a year already, we just moved her into a new place this weekend on Flushing Ave...

marlon: 9th Sep 2009 - 21:24 GMT

the only thing you got to worry in bushwick now are the corrupt cops from 83rd precinct.....they will plant drugs on you if they feel like it!

ED: 12th Sep 2009 - 18:22 GMT

My family and I lived at 103 Stockholm Street from 1944-1959. I went to PS 74, JHS57,and Brooklyn Tech. Bushwick back then had its good and bad. Alot of fun for kids. However, the Bonnanno crime family controlled and expanded extortion and gambling. Eventually, they introduced heroin to the area and that wiped out all of the Mafia wannabes in the area street gangs. The Viet Nam war wiped out the rest of the punks. German and Italian landlords opened the floodgates to minorities and the neighborhood went into a tailspin of riots,arson and crime.
Bushwick taught me to identify a bullshit artist a mile away.

anon (216.220.216.185): 13th Sep 2009 - 18:13 GMT

I was born in the early 80s in wyckoff hops so I was a kid for some the worst time but I loved my childhood had a bunch of buddyz male n female it is a very family oriented hood being genarations have lived there some jus move to a next block I remember a lot of stuff u guy ngalz r talkin about I lived rigth by the l on jefferson used to play ball in th lot of that factory there used to a k9 school across from it there was a lot of hookers on flushing which made it easy for all the deals to make a quick buck they cleaned it up back there I seen an art supply store back there they opened an a shealther on flushing an made it a one way I've ran all around that hood an did get into trouble put that's the past the area where the l runz was the first to start changin back by the factorys a lot artist lofts now there being produced on a mass scale the look nice but I preferr the artist type u no fix as u can yo own style I live in queenz now land lord skrweed us so he can rent for a lot more I still love it an the diversty has always been there just its more younger cucasian movin in aint that much drugz like in the past n the onez that still do it are on the lo but don't be fooled I've smelled massive ganja farms comin from those renovated lofts so its not just the latins or blacks so us cuation with whoever u interact with an chances are if some thing where to happen to some one those hoods on the coners would be there faster then the cops every one helps eachother not always on apositive not but hey n one thing pops always said was its not the hood its the people if they take pride in there family home street hood u will see the change an as for ne kingdom they wouldn't let some friends of mine eat there for no real reason the work rite by there so it was like a lucnh or after workthing an they would let them that kinda sucks u open a resturant in the hood n don't let the locals in unless the some fashionistas or hlpsters but all in all great schoolz n teacherz 123 162 383 parkz maria h or hookerbocker park or starr park great memories minus the shootouts n gettin chased by a junkie wit a neddle n haven to hit him wit a garbbage can n by the way I've lost friends to drugz shootingz jail sickness so that's y I say watch u hang wit n yo lil 1 hang wit

Anon: 8th Oct 2009 - 12:57 GMT

One good thing about Bushwick is if you are getting off the train with a baby stroller...everyone helps you carry it up or down the stairs without you asking.People here are not selfish and Bushwick is very family. I did read on another site where some people who just moved to Bushwick said there weren't a lot of good mexican restaurants in Bushwick and this is quite possibly because Bushwick is a Puerto Rican neighborhood and Puerto Ricans eat Puerto Rican food (HELLO), not tacos. I did suggest for them to try arroz con pollo y habichuelas and mufungo...chorizo y bustelo. And some rice pudding & flan. How about a cuban sandwich with a tamarindo icee? (okay now I am making myself hungry)... Which brings me to my next good point about Bushwick...the Food!!! Excellent Puerto Rican food no doubt. The best. Another good point about Bushwick...the salsa Music. Even if you don't play your own you can always hear someone else's and this is the heartbeat of the people who live here. This is not a dead place it is very lively filled with very loving people. I personally have not been to the NE Kingdom restaurant and don't want to go . I like family owned Puerto Rican restaurants . They are the real deal. If you are around Bushwick on the day of the Puerto Rican day parade you will hear a lot of music playing and a lot of horns blowing and a lot of people cheering. You may even hear the Borinquen Anthem shaking the pavement you walk on. Maria Hernandez Park is a great place to chill out with a coffee from the Italian Cafe across the street on Knickerbocker. Here you can watch people play bocce, chess, or handball. In the park on Menahan St. around the corner of the 83rd precinct you can watch the Police Athletic League (PAL) teach kids baseball...or at least you used to be able to (just make sure you don't sit too close or you will get a baseball in the head accidentally)...There are a lot of positives about Bushwick and all of these are in place because of the people who have lived here for years who created the rich culture you see and who have had children and grandchildren here.

lourdes: 9th Oct 2009 - 20:53 GMT

Anyone remeber the cop Officer Beaty from Menahan???? He tore shit up. Rodgrigo and Detective Monsert also. There was some crazy cops back in da day.

Anon: 10th Oct 2009 - 17:37 GMT

All I remember is Jimmy Jazz and Burger King off the J train at Knickerbocker and the 83rd precinct of course and the coco candy carts (mmmmmmmm). And the avon lady near DeKalb and the meat market near the J train at Knickerbocker...very good pecorino romano for sale in there!Good Fresh whole chickens too. The walk to Ridgewood, Queens from there is a good one on a Sunday morning.

Allen : 16th Oct 2009 - 13:40 GMT

This site brings back some good memories!! I wonder if anyone might know of some of my old friends who I knew there in that area during the mid to late 1960's?? One was Ruben Figueroa who lived last that I knew, lived on Suydam Street. He and I had attended Bushwick High school for a time. He was in orchestra in school under Mr. Abel. I then stayed with him and his family for a short while. He had an uncle who lived on Hart Street. Another good friend I knew, was Edward Will, who lived on Grattan Street. He and I also had attended Bushwick High School. His uncle's name was Charles Schadle. There was also a Tony (Angel) Diaz, who went to Brooklyn Tech. Previous to that, I knew him at P.S. 114. Also, does anyone know of the kids who lived on Central Avenue and I think it was near Troutman Street. There was a Joanne, a Benji, and some others. Does anyone know of the Bushwick High School during that period, of teachers like Mr. Abel, Mr. Cohen - coach of the soccer team, Mr. Faber - Guidance Counselor, Mr. Kelly - Science, the Science Lab teacher - Mr. Goldstein, and others. I would love to hear from you!! You can contact me at macallen@operamail.com

Me, me, me, meeeeeee!: 16th Oct 2009 - 19:58 GMT

I was born in Wycoff Hospital and grew up in Bushwick in the 70's. REMEMBER the "blackout"??? My family lived at 248 Irving Avenue between Bleeker St. and Greene. My dad was German/Irish and my mom Puerto Rican. My brothers and sisters all attended St. Brigids, P.S. 186, Grover Cleveland, 162, and Bushwick. My dad moved us out of Brooklyn in 1981 after a series of crimes that took place before our eyes and in or around our home. Bushwick was, to say the least, a ROUGH place to grow up. Lots of fighting. Both verbally and physically. And with that being said, let me also say that I have the most incredibally, fond memories of Bushwick. I remember literally "Swimming" in the johnny pumps/ fire hydriant (if that is even possible), playing handball off the side of a building, going skating at Sweet Ruby's, crossing the street to Tony's pizza for italian ices, shopping on knickerbocker, hanging out the window and on the stoop, playing red light- green light, mother may I and all kinds of awesome stuff with a block load of friends. Someone was always outside to "stick" with and God forbid you ever "FLATLEAVED" anyone. Too funny!!! We were not very wealthy and we did not have "play dates" or organized sports clubs but we lived life to the fullest. We used our imaginations and watever we found laying around to create hours of amusement and fun. We took pride in our families and in our community. Looking back and thinking about it, I would not want to raise my children up in the streets where I was raised (they wouldnt make it even one day), BUT, if I had to do my childhood all over again, I wouldnt change a thing. Fantastic, nostalgic memories.....bring a smile to my face.... Everytime!

gailbushwick 21st feb 2009: 20th Oct 2009 - 20:56 GMT

sorry but thre is no j train on knickerbocker ave the m train runs over there.and the meat market that was there has been a kinky store for panties and bras ...................................

Den: 21st Oct 2009 - 15:15 GMT

Can anyone tell me what kind of area Wilson Ave and Starr St are...safety wise? I'm thinking about leasing in that area. I'm coming from the Los Angeles area, can't imagine it would be much different??? Thanks!

Peter: 21st Oct 2009 - 18:18 GMT

i live, pretty much, on that block. what would give you the impression that it isnt a "safe" block?

Den: 21st Oct 2009 - 18:40 GMT

Oh no, no, I don't have the impression that it isn't safe (didn't mean to offend). After reading some of the comments about what areas are and are not safe, don't go here, don't go there, this area is quiet, that area is nice...nothing has been said about this area. I just thought I would get some input on what to expect when I arrive next week to look at some lease options. I know it's near Bushwick park and also I believe a Jr. High. Just looking for some helpful opinions from people like you. Thanks!

Peter: 21st Oct 2009 - 19:41 GMT

bear in mind that many of the comments in this thread are from clueless out-of-towners like yourself, so take them with a grain of salt.

like every other neighborhood in nyc, bushwick is as safe as you make it... that is, if you exercise a little common sense and dont act stupid or come across as an over-entitled stereotypical-hipster-yuppie-gentrifying-storm-trooper.

similarly, bushwick isnt any more or less safe than any other neighborhood ive ever lived in, so im not sure why this post has attracted so much safety-obsessed traffic in the first place. i guess it does speak volumes about uninformed people's prejudices and rumors of the past. i hate to actually spell it out here, but ive often discovered that "is bushwick safe?" is like a code that young white people use to inquire not so much about the neighborhood's fading drug/crime reputation as much as the community's demographics. sadly, many people seem to still associate the stereotypes they grew up with with communities like ours that feature such wide diversity.

but come on... if youre moving from LA, what are you worried about? having already experienced working-class grit, urban desolation and bi-lingual big-city life, youre the perfect candidate for bushwick. just show up next week and check it out in person and youll understand.

but yeah... stop by and have some tacos at 'el paiso' at the corner of irving and suydam, right by the corner of the park. stop and take a sec to observe and talk to people there. look around, walk in the park, observe bushwick life... and come back here and tell me whether or not its necessary to have this epically pointless online discussion about whether or not bushwick is "safe", because no matter how many times i answer the "is bushwick safe" question for someone here, ten more show up asking the same question for some reason. maybe if you fall in love with the neighborhood after you move here, you can come here and try to answer the same vague, nebulous questions for people that youre asking right now ;)

Galloping Greg: 21st Oct 2009 - 20:04 GMT

^^^ As for me, I'm just curious as to why someone would move cross-country to a neighborhood that they don't know anything about. *Snicker*. Seems like whatever it is that's powerful enough to draw you there in real life would balance out your largely imaginary fears, yeah?

Den: 21st Oct 2009 - 21:23 GMT

Personally, I think the safety-obsessed traffic is due to the fact that Bushwick is being so called re-discovered. My guess! People are naturally curious about the change, like myself. I also like to exercise my common sense by asking questions based off of what some of the locals have posted. I also don't feel it's a pointless online discussion about whether or not Bushwick is safe or not...it's about finding out the facts and educating one's self. That's common sense! Thanks for your input...I'll for sure try 'El Paiso'.
Thanks for the advice, I'll give 'el paiso' a try.

Lurker: 21st Oct 2009 - 23:50 GMT

There's the rub, Den. You say "re-discovered". I say "How can a neighborhood be re-discovered when its already peopled by tens of thousands of residents?"

Who, pray tell, is doing this "rediscovering"? It's certainly not the people already living here. It's not the ones who were born here, grew up here, will die here.

I'm guessing you're one of the young/hip/white contingent, aren't you? And of the worst sort, too -- moving here without knowing why, without knowing the neighborhood, being a total non New Yorker outsider. So while your guess above serves your personal purposes well, it certainly doesn't speak for the rest of us Bushwick residents.

I bet you can't even name ten brief reasons why you're moving to Bushwick...... Whereas I could write a 1,000 page book about why I choose to continue living here.

E.stoned and druga FROM BUSHWICK: 22nd Oct 2009 - 01:37 GMT

two real ogeez from da bush remember all the crews hbo, cgk, bsk, wcc, p.s 123 ps 111, Cleavland, lcc bushwick posie.tha 80s was da shiznit It was dangerous but it was fun.we use to play around crack viles and derty needles in our school yards please exuse the mis spelling after all we went to p.s 123 miss spatulla was the Principe!!! lol p.s who killed baby flo at roseland in the 80s?the original 83 on wilson av I lived on stockholm in wilson from 79 to 89 born in wycoff so waz good!!was in both w.t.c bombings and still hear my santos are wit me ELOHEEM right back if u wit us??!!!!

Allen : 22nd Oct 2009 - 18:41 GMT

Hi
I wrote just a few days ago (re: Oct. 16), asking for if anyone perhaps knew of some friends of mine from some years back. (I see there are a lot of ones written here from kids who lived in Bushwick from 1970s' onwards. I guess I am one of the old-timers who remembers before that time, and am looking for about 1963 - 1965 or so.
I wanted to narrow down a few details - My good friend, Ruben Figueroa lived last at 334 Suydam Street (around 1967 or 1968). He had moved from Hart Street. He had an uncle still at Hart Street. We ourselves lived a few houses down on Hart Street and faced the "El" on Myrtle Ave. The other friend, Tony Diaz - lived somewhere just north of Noll Street. It may have been Varet Street or Moore Street or in that area. He attended Brooklyn Tech, but had attended Public School 114 on Noll Street in the lower grades.
My other friend, Edwin Will - lived at 142 Grattan Street. He attended Bushwick High School until he want into the army. He had also worked in a church in his area.
Last, but not least, is of a group of kids who lived on Central Avenue, near Troutman Street (or thereabouts). One was a girl named Joanne (Last name I believe was McQueen, or something like that.) She had red hair and was still young of the age of about 10 or 11 perhaps. (She was younger than I was.) Her grandmother lived a few streets away. (I think Melrose, perhaps). My memory is somewhat vague on some of this, as it has been some years back. But maybe someone knows of some of these people.

Allen : 22nd Oct 2009 - 18:41 GMT

Frank C.: 31st Oct 2009 - 18:36 GMT

I grew up on the corner of 1330 Halsey and Irving back in the late 60's until I escaped in 1979. I had to run home from PS151,(On Knickerbocker) because of the racial attacks form all the blacks and hispanics.I am down in Florida right now and I am seeing the same deterioration down here such as I observed back then. I miss the old neighborhood and I would consider moving back if it were plausible. My point of commenting was for the one'Homey", who commented about his disfavoring the influx of "caucasians"moving into "dahood", we'll let me expalin this to him, how do you think the people felt back then when they seen the deterioration of their neighborhood, when the influx of blacks and hispanics came through and RAVAGED a beautiful area. I remember fantasizing about living in Ridgewood. I would cross the tracks on Halsey heading up to Wycoff to the LL train and make my escape from the hood.My mother and I were robbed at knifepoint for a box of Crayola crayons and $1.64( My change from my birthday moneypurchase)on Knickerbocker and Eldert.I remember being attacked by a group of Puerto Ricans on the corner of Cooper and Irving about 15 in all for a little 6 y/o half-white/half Puerto Rican kid(always called a F-in honkey though) and as they punched and kicked me they dragged me across from the ice factory on Wilson and proceeded to try and stick my fingers into a discarded car battery..Ah the lovely memories, well I grew into a racist and an ultra violent person which effected my whole way of life and thinking, I was forced to become like the trash I was surrounded by.I grew out of it anyhow and I am a better man for having experienced that life. I just wanted to point out that every neighborhood changes and hopefully it's for the better in Bushwick, I am just worried that I'll still be down here when all the influx of Hood folk start coming down here to further destroy this area,maybe I'll move back up there now that the quality of life is improving. It's happening up in Spanish Harlem, It's happening in Brooklyn, and all the hood folks are gonna have to deal with it.I pray for all the hard working black and hispanic folks thathave to move out and I wish all the returning white folks the best of luck...If fate holds it I'll be back also.


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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 (Soho) than ever before. I am in a huge new apartment at a fraction of what my drafty and poorly maintained loft was before. Do I miss Planet Thai, Bembe, Greenpoint Tavern? Sure, but they are still close and I certainly don't miss feeling like I was the only girl on the block whose daddy was not subsidizing all or part of the rent. Areas change, they hopefully improve as Bushwick is, and I will happily stay renting here until I can buy a place of my own and stop the rent game. Crime happens everywhere, and "PollyAnnas" or "Wild Bills" will have problems in every area. I did not get coerced into my decision by a realestate broker- my wallet and my need to be close to Manhattan made the decision and I LOVE IT HERE! Eviva: 13th Apr 2007 - 00:25 GMT I just bought a condo off the Dekalb Avenue L stop. I really like the area and while it's true that Bushwick isn't quite Williamsburg, I see ample potential. Also, real estate in Bushwick is lower than anywhere else in Brooklyn, apart from East New York. And, you get a lot more space for your buck..I love it here! teachnyc: 14th Apr 2007 - 00:24 GMT I work in bushwick's schools and I can't tell you how many times I hear my counterparts from our sister districts in queens talk about how bad it is in BW (they never want to attend conferences here in fear that someone might steal their cars). I will tell you I have enjoyed my five years here. You find a mix of people, a variety of great food check out Ridgewood Eats on Seneca (although we do need an indian and sushi place out there), and great bargain stores. Every major street you cross leads you to another cultural hubub. BW definitely has it's dangers (gangs, drugs), but what area in NY doesn't. I sometimes feel less safe in the city at night. The only thing I have negative to say about my experience in BW is that education is not in the fore front for a lot of parents. I speak from experience not assumption. As an educator you have to work three times as hard to get the kids to work. We have gotten such a bad rap.....but I have met so many kids that I will never forget. I have lost two kids since I have been here. A young man with such a good heart died on the basketball court at tryouts a few years back (rest in peace) and another sent to a residential program due to psychiatric issues. Both bright children with great futures. We have more of THESE gems to nurture..... The more the community is built up, the better it will be for the children. All are welcome in BW and that's the important thing. It's a great place to start off if you wish to stay close to the city but still get the feel of a community. My husband calls it the Village of Brooklyn. Cay: 16th Apr 2007 - 12:23 GMT Obviously from the threads above Bushwick is so much more positive than negative. Up is always the best direction to go. Keep a positive attitude, goodness in your heart, and no matter where you live you will thrive, and in the course of time will bring those around you up with you. zilep: 22nd Apr 2007 - 00:01 GMT Bought a house in the heart of Bushwick- on Central avenue and Cornelia streets (one of those cookie cutter homes with all the meters showing- you know the ones the BROWNSTONER people love to hate). And i LOVE it! Not an ideal neighborhood my any means, but i like the sound of affordable space!!! Just the right combination of ghetto and historical. Still undiscovered by many and hoping it remains untouched a little longer. For now, i'll enjoy the sights and sounds of old Dominican men playing Dominoes on the streets; Watching black girls braiding each other's hair on the stoops; Men bbq'ing in their front patio; Little kids running around the hydrants during those hot summer days; the REAL Puerto Rican parade; the cheap Latin restaurants with delicious home cooked meals (and if i want trendier restaurants I can choose between Williamsburg and Ridgewood); The cheap drop off laundromats; the tons of beautiful churches; Fixer upper brownstones, row houses, old mini mansions, flat fixed shops; Cheap hair blowouts by Dominican women (the best hair blowdrys) and of course the wonderful L train. Do i wish i lived in Prospect Park or the UWS? ofcourse who wouldnt? But those places have already been sanitized and broken into and i consider myself a trendsetter, a pioneer if you wish- so right now my home is BUSHWICK "the town of the woods." But hey, i wouldnt mind moving into Frederick A. Cook's old mansion (still in Bushwick of course). I wonder who owns that place? I rent out 2 of my 3 apartments in my home and i've never had problems renting them out at competitive Brooklyn rates. I've had wonderful tenants and would buy this house all over again. And by the way, i'm 8 blocks away from the L train and 8 blocks away from the J train and it's a 35 minute ride to Union Square- and people are still lining up wanting to snatch up any of the 2 apartments. And they're not even loft apartments. When i post on Craigs' list looking for my tenants, i get many many many repsonses and even have to choose between the many potential tenants. shoot it straight: 22nd Apr 2007 - 15:26 GMT Some of these post make me smile and some are just annoying. The neighborhood does have potential, which one doesn't? Change starts with the people who are there and where they see themselves in the future. Bushwick CAN be safe but that depends on who you ask. I worked @ P.S 123 and it was great. the kids were fun, but they have lived difficult lives and need better role models. Our cars were broken into on the street across from the school weekly. I never did have any problems and the parents I met had my respect. They did however, let me know that it is different on the weekend and in the summer. arriving early from Queens, I would often see the Salvation Army vans "cleaning up" the streets of addicts who were passed out on the street or in the park before school opened. I am not saying it is any worse than anywhere else in NY. but it depends on if you ask, the guy who got shot at last night or the one who didn't. All in all dont blame the neighborhood shoot it straight: 22nd Apr 2007 - 15:29 GMT Also, i agree C-Town is good, the deli on the corner of Knickerbocker and Suydam, good too, and you can't beat the shopping on Knickerbocker. Johanna: 24th Apr 2007 - 16:20 GMT I've lived her for 27 years. I love this place. My parents came from the Dominican Republic in search for the AMERICAN DREAM. They have both prospered and have raised 3 children to be all that they can be while still remaining true to the place that gave them all street crede. Loving BUSHWICK is what BUSHWICKITE DO! Lora: Moonstruck with Cher was pictured there? Cay: No I think that was Bay Ridge. sick: 1st May 2007 - 11:27 GMT bushwick is probabably the heroin capital of new york i know b/c i i go to the needle exchange placed so conveniently on broadway dont raise your kids in this neighborhood they will grow up to be as mindless and drug addicted as there surroundings i dont blame the neighborhood b/c youths have no other oppurtunities i live on the island and go to bushwick to copheroin ruins my life while money ruins the life of these gun toteing idiots who we both end up in jail parents make it easy on yourselfs move too nice neighborhoods streets riddled with kennedy chicken needle exchanges and smell like vermin fesces are the places least likely to have a neighborhood bookstore upfromflames: 1st May 2007 - 15:11 GMT There is, if this posting is real, an interesting story behind this. Ever see that scene in the godfather, where they are deciding whether to sell heroin or not? well, that is what happened to Bushwick. It was HQ'd there, run by Carmine Galante, who was murdered for going over the line with his heroin sales in 1979. Anyway, as you can see, this is history, and so is much of what this guy refers to. There are not so much drugs on the street as there once was in the early 1990's. As for today, you know where to get YOUR stuff, but most of my students, that have grown up in B'wick, don't have a problem with heroin. Green, yes, but not the brown. NYPD, please keep it that way. Lora: 3rd May 2007 - 22:16 GMT 22 Goodwin Place- I am looking for a new development by that address. Anybody knows, is it there, because listing says it's Williamsburg. thanks upfromflames: 3rd May 2007 - 22:27 GMT Yep, thats bushwick alright, an interesting little one block street between Broadway and Bushwick Ave. close to the train, and the bustle, but a great street. Picture of it here. rosecolredglasses: 6th May 2007 - 03:14 GMT While it is true the Bushwick is "trying" to come back, it haas a long way to go. Without a doubt, it is much better than the period of 1976-1994 when you could honestly say it was ground zero so far as crime drugs and violenece was concerned, to put things in perspective, stores that would deliver appliances and such, would not make deliveries to apartments in the area, and police would only respond to calls with two patrol cars. After all how many neighborhoods had whole streets closed off to traffic because of the drug problem. The bombed/burnt out houses are all torn down, and new expensive (overpriced) housing is being put up, but lets face it, the area has a long way to go. The area that is still bad is boarderd by evergreen and st. nicholas from starr over thru Jefferson/Flushing. that area is very bad, look at the houses on jefferson near wyckoff/st. nich, there are actually official signs on the doors saying no one is allowed in except the tenants/landloard and NYPD. People, do not sacrifice your safety for "cheap" rent. It is not worth it. the area is coming back, but it has a long way to go. I know people who work in the new hursing home facility on Central, and they say the area is not safe, and they have trouble getting night workers and actually have a service that takes workers to the train, as they do not let workers walk by themselves. Some parts of the area will ALWAYS be bad. Please dont believe all you read, visit it yourself. Armstrong: 6th May 2007 - 20:48 GMT I just got an apartment on Starr St and Knickerbocker so I a little bit resent rosecoloredglasse's last comment. at the same time, I'm a realist and yes, that area would be considered blighted by many folks. yet there is a police presence - they just put up high-tech security cameras at two stoplights on Knickerbocker. the area rosecolored describes is definitely being cleaned up, and the new people moving on those blocks tend to be hardworking central american immigrants and artists. especially on starr street right on the park, I'm seeing hipster kids moving into those stately tenements that line the park. another thing to consider is the exact area (bordered by Evergreen and St. Nicholas from Starr St. over thru Jefferson/Flushing) is exactly the area that separates the trendy Morgan Stop from Maria Hernandez park and bustling Knickerbocker Ave. I really do think this entire area will be unrecognizable in 5 years. Armstrong: 6th May 2007 - 20:53 GMT unrecognizable in a good way of course! here are the views from my new apartment of Maria Hernandez park and Manhattan skyline (taken from the roof looking back towards Troutman St.) Mike: 7th May 2007 - 18:36 GMT I'm coming to NYC from England for 4 months in June, I was thinking of finding somewhere in Bushwick actually, what does everyone think for a short term stay? anon (cpe-24-164-168-73.hvc.res.rr.com): 10th May 2007 - 06:44 GMT thinking of moving in at halsey and broadway... seems almost nicer than the myrtle/broadway area, despite its being farther east. does bushwick/bed stuy sort of chill out between the marcy projects and east ny? what gives? Cay: 11th May 2007 - 15:43 GMT For a short term stay I'd suggest lower Manhattan. You'd be centrally located to everything and not have to hassle with BK unknowns. Jimmy Legs: 11th May 2007 - 18:25 GMT it's a strange attitude to adopt, rosecoloredglasses: bemoan safety issues but still admit the neighborhood is coming back. how does a neighborhood come back without change? and in this case one undeniable aspect of this is an influx of new residents. the people who move here only for cheap rent never last long, but then they never last long in this city at all. re: anon, halsey and broadway is down near where i live, i really like it although it is pretty dissimilar than the north part of bushwick, more straight residential tho not without its rough moments. still some fools around here who use guns as a debating point. Cay: 14th May 2007 - 14:09 GMT Still, after this past weekend, I would recommend not staying in Bushwick. Enough said, but its a big mistake to think being young, white and naive will protect you from harm. Live somewhere else, gentrification be damned. Ld: what happened this weekend? anon (): 15th May 2007 - 05:32 GMT I USE TO LIVE IN BUSHWICK BROOKLYN SOME TIME AGO I LOVE IT THERE I HOPE TO MOVE BACK SOON. Cay: 15th May 2007 - 17:10 GMT I don't think its fair if I go into it, because I'd have a hard time finding words appropriate to the board. But, I urge all to be careful. There are some evil people in Bushwick, and while there is alot of police presence, its useless if they don't intervene. Be on guard. Peter: 15th May 2007 - 18:31 GMT come on cay, dont be a tease... i, for one, am particularly interested in knowing what happened, as im moving into that neighborhood as we speak... and i want to know what goes on around there... Cay: 16th May 2007 - 12:28 GMT If you can go in and out of your new place in the daytime, and literally live as a prisoner in your place in the nighttime, you MIGHT be O.K. That's all I can or will say. Good luck to all of you. Goodbye Bushwick. Peter: 16th May 2007 - 15:47 GMT i dunno, cay. that sounds like scaremongering... or maybe you just had some bad experiences... ive been out and about around there a lot really late at night... never had any problems. i mean, i dont slink around in the dark recesses between abandoned warehouses, but who does? ive walked 10 blocks back back from the train at 4am, gone out for beer at the bodega at all hours... but to each his own, i suppose... but without any details about what youre talking about, it seems like your opinion is based more on your feelings than on fact. but if youd like to share the facts, that would rule. Anne M. Berger: 16th May 2007 - 16:52 GMT I grew up in Brooklyn in the forties and fifties. It was truly the melting pot. I went to St. Joseph's on Sydam St. My Irish friends went to St. Lenords on Toutman? not sure and my German friends went to St. John's the parish where my parent's were married. I never knew we were a low income family because I enjoyed everything from roller skating, biking which I rented from a store on Central Avenue for $2.00 a day and that is how I learned to ride a bike. We didn't have barbecues so we got a couple of bricks and a can that we brought down from our apts. a potato and a bag of marshmellows and with our parents by our side we roasted and toasted. We played kick the can, hide and seek, potsy (hop scotch) stoop ball, punch ball, stick ball with a broom handle or mop handle. Our parent's in the summer sat on the stoop or porches until late at night talking to neighbors and watched us while we played. During the day we all took the El and went to Cypress Pool. In the fall we all met at Flushing Meadows for Roller skating and Ice Skating. The Labor Lyceum had German picnics and dances and we all managed to go in and have great food and lots of fun. My Uncle Wally was a brew master for Schlitz Beer. The neighbors would sit by windows resting their arms on pillows watching us play and if were doing something wrong we heard from them, talk about neighborhood watch? My Aunts and Uncles were 15 minutes apart from all of us and Sunday was always a family gathering always macaroni of some sort and lots of desserts. We had Eddy's the butcher on Myrtle Ave., and Pete the Grocer on Willoughby and Evergreen and the candy store on Myrtle Aveneu where I could bring bottles back for money. We also had a celebrity who would come in for a newspaper by the name of Julius LaRosa. We lived on DeKalb first near Knickerbocker, and moved to Evergreen Avenue and then to Willoughby Ave. My memories are wonderful of growing up in a place that gave me independence and what we now call street smarts. I never felt I was missing anything it was all there. There was a TV show called Brooklyn Bridge, this show brought so many memories back to me in which I actually lived. Cay: 16th May 2007 - 16:56 GMT Not scaremongering... God knows NYC is scary enough. But I'm just saying its not enough to be very careful, its not enough to just "be aware of your surroundings at all times." Had one bad experience, involving a weapon, and gang members and I'm not going back for more of the same. Peter: 16th May 2007 - 17:56 GMT cay: firstly, i think its humorously ironic that you qualify "not scaremongering" by saying "god knows nyc is scary enough". thats a dated, inaccurate and stereotypical statement that i dont appreciate much, as a new yorker. if you truly feel that way, you should consider relocating to wherever it was you came from before nyc put "the fear" in you... maybe brooklyn heights or park slope, or perhaps somewhere more pastoral, like jersey? secondly, im not sure your singular, isolated incident makes bushwick a "bad" place. but then again, i dont worry much. the last time i got jumped by an armed thug, i retaliated and ended up kicking the guys ass (shattering his right knee and femur in the process) and pressing enough charges to have him sent upstate... that is, after he spent 3 weeks in the hospital. ...and that was in freaking yuppie-ass prospect heights at 3pm on a balmy autumn sunday. that was my one and only bad experience out of about a decade and a half in the area. bushwick is just like every other outer-boro working-class, racially-mixed neighborhood. it has its drama, thugs and underground schemes just like every other neighborhood. just because it hasnt completely gentrified (yet...?) and has a vague gang presence doesnt make it a place where you have to "literally live as a prisoner in your place in the nighttime". sorry if i seem to be playing devil's advocate, but frankly, im psyched as hell to be moving to bushwick from prospect heights. ive scored an amazingly large (and dirt cheap) loft close to two trains, and the shopping, family life and culture in the area is amazing, rich and fascinating. after living in about 8 different apartments throughout manhattan and brooklyn over the years, i actually think this place im moving to has me the most psyched of them all... bring it on, bushwick! upfromflames: 16th May 2007 - 22:45 GMT Word, peter. I was a bit shaken up this morning when I found out a fellow teacher was held up at gunpoint at 5PM Tuesday--on the M train platform at Central Ave--one that I have used everyday for 4 years. Does that challenge my whole historical thesis that Bushwick has come "up from flames" and is different now than it once was? farul: 17th May 2007 - 00:52 GMT Yea, Bushwick is different than it was before. Cuz back in the day, they'd have got popped. Now they just get held up. Heh. Mushi: 17th May 2007 - 01:24 GMT There are mean people everywhere in this city, whether it's Bushwick, Sunnyside, Park Slope, the Upper Eastside, Soho...it doesn't matter. People with attitudes like some mentioned above really upset me. Yeah, I'd love to live in Woodside. I'd love to live in Manhattan. But I'll never get a place as large as I have now unless I want to pay my whole monthy earnings on rent. Bushwick is fine. It works for people. It's just as dangerous as almost any other place in the city. I am not a Pollyanna or anything of the sort. I don't like the noise in the summer. I don't like going out late at night by myself. Yes, I could get jumped here as well -- I totally get that. I could get jumped in Manhattan as well. What am I trying to say? I am not sure. It just feels like there are people on this board that just want to cap on Bushwick because they can. Are those people snots who live in other parts of the city? Perhaps in the cooler, trendier...Morgantown? Maybe even in Williamsburg proper? Are thery just trying to act superior? Do these people go on the "MyHouseInEastNewYork" web site and cap on those people as well? Glad to see Peter is psyched to be in Bushwick. Trust me, it could be a much worse place. Cay: 17th May 2007 - 13:24 GMT I started out hopeful and willing and embracing the challenge of fitting in and making it work. I'm just sharing with those who care to listen to go about their business, and deal with their personal safety. If cheap rent and large loft space are the draw, remember, you get what you pay for. And in Bushwick you are paying for Bloods, Crypts, Latin Kings, cat/rat fights in abandoned buildings, and absolutely schizo/paranoid people on the streets night and day, some armed. "Vague gang presence" is totally inaccurate. TOTALLY. So, do what you have to do. And Peter, NYC under Guliani really did have improved crime statistics and police presence. Under Bloomberg its started to slide, and anyone whose spent time in the city knows this to be true. tito: 19th May 2007 - 00:46 GMT i lived in bushwick(greene ave, bleeker st, wyckoff ave, you know how we did it in bklyn. move from block to block) I had a group of friends back when i was there that im trying to locate. we grew up from kids to young men and most of use left. we had our little clik back then "the 86 boys" for p.s. 86 on irving ave. if anyone remembers junior from greene ave, abbey "bald head" from greene ave, jose "joey" from greene ave, theres more but to many to list. If anyone remembers them or myself give me a holla... Armstrong: 20th May 2007 - 16:30 GMT All this talk of crime is interesting yet Bushwick is changing everyday. It is inevitable. I think it will change for the better, remaining a mixed neighborhood demographically and economically. It is closer to Manhattan than many other gentrified hoods and the city is expecting one million more residents. Even if the economy were to tank tomorrow, the demographics of people moving en-masse into the city will not change. Every hood within 1/2 hour to Manhattan will be gentrified. There is no doubt about that. As Bushwick has a large percentage of the city's stabilized rentals, I foresee an interesting decade ahead in regards to landlords being forced to fix violations or lose their buildings to the city. I think we will also see a lot more immigrant activism in regards to keeping the stock of stabilized apartments (a good thing) in the neighborhood, at the same time as more investors move to buy abandoned/manufacturing properties for development. I believe also that the areas immediately surrounding the Jefferson and Morgan stops will be rezoned in the near future to allow huge housing developments which will take advantage of the proximity of the subway. thoughts? ROB: 27th May 2007 - 11:37 GMT Bushwick sucks, Ridgewood too. I lived in both parts and Gendale too. Williamsburgh and so on. Bushwish/Ridgewood same crap is like this, one small raid road apartment for $1500 a month with 8 mexican, equadorian, el salvadorian, etc, sharing one railroad apartment. Puerto Ricans are the monorities now, along with whites and black, they are moving the hell out, I guess they are waking up. The only P.R, Whites, and Blacks still living in that hood is because their parents never did shit for them and now they are stuck. I thank God I am out of there. Drugs, Aids, Guns is what your kids will learn over there. Get out while you can, for real, for real. Mushi: 31st May 2007 - 13:14 GMT I agree with Armstrong -- change is inevitable. Rob: if you don't like where you live, if you don't like Bushwick, then please lease. There are those of us who find Bushwick just fine for our needs. PEMA: 1st Jun 2007 - 21:36 GMT my husband grw up in bushwick while i myself grew up in tx. so some times its like we are from diff planets. anyway its interesting to see how you all talk about the place. i was lucky enough to visit last yr and i think that some times natives of brooklyn take for granted all beauty of brooklyn. yes beauty. dont get me wrong i prob wouldnt want to be out at 2 am by myself but its amazing some of the views of city you have. the empire state building lit up at night and the bridge. so i hope that you guys stop from time to time and try to see your home like some one whos there for the fist time. oh and gotta give props to al lthose great writters from bushwick. WEWE!!!!! ROB: 2nd Jun 2007 - 09:29 GMT That's true Pema, I'm from Brooklyn and Mushi, I did leave... Because if you have children that's that the place to be. IF YOU SINGLE OR LIVING WITH ANOTHER ADULT it's fine, just don't go out at night, because we have a saying in bushwish, The freaks comes out at night and Ecos in the night, if you know what I mean so if you have a family like I do, get out while you can or someday your kids will become another piece of art on some corner wall. If you know what I mean? Honey: 5th Jun 2007 - 18:30 GMT Bushwick was a great place to grow up back in 90's. Now since people grown up it's been just sex and drugs to them. Honey: 5th Jun 2007 - 18:34 GMT To RoB.. Just because your life didn't come out the way you like it, please don't sterotype any other race. Stop assuming shit and get your facts straight. Ignorant ass!! I'm hispanic and still living in Bushwick. I attend a fine institution in Manhattan and plan on doing big things in life. So don't think just because you stay in Bushwick, doesn't mean your parents didn't do anything for you. PEMA: 6th Jun 2007 - 16:39 GMT relax honey sometimes kind words go alot farther and last longer. HSH: 6th Jun 2007 - 20:08 GMT If there's anyone on this page who's actually living in Bushwick right now, I'd love to get your perspective and hear your experiences. I was just there yesterday looking at properties. Some really gorgeous stuff and one in particular was INSANELY priced. I agree that the neighborhood still has a way to go, but I've been going there for over 15 years and anyone who denies the changes is totally blind. The truth is, by the time it becomes another WB, it won't be affordable anymore. My family hails from Suydam street...straight off the boat in 1911 until they moved out in 1960. I've been determined to go back, though I'm fully aware it isn't 1955 anymore. My logic is, mind your own business and use your head. Peter: 6th Jun 2007 - 20:19 GMT im in the middle of moving to bushwick from prospect heights right now, actually. ill keep you posted. so far, i really like it in bushwick. if i was worried even the slightest bit, i wouldnt be moving there... HSH: 7th Jun 2007 - 04:14 GMT Peter, I'd love to stay in touch with you...you can email me at bbq_on_mars@yahoo.com. I personally have never encountered a problem there myself (though I did have the pleasure of witnessing 2 cops - one female - frisking someone outside C-Town yesterday. Oddly, it made me feel rather secure and certain about the changing climate of the area, as there were times when even the police gave up on Bushwick). I've been going there, like I stated, long before condos and lofts were even a vague thought in any developer's mind. I did a photo documentary of the area in 2000 and found the people to be very friendly, helpful and eager to engage in conversation. I feel Bushwick has long been neglected and left to fend for itself during desperate times and that its Renaissance is approaching. Hopefully, those moving into the neighborhood will take some pride, get involved in the current changes and help affect new ones. upfromflames: 7th Jun 2007 - 10:33 GMT HSH: I'd love the opportunity to see your photo doc on Bushwick. I've been working on one this year. To see part of it, check upfromflameson citynoise, or better, hit the Brooklyn Historical Society's opening tonight for: Up From Flames: Mapping Bushwick's Recovery 1977-2007 May 23-Aug 26, 2007 or see it this summer. For residents past, current, and future. upfromflames: 7th Jun 2007 - 10:37 GMT [[www.brooklynhistory.org]] for directions and such.... And don't miss the walking tour this saturday... meeting at Gates Ave Station on the J--Linden Ave and Broadway, that is--at 1PM. Its a two hour tour catching sites old and new. I'll be leading it with Bushwick historian John Dereszewski. Its not to be missed, if I do say so myself! HSH: Sounds great - - I'm gonna try and make it! cjh: 8th Jun 2007 - 04:43 GMT This is for upfromflames: I was born and raised (1969 to 1990) in the boarded-up house pictured in your February 10 article. The actual address of that building is 23 Troutman Street. What led to the ruin of this building and the three additionally attached buildings? It certainly was the owner. This piece of property was owned, and remains owned by St. Mark's Lutheran Church (conveniently located just around the corner on Bushwick Avenue). As the church's congregation began to dwindle, and financial resources began to shrink, the church leadership had this grand vision that they would raze these four buildings and build an addition to the St. Mark's Lutheran School. The fourteen families that resided in these buildings were told in the mid to late-nineties that the church could no longer afford to provide essential services for the buildings and they must move out to make way for the construction of the new school. Although no actual funding was secured for the new construction of the school, tenants feared the loss of services and security and began to vacate their apartments. My father was the last hold-out and moved from 23 Troutman Street in 2000. As I grew up on Troutman Street, neighbors looked out for one another and I believed my block, with not one boarded-up building or vacant lot, was one of the "crown jewels" in Bushwick. St. Mark's Lutheran Church destroyed a beautiful block and assisted with conjuring up negative visions of a Bushwick past. St. Mark's Lutheran Church should have sold the property when they could no longer afford to maintain the buildings. They still have the ability to right a wrong and sell the buildings so that Troutman Street will enjoy the continued resurgence of an up-and-coming Bushwick. cjh: 8th Jun 2007 - 04:49 GMT This is also for upfromflames: As you can see from your February 10, 2007 photo, the buildings still have not been razed and St. Mark's Lutheran Church lacks the funding and has no new plans to construct a new school. jms: 8th Jun 2007 - 15:25 GMT my wife and I have a 10 month old. Currently, we're looking in bushwick - want to save and purchase a home/condo once the real estate market recovers (maybe in bushwick). I've lived in greenpoint/williamsburg for the last 7 yrs. During that time I've seen a ton of change, all for the better, and looking to see the same happen in bushwick. Any thoughts on new families in bushwick? HSH: 9th Jun 2007 - 03:57 GMT upfromflames, sure thing. in fact, I was planning on adding to it/continuing it. Email me at bbq_on_mars@yahoo.com. upfromflames: 9th Jun 2007 - 12:03 GMT cjh: Thats a powerful story, very telling. Thanks for telling it here. The way citynoise threads work, you might also want to copy and post it 6257 with the the original topic. --or one of the nice editors might do it for you. JAY: 10th Jun 2007 - 02:34 GMT I am writing a novel and have part taking place in Bushwick in the '40's. Can anyone give me an idea of what it was like back then. What kind of businesses? What were the shopping streets? Who lived there? I'm told there were rich people in mansions. Is this so? Any help would be appreciated. I lived in the Bronx back then and Brooklyn could have been Czeckoslovakia to me. Thanks in advance. JAY: 10th Jun 2007 - 02:51 GMT UPFROMFLAMES..... That 1946 book you talk about. How can I get a copy of that? upfromflames: 10th Jun 2007 - 05:35 GMT www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Town/Bushwick/index.html There be a great story in these pages...and many nice pictures, too! upfromflames: 10th Jun 2007 - 05:45 GMT cjh: thanks again for your post. I used it on a walking tour of Bushwick today. One more story to add to the many, found in buildings gone, standing, and yet to be. Hope you and other Bushwickers out there can make the July 21st tour of the Southern Tier of Bushwick, where a degree of economic stability allowed whole blocks (of 19th century rowhouses) to survive unscathed. Some great and sad stories, starting with the All Hands Fire, New York City's largest fire of the 20th century. more info at [[www.upfromflames.com]] jaybay: 11th Jun 2007 - 20:27 GMT My friend and I just got an apartment in the western part of Bushwick, where Suydam Street and Bushwick Ave. intersect. WE are two white girls in our 20's. We walked around the area for a while, and everyone was very nice to us, smiled, said hello, and our neighbors even welcomed us to the neighborhood. I am originally from a very suburban area of tx. Should I be worried? My pops is a bit worried....but the first place I lived was in alphabet city in Manhattan, and there were freaks running around there day and night. Any advice, tips? Just want to make sure I know what to expect. Thank you! JimQV: 11th Jun 2007 - 23:51 GMT Jaybar, below is a paste of a two sentence news story from todays New York Post (online edition), "Police Blotter" column. You can decide how safe it makes you feel about Bushwick: Brooklyn A man in his 20s was fatally shot yesterday on a Bushwick street. The victim, whose name was withheld pending family notification, was struck in the chest on Wyckoff Street at 11:15 a.m. A suspect was in custody. Eviva: 18th Jun 2007 - 21:46 GMT JimQV: Wyckoff Street is located in Carroll Gardens and NOT Bushwick which only reaffirms that crime exists everywhere in NYC. upfromflames: 18th Jun 2007 - 22:58 GMT Um...sorry Eviva. Brooklyn can be confusing. There are two Wykoffs. They were important folks in Brooklyn History, you see. But in this case, Wykoff is a lot more important to Bushwick than Carroll Gardens. And JimQV may be a over-reacting, but he is accurate. I know the mother of that boy who was shot. Kat: 20th Jun 2007 - 04:35 GMT Is it true that the new residents of Bushwick are calling it 'Shiwck'? For serious, I will die if this is true. I've lived on Bushwick all my life, and the idea of some yuppies from Williamsburg/Manhattan calling it that turns my stomach. Bushwick Native: 23rd Jun 2007 - 02:18 GMT Jaybay: What a fool you are moving into Bushwick. You're probably paying a ridiculous sum of money to live in a rat and crime infested neighborhood. Don't think it'll be the next Williamsburg just yet. Just remember you and hipsters like you are the ones who drive poor people out of their own poor neighborhoods-Shame on you! Peter: 23rd Jun 2007 - 07:05 GMT bushwick native: ridiculous sums of money? my rent is less than a grand, and i havea huge, amazing space. with rentthis low for such space, my building is full of the sorts of poor people you say were moving out. just a thought. im white. so seems almost half of the neighborhood. its not so much gentrification as it is a shared space. as all spaces should be. stop making the argument so black and white. i hate the constant referrals to crime, comparisons to williamsburg, etc. bushwick is its own place with its own flava, and i love it for that. its got a little bit of everything. i really need to do a better job of showing all the col, great, amazing stuff in this neighborhood on here... more to come. Kiminbushwick: 23rd Jun 2007 - 14:04 GMT Hi, new to the site, but have been following along in more ways than one. I am 7 years proud in bushwick, and just wanted to say, that I think ALL of this conjecture and talk about "is it safe", can I do this or do that, etc. is a clear indication that you should NOT move here. The more this conversation moves along, the more anxiety ridden I become. PLEASE DO NOT MOVE HERE. And for all the people that are big uppin it to everyone, PLEASE STOP. This is not an experiment, nor is it a hot-spot, nor is it up for your consideration. Anyone who wants to get drunk in the city and cab it home, and has any question whatsoever about that, should NOT LIVE HERE. I am happy to hear that you all are fascinated by this area. Great. Please do it from afar. Up from flames, I am happy to meet you, happy to know you, but I have to ask you with great respect to please stop advertising this area. And Peter, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP "showing what this neighborhood has to offer". I can't understand the need that some people seem to have-that once they found some place decent they have to shout it from the roof tops, blog it, publicize it, and for all intents and purposes shine a rabid hyper spastic spotlight on it for all the world to see. It's the internet equivalent of constructing flashing "vacancy" signs posted all over the rooftops. Why do you do this? Can't you just be satisfied that you found a cool place and leave it at that. Why all this need to telegraph out to whomever and basically create the idea that it might be cool to live here, when before you opened your big mouth, that thought was not there. ALSO-you do this without the consent of the people that live here who do not want this irritating attention which inevitably leads to the destruction of what you love. Keep your mouth shut and realize the selfishness of co-opting a place just so you can tell the world how cool you are for being there. In short, the people that have to constantly advertise and talk about their area aren't really committed to it. If they were, they would know to do the opposite. I moved here under my own choices, my own exploration, my own personal experiences, and without anyone having ever mentioned it to me before. I didn't need to discuss it ad nauseum, hemming and hawing, pro-ing and coning it, asking everyone about it, constantly involving outsiders in the discussion, etc. If there is any way possible, can we table this discussion so that the hordes pass us by. We are full. There is NO VACANCY IN BUSHWICK. I think ALL of you should look at what Jaybay wrote in his last sentence. If you think it's not you, ask yourself this: do you live here already, and if not, then why would you be moving here to begin with. If you don't think he's talking about you, think again. And everyone who's been posting about it...you are the exact problem, you ARE gentrification, and this need to publicize and constantly draw attention here is the exact problem. I wish so much all of you had just never heard of this place. upfromflames: 24th Jun 2007 - 00:51 GMT Kim: You can't stand under a stone and ask it to stop falling. You speak out romantically against historical forces much broader than the scope of your sentiment. The neighborhood will never be what it was back in the day--not the good old days that you remember, or the bad old days that others remember. It will change. Nothing can stop those economic forces. I am not making that happen. I am just making history of it. Perhaps you should be the one to leave, to find the next "undiscovered" neighborhood, and start the process all over again. Then you'll have more to rail against. Dan: 24th Jun 2007 - 21:56 GMT Hi, I went to university in manhattan (NYU), and during that time was privileged to live in some good areas. I hung around the Lower East Side a lot and it has obviously gotten a lot better since 5 years ago even. School's done and I will be moving out to brooklyn. I found a place on Arion Place, between Broadway and Bushwick Ave. Is this area safe? If you're not familiar with Arion, it's right next to Melrose. Thanks! Born and Bred: 25th Jun 2007 - 02:58 GMT Kim -- Were you born here? Nuff said. Ali: 25th Jun 2007 - 21:28 GMT i moved to bushwick about 6 months ago and i like it a lot. im white and i almost feel bad cuz i feel like since the area is populated with mostly hispanics, they probably feel like im moving in on their territory or something. and since im young (im 19) they probably think mommy and daddy are paying my rent or something. but thats not the case. i work hard and pay everything myself. i like the neighborhood mostly because it seems like a real "community." williamsburg is nice but its so damn expensive and there's no sense of "community" - its like everyone just wants to show off their outfits and other retarted shit like that. anyway, i like living in bushwick a lot and ill continue to until i cant afford the rent anymiore:) and also, a great stray cat came in through my kitchen window lol and had babies Clay: 26th Jun 2007 - 01:58 GMT There's an exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society called "Up from Flames." It chronicles Bushwick from 1977 to now. It has lots of articles in the 70's when Bushwick landlords were buring their buildings down to get insurance money. So many fires were going on that Nixon declared Bushwick a disaster area. There's great photographs, development plans, and mention of what the future of the neighborhood could be. I learned about the Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development from this exhibit. Their lobbying to keep the gentrification from pushing long time residents out. Inspiring exhibit to say the least. whowalkinbrooklyn.com: 27th Jun 2007 - 03:41 GMT lots of interesting comments here, some ridiculous yuppie wannabes, but many more sincere & heartening-- esp. about Bushwick's Italian heritage & Spanish-speaking peoples. One thing i'd like to add tho' is, all this BULLSHIT about, say, W'Burg or Park Slope or wherever having been "bad" 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago... what, every place without lousy bistros & upscale baby boutiques was bad? Get real. Bushwick suffered it's own particular troubles as others have noted but this idea that, even in the 1970s & 1980s, that all of Brooklyn or the LES or wherever was the Wild West is insane... stop believing the real estate version of history & talk to people of all kinds who lived here then. it's A LOT more complicated-- & interesting-- than most newcomers, even well-meaning ones, know. Q: any ya'll remember the Bushwick hip-hop group The Arsonists? also, i find it curious nobody has mentioned the Filipinos yet. Knickerbocker, Wilson & Central represent! upfromflames: 27th Jun 2007 - 10:22 GMT I need to hear about the Arsonists! Tell me more! upfromflames: 28th Jun 2007 - 16:25 GMT great article on Bushwick in this week's Village Voice www.villagevoice.com/news/0726,robbins,77040,2.html KB: 28th Jun 2007 - 21:13 GMT Lived in Bushwick on Eldert Street, btw Knickerbocker & Irving, from when I was born, until we moved away in 1967, when I was 16. Things had gotten rough in 1966, when there was racial strife, and murder. Sad, stupid, tragic. It happened. We left. What was ironic, was that on my block, the first four or five African American families to arrive in the early sixties were soldily lower middle class. Just like the white folks. No problems. My girl cousins used to babysit for their little kids. No biggie. Then a whole load of white trash moved in, and that was the end of the good times. And I mean TRASH! Tobacco Road Goes North kind of trash. Consequently, the black folks moved out. We got stuck with the highly dysfunctional peckerwoods. One of their recreational passtimes was to lay a beer bottle and a beer can next to each other, against the step that raised the front yard from the sidewalk, then let them roll towards the gutter. They'd make bets on which would get there first, the bottle or the can. This was always done after eleven at night, when all the working people were trying to sleep. Usually the bottle, a quart of Rheingold, would smash. Since it was summer, and no one had air conditioning, all our windows were open. You could hear the rolling, then the crash, then all of them laughing. One evening, my Dad, and a bunch of other men, all WW ll veterans, paid them a call. The beer races stopped, but the general trashiness continued. One of their kids became a friend of mine. He couldn't read, wasn't sure exactly how old he was, or what his real last name was. I'm not making this up. One time, visiting his grandmother, I was totally grossed out by her apartment. In the frig, one of those old kinds you needed to defrost, the freezer was so caked with ice, you couldn't close the door. But what was astounding to me was that the frozen, caked condensation was full of roaches! They were like mamoths in Siberia, frozen in their tracks. And Granny didn't bother to clean then off! The bathtub was filthy, and looked like a roach ranch. I went in to pee, and ran the hell out of there, never to return. "Where ya goin'?" he asked. "My Ma's calling me!" I replied My old house (316 Eldert) still stands, but when I last saw it, was still cinder blocked up. Probably not for too much longer. About three, or four years back, there was an article in the NYT real estate section, about an African furniture designer, who was living in a loft in the old factory on the corner of Irving and Eldert. He does great, high end work, which is sold in fancy shops in Manhattan. He's married to a young lady from Wisconsin, and they were expecting a kid. That blew me away. I wish everybody living in BW the best of luck. I hope it doesn't get so gentrified that it turns it into Willyburg East. I hope the crime goes way down, because the kids have better options. Peace to all. Cay: 29th Jun 2007 - 13:25 GMT KB, you have a unique way with words. What enjoyable anecdotal accounts of BW. You can't make that stuff up. KB, you've told it like it was, and also like it is. Thanks. Kat: 1st Jul 2007 - 20:35 GMT Lol, 'BW'. Haa... I was checking out this thing on Wikipedia. In it, they have a travel guide to Brooklyn, and when I went to look for Bushwick, they were calling it 'East Williamsburg'. I edited it so that they aren't one in the same. Can anyone else think of anything other than Knickerbocker to talk about in that section? I've got nothing against Knickerbocker, I just can't think of anything else to put. Here's the link: http://wikitravel.org/en/New_York_%28city%29/Brooklyn The stuff about Bushwick, I wrote myself. If anyone can elaborate, please do. I terrible with describing things. Dee: 9th Jul 2007 - 23:01 GMT I grew up in Bushwick as a matter of fact iwas born in Bushwick.Iwas born in Wycoff Heights hospital in 1955.I lived in the same house with my family until I married in 78 my mom finally got the hell out of there in 87 after my dad died. I say got the hell out because I have seen this neighborhood transform from a wonderful place 55-62 to not so bad 62-68 reminded me of the movie Crooklyn, all the kids got along the Latinos ,the Blacks (some did some didn't) the Italians, Irish and whatever other nationality. We all hung out played stick ball, johnny on the pony ranked each other out as well as your motha.That was all good, we all knew we were culturally different but on the street we were buddies. Now to the good stuff the 70's Bushwick sucked. Cedar street was practically all burned down. the place was so depressing packs of dogs running wild and people began to not care.We had some very nice neighbors, we treated them with respect and they did the same.However I forget the year but when Dr King was shot all hell broke loose riots on Broadway, fires everywhere. I hated living there then ofcourse 77 the great black Bushwick burned and was raped they fucking robbed and looted. People running down our block holding televisions, stereos, whatever they could grab. These people killed Bushwick why did we allget along before? what the hell happened? All I know is when I would call car service they'd say we need a car in war zone, they called my neighborhood war zone can u imagine/ noo u can't. by the way my fond memories os the L train is some schmuck with his weeney out. My friend who lived on Hart st was touched by some slob on the Wycoff ave station. And as far as your buddy being robbed on the central ave station boo hoo some things never change. I wish all of u luck with ure investments I know the city has become a place for the very rich so good luck. I almost envy the fact that i don't have the balls to go back, ut for me it would be like visiting Auswich. to the young lady that says people keep talking ab out Knickerbocker well thats because it was a great shopping area and had alot of good food Jewish deli's, pizzerias great bakeries, candy stores too bad u people from Ohio or wherever never got to taste the real Brooklyn. Sis u know there was a pretzel factory on Starr st real pretzels not the shit they make today. whiteP: 10th Jul 2007 - 16:12 GMT Ahh Bushwick, what is funny is how young professionals live like kings while blacks and hispanics can barely afford wholesome food. Whats even funnier is the way these so called thugs have the biggest mouth and no bite. If you are thinking of moving to bushwick you will quickly come to learn that nothing is scarier to the local residents than white kids who arent afraid of Bushwick. These people are their own worst enemies. I mean what landlord wouldnt love a more gentrified neighborhood. Cay: 16th Jul 2007 - 18:48 GMT Dee I remember them real pretzels. They were unlike anything I've tasted. A couple of years ago I was in midtown for a month with a group of coworkers. I tried explaining the pretzels to the group. I got them to try them and they all looked puzzled. I took a bite and realized....some things DO change, and for the worse. The pretzels sold on the street in NYC don't even resemble the pretzels we had when we were kids. Vendors everywhere, they were awesome, so good. It makes me wish for one. Someone told me they were called "Philadelphia pretzels." Does anyone know if that's true? ilana: 18th Jul 2007 - 19:49 GMT my boyfriend and i (brazilian and half filipino/half white) lived in bushwick for 8 months. we shared an apartment with a wonderful ecuadorian woman, Carmen, and her daughter Patricia on the first floor of a house on Menahan Street between Myrtle Ave and St. Nicholas Avenue. Sometimes I was annoyed when I couldn't swipe my debit card at a bodega, or when I'd have to take the bus when the L train was down. otherwise, we encountered any problems. our block was notorious for teenagers graffitying the premisis with their tag "hooligan city," and the countless pairs of sneakers wrapped around cable lines. we moved to park slope about 2 months ago, but i miss the bodegas, hearing bachata and reggaeton out of the stores, being able to buy fresh fruit and churros for breakfast before i jumped on the train. i'd give up my 5th ave park slope apartment for a place as real as bushwick anyday John Dereszewski: 20th Jul 2007 - 01:03 GMT The recent "pretzel post" brought back some very dear - albeit fattening - Bushwick memories. When I served as District Manager of Community Board 4 in the late 1970's, I would walk to our offices at 335 Central Ave by going up Linden St. from the Gates Ave. "J" train station. After passing Evergreen Ave., I passed a small taxpayer building - just next to 101 Linden - that hosted a small but very active pretzel factory. The aroma was always enticing, and the prices that they offered drop-in customers - three fat salted pretzels for a whopping 25 cents - was irresistable. I consequently began all too many of my workdays downing my 25 cent breakfast - with a 50 cent coffee. The taste was great, at the clear expense of my waistline. This business ceased operations no later than the early 1980's, though the little taxpayer building remains, at least for now. Peter: 20th Jul 2007 - 01:49 GMT hi john! will you be at this weekend's walking tour? thirty years later, and coffee's still 50 cents around here... upfromflames: 20th Jul 2007 - 03:27 GMT He's leading the tour, dude! See ya there! Meet on Wykoff @ Gates at 1PM on Saturday. Bushwicks baddest chic aka Bobbi j : 21st Jul 2007 - 22:37 GMT this goes out to all you bushwick peeps i was born and raised on irving the streets were two way back then i went to 86 what you know about that the 83 was not on knickerbocker im talking bout 1973 ya know .im tired of all you nuggas saying you from bushwick its okay if your 15 and live there for 15 years but if your 30 something and only lived on your block since you were 10 or 11 then your not from bushwick rosie perez is from bushwick jackie gleason is from bushwick i am from bushwick and i am missing knickerbocker right now .people brag about the old drink spots like Mr lees where you get any liquor drink in a wonton bowl and get drunk off your ass looking like your eating chinese soup thewn there was brooklyn drinks a bootleg mr lees or appolo iver in the southside what ever it was if you dont know about normandies on cypress and the bank on flusing then your probably not really from bushwick .....;..anyway whether your from bushwick or you plan on moving into bushwick the only thing you need to worry about for real is the big ass rats not the people ...Bushwick is not compton so people if you say bushwick is scary than your nothing but a punk .Love to brooklyn always representing I LOVE BUSHWICK ANS BUSHWICK LOVES ME I EVEN GOT MY OWN HUBBY FROM BROOKLYN althoug sweetheart you were from bed stuy you only hung in bushwick but the truth is you were born in money makin manhatten so this means baby boy your a round the way guy but i love you anyway im from brooklyn not you muwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh>>>>>>>,,,,,Lola loves you boo bushwick facts:: 22nd Jul 2007 - 05:55 GMT in the 60-70s all white italian and germans on irving side Puerto ricans were from other side of central it was like a border muslims locked down bushwick ave in the 70 -80s and prior to them the jews had shit on lock.Chinese were always around the best chinese rest are always in the hood. bushwick high school colors were orange and black best swim team and foot ball till lane took over Bushwick pool on flushing was one nickel to swim all day johnny pumps and street gutters were our swimming pool turn on the pump and do it up.jump rope double dutch and skelly were sports youll see all day long the old italian goombas were in knickerbocker park playing baci ball. sun bathe yea on the fucking roof tar beach no money for train.you want to die go to woodhull,you want to get weed you use to go to the weed gate,swimming pools on sidewalks ,blue plastic pools,people always on stoop aka porch steps,buy ices for all the kids on block,there was and old man name peter on irving everyone called him grandpa he was so sweet,how bout the green bum?how bout bobo the clown or the man that use to dress like santa and walk around all year long giving lolipops,do you know mrs shushine?father kelly?Home of the best puerto rican cuchifritos,and if you could not find one some bodys moms sold food out the first floor window along with piraguas or limbers,who needed adryer when you had the hallway banister,no need for a slide kids slid down bannisters in hallw ays hung out on roof ladders dam bushwick was crazy funny oh what about the sneakers on the wires in the streets,rosie perez was from bushwick Genuine brooklynite bushwick baby: 22nd Jul 2007 - 06:04 GMT I am so proud of where i come from.Most people say bitches in bushwick are dumb.Never that Never me ,I just see what i see and i will always be me.Growing up in the hood did me good.Im bright and and full of knowledge even finished college.YOU may want to be me just recieved my doctrines degree.Im a product of your enviorment lord knows the streets were heaven sent,they taught me right from wrong sometimes i express it in my song.I went from living on rice to living very nice.i can have anything no worry bout the price,I talk street slang but i dont gangbang,when i have meetings i put on my best and "say hello" but all these people dont know im really from the ghetto.if you have brains and you street smart i tell you this you will get so far in life so keep being proud of where we come from and prove to the world that being from bushwick is not a bad thing at all Bushwick love bug: 22nd Jul 2007 - 06:20 GMT The best thing that came out of bushwick was my man the love of my life sorry ladies i got the best man from bushwick he is the best he is fine and he is my bushwick love boy do i love bushwick lola loves big lou forever and ever we both lives off the same avenue and never met till 20 something years later but it was worth it ill wait another twenty something years to find love like this if i had to love was waiting just around the corner damm boo you know i love you so much all your ex,s dont know what they let go thank you bitches you never know a good man till hes gone but i was smarter than you hoes i got him for the past 7 years and ill keep him thanks anon (dyn-160-39-159-56.dyn.columbia.edu): 23rd Jul 2007 - 04:41 GMT Is Bushwick Ave safe about 3 blocks south of Myrtle? Cay: Bushwick ain't safe period upfromflames: 23rd Jul 2007 - 19:12 GMT Thank you for visiting. Please come again. Cay: What say you upfromflames? ITS NOT SAFE PERIOD Brooklyn-Pete: 27th Jul 2007 - 08:20 GMT Bushwick is not the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn, it's definately no Park Slope but it is not as bad as some would have others believe. The neighborhood is very noisy and extremely filthy on many blocks but there is a great sense of community and people generally look out for eachother. I was born in Bushwick in 1984, one of the very few white kids to grow up in Bushwick in this era. I grew up on Linden St in my grandmothers house. My family goes back in Bushwick to 1903 when my German immigrant ancestors purchased a tenement house at 55 Troutman St ushering in 4 generations in a neighborhood that has changed markedly since then. Although the neighborhood has improved somewhat since when I was a kid, many homes are still in terrible condition and vermin is also a major problem. I would hate to see this community polarized again like it has been in the past, but it seems that animosity runs strong between those of us already here and the newcomers. Many old timers fear a new East Village etc... and the newcomers tend to hold themselves aloof in the neighborhood being very anti-social and sometimes disrespectful of working neighbors, as some wealthier hipster kids my age tend to view Bushwick as an endless alcoholic LSD Trip of rooftop parties,drugs,drinking parties and the like, while usually being ignorant of the fact that many people live here with families and try to raise them in a semi-pleasant environment so hopefully they will one day improve themselves. While I strongly doubt Bushwick will ever become like it was in my parents time of tidy tree lined streets, elderly german ladies scrubbing their stoops, Italian widows clad in Black heading to St. Josephs, soda fountains, Dairy Queen and the once proud RKO Bushwick Movie Theater, I hope that a common ground could be found among all of us to make the neighborhood pleasant, hopefully clean it up alot lol, maybe put in more trees, keep a watch on these greedy real estate speculators, and put pressure on landlords to take care of their properties while still keeping the neighborhood working class. Surely we all must have more in common than differences and putting good ideas to use instead putting each other down would only be a plus for Bushwick and every other neighborhood in America. upfromflames: 27th Jul 2007 - 11:15 GMT Heez, brooklyn pete, where you been? You are the seemingly improbable middle ground who understands it all and says it well. I just wish we had heard from you earlier. If you have the time, I hope you would be able to come out Saturday, August 11, for a collaborative Bushwick walking tour. There is so much you have to share. Tune in here for more info: www.bushwickbk.com/forum/index.php?board=38;action=display;threadid=19060;start=1000000 anon (cache-dtc-ag08.proxy.aol.com): 29th Jul 2007 - 21:05 GMT Gentrification is obviously evident not only in Bushwick but all over New york City,its just a shame that it takes race to improve a community. ie: Farmers markets,trendy stores, bistros, and uppyish bars. It also appears abundantly clear people are segregating themselves. Its just very unfortunate. Thank you. Brooklyn-Pete: 29th Jul 2007 - 21:19 GMT Thank You! I only wish I had found this blog sooner. I would love to go on a Bushwick Walking tour, and will try to keep August 11 open, keep me posted on updates. -Peter JJ: 1st Aug 2007 - 03:46 GMT Broadway/ J-train/Halsey theater / 14 Holy Martrys / Wetson's hamburgers/ Pretzels from Starr st./ egg creams from the fountain shops/ greasy spoon diner and stickball. You guys shud hv seen Broadway in the early 60's around christmas time. What a place to grow up.I'd love to see it make a comeback.Anyone out there from 14 holy martrys on Central and Eldert st? Tony T: 1st Aug 2007 - 06:12 GMT Reading through all of these posts brings up a mixed bag of emotions. Like many here, I left Bushwick years ago (16 years ago actually). Japan is my home now, and it is a far and different from life in Bushwick as Knickerbocker is different from say...Jupiter? Anyway, I'll rant off a few personal facts and if anyone recognizes my name please feel free to email me at torres@pobox.com - Schools (123, 162, Grover Cleveland 1983) - Anyone remember Mr. Bromme at JHS 162? I'm still in touch with him - Someone asked if anyone remembered Meatland on Starr & Knickerbocker. Yep, the owner was Frank and he was the nicest person I knew. - Nicks candy store on Knickerbocker between Starr and Willoughby (a head shop right next store) - I lived right upstairs from the now popular Northeast Kingdom restaurant on Wyckoff ave. That used to be a sweat shop. Can't believe they now serve $17 pork chops! - I was at the RKO Madison theather when the lights went out in '77. Was watching The Island of Dr. Monroe. Had to walk back to Evergreen and Willoughby in the dark - Watch the All Hands Fire from a block away. Hotest fire I ever saw. - Saw them wheel away Carmine Galante from Joe & Mary's restaurant. Good riddance! Saw many memories. I just hope the suckers...I mean residents currently buying $600,000 "condos" on Wyckoff enjoy their time in Bushwick as much as I did as a kid. Good luck! tito: 2nd Aug 2007 - 01:33 GMT Brooklyn bushwick is gangster look back in the 80's and 90' when john gotti was running it . Now theres a new breed of gangster !!! The only thing that has change is the pack of dogs that use to run the streets and the blocks with burned down cars , broken down houses ,empty corner lots with crack heads in them. Cay: 3rd Aug 2007 - 15:58 GMT Realtors are the new gangsters. Selling dreams that go up in a puff of gunsmoke. Watch out. upfromflames: 3rd Aug 2007 - 16:04 GMT Cay: After your earlier alarmist pieces, I think you are getting closer the the real dangers lurking for Bushwick and NYC. Cay: 3rd Aug 2007 - 19:57 GMT "Alarmist" is your term, not mine. I prefer "personal experience." Luis Acevedo: 4th Aug 2007 - 00:34 GMT Bushwick is no diferent now than any other neighborhood in NYC. The rule has always been to go about your business and everything will be fine. If you go out at 3am nothing good could happen. But this is true anywhere. the 83rd pct does a great job of patrolling and the EMS and FDNY respond within minutes of calls. I am raising my family in Bushwick and I have no complaints. Had this been 20 years ago that would be a different story. Cay: 6th Aug 2007 - 14:57 GMT EMS, FDY, NYPD 83rd PCT, no problem with any of these everyday heros. I'm proud of them and all they do. Good and evil....always the balancing act on this planet. John Dereszewski: 10th Aug 2007 - 00:22 GMT This is just a notice that the third walking tour associated with the "Up From Frames" exhibit will occur this Saturday - August 11 - at 1 PM. We will gather at the Irving Ave. side of Maria Hernandez Park - between Starr and Suydam Streets - right at PS 123. This tour will include visits of North Bushwick and East Williamsburg. Among many other things, we will visit Joe and Mary's - where mob boss Carmen Galente was gunned down - the old 83rd Precinct, the area included in the Bushwick Initiative project, the site of the former St. Leonard's Church, the beautiful English Kills and several of the trendy places in East Williamsburg. The trip should last about 2 plus hours and end up at a great bar on Flushing Ave. I hope both the new and long time residents of Bushwick will come out and make this tour a real - and very interactive - success. Africarose: 12th Aug 2007 - 17:19 GMT I'm no New Yorker no American, I have just been in the US for few weeks and came here to work with an organization. I come from Africa. I have found an apartment in Linden St. between Broadway and Bushwick Ave, close to Gates Ave station in the J line. and I have been reading some of your posts and I'm concernred with some of them, any advice? not a gentrifier: 13th Aug 2007 - 21:30 GMT Moving right around menahan and bushwick ave in bushwick. Anything to worry about? Wyoming Native: 15th Aug 2007 - 03:42 GMT I live in WY, recently visited NYC, stayed in Manhattan for a week. Rode the J train to Brooklyn for a bagel, then walked back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn bridge. My area of interest is the Grove Street area of Bushwick. My Mother came here from Yugoslavia in 1938 and lived on Grove Street for a couple of months with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins. My daughter and I were planning to go back to Brooklyn the day the tornado struck Brooklyn, and the subway tracks were flooded. So we had to scrap that plan and were very disappointed. My question is, does the address 1920 Grove Street exist today, and does anyone have any pictures they would be willing to share? She is 80 years old, and remembers vividly that their house was 3 stories, they lived on the ground floor and there was a patio type area at the back of the house with a clothesline that they took turns using with the house across the alley? Also, a schoolhouse a few blocks away. BTW, the house was stucco. I would appreciate any info/pictures that anyone has, with dates if possible. Thanks from my Mom and I. email me at snzrmom6@hotmail.com Peter: 15th Aug 2007 - 04:02 GMT wyoming native: thats less than a mile from my house. i might be around there this weekend; if so, ill snap some photos and email you... Wyoming Native: 16th Aug 2007 - 03:11 GMT Peter: That would be great! I look forward to hearing from you. Kerry: 16th Aug 2007 - 04:11 GMT I'm a single girl in my late 20's. I'm supposed to be moving to Bushwick in October, though I'm not sure what part yet. I have a dog and I do have to walk her at night, sometimes as late as 11 or midnight. Should I start looking somewhere else or are there parts of Bushwick that would be alright for someone like me? Neighborly : 16th Aug 2007 - 07:45 GMT I've lived in Bushwick for 3 years... gotta question. Why do most the kids who are mainly artists, musicians, new to the area, mainly white folks, got some pocket money - you know who I mean- why do they consider Life Cafe, Archive, Northeast Kingdom, etc the "only places" out here?? Ever eat at Tina's Restraunt, on the corner of Flushing & Morgan? Ever shop on Knickerbocker? I'm one of "those people" I listed above, myself. But I buy as much as I can at my closest bodega, instead of at the ridicously overpriced Brooklyn Naturals where things are at least a dollar more. Talk about feeling safe in the neighborhood, etc. - well why not be a part of the neighborhood that has been here for years, as much as possible, and maybe the neighborhood will look out for you in return. I say whatsup to my neighbors, now they wave at me every time I walk by - they're lookin out. I feel alot safer because of all that - the lady at the bodega knows me, the old men at the domino table know me. In my opinion, getting to be part of the neighborhood that has been here awhile is hella "safer" than just sticking to the new hipster businesses and never being neighborly with people who have been here a whole lot longer than you, and who can either welcome you in or drive you out without you even realizing it. Chris Rodriguez: 17th Aug 2007 - 16:36 GMT I live on jefferson av. off of evergreen an bushwick.... Ima tell u right now its the best place 2 live if u a kid. im 16 an shits hectic around here but i wouldn move away.. block parties cornershops an ma dominicans everywhere i look lol... but yeah ders da downsides... u got crips bloods kings ms13 d12 mm 2 much gangs an drugs erwhere u look an im tellin u if u white... don move in. jus a suggestion cuz i mean i kno som of ma friends if dey see someone u jus kno aint from around here or doesnt belong here they gonna fuk them up an i mean if im there im jumpin in 2... tonys pizza on knickerbocker=best pizza in da world if u there say wat up 2 ma man tony... look to stay safe keep ya mouth shut and your money hidden... oh an stay AWAY FROM CANARCY PROJECTS QUEENS an himrod st. brooklyn Cay: 17th Aug 2007 - 18:08 GMT So uh Peter and UpfromFlames.....what say you to Chris R's post???? Is he telling it like he experiences it or is he being an alarmist. CartLegger: 17th Aug 2007 - 21:20 GMT first off, I do agree that tony's is the best pizza, and he is a nice guy, too. But if you mean how does some kid shooting his mouth off reflect the community, I think it really does not matter much. Does he really represent the community, or is he just some 12 year old who found this site on a rainy day? Should people be scared because he is typing this...? What do you think, Bushwickers? upfromflames: 17th Aug 2007 - 21:20 GMT PS, that was me above, writing under my other name... Adam Cay: 17th Aug 2007 - 23:39 GMT Avoiding what you don't want to recognize is unhealthy. Even if he is "just some 12 year old" his experiences and opinions shouldn't be dismissed. And, too, the highest number of crimes in NYC are being committed by a younger age group. So if he is shooting his mouth off or if he is sharing authentic dialogue I don't know, but it is worth reflecting on. After all its out here like everyone else's posts; one not more credible than any other. larry: 18th Aug 2007 - 21:07 GMT hey--anyone know much about brownstones on cornelia st. in ridgewood? Cay: 19th Aug 2007 - 12:34 GMT Good for you, Chris. The "culture" of the "gentrifiers" is not to be valued more than any other culture. We must all be invited to the table. ALL OF US. Crime happens to all of us,"just some 12 year old" and "gentrifiers" and people on "walking tours." upfromflames: 19th Aug 2007 - 18:31 GMT Chris: Many props to you for expressing your opinion in this forum. I hope my students at Bushwick Campus will do the same sort of thing: to speak what they know. Peter: 22nd Aug 2007 - 13:57 GMT its hard to be objective about "safety" and "neighborhoods" in nyc in general, as everyone has their own stories and experiences, and fluke things happen in every neighborhood, from the hood to park avenue. but i can speak for my experiences... ive never felt unsafe in bushwick. as in just about every other neighborhood in any large, saturated urban area, if youre just generally minding your own business and doing your thing without standing out or making some sort of scene, everything stays status quo. i wear the same city-jaded face in bushwick as i do on 5th avenue, you know? its served me well for years. i am amused, however, at how some people make bushwick out to be some sort of aggressive, life-threatening gauntlet. id even wager that some of the above commentary borders on boasting and talking big. everyone likes living in a neighborhood with cred, and some will say whatever it takes to capitalize on its reputation for that purpose. as far as my personal opinion goes, the most "intense" interaction ive ever had with other folks in the neighborhood has involved banal things like someone bumming a cigarette or kids playing in the hydrants. but yeah. talk is cheap. id say take anything that any of us (myself included) say with a grain of salt, jump on the L or M train and head out to the area and see for yourself. Chris Rodriguez: 22nd Aug 2007 - 18:24 GMT Im not (just a 12 year old) im an honor student at bishop laughlin memmorial high school. Peter if you feel safe good for you... how old are you things are different for a 16 year old den for a 32 year old. an seriously yall got mad at someone up there for saying to stop inviting people... i mean they had a point... if you love bushwick so much the way it is... keep it that way dont turn it into just another community... seriously you found this place, then great you dont have to try to move in a whole new genre of people into the area... i mean seriously a walking tour to see what?? old crappy houses, corner stores, and hospitals? look around the street on one of these walking tours. Everybody on sidestreets and streets without buisnesses are either hispanic or black or asian... seriously try to go into a corner store owned bye a mexican and order a pound of salami... how? you dont speak spanish and they dont speak english... lol im starting not to make sence but basicaly what im trying to say is... if you have alot of money or if your succesful with money on the way... why in hell move to bushwick???? Staten island some parts of queens or manhattan but bushwick? Over here as soon as someone becomes succesfull the first thing that they do is move away!!! Bushwick Girl: 22nd Aug 2007 - 18:55 GMT My Bushwick...I love this neighborhood. I've been in the bush since 1988 I migrated here when I was 8 yrs old. Back then I was too young to understand what was really happening in this neighborhood but I don't forget the images in my memory of the M train full of graffiti, the bombs that freely did drugs in the corners, parks, etc.. I lived right on Harman and Knickerbocker behind minimax...the store is still there. Back then the Bush was full of addicts, prostitutes, dealers, mobsters, everything you can think off. It's hard to believe that this same city that was filled of mansions on Bushwick Avenue (a few of them are still there) and the largest brewery community who gave jobs to thousands of workers turned out to be so bad in the 70's and 80's. The man who discovered the North Pole lived on a mansion that still stands on the corner Willoughby and Bushwick Ave. It's red and gated. They've tried to fix it for years and never completed. After a law that was passed about the breweries (can't remember the name) most people lost their jobs, breweries closed, and then the wealth of Bushwick declined. Now we move into the Mob era, Joe & Mary's the site of the Mob boss Galante turned into a Chinese restaurant but is now closed. Maria Hernandez Park dedicated to a woman that fought to keep the area she lived in clean but after crossing paths with a drug dealer her life was cut short from a bullet to her head that came in through her window. The 2 men were caught according to news articles. South on Knickerboker, past the shopping stores, I’ve always considered it Hell on earth and after so many years even with a Narcotics precinct a block away or the security cameras all over the area little seems to change. Bushwick in the late 80’s early 90’s was known to be the #1 place to most likely be killed, today the real estate market is booming, that is in some areas. A few years back you started to see the diversity come in. More Caucasian people started to move in the old warehouses of course not affordable to the average Bushwick resident. I live 1 block away from Ridgewood and I’ve seen my fair share of drug bust, murders, and cops getting shot all on the block. These sorts of things have not happen since Mid 90’s but still another block away you see the people selling and buying drugs even the Chinese restaurant owners sell cigarettes…that’s amazing only on WILSON AVE….. To say the least I do love where I’m from I think Bushwick has shown me to be street smart and very attentive to the people I chose to be around me. It taught me to educate myself and not be a product of this neighborhood. I’ve never (thank god) had any bad run ins. Only in 2002 I purchased a home at the tender age of 21 today I have a bachelors degree and I’m pursuing my masters this is not common in my neighborhood were the average 21 year old has 3-4 kids, lives on welfare, and earns maybe 8,000 a year, so much to say about Bushwick. This very same house I bought for almost $300,000 is now worth almost $600,000 that is to show people that Bushwick has changed a great deal. It’s still a work in progress but it has changed. For those who want to move into Bushwick, every neighborhood has its flaws you have to be wise about where you chose to live. Most Caucasians live in lofts, these areas are very lonely and I wouldn’t be caught dead in it. I won’t be surprised if Bushwick turns out to be the new Williamsburg where 10 years this very same neighborhood was the same if not worst then Bushwick, at least some areas were. Bushwick there is no place like it!!!! Peter: 22nd Aug 2007 - 18:59 GMT im 30. im not rich. i live in bushwick because i can afford it and because its, for the most part, a hard-working, family-rich neighborhood thats free of yuppie condos, starbucks and the like. it makes sense to me here. the L and the M get me around. groceries are affordable. the park is nice. credit at the bodega is nice as are respectful neighbors, cheap rent, copious space and a nice community to hold all of this. sure, id love to live in luxury digs in a really popular, cool neighborhood. but guess what? that aint gonna happen. so i keep it real in bushwick. i got priced out of prospect heights, and let me tell you what- i heard of more muggings and drama there than you can imagine. the steady stream of affluent, young white kids there seems to attract it. thats not such a factor in bushwick. i work hard for what ive got, and whether youre a thug or a hipster, i think everyone can appreciate keeping an eye on theirs. if you take a close look at the people in the neighborhood, its not hard to tell whos working to make their life livable there (regardless of how they do that- im not here to judge) and who's just blowing through with no respect, trying to make drama or a quick buck off someone else's misfortune. its the ones that dont respect (or recognize) that become victims. the rest of us just do our thing, get by, and make it work. as for me, when i walk around, people dont step, because they can see it on my face that im not to be fucked with. if you cant rock that sort of composure (as any true new yorker should be able to), then youre setting yourself up to be a victim. as far as the walking tours go, chris, do you even know any of the history of your own neighborhood? bushwick goes back almost 400 years, man... check this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushwick for starters. read up on some stuff like that, learn it, and maybe you'll see the hood is much more than run-down bodegas, menacing-looking-but-largely-harmless teenage thugs on the corner, petty crime and the occasional sur13 tag... Cay: 22nd Aug 2007 - 19:49 GMT Chris, congratulations to you for being an honor student at your school. The real secret to success is using your brain for your own empowerment. Seems like you're off to a good start. Keep up the good work. And actually you make more sense than most on this board. The rest of them will have to work hard just to keep themselves in rose colored glasses, as they keep getting them knocked off their noses as they walk through their paradise. upfromflames: 22nd Aug 2007 - 23:54 GMT Chris: if you can't figure out why anyone would want to give a walking tour of Bushwick, check out [[www.upfromflames.com]]. Or some of my other posts here. There is a lot of history in your hood, a cross section of this city's struggle in the 1970's: The ruin that once was, and how it became a place to talk about. Chris Rodriguez: 23rd Aug 2007 - 04:39 GMT i KNOW THE HISTORY OF BUSHWICK... i know the history of brooklyn, of all of new york. i wrote a 10 page essay on bushwick for school. Im not saying im a know every single little thing but seriously when i got walking down bushwick and i see freedom square and the mansion i dont wonder hmmm... which historical figure lived inside that mansion? honestly i found this page when looking for pictures of places dat i hang around. i got bored started reading this and i acutally like hearing other peoples point of views so thats why i keep coming back. Chris Rodriguez: 23rd Aug 2007 - 04:42 GMT i found those pix freedom square... Chris Rodriguez: how do u post pix Tony T: 23rd Aug 2007 - 07:08 GMT Chris, thanks for posting the Freedom Square pict. I grew up a block away on Evergreen and Willoughby. I'm 42 now and live in Japan, but I still enjoy looking at old photos of where I lived. When I was about your age, I wrote a paper about Bushwick and the housing problems we were experiencing back in the early 80's. Like you I am latino. In addition, I was raised in a single parent home and relied on public assistance to make ends meet. Sadly, my story was not so unique. Most of my friends came from similar backgrounds. I'm happy to see you engaged in this forum and taking the time to post your thoughts. So what I am about to say to you comes from good intentions, not unlike an older brother offering advice to his little brother. You mentioned in an earlier post that you are an honor student. That’s commendable. But I was surprised at your style of writing. I am not criticizing your spelling (we all misspell words, thank god for spellcheckers), but I was a little disappointed that your writing still lacks proper structure and is littered with slang terms more appropriate on Knickerbocker avenue than in a public forum. Perhaps you were just trying to “keep it real”, but some here may take that as your normal style of speech and think less of you. I strongly encourage you to read a lot and write often. Seek out criticism from teachers or those whose opinions you respect. Make it a point to improve your manner of writing and speaking so that if one day you decide like I did 17 years ago to leave Bushwick, you won’t have trouble finding your place in the world. There is no magic to change, it’s all about desire, and if you just put your mind into improving your speaking and writing skills, you will be amazed how much more respect you will earn from those who all too eager to judge you on your ethnicity. Good luck hermanito. Cay: 23rd Aug 2007 - 12:41 GMT Chris: Please listen to the most wonderful advise from Tony above. He's the example of positive change, of the empowerment of self that I referred to. In addition, there are many people that you will meet in positions to help you along the way; teachers, people at work that you will meet, who will become your mentors if you let them. Be open to suggestions as those from Tony are, and you will go a long way. Reaching out to the younger generation and bringing them up positive, helping and mentoring, are the true steps of positive enriching change for all of us. I'm proud of you Chris and I don't even know you. I wish you well. Move forward, one foot in front of the other, and you will become a positive force in the space in the world you inhabit, and you will be self-satisfied and centered, and a role model for others. Editor:: 23rd Aug 2007 - 13:57 GMT chris: see right above the box where you type your comments where it says "upload photos"? click that. more information here, also: www.citynoise.org/about.php#faq8 Chris Rodriguez: 24th Aug 2007 - 18:08 GMT Chris Rodriguez: 24th Aug 2007 - 18:16 GMT I speak correctly when im in school when it matters and when I am talking to my superiors... But wen im around my friends i talk the way that comes 2 me first hand and im alot more loose so i mean i didn't realize i had to be puctual on dis website. Why would i try to be "keepin it real" on here? non of my friends come here its just the way that i talk... but fine if you want me to type in correct english then watever. Im only in Bishop Laughlin becuase of a full scholorship. I have a job that i help support my family with too. Ive got to go my aunt needs to use the computa Cay: 25th Aug 2007 - 15:58 GMT Chris, its not criticism, just helpful to you. And be proud of your full scholarship. That's awesome. Do good for yourself, Chris, don't foster attitude in yourself. Be willing to accept information from those with authority to help you in life. Its worth it in the end for all you do for your family that you help to support. Don't fight your progress, accept it and go forward. Chris Rodriguez: 26th Aug 2007 - 06:19 GMT WAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!! "Don't fight your progress..." "be proud of your scholarship" WAT? Do you think im ashamed in my scholarship? Does your head work right? Please people stop trying to give me nice little stupid avdvice. "Move forward, one foot in front of the other, and you will become a positive force in the space". Someone tell me what type of S*** is that? I have Parents lol. I have teachers the last thing i need is pointless advice ive heard a thousand times online. By the way, one of my friends popped that top left window in that first picture if you were wondering who it was. Cay: 26th Aug 2007 - 12:02 GMT Chris, guess you told me. Don't worry. I won't post to you anymore. But street-wise attitude will stop you cold. What good is a scholarship to a good school for recognized potential if in twenty years you're sitting around pissing and moaning about what you should have/could have been or done. Foolish is as foolish does. Tony T: 27th Aug 2007 - 04:25 GMT This is how I would have responded if I were 16 years old again and on this forum: "Dear Tony and Cay, thank you very much for the encouraging words. As a latino kid, I feel that I already have many obstacles to overcome in this cold city. Poverty and prejudice are just the tip of a mountain of challenges I will meet head on. I was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship at a good school and I will work hard to show others that I am deserving of this privilege. I apologize for my poor writing skills, I can assure you that I will work to improve my literacy and appreciate all the support more experienced people as yourselves can offer. Again, thank you for the advice. My goal in life is to educate my mind so that it won't be necessary to "work hard" to support my family. Just work smarter. Thank you." Well, that's the way I may have responded. Best not waste time on the unappreciative. Too many more deserving people in the world. Enough said on this topic. Ciao. Cay: 27th Aug 2007 - 12:35 GMT Tony T: You got the message. Thank you so much for the feedback. Smudgy: 3rd Sep 2007 - 16:51 GMT Well, I guess I discovered this site just a bit too late. I missed the walking tour and I missed the show at the BHS. I was born at Bushwick hospital in 1949. Lived on Linden St between Bushwick and Evergreen in my grandmother's house. We had a backyard with 3 peach trees and a yellow rose bush. One year we had a garden and grew everything from radishes to corn. I was only six when we moved away, although my grandmother lived there for another 6 years or so. What I remember: Hopscotch on the bluestone sidewalk, the butcher shop at the corner of Evergreen where my mother sent me to pick up meat and the candy store across the street from it where I had my first coconut popsicle, I once bought a Tabletop pie I ate all by myself, and I first saw Miss Rheingold ads. It had that great corner store smell. I also remember walking down Linden to Broadway to get the el and that the station had a coal stove going in the winter. There was a Genung's dress shop(?) on B'way where the mannekins were on platforms that revolved. Can you imagine such a thing today? Also an old timey soda fountain a little ways down the street, I think. Bushwick was magical to me as a young kid and it still figures in my dreams. Also, there's something aout the light in Brooklyn that's like nowhere else. Is it true that that block of Linden Street has been trashed? John Dereszewski: 5th Sep 2007 - 23:55 GMT Smudgy, your block is not doing that badly. Most of the really nice buildings on Linden between Bushwick and Evergreen, e.g., #64, are still there and doing very well. The few buildings that were lost - mostly on the "odd" side of the street - have been replaced by affordible "Partnership" housing. The apartment buildings near Evergreen are also doing well. So the block is pretty solid. Linden between Evergreen and Central had a more daunting experience over the last 30 years, but is now doing rather well. While a huge number of buildings on both sides of the street were lost, they have now been totally replaced by Partnership affordable housing. The residents of the big apartment buildings - #101,107, etc, - which were abandoned by their landlords in the late 1970's - worked together to protect their apartments and now these buildings are thriving. In short, you will not be disappointed if you pay your old stomping grounds a visit. smudgy: 6th Sep 2007 - 17:21 GMT John D, thanks so much for your hopeful comments. I was in #59. As young as I was back then, I was only allowed to go around the block without crossing streets. Except for the butcher shop and the elementary school, that is. :^> Looking back through these postings I see you are a Brooklyn historian. Where would you say the best source of info/photos of the area is now that the show is over? John Dereszewski: 7th Sep 2007 - 01:33 GMT Smudgy, you should, at once, access the www.upfromflames.com web site ASAP. While the show has closed, the site is still live - for now. If anything, it has more info than the exhibit did. (An unapologetic plug. Please click on the "upfromflames" "Resources" button and download my "Bushwick Notes" article. I think you - and whoever else wishes to do so - will find this article, which traces the events of Bushwick's past 30 years and suggests some tentative ideas for the future, both interesting and provocative. But this is only my admittedly biased view.) Beyond this, you should contact the Brooklyn Historical Society and the Brooklyn Room at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Both have a treasure trove on info and pictures. Finally, you may wish to contact Adam Schwartz - the upfromflames contributer to this site and the wonderful curator of the exhibit. I know that many features of the exhibit will be maintained at the old Bushwick HS, but Adam knows a lot more about this than I. Best of luck in your search! Menehan Crime Family (MCF): 13th Sep 2007 - 15:11 GMT I was born and raised in BUSHWICK. Bushwick is the livest pat of brooklyn. Lots of people give BUSHWICK a bad name but its not,its like any other place you look for problems you will find it. In BUSHWICK its all LATINOS & LATINAS. I still go Ova there to hang out and get these latinas in my car YA DIG ......;) rose colored glasses: 13th Sep 2007 - 20:26 GMT its coming back, but it still has a long way to go. The area from Willoughby to george st from evergreen ave to st. nick ave is still one of the worst areas in the city. all you have to do is visit www.familywatchdog.us and enter in as a zip code 11221, see how many sex offenders show up. unsure: 14th Sep 2007 - 20:11 GMT I'm reading very mixed comments on here about the safety of the Bushwick area. Some people are saying there's a ton of drug dealing and that people have actually gotten shot on their block (i can't remember which person or when, but the comment is towards the beginning) and others are saying it's safe and if you are aware of your surroundings, you'll be okay. I grew up in a very sheltered environment in the suburbs of NJ and I'm not sure to the atmoshpere of Bushwick. What would any of you say about working in Bushwick as a sort of Social Worker. I really want to help the community in various ways and be part of it's success, but I actually a little scared walking around there. Do I really have a reason to be scared, or is it all in my head? unsure: 14th Sep 2007 - 23:02 GMT Actually, as I look back on what I wrote, and after reading every single comment on this page (whew!), I realize that I do need to spend more time in Bushwick and see how I feel. People say that all of New York City can be dangerous, and of course, that is true, but according to the crime stats located on the nypd's page on nyc's gov website, bushwick does have more murders and rapes than where I live in lower manhattan, so that does say something. I think I might have to just change the way I think and remind myself of all the great things Bushwick has to offer and that I have to offer Bushwick by working there. And to everyone on here that is saying don't move to Bushwick, don't gentrify it...You should be excited that people want to move to your area, that there is something they see in your neighborhood, hopefully besides cheaper rent. You should accept them with open arms and make your community actaully feel like a community. If businesses want to open up in Bushwick, embrace that, because that will bring jobs, a better sense of community, more positive and enjoyable things to do, and more people will come and see what a great place it is. There is so much negativity here...we all need to be positive and be open to change. And if you're scared rent prices will go up for those that live in Bushwick already, then help change that. Get involved in the organizations working on affordable housing and get involved in tenant organizations. You CAN fight the "man" (slumlords and speculators) AND still create a beautiful, successful community. rac: 2nd Oct 2007 - 02:18 GMT Well, I've been living in Bushwick for 6 months, now (off the Myrtle stop). I was born in the Bx and used to live in Hell's Kitchen for many years; and really its about the same in terms of security, etc. The best part about Bushwick, it that it is just a bunch of real people that live here. There's the Ecudorian Volley Ball tournaments at Maria Hernandez, there's the block parties in the summer, there's the Yemini Bodegas and there is Good Bye Blue Monday. There's the myriad of stores on Bway and Knickerbocker and there's the J Train (which can get you anywhere in the city). What more could you ask for? At least the place is still real. It will take many years for Bushwick to "Gentrify" and it will be worth living here until that happens (if it ever does). The point is - if you want to live in a real NY neighborhood then come to Bushwick. Yeah, you could be mugged, but you could get mugged in Times Square too. So, what do you have to lose? This will never turn into Williamsburg. There are too many real people here. crimestats: 5th Oct 2007 - 10:33 GMT dont always believe crime stats or any stats for that matter. Stats are like a womans bikini, they reveal alot but do not show anything. crystal: 7th Oct 2007 - 00:47 GMT i use to live in bushwick, from the time i was born until i was six years old, my grandmother lived on stockholm and bushwick ave, she passed away in 74, so my stepmother and father, moved to east ny, until i was 11 and we moved back to bushwick, my address was 177 covert st bet wilson and central, i loved bushwick, i now live in ct. when i come to ny to visit i always come threw my old stoppin ground, back in the days halsey park have the summer jams, or halsey jhs park, there use to be fights but thats everywhere you go, dont act gangsta, you wont have problems, i use to always hang on wilson ave bet shaffer and decatur. it use to be the game room. but iam also talking over 20 years and better, but it's funny when ever i come threw i never have any problems, there are still people over there i grew up with. buswick brings back a lot of memories happy and sad. John Dereszewski: 8th Oct 2007 - 04:30 GMT Crystal, as I'm sure you know, the block on Covert that you lived on went through some very difficult times in the 1970's and 80's due to the many buildings that were lost through numerous fires. With that said, it was very heartening to read that, despite these problems, you loved living in Bushwick. I suspect that one of the reasons for this was that the people on this block worked hard through their block association to fight the blight and keep the block together. They also organized some terrific block parties. (I remember one when the Calabash Dancers performed.) One of the block association's leaders and prime movers was Mrs. Maud Sykes who lived across the street from you at 174 Covert - the building with the little fawn in front of it. (I always saw the fawn as a symbol of hope for the block during even the darkest times.) Mrs. Sykes faught fiercely for the community. While we were always on good terms during the years I worked for the local councilman and then as the community board's District Manager, she would have no problems coming down very hard on me if she did not think I was doing my best to help Covert Street. For many years, she also ran a very fine after-school program for scores of local youth. During the past few years, the block's fortunes have turned for the better with the construction of many affordable and high quality Partnership Housing that have literally filled just about all of the gaps created by the fires. Most unfortunately, Mrs. Sykes, who faught passionately for this housing, died just as construction was about to begin. But I'm sure her spirit continues to urge the block on. I hope this adds to your fond memories. UpFromFlames: 13th Oct 2007 - 01:32 GMT It would be best to read all the posts above for your answer. I think you'll be fine. But there is so much more to it than that. Jane: 5th Nov 2007 - 17:00 GMT I saw a nice a condo in Bushwick. It was located in between Montrose and Morgan stops on L train line. The major cross sections are Flushing and Bushwick. The apartment was lovely, I'm not sure about the area. Would you say that it is safe for a single woman to work about 5-6 blocks at 9 pm? Are there much stores and restaurants around that area? Mushi: 12th Nov 2007 - 21:25 GMT Jane, I've lived by myself in Bushwick off of the Jefferson Street stop. My theory with being a single woman living in any part of NYC: take the subway until a certain part of the night you feel comfortable. If you are working or partying late in Manhattan and don't feel comfortable taking a train at night by yourself, take a cab or a car service. Unless you live in some really, really scary areas, it's a judgement call on your part. Places can only get better: Manhattan just keeps getting too expensive for places like Bushwick to NOT get better. I walk a few blocks by myself in my neighborhood at night, and I've never felt threatened. I see women walking by themselves at night all the time. There are definitely places opening up in the Montrose/Morgan stop area -- much more than off of the Jefferson stop! Again, the area can only get better -- be positive! Antwerp Kurzweil: 13th Nov 2007 - 03:19 GMT dangerous citizens? man, what you need to be worried about is the dangerous NYPD. sure, there's always the chance you'll get mugged in nyc, but then again, theres also a chance you'll get an undeserved hail of NYPD bullets raining down on your ass for no reason. in case you didn't know, the cops here are indeed that evil and inept. you're pretty much damned whether you do or don't. so get that place in bushwick or ridgewood! its cheap, and admittedly, the odds are in your favor that the next Nazi-like NYPD death-related faux pas will more likely occur in the south bronx, east new york or harlem before they'll happen in bushwick. you might come out on top. But yeah, Bushwick seems to have some good karma popping lately; as well it should, granted its not to distant past... Mushi: 13th Nov 2007 - 16:00 GMT Stopped into the new K-Pax Deli on Starr between Wyckoff and Irving. It's a nice, CLEAN little place opened by a Polish couple (which is odd because the Polish population seems to stay in Maspeth, Greenpoint, and part of Ridgewood). It's like Brooklyn's natural only about 1/5 the size and, obviously, less items. It needs more pre-made foods, more fresh veggies and fruits, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. But it is very, very clean. Again, at least the location is trying to change! Peter: 13th Nov 2007 - 17:13 GMT i pass that place every day going to/coming back from the train. i never see anyone in there. im assuming its because theyre still pretty new. with all the cheap (but admittedly spartan/utilitarian) bodegas around (two are within 50' of k-pax itself), theyre going to have to be both much better stocked and much more competitive price-wise than the rest of the neighborhood if theyre going to stick around for very long... saying its like brooklyn's natural is a bit of a stretch, but it is indeed a step in the right direction... i am tempted by their soup offerings, though. as its been cold and wet recently, a nice cup of soup walking home from the train in the drizzle would be nice... Mushi: 13th Nov 2007 - 21:51 GMT I had the barley soup at K-PAX last night -- it was nice (and warm). As for it being like Brooklyn's Natural, you can obviously see that is where K-PAX got their inspiration. And I said it was like 1/5 the size of Brooklyn's Natural only with lots of Polish groceries. Pricing on their sandwiches are the same as the bodegas, and yes, they need to be better stocked (I was actually shocked at the low amount of diet drinks there), but again, it's improvement for the area. Dark: 15th Nov 2007 - 09:11 GMT What's the area like around schaefer st., near Wilson Ave. like? I believe it's right near the cemetery and the Wilson Ave. L station. Any info would be a big help. like-iti-s: 15th Nov 2007 - 22:04 GMT i would stay away if your going to live in bushwick (if you have to) move to area closer to ridgewood. BUT not starr, troutman, jefferson, willoughby, etc. also visit www.familywatchdog.us and see a list of some sex offenders in the area many in the 11221 zip code. Peter: 16th Nov 2007 - 14:16 GMT interesting... i live smack in the middle of the area around starr/troutman/jefferson/willoughby, and think its actually pretty good here... id much rather live in this area than the "area closer to ridgewood", but thats just my opinion, i guess... like it is: 17th Nov 2007 - 00:12 GMT again visit www.familywatchdog.us and key in zip code 11221. upfromflames: 17th Nov 2007 - 00:53 GMT Is the difference real? Or is it just what feels better? Does it really take worn down buildings to house a pedophile? Seems to me they could live everywhere... From my own experience, as a teacher, it seems that people watch out for their own, and that much more in neighborhoods not accepted as "nice". My kids are streetsmart, and would never let their personal space be violated. It could even be that "nice areas", for all their superficial complacency, make families that much more vulnerable to physcical threats. No matter how nice the area, what matters is who you are, how you raise your children, and most important, if you judge people by their skin, or by their character. Peter: 17th Nov 2007 - 05:00 GMT hey "like it is": even our 'beloved' hutchinson, kansas has more sex offenders per capita than bushwick! your brand of reactionary bullshit is just that... bullshit. whats your point? i mean... i live in bushwick, and trust me, worrying about where the nearest 'sex offender' lives is the least of my worries, yo. i mean, its almost laughable. where do you live? please let us know. id love to see how many predators live in your neck of the woods. again... whats your point? people always want to talk about demographic dynamics in bushwick... race, gentrification, income, etc... but i can tell you this... regardless of their background, race, age or gender, id wager that most bushwick residents wouldnt hesitate to step up to a community menace if it came to that. also, for the record, a site with the name "familywatchdog.us" sends a shivver up my spine, very much like the words "homeland security"... it just reeks of flyover-state americana and right-wing holier-than-thou-ness. Logan: 18th Nov 2007 - 17:47 GMT I am a 38 year old man born and raised in bushwick. I have seen bushwick go through many changes. I can remember when the wiseguys used to spend their days in the coffee shops on knickerbocker Ave by the park. The place was full of heroin addicts and alcholics. You would see them nodding in the streets all over the place. There were street gangs on Jefferson St. Flushing Ave and Wilson Ave. Such as The Devils Rebels, The Brooklyn Destroyers and The Crash Crew just to name a few. Peoples homes were broken into frequently and it was not uncommon to see people robbed in the street. These were the days of very long cars,funk music and abandoned buildings. I was just a kid but I remember. Then came the eightees along with crack. There were two major drug crack gangs in the neighborhood fighting over teritiory. I can remember coming home late at night and walking past dead bodies on many occasions. I lost many freinds during this time. You could be walking down the street and there would be gun shots. The crack heads were in the neighborhood by the thousands. They were like zombies all over the place. Prostitures, dealers, pimps, stick up kids, you name it. They would go into peoples hall ways all the time to get high, turn tricks whatever. Flushing Ave between Irving and Wyckoff was prostitute city. Special task forces were formed and police men were stationed in trailers permenantly on Troutman St. and Knickerbocker park to clean up the drug activity. I do not beleive the drug trade will ever be fully eliminated in Bushwick however it is much better than it was in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Most of the abandoned buildings have been restored or replaced with new constuction and many new businesses have appeared. It is not the best neighborhood but most of its reputation comes from its past not its present. I made some mistakes coming up which I attribute to the environment I was subjected to when I became old enough to go out by myself. Because of this I am very uncomfortable with the idea of raising my children there and have moved to a better neighborhood. However If I was a single man or married with no children I would not think twice to move back. lil nancy: 19th Nov 2007 - 20:01 GMT anyone remember Nancy and Felo's candy store on Knickerbocker Ave between Linden St. and Grove St., then she moved to the corner of Knickerbocker and Linden St.? She sold great sandwiches, the only penny candies to all the kids in the neighborhood, and had all the old video games in her store. This was about 1966 through 1990. mushi: I heart Peter! Nice response! mushi: 20th Nov 2007 - 16:52 GMT It looks like something might be opening up next to Northeast Kingdom. I noticed this morning that the security gate was up on the storefront next to the restaurant. That is very promising! Bk Finest: 12th Dec 2007 - 05:54 GMT I never lived in Bushwick but am very familiar with the nieghborhood. Its funny back in the days Bushwick was known for its good weed. As far as I can remember we'd take trips from Sunset Pk Brooklyn to buy that good weed on Hancock & Evergreen and Palmetto & Gates. This was in the 80's. Shortly thereafter I became a cop on worked that nieghborhood as an undercover cop buying drug. Unlike a lot of hoods Bushwick was never organized when it came to the drug game. Buying drugs in B'wick was never ending. K'Bocker & Troutman and all the spots on the darkside was sick. But I must say Bushwick has gotton a lot better. Although you still have some bad apples, i feel its only a matter of short time before it will be the place to be and raise children. Seen: 15th Dec 2007 - 20:16 GMT Someday, when Bushwick becomes accepted as a great place to live (face it, y'all, it's inevitable-- its on its way, and if you can't tell, then you obviously haven't ever been there) people are going to look back at this post and laugh at some of the comments. rachael: 17th Dec 2007 - 01:16 GMT hmmm... many of the comments i've read have either amused me or angered me...but I'll go on anyway... i'm a brooklyn native and originally from east flatbush. my parents left there to move to long island [for better schools for me and my bro]. i came back to nyc for art school for 4 years and moved to bushwick after i graduated. i haven't experienced being robbed or being in any real danger since i've been here. but then again, i was raised in a not-so-safe place and i know to handle myself. the people here are nice. now, my issue is with all those that call-out the hipsters and all that. i'm sure people in this neighborhood think that i am one, but i can't help looking like others [i'm also a west indian american female]. i'm not rolling in money in any way. i don't believe that i'm a gentrifier [if i'm paying pennies to live somewhere] and i hope others don't think that i am one. i work hard like anyone else and i've got bills like everyone else. some of those hipsters you're talking about are just as broke as i am. art jobs pay well if you're lucky to find one, so yeah, us broke ass cheapos are going to move here because it's cheap and there's a sense of community here which is nice. i feel that the 'hardcore natives' are too quick to pull the hipster card and dismiss everyone new in the neighborhood as rich, spoiled brats. let me assure you that anyone that fits that description still lives in w'burg. they wouldn't live in bushwick unless they had to. i live here because i can afford it and williamsburg is gross. great to visit..annoying to live in. i dunno, i'd love the neighborhood to grow as in i'd love to see the community cater to all types and for all different types to have a greater relationship. i don't want skyscrapers and overpriced condos and coffee shops filled with people with sticks up their asses. i like the neighborhood as it is. regardless if i'm thought of as being a hipster...i'll just use my non-existant fortune and live peacefully here. oh yeah, and for those that are wondering why gentrification is taking it's sweet time here... realtors are pawning people by calling the area east w'burg. happy rich folks are glad to come out and check the place out. once they step off of the l at jefferson and dekalb, they turn running. why? bushwick is large. and it has a large concentration of brown people. the brown people scare them. not all...but the ones that have an exaggerated idea of what 'brooklyn life' is. why do you think people aren't moving in droves to east flatbush? crazy west indians that's why. i know. i was one of them. so, for those of you that can't wait for a starbucks to be opened out here, please do hurry up and find a place in williamsburg. you'll make us and yourselves very happy. greene and knick: 21st Dec 2007 - 00:26 GMT Reading this column.. Interesting, since I grew up near Greene & Knick. and remember the murder at the pizzeria on Irving and greene in the early 70's. Just wondering, from the 11/17 comments, why would you percieve it as bad to have these people registered? Low Kee Angel @aol.com: 22nd Dec 2007 - 06:18 GMT Maria Hernadez, of whom they renamed Star Park after. Can someone please tell the real story behind this person and the events leading to her death. UpFromFlames: 22nd Dec 2007 - 14:41 GMT Its amazing the things that Google can do! www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=186 I feel that this is a great summary. I'd love to be able to identify Carlos, but he has since left the city and lives somewhere upstate. Low Kee Angel @aol.com: UpFromFlames.....thank you FRED MEGLIO: 24th Dec 2007 - 15:20 GMT I LIVE IN BUSHWICK SECTION FROM 1946 TO 1979 THE 50S AND 60S WERE GREAT! LIVED 1403 GATES AVE BETWEEN WILSON AND KNICKERBOCKER AVENUES WE NEVER LOCKED OUR DOORS AT NIGHT TILL THE 70S CAME CRIME DRUGS FIRES ALL OUR BROWNSTONES BURNED DOWN TO ASHES DUE TO THE LOW LIFES THAT TOOK OVER SAD TO SAY I WENT TO SAINT BARBRAS R C CHURCH BLEEKER AND CENTRAL AVENUES SANG THERE AND WENT TO SCHOOL THERE 50S 60S THE CHURCH IS BEAUTUFUL OUTSIDE AND INSIDE LOOKS LIKE THE VATICAN OF BROOKYN I HAVE MANY GREAT MEMORYS THAT I WILL TAKE TO MY GRAVE 1403 GATES AVE NO LONGER STANDING NEW BUILDINGS WERE BUILT ALSO I WORK AS A BAKER 1463 GATES AVE IVERING AVE BRANDLERS BAKERY NOW LONG GONE 1979 HAD TO CLOSE IT DOWN I WENT BACK TO VIST BUSHWICK 1993 IT LOOK LIKE A WAR ZONE HOW SAD AND HOW I WALK AROUND AND CRIED SUCH A NICE AREA OF GERMANS ITLANS POLISH AND IRISH FAMILYS WHO RAN FOR SAFTEY AND ABANDED THERE HOMES IT WAS A REAL DISGRACE! IM 62 YEARS OLD NOW AND PLAN TO VIST AGAIN TAKE PICS OF WHATS LEFT AND SEE SAINT BARBRAS R C CHURCH AGAIN WHICH STILL STANDS GOD BLESS BUSHWICK FRED MEGLIO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Knickerbocker & Troutman: 25th Dec 2007 - 22:46 GMT Carmine Galante, although not the most positive person, was loved and adored by the community. Old timers said he was very generous and took care of the community, but no way should they even consider renameing any street in his honor Jim QV: 28th Dec 2007 - 13:29 GMT I used to work with a guy named Al Sorbello and I remember him saying he grew up around Starr St, Troutman St and Knickerbocker Ave. He said he was born there in the late 1940's and lived there until the late 1970's. I also worked for a guy named Charlie Campisi, I think he grew up on Suydam St. They knew each other. They were both really good guys. Al died in the mid-1990's and is missed. fred meglio: 29th Dec 2007 - 15:43 GMT jim i knew al sorbello he was my dads best friend dads name was mickey meglio nick name real name john fred meglio: 29th Dec 2007 - 16:48 GMT ANYONE HAS MORE PICS OF SAINT BARBRAS R C CHURCH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE VUEWS CAN YOU E MAIL ME THEM I WOULD BE VERY GREATFUL MY E MAIL IS TYANDTODD1217@AOL.COM FRED MEGLIO THANK YOU ALL! I FOUND A FEW ALREADY BUT IF THERE IS ANY OTHERS PLEASE E MAIL ME THEM THANK YOU ALL Low kee Angel@aol.com: 30th Dec 2007 - 03:53 GMT Anyone remember a sad occurence that took place on Troutman St, where a father murdered the wife and a child, the other child hid behind the curtain escaping death. I think the little girl was very young, she is still a live today. Real sad, I think this happened in the mid 90's desales pl: 30th Dec 2007 - 10:49 GMT anyone can tell me anything about bushwick and desales pl historian: 30th Dec 2007 - 19:34 GMT Many of the crimes,and the one you are referring to, are in the archives of the NY times www.nytimes.com. Also, the fire on Central Ave. in June 1974 where people were killed and the landlord was suspected but not charged, of course the Fremgen case and the maria hernandez incident. However, i would like to know if any of you have info on the death of the teen in around 1966-67 who died when he was "playing" in the sewer construction on troutman st. Michael Worsley: 31st Dec 2007 - 01:29 GMT I Was Born On Sunday November 21,1971 In The Bushwick Section Of Brooklyn 37 Eldert Street Use To Love To Watch The J Train Run Down To Halsey Street Run Up To Chauncey Street,Years Ago My Late Father and I Use To Catch The J At Halsey Street Ride All The Way To Queens Blvd Before It Was Demolishing The Thrilling Years Of Yesterday. sonia: 31st Dec 2007 - 03:48 GMT bushwick is a very good place to live you have a lot of low income families who live there but there are alot of whites moveing in i have notice a lot of new houses being built and the streets look a whole lot better less empty lots and more residents moving in people pay taxes for thier new houses so i feel its makeing a diffrence in the community . i have live in bushwick for about 15 years and i recamend it to any one who is willing to make new friends . only one thing i do have to admit if you stick your nose where it dont belong you will find trouble just like any where else you live . John Dereszewski: 31st Dec 2007 - 16:24 GMT To DeSales: I can tell you a bit about this small street in extreme southern Bushwick. First, it was originally known as Hull Street and marked the point where the then winding Bushwick Road took a turn south on its way to join the Kings Highway, which now forms a part of Eastern Parkway. This was durung colonial times. The street was given its current name probably in the late 1800's. This was when the Roman Catholic parish currently known as Our Lady of Lourdes was named St. Francis de Sales. Since the parish was founded in 1871 (making it a very old parish) and renamed in 1900, the stret name change must has occurred during this time. I guess the emerging cult associated with Our Lady of Lourdes triggered the name change. Incidently, if you are interested in reading more about this portion of Bushwick, you should visit the following web site: www.cinematreasures.org/theater/7927 This is a cite dedicated to the old Colonial movie thretre that was situated at Bushwick and Chauncey and that now is a church. The many comments submitted since the blog was created in 2005, however, cover the entire Our Lady of Lourdes community and are really fascinating. (It reminds me very much of this blog.) So enjoy. John Dereszewski: 1st Jan 2008 - 16:33 GMT To DeSales again: My long excursion into the history of this street might not have answered your question, which probably was: How would it be to live on DeSales Pl. now? The fact is, DeSales is one of several lovely one or two block streets that run from Broadway to the cemetary. Pilling, Granite, Aberdeen and Vanderveer Sts. are the others, and two longer streets - Moffat and the Bushwick portion of Chauncey St. - also fit into this mold. These are quiet, tree lined, streets with fine one and two family wood frame housing that are very well maintained. This area is also well served by the L train's Bushwick-Aberdeen station. In short, if you are looking for a nice place to move, this might very well be it. Uchie Martinez: 6th Jan 2008 - 18:27 GMT Dear Old School: I do remember Maxi's place, Meatland, Paul the barber, Knickerbocker park. I lived on Melrose Street between Knickerbocker Street and Wilson Avenue, best years of my life between 1965 and 1988. I still visit from time to time, have family there. Knickerbocker Street looks run down but Melrose Street is very livable. It's nice to know that someone from back in the days remembers these places and probably enjoyed the same things I did. Go old school. Uchie Martinez: 6th Jan 2008 - 18:42 GMT Hey Alfred in ATL: I too lived at 336 Melrose Street and 338 Melrose Street your dad was my landlord. Moved out in 1988 but I still go back, have family at 338 Melrose Street. Why do you bash Melrose Street in Bushwick? It wasn't paradise but I have many fond memories. I had such a great time growing up there, made lots of friends and didn't have a problem with anyone. Bushwick rocks! Think of it this way, everything in life changes, change is good sometimes I'm sure you have some good memories of the place. jimmy: 9th Jan 2008 - 11:10 GMT Hi, I was born in Bushwick, 1950 and lived there till 1963. I lived on the corner of Grove Street and Evergreen Avenue. I remeber the Halsey Bops, The Ellery Bops, The Flaming Saints. Cypress Park, Hyland Park, Stickball, Paul and Anna's Candy Store, St. Barbara's Church, The RKO Bushwick, the Loew's Gates, The Monroe theatre, egg creams, the Bushwick boys' club, and so much more. I wrote a whole book about growing up in Brooklyn. Jimmy FRED MEGLIO: 9th Jan 2008 - 14:10 GMT HI JIM I ALSO RECALL THE HALSEY BOBS AND ELLERY BOBS I RE CALL SINGING DO OPP MUSIC WITH A GROUP OF DUDES ON MY CORNER ANYONE RE CALL BRANDLERS BAKERY 1403 GATES AVE BETWEEN IRVING AND KNICKERBOKER AVENUES? I WORK THERE WITH MY BROS AND DAD TILL 1979 GREAT HAND ROLLS AND ALL KINDS OF BREADS YOU CAN SMELL THE BREAD BAKEING FROM MILES AWAY AWAY MANY GREAT MEMORYS 50S 60S 70S SAD TO SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO BUSWICK AREA ALEX CANDY STORE GATES AVE AND KNICERBOCKER AVENUES GREAT MOM AND POP STORES RUSSIOS GROCEY STORE PS 116 THE GREAT SAINT BARBARAS R C CHURCH THE VATCAN OF BROOKYN N Y KOLLETTYS ICE CREAM PARLOR ON MYRTEL AVE GODTLEBS FOOD DELLI RIPLEYS CLOTHES AND HOWARD CLOTHES GREAT! MEMORYS I MUST SAY rich backes: 9th Jan 2008 - 14:43 GMT lived at 624 chauncey st.in the early fiftees remember niehr's ice cream parlor the hang out of the rail road boys.went to our lady of lourdes our house is long gone my brothers and i go back and visit once in awhile none of the houses on that block look the same don't reconize one of them.remember the neighborhood kids kenny'bruce'larry his brother killed in vietnam bobby'neil and tommy in 56 we moved across broadway sill on chauncey though that block had tons of kids out on the street,all summer long we would play stick ball not like that anymore boy how i miss those days Lydia: 10th Jan 2008 - 15:11 GMT Hi Uchie, You are so right! I also have fond memories of Melrose Street, remember I lived in 350 Melrose street from 1976 to 1980 and my sister lived in the building next to yours. Although it was for a short period of time,I still enjoyed living there. I now live in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; and I love it here. Yes,Bushwick has changed a lot from the time we lived there, I do not visit but I would never say I would not live there because you never know what live brings your way. How can anybody forget Maxi's Candy Store, penny candies which today you do cannot find and his delicious Egg Cream soda. Wow! Knickerbocker Park and let's not forget Vito's Pizzeria, when a slice of pizza was .35 cents. Those were the good old days. :-) revisited: 11th Jan 2008 - 12:33 GMT my father grew up on hart street thru early 60's. took him back to old neighborhood for tour. area is slowly coming back but still very bad sections. give alot of credit for tearing down the burnt buildings and putting up new ones. however, the area has no ammenities/stores except knickerbocker Couple of points. while many of the tenaments were worn and needed sprucing up, ther were no "old cars" around. also why is it, that many woman have to wear clothes that are two or three sizes to small. passed myrtle near cemtral and there was a man who was in his forties playing music on his stoop with speakers that must of been 4 ft tall. it was so loud, that my car was actually shaking from the vibration. no regard for anybody else, if a baby was sleeping, person sleeping who was working nights, etc. SCW: 12th Jan 2008 - 05:56 GMT How about Bushwick East of Gates Ave and the proximity to Brownsville? Doesn't Brownsville have the highest murder rate in the city? johnny quilez: 15th Jan 2008 - 21:35 GMT i grew up in the bushwick section of bklyn and have many fond memories and many bad ones as well.but i don't have one regret growing up there,it made me wiser.i lived on the corner of knickerbocker and hancock from the early 1970's thru the 1980's.i went to p.s. 151,j.h.s. 162 then transfered to 296,the for h.s. i went to grover cleavland h.s.we moved just as the crack epidemic got worse.anyone from the block from around the same time i lived there please respond to this post or email me at dice735@yahoo.com Angel from Sunset Park Brklyn: 22nd Jan 2008 - 03:46 GMT Never lived there, but I must say Evergreen and hancock had the best weed in the whole city in the early 80's FORMER BUSHWICKNITE: 3rd Feb 2008 - 19:13 GMT WELL FOLKS, I'M A SOCIAL WORKER WHO CURRENTLY LIVE IN NORTH CAROLINA. I GREW UP IN THE BUSHWICK AREA. I'VE SEEN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THERE. I REMEMBER A GUY GO HIS HEAD SHOT OFF ON EVERGREEN. COULDN'T EVEN ID THE GUY. COULDN'T SEE HIS FACE. I'VE SEEN YOUNG WOMEN WITH 7 KIDS & NO JOB NOR EDUCATION. I'VE SEEN THE CRACK EPEDIMIC- IT WAS ROUGH. MOST OF ALL MY FREINDS DIDN'T MAKE IT. VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCES. BUSHWICK HAS COME A LONG WAY. THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD FOLKS THERE. BE CAREFUL IS THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE. TRY TO BE HOME BEFORE 11PM. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN AFTER 11PM. TAKE IT FROM MY EXPERIENCE. Upstate Jim: 10th Feb 2008 - 04:06 GMT Born in Bushwick in 1963 and moved to rural upstate in 1971. Lived on Dekalb close to knickerbocker ave (about 3 doors down from the pizzeria). I came from a great big family that was split up all around knickerbocker on hart street, dekalb ave, and some in Ridgewood. Unlike most inner city kids who strive to get out of the city in the summer, I always came back to the city in the summer to spend time with my family. As time went on my whole family moved away from Bushwick and even NYC in general, we have been out of Bushwick for over 25 years I am now 44 and my kids who never walked on brooklyn streets are adults. I drove through the neighborhood about 10 years ago with my kids to show them where I lived and they were amazed that I was from the "hood" funny I never considered it that way, it was just where we lived, I liked it and I remember I hated the thought of moving away when I was a kid. It is a shame that it got so bad there, as I read this blog I am pleased that some people think it is not that bad there. I hope you folks can clean it up, what a great historic neighborhood, don't reduce it to just "da hood", your better than that... bob r: 12th Feb 2008 - 02:54 GMT born in bushwick in '53. lived on Bushwick Ave one house off Jefferson, may have been 1212. I was 4 years old, my sis 3 and younger brother was an infant. While watching American bandstand, only because the Micky Mouse Club came on next, I heard my mom scream in the kitchen,my dad came in the front door early from work> Next thing I know there are police all over the house. Heard them say, "He fell back out the window". Years later I got the real story. Guy climed through the rear open window of our second floor apartment,grabbed my mom, dad comes home.....WE then moved to Richmond Hill. Years later I returned (as a detective), worked the area involving homicides and narcotic's. still rememebr being takin' to john's Bargain Store and seeing Snow White in the movies. My dad also delievered bread on the weekends for "Bonacoura's Bakery". "Murray's Antiques" was across the street, alongside a luncheonette. Baptized at Our Lady of Good Council, my cousins went to 14 Holy Martyer's. Ed Swenson: 12th Feb 2008 - 21:35 GMT I was just a baby in Bushwick. Born at Bushwick Hospital in 1937, saw Dr. Salpeter when needed. Family moved to Ozone Park in 1939 and then to New Hyde Park in 1942 but family was loyal to B Hospital, and when my sister was due in 1946 she was born at B hospital also. I heard that the hospital was downgraded into a nursing home. Does anyone know if it is still there, what it's address is...? Next time I get to NY I plana to explore to see it. yes it is: 14th Feb 2008 - 22:58 GMT it is still there as a nursing home, looks somewhat forlorn to say the least. I took my m/f to old neighborhood and commented that imaging spending your golden years in that place.... geraldine: 17th Feb 2008 - 02:49 GMT i moved to grove and bushwick over this past summer, and haven't had a single problem at all. it was intimidating at first (i'm 22, white, and female), but for the most part people have either ignored me or just stopped to ask about why the j train running late or where the bus is. my phone was stolen a few months ago, and my boyfriend called it, met up the people who found it, and they returned it without a problem. i just moved from grove and bushwick to eldert and bushwick, and my boyfriend and i walk down bushwick to each other's apartments at night all the time. i'm really happy with the neighborhood - my rent is cheap, the families in the building are really nice, and i don't find myself intimidated most people in the area. JimQV : 18th Feb 2008 - 01:53 GMT A young lady named Geraldine just posted that she had moved to Bushwick Ave & Eldert St, and doesn't feel insecure. My Mom was born in a house on Eldert St is 1922. Her relatives owned that house from the time it was built, for over seven decades. A year and a half ago I asked my cousin (who was 67 at the time) why they left? He said, "we had to get them out of there, those two old ladies were getting mugged, right and left". Then he added that "the final straw was when a mugger walked up to Veronica on Bushwick Avenue, punched her in the face, knocked her down and took her purse". He finished, "do you know how much money she had in her purse? Nothing! He knocked her teeth out for nothing!" I was assigned to the 83 Pct in the early 1980's. At that time, the two elderly Aunts were still alive, and at one Thanksgiving dinner they asked me how their old house looked? I said, not as nice as when you owned it. Actually, by that time the house my Moms family had owned from 1890 to 1964 was a burned out shell. How sad... You may feel safe 99.9999999% of the time, but there's always that tiny fraction of a percent, that in Bushwick, can be lethal. Think about the worst day you can have, not the best, when you contemplate living at Bushwick & Eldert. Sweet, gentile, elderly Irish women, like my Grand Aunts aren't living there anymore. Can you handle a very bad day? The NE Patriots were supposed to be a shoe in for the Super Bowl, but they had a bad day. Anyone can have a bad day. But bad days on Bushwick Avenue are the worst. KayO: 24th Feb 2008 - 16:20 GMT Wow! Dr Salpeter, havent heard that name in about 50 years. My parents went to him. I lived on Furman Ave. left in 1960 when I got married. My parents stayed as long as they could and got nothing for their house. The house was burned down eventually like the church Our Lady of Lourdes on Aberdeen St. People came out of their homes and shops in the morning and cleaned the streets . What happened?????Dont they sell brooms and mops anymore. Bob: 26th Feb 2008 - 04:46 GMT I was born in Bushwick in 1950. I lived on Starr Between Wilson and Central, great place to grow up. We had to move in 1962 because the city wanted to knock down PS 53 and build JHS 111. Anyone remember Charlie's candy store on Starr and Central, the Starr Movie, St. Joe's Feast? Great times. There used to be a pizza place on Central where you could buy a square of pizza. We would play ball all day in the summertime. We would go to Cypress pool or sometimes St. George pool. There was a candy store by St. Joe's where we would go after church on sundays and buy candy for a penny or two cents. Wax lips, dot candy on paper, all sorts of candy. We used to go to the pretzel factory on Starr and buy a bushel of pretzels and sell them on Knickerbocker avenue for three cents or two for a nickel. How about the cart that came around with the block of ice with the dirty rag on it and we would buy crushed ice and we would pick the color we wanted. Also the hotdog cart would come on saturdays and stay on the corner of Starr and Wilson, hotdogs costed 15 cents. You could buy two hotdogs and a soda for 45 cents. I wish I could go back to those days, they were great times. Rob: 26th Feb 2008 - 06:00 GMT 'Have to say, it's been a fascinating experience reading all of these posts and comments. I vistied Bushwick this afternoon as a tourist and while there's only so much ground you can cover in that short a period of time, I did get a much better sense of the neighborhood than the previous time I'd passed through in the mid 90's. I'm not someone who is thinking of moving there so, my contributions here are purely about being hopeful that change will continue in the most positive way possible. More than anything, the best measurement of fairness will come in the form of the people who've lived and struggled with the Bushwick of the past being priorities in terms of reaping the benefits of whatever success keeps spreading. As long as life is still here, we'll always have the opportunity to make things better. Peace to all of those in Bushwick and good night. Sylvia Aviles: 16th Mar 2008 - 14:35 GMT I grew up in Melrose St. Corner Bushwick in the 60th. There was always something happening. But nothing as bad as I read here.I miss going back home, but I know it could never be home anymore. I have been living in germany for the last 36 years. I graduated from Eastern District Highschool 1964 and would be happy to have contact to anyone who knows me. (e-mail: lazylabelle@aol.com) none ya: 18th Mar 2008 - 17:43 GMT i grew up on suydam and knickerbocker till i was 21 im 28 now i still go back all the time and bushwick ain't what it used to be shit i remember when even the cops use to sell drugs in knickerbocker park crack viles needles in the old pools before they remodeled the park and i can say bushwick has come a long way its alot safer then what it use to be back in the day still not perfect but alotttttttt better then people on here are saying all thats left is a bunch of fake thugs just little kids trying to claim gangs and colors they know nothing about they only reason i left was to be closer to my business i recommend anyone thinking of moving to bushwick go for it you wont regret it the old neighborhood has changed for the better jimmy: 19th Mar 2008 - 20:26 GMT Hi again, I posted here a while back... But I just now put up some 8mm film on YouTube from 1954 of my family on the corner of Grove and Evergreen. And at St. Barbara's church. I'm only 4 years old in it but the video is great. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCGGJHpWBm8 Jimmy Lily: 21st Mar 2008 - 03:07 GMT Hey, now this is ~my~ house in Bushwick. Only with a different door. I was actually looking through this blog for a picture of a building that looks like mine, and here it is. Good old Graber building. Living there has changed my life. Renee: 22nd Mar 2008 - 17:43 GMT I enjoyed reading this thread. However, there are a lot a personal prejudices and biases here. However, that's Americans for you now isn't it. I enjoyed the person who said judge people by their character and not the skin color. I am not a parent yet, but I am a product of successful parenting. To my knowledge raising your children has a lot more to it than just where you live. What happened to the days when people sought out to raise their children to be head strong leaders instead of just following the crowd (no matter where they live)? Why it is an assumption that if you live in a "so called" good area your children will be fine. Do you not think your children will encounter people who are from areas such as Bushwick in life? By no means am I saying not to do everything to keep your children safe, so please do not assume this. A good parent will and that I understand. Anyway, here's a different type of Bushwick story. I am an 80's baby and I was raised in Bushwick (in the 80's of course), when drugs were extremely problematic. My fondest memories are from Bushwick. I am a Black Female in my twenties now, college educated Bachelors in Computer Science and soon to have an MBA in IT management. I work as a Linux Systems Administrator for a major corporation. I have never had a criminal record and I never will. I now live in the south :-( but am looking to relocate back to NYC, likely BUSHWICK. Furthermore, before the assumptions crowd around, being an admin in the IT industry I am not low income AT ALL so that is not my reason for moving to Bushwick.... I love Bushwick... It taught me how to survive/thrive ANYWHERE in this world. So, not a bad story for a Bushwick chic???? To put a spin on things about raising your children... where I live it isn't the low income kids who are having the problems with the drugs and such... It's suburbia kids with the parties, meth, coke, weed, alcohol, etc... The difference is that they do not become statistics like a kid in somewhere like Bushwick would (because you know they are allowed to make mistakes) so we don't hear as much about this problem. However, it exist because I see it. So like I said wherever you live raise your children to be Leaders because there isn't any environment that will do it for you. Renee: 22nd Mar 2008 - 18:11 GMT I wanted to add. I don't advocate for living in unsafe areas at all. Hell, when I decide to get married and have children I will definitely want my children to be safe. My personal opinion is that you should always work with what you have to the fullest extent and strive for more. Furthermore, YOU CAN RAISE CHILDREN SUCCESSFULLY ANYWHERE. It's up to the parent to put the time into their children, period. Also, I like the improvements that I've seen going on in Bushwick. It does need a lot more work and I think it will get there. I grew up there, and I want to be a part the change. joe caiola: 28th Mar 2008 - 07:13 GMT y grew up on willoughby between wilson and knickerbocker. went to st. joseph patron on suydam st and st. john's prp on lewis ave. those great days in the sixties hanging out at mikes ice cream parlour for burgers and playing the juke. and larry certa, zay, joey geramina and cathy and the beatles and haning out in larry cellar. oh yes one never will forget!!!!!!!!!! Angela Bentley: 31st Mar 2008 - 20:22 GMT I lived on Gates ave then on Onderdyke avenue use to hang out on Palmetto street. I am looking for a family that lived on Palmetto street. This would of been about 25-28 years ago. Her name was Kathleen Fisher she had a sister named Maryjane and brother named Robert. Anyone know them can you let me know. Thanks Angie Angela Bentley: 2nd Apr 2008 - 19:31 GMT Looks like no one has been on look at this wonderful site and letting people remember the past. I am still trying to find out if any one remembers kathleen fisher who lived on Palmetto Street. I grew up on gates ave then on ondondonk ave in 1971 through 1980. My godmother lived above the drug store on wyckoff ave on the corner. Used to go shopping all the time on myrtle ave. and stealing candy from the pathmark. lol If any one remembers this neighborhood i was born on dekalb my sister was born in wyckoff hospital even lived in williamsburg for a bit my stepfather worked for the housing department there. He retired from there. Anyone know Anthony Vitale or Matthew Vitale let me know how about Robert Mcquade used to live across the street from him on gates ave. Barbara Leone: 6th Apr 2008 - 01:40 GMT I lived on Gates ave in the 60s moved in 1966. Angela what year did you live on gates ave I lives at 1301 gates ave and had lots of friends on Palmetto st and Grove street.I went to St Barbaras. My best friend still came from Palmetto street. Angela Bentley: 7th Apr 2008 - 15:18 GMT I lived on gates have around 1975 or so then moved to onderdonk ave and palmetto street around 1978-1979 sicilian brookly gal: 8th Apr 2008 - 17:27 GMT I grew up on wilson and george. big family building. every apt lived a relative. of course grandpa was the owner. went to st. jo's on suydam st. will never forget my years there with great friends. graduated from there in 1960. the candy store around the corner from st. jo's was Mr. Green. the candy tasted best on sundays after mass when it was lent or advent cause then u could break your fast. anybody who went to st. jo's from 1952-1960 please post a comment. it would be interesting to see if i know any of u. bill: 10th Apr 2008 - 07:43 GMT Born in 1941 at williamsburg hospital. Lived at 99 Stockholm until '46 when we moved to 41 Cornelia Street betweenBushwick and Broadway (third house down from the congregationalist Church. went to PS 56 (Madison and bushwick), halsey JHS (Eldert/covert streets) and FKLane efore moving to richmond Hill queens. Broadway was Ludwig-Baumann furniture, Tell'd Epartment Store, the RKO bushwick, Loewe's Gates, Monroe theaters, Our lady of Good Counsel, Runi's ice cream parlor, Nedicks and a lot of candy stores that sold six cent cokes and eight cent pepsis. You took them out of the big red Coca cola ice chest snf had to pay two cents deposit id you took them out of the store. if you found a bottle on the street, you could collect the two cents. A few found bottles and you could get your own soda. Enough of them ansd you coud go to the movies. Stickball, punchball and triangle, Chinese handball, boxball and stoopball. Ringalevio, zigzag tag and scully. Who needed computer games? Learned to swim at the Bedford Y where I was one of about seven White kids among 75 or so Black boys. About nine o'clock when the lessons wer over a bunch of the Black kids would walk with us to the bus stop and wait until we caught the Gates Ave bus. Decades later I realized they were protecting us. wish I could thank them for that. Rode on the back of the broadway trolleys until the conductor saw us and chased us away. Had snowball fights on Bushwick Avenue (one side against the other) as we walked home from PS 56, and the blizzard of 47 left snowbanks forever in the streets. Horse drawn wagons sold watermelon in the summer. Garbage was picked up three times a week and we hung it on the fence in burlap bags. Cars still had running boards for us to sit on untl the owner came out. You culd sell scrap metal and newspapers to the guy that came by every week or two. And there were still icemen who delivered to those old folks who wouldn't accept a refrigerator as necessary. And in case you are wondering, California isn't Bushwick. But it sdoes have more trees, baseball fields and mountains. Bill Puffy: 17th Apr 2008 - 03:49 GMT Can anyone tell me what it's like today on linden street around central ave and evergreen? John Dereszewski: 18th Apr 2008 - 09:10 GMT Puffy, Linden between Central and Evergreen is a block that has undergone a considerable transformation over the last decade or so, clearly for the good. I knew this block very vividly during the bad days of the 1970's, when I worked for Community Board 4, whose office was situated in the Health Dept. building at 335 Central. At that time, the block was seriously blighted. Two huge and filthy vacant lots dominated the south (even numbered) side of the block. One extended up from Evergreen and the other went from mid block to nearly Central. There were only a handful of occupied buildings remaining on this side of the street. The north side was in somewhat better shape but was also under heavy pressure. The apartment houses situated just north of Evergreen had effectively been abandoned by their owner and, except for the efforts of the tenants and the local HPD office, would almost certainly have been lost. The rest of the block was a mixed bag, with mostly occupied residences but also several vacant lots that were the result of recent housing abandonment and fire. In short, this block was on the verge of complete collapse and the picture was hardly encouraging. Things are substantially better today. The apartment houses survived and are now thriving as are the other residences that made it though the 1970's. Even better, affordable housing has, over the years, been constructed in just about all of the previously vacant lots. Thus, the state of this block is now as solid as it had previously been precarious. If you visit it today I'm sure you would be impressed. Sylvia Aviles: 19th Apr 2008 - 15:34 GMT Hi again, Can anybody tell me what happens to Melrose St. I lived there in the 50th and 60th. I live now ( since 1972) in Germany. Jim: 19th Apr 2008 - 16:36 GMT WOW!!! I used to live in Bushwick in 50's to mid 60's! I went to St,. Barbara's school on Menahan!! I was there during the first blackout & read how awful the second one was there. I moved to Woodhaven for 3 years before coming down here to Fla. ! I read about my old hood in a N.Y. Times article, and there is nothing left of Central Ave. where I lived. I was inbetween Harmon & Bleecker. I do read about the area since we can get N.Y. papers here now. I hope to visit next time I get that way. Reading some of these posts I get the impression it is still strggling. Damn! What memories of my youth! Peter: 19th Apr 2008 - 21:48 GMT i know all of you who grew up in bushwick back in the day are eager to see more (one of the editors lives in bushwick, so email editors at citynoise.org with specific requests) but those of us who live here now are really interested in hearing your stories about the neighborhood. share something with us? tell us about what it was like here years ago? Movin to Wick: 22nd Apr 2008 - 00:31 GMT what is melrose between wilson and knickerbocker like as of today for a single white lady? Peter: 22nd Apr 2008 - 01:14 GMT hey "movin to wick", wake up! youre working with a conception of new york thats about 20+ years outdated... i mean, serously. youd think brooklyn was beirut. perhaps youve been watching too much law and order or taking many of the above half-baked comments too seriously? new york and brooklyn love to romanticize their violence and storied past, you know. maybe you just dont know better, which is ok. and figuring thats the case, i will give you some good advice as a new yorker (and a happy bushwick resident): as long as you picture yourself as a "single white lady" (victim), youre 100x more likely to become just that... a victim. new york, and especially brooklyn, is one of the most diverse, open-minded places on earth, as im sure you well know. if youre moving here, youll thrive if you quickly visualize yourself as a determined, common-sensical, hard-working person. learn to use self-descriptors that will empower you... "im a newcomer whos ready to make a go at bushwick. any tips?" just sounds so much better than "im a single white female who is paranoid about her safety due to rumors about a neighborhood i know so little about that i have to google it to get some answers", dont you agree? are you sure you want to move here? are you sure youre ready? and im sorry. i really dont mean to sound snarky, im just getting tired of all the potential-victims that surf here on an "is bushwick safe?" google query, and ask the same fucking question. listen, people. bushwick (and every other damned place in the world) is what you make it, and will give you back exactly what you bring to it. trust me on this. do you want to be a potential victim transplant from anywhere, usa or do you want to just hunker down and make a go in a new place? if you think you have your doubts, i urge you to not move here. we dont need more victims, or more clueless unprepared people to muck up the works for those of us who came before. on the other hand, if youre ready for a real new york experience, and dont mind a little grit (and are perhaps reasonably passable in simple spanish), i say go for it. its cheap here, its sunny this time of year, the people are largely kind, theres an overwhelming sense of community (which is a rare commodity in new york city), and as quickly as you embrace the community and offer it your most postive traits/attitude, it will just as quickly embrace you, exponentially, with the same. its common sense, really. didnt your momma teach you any common sense? Movin to Wick: 22nd Apr 2008 - 11:58 GMT actually I am from Brooklyn, Sheepshead Bay, but I have been out of the country for a time and had some concerns about that specific block because I just found and apartment there and it was mentioned earlier in the thread as being particularly bad. I wanted to know if the contents of this thread was the usual out of towner terror (because they are for the time experiencing what it means to be a minority in a community for the first time or if Bushwick and more so that block a crime zone. Jimmy Legs: 25th Apr 2008 - 15:19 GMT i say that part of Melrose is pretty safe nowadays. to me the litmus test is to go there on a weekend night and see how comfortable you feel. and to Jim QV: th worst day on broadway and eldert might be very bad indeed, but no worse the worst day on Pierrpont st. eldert's doing pretty well these days! JAY BUSHWICK: 26th Apr 2008 - 07:12 GMT RAISED ON WYCKOFF 1976-1996 LOVE BUSHWICK MADE ME DA MAN I AM. NAMED COMPANY BUSHWICK TOWING . SUP 2 ALL THE OLD SCHOOL NIGGAS C.G.K ,M.S.D, K.F.C.,H.B.O.......U KNOW WHO U ARE. JAY BUSHWICK A.K.A. KID57... JULIO E.stoned bushwick: 2nd May 2008 - 16:31 GMT I was born in wycoff in 72 lived on wilson av.in stockholm st.went to 123 111@ 162 wrote graffiti, rymed saw allmost all my boy,s get hooked on crack, heron do bids remember my boy z.o got shot on troutman all the crewz b.s.k, h.b.o,c.g.k,t.o.s,m.s.d we all got fucked up at one time or another remember all my boyz l.g beeski all my boyz from suydam st. I use to sell crack in my j.h.s school even went to melrose 600 it was a different time ive seen puddles of blood in the morning walkin to school and bin there for 30something years w.t.c. serviver now i live in florida just chillin BUSHWICK ONE LOVE crazy writers forever. nelly still keepin my dauther from me thanks bitch Peter: 2nd May 2008 - 16:46 GMT any of you that came up in bushwick got any pictures of the neighborhood from back in the day? disillusioned: 3rd May 2008 - 17:15 GMT can someone explain to me how it is possible to make friends or have a boyfriend/girlfriend if you live in new york city, esp. williamsburg..it seems completely impossible since people are unfriendly and full of themselves. i read above that 'my boyfriend and i' and 'my husband and i' but i'm assuming you didn't meet them there right??? if anyone meets their future spouse in new york city it is a miracle unless you happen to be an asian girl since all white guys in these areas have a fetish for women with pre-pubescent bodies. Barbara Leone: 4th May 2008 - 01:55 GMT If anyone has pictures of St Barbaras please email them to me...........I miss that church so much. I lived on gates ave between central and wilson 1954 to 1965. Does anyone remember maxs grocery store on gates and central? My email is lioness2210@optonline.net thanks anon (user-387hql9.cable.mindspring.com): 13th May 2008 - 01:08 GMT i live in bushwick pjs my name is kenny wat poppin boy Big Joe: 15th May 2008 - 06:53 GMT I was one of the many Sicilian people that lived on Troutman street years ago. we moved out and the place years later went to shit. The mob guys created the dope trade there. Well, its gotten much better. There are many out of town people that want to live in the once factory settings called loft's It has a certain excitement about it. It will always be Brooklyn to me. Summer Bushwick: 21st May 2008 - 02:58 GMT Anyone familiar with the area at Myrtle and Grove? I'm living there this summer and trying to find out more about the neighborhood. upfromflames: 21st May 2008 - 10:39 GMT Some of the best tacos in all of Bushwick! marco: 27th May 2008 - 23:10 GMT hey i live a couple blocks away from you cool i live in Bushwick Brooklyn. riding the train at night is scary u should be very afraid. upfromflames: 27th May 2008 - 23:53 GMT Hear that folks. If you ain't scared, get some! But pick up some tacos on the way! I'm hungry! Barbara Leone: 29th May 2008 - 01:25 GMT Call it for what it is............bushwick can be very scary but so is the entire world! Grew up there and never had a day without fear but yet I loved growing up there. What I miss most is the corner stores and the people that owned then they were like family and that is what I miss. Will be going back this summer. I really want to see St Barbaras again. Barbara Leone: 29th May 2008 - 01:25 GMT Call it for what it is............bushwick can be very scary but so is the entire world! Grew up there and never had a day without fear but yet I loved growing up there. What I miss most is the corner stores and the people that owned then they were like family and that is what I miss. Will be going back this summer. I really want to see St Barbaras again. Peter: 29th May 2008 - 01:51 GMT ok, people... what is it, exactly, that makes bushwick so "scary"? i mean, really. i wish someone would just come out and spell it out for us, because i dont buy it. sure, the neighborhood has a storied past (dont we all) and is just straight up "real" sometimes, but whats actually happening, specifically, that has people so afraid? because, knock on wood, ive lived here for a while and never had any drama. not really even observed much drama, truth be told. i just see a nice, hard-working neighborhood with a lot of proud residents, of which i am one. all this "bushwick fear" (and general outsider "nyc fear" in general) is some sort of urban legend popularized by people who dont live here. looking back over this thread, it looks like many of you have watched "the french connection" one too many times. i mean, not to downplay the risks and threats that anyone in any hardworking neighborhood would face, but what is it about bushwick, specifically, that has the peanut gallery coming out of the woodwork here to talk about how "scary" it is? i really wish someone would address that fact once and for all... i mean, the streets someone above mentioned as being "dangerous", i walk down them every day and see kids playing, people working, families having a good time outside after work/school as spring fades into summer. whats so "scary" about that? truthteller facts: 29th May 2008 - 22:21 GMT the houses on jeffferson starr troutman that are drug infested. Signs on the houses telling people to stay out or get arrested, the drug problem so bad on knick that the nypd has cameras to watch the people, the fact that three of the top ten worst buildings so far as conditions go in all of nyc are in bushwick. the problem with sex offenders in the area by the hundreds in that zip code. 70% dropout rate in bushwick high, very high teen pregnancy rate. the fact that wyckoff ave is always in the local papers so far as arrests go. evergreen, central, gates, linden all not that good an area. The big nursing home cant get people working their at night. they have to have someone take them to the train rather than walk alone. I guess other than that all is good. herehere: 29th May 2008 - 22:23 GMT my father grew up on hart street thru early 60's. took him back to old neighborhood for tour. area is slowly coming back but still very bad sections. give alot of credit for tearing down the burnt buildings and putting up new ones. however, the area has no ammenities/stores except knickerbocker Couple of points. while many of the tenaments were worn and needed sprucing up, ther were no "old cars" around. also why is it, that many woman have to wear clothes that are two or three sizes to small. passed myrtle near cemtral and there was a man who was in his forties playing music on his stoop with speakers that must of been 4 ft tall. it was so loud, that my car was actually shaking from the vibration. no regard for anybody else, if a baby was sleeping, person sleeping who was working nights, etc. Peter: 29th May 2008 - 23:03 GMT truthteller: the signs on the building are standard nycha signage, stating "only tennants and their guests are allowed in building", you know, the sort of signs you see on section-8 housing all over the city... thats hardly a reason for a scare. additionally, your invocations of "drug infested" (what, is that like a termite infestation?) and the cameras on knickerbocker harken back to the 80s, when the crack epidemic put a blight on almost every neighborhood. i dont buy it, and i think your talk is sensationalist. and all these facts you freely quote... id like to see some sources/citations, as some of your figures just dont sound right. i call bullshit. also... "not that good an area"... what an overly generalized way to describe a neighborhood. have you ever lived in bushwick, or have you only read about it on the web and in the papers? herehere: thats cool that you took your father back. i dont think "needs sprucing up" or "wearing clothes that are too tight" or "playing loud music" (didnt you know bushwick is renowned for its warm-weather cacophony?) have anything to do with the safety of the neighborhood. if the noie gets out of hand, someone can call 311... just like they do in every other neighborhood in nyc. i tend to think bushwick gets a tough rap. you see trash on the street anywhere else in the city, you just walk past it. you see trash in bushwick, and you say "wow, bushwick is such a trash infested neighborhood!". its enough to make someone laugh, all these opinions based on stereotypes, generalizations, and a long-gone past... truthteller: 30th May 2008 - 01:13 GMT the cameras were installed only a few years ago. 70 % dropout rate is a fact as is teen pregnancies Peter: 30th May 2008 - 02:45 GMT source? i think youre relying on hearsay to a large degree. upfromflames: 30th May 2008 - 03:24 GMT More to the point, you are confusing problem with solution, and memory with history The cameras by Maria Hernandez park are part of the Bushwick Initiative, the latest in a long line of projects to fight the drug problems in "The Well", long one of the city's most notorious drug strips. But it is also about quality of life. And as people can tell you, quality of life is returning to this area. The sad truth is that the damage was done by departing Italians, namely by the Galante Mafia family, which in the 1960's and 70's chose to sell heroin to the blacks and latinos moving into the neighborhood. It was a decision guided by disrespect. It was one that got many killed, including Galante himself. We are still recovering from that decision. My point here is that its easier to dismiss people that it is to accept painful historical legacies that must be dealt with. Those cameras are doing that work. So, Truthteller, who's ever truth you are telling, get over it. Either come back to Bushwick or move on in your mind. upfromflames: 30th May 2008 - 03:26 GMT And 70% dropout rate! I am a high school teacher--and you sir, are quoting some racist drivel from a time long past. Perhaps it suits your needs, but it does not suit the reality at hand. always race: 30th May 2008 - 21:05 GMT its always race isn't it. Let me ask you then, what percentage of students actually graduate from Bushwick high? How many come from two parent homes? http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/637 Angela Bentley: 4th Jun 2008 - 14:56 GMT This is sad there is no need for all this bickering. This is a nice site to see if anyone of the old timers remember each other...I am still looking if anyone lived on Palmetto ave or gates ave or even onondonk ave in the late 70;s particular Kathleen Fisher or sister mary jane Fisher. Anyone know Anthony vitale or Matthew vitale they use to live near myrtle ave. Just wondering. I have some great memories from living there but some sad ones too. where ever you live in the us there are all kinds of "bad" neighborhoods it just the way you make them. Drugs are the devil and people who sell, take or buy them are going to hell. upfromflames: 4th Jun 2008 - 15:43 GMT Well, there is not one Bushwick High anymore, but rather four campuses drawing students from all over the city. I work in the Academy of Urban Planning, myself, and our rates are between 60-70% (depending on June vs/ August grads) But I'll check into the rates of the various schools if you are curious. I'd imagines that the Harbor school would be at least 80-90%, but I don't know. CartLegger: 4th Jun 2008 - 15:48 GMT Those numbers you are quoting are from back in the bad old days. There is not one Bushwick High anymore. The graduation rate for the Academy of Urban Planning, where I work, is around 55% on a paper, but higher in practice. I imagine that there would be higher numbers for a school like the Harbor school, but I'd have to look into that. Busy MSD: 4th Jun 2008 - 19:12 GMT It's really hard to forget a place like Bushwick, I used to live on Central Ave, between Putnam and Cornelia, and I still keep great memories. I used to hang out on Putnam, Between Knickerbocker and Wilson, also on Cornelia and Knickerbocker, I would like to get in touch with people from Bushwick, I still remember my brother Enrique Feliciano "Kike KI" from Gates and Knickerbocker... If anybody knows him tell him to drop a line... I haven't seen anybody from Bushwick since 1993... On that year I've got locked up and went upstate for a few years... Afer that I never came back to Bushwick... But I miss to drive around the neighborhood or walk down knickerbocker, great people, and no doubt the pizza, chinese food and the cuchifritos... Peace. Angela Bentley: 9th Jun 2008 - 20:07 GMT Hey busy what year did you live there? DO you remember a kid by the name of RAY RAY or his sister Maria. Just wondering....... Al Pierro: 10th Jun 2008 - 16:33 GMT Just came across this website in search of info on what has happened to St. Joseph's church where we used to play softball back in the 50's & 60's. I attended a grade school on Troutman St. between Wilson and Central Aves. which was PS 53. I then attended Junior High School 162 and then to Brooklyn Tech High School (Class of 1965). I lived at 177 Troutman St. between Wilson and Central Aves. I have many great memories of the neighborhood. Like playing punchball on the sidewalk and then graduating to the street between sewers, and punchball in the PS 53 schoolyard where we attempted to punch the ball onto the roof of an ajacent building, stickball with a catcher or drawing a box on the wall for the strikezone, softball anywhere we could get a game, basketball at the school yard, climbing over the 15 ft. fence to get into the school yard. In our younger days it was baseball cards, bikes, tops, skelly, box ball, kings, johnny on the pony, summer recreation at PS 53, making scooters from a 2x4, a skate and a milk crate, the memories seem endless. It really was a great place to grow up and seems to have been a much tamer place compared to what I am reading on the site here. Don't get me wrong there were those who took the drug route and ended up destroying their futures and there were those of us who did their tour of duty in Vietnam and before us it was Korea, and yes there were the gang fights but that was the exception not the norm. Most of us were serious about sports and played every chance we could get. I remember the feasts sponsered by St. Joseph's church which were great. I lived there from 1950 till we moved to Queens in 1963. Some of the many landmarks were the Star theater on Knickerbocker Ave., Ampalo Grocery, Benny's Grocery, Joyer Grocery, Caruso's Drug store on Jefferson St and Wilson Ave., St. Leonard's church on Jefferson and Wilson, Lenny the butcher on Wilson between Troutman and Jefferson Sts., the Green Garden luncheonette, Charlie's luncheonette, Circo Bakery on Knickerbocker, Palermo Bakery with the finest Italian ices and baked goods for miles around, Miamo's bakery, the Boys and Mens shop, the 83rd precinct, Giangrosso's bakery, Boarshead meatmarket, I think I could go on forever. We had a sense of community then and all of our parents looked out for all of us not just their own kids. You could be sure if you were caught doing something wrong and one of the neighbors saw it your father would find out. Our fathers' first instinct was not to defend our behavior if what we did was wrong. That was then. Well getting back to St. Joseph's church does anyone know what happened to it, is it still there? CuriousGeorge: 13th Jun 2008 - 04:48 GMT Anyone know what the neighborhood is like on Moffat St. b/n Central and Evergeen? Just off the L-Wilson stop. Looking for a new home in a safe area with modest conveniences -- grocery, dry cleaners, delis/take-out. And how long of a train ride into Manhattan? ERIC BUSHWICK TAX CREW : 16th Jun 2008 - 21:15 GMT please if any one knows were my dauther is I was a teen father and her mother went to clevland I Was in 111 her mothers name is nelly she grew up on dekalb bet knick and wilson they called me E.stoned ilived on stockholm in wilson please if any one can find anything out she should be in here 20's begining .here name that i know is lucenia she has black hair and lite skin I was never able to know her.her mothers name in the streets was cookie. i got green eyes people always knew me in the 80's and 90's please write remember 1966: 17th Jun 2008 - 11:01 GMT trying to piece together deatils of a memeory. kid was killed in mid to late 60's when he was running thru the sewers that were being worked on around troutman. apparently he drowned. Does anybody remember this. let me know.. Busy MSD: 18th Jun 2008 - 18:15 GMT Hey Angela Bentley... I remember Raymond, last time I knew from him in 1993 he used to live on wilson Ave. he has a sister named Maria,... Are we talking about the same person? I don't know what's up with him, but we used to be graffity partners, his tag name was RLC, let me know if we are talking about the same person... Do you still live in Bushwick? Where? Send me your e-mail address... Regards, Michael Worsley: 19th Jun 2008 - 17:46 GMT I Love The Bushwick Section Even Though I Was Raised In Bed-Stuy Right Now I'm Working On A Poetry Project About Bushwick The Years I Lived There,I'm Willing To Share With Other Bushwick Natives About My Story And If It Does Come Out It Will Be The Proudest Day In My Life,Believe Me It's Always Said ''Never Forget Where You Came From The GumbyUF MSD: 26th Jun 2008 - 14:09 GMT Bushwick...oh, Bushwick. How I love and miss thee. Sorry I left you, but I had to explore other states and neighborhoods. Needless to say, you are still the very, very best piece of real estate on the planet. One year in Bushwick is a lifetime anywhere else. Whattup MSD, Putnamaniacs!!!! Bushwix All-Time Baddest: Gumby, Us First. Angela Bentley: 3rd Jul 2008 - 17:41 GMT Hey BUSY MSD---Ray and Maria had an Uncle named Tony and another name Matthew...Sound familiar last I knew they moved was wondering if anyone knew them. Email me at biggirl12668@yahoo.com thanks anon: 6th Jul 2008 - 23:29 GMT does the bushwick neighborhood extend to the intersection of montrose ave and humboldt street? upfromflames: 7th Jul 2008 - 01:57 GMT historically yes, but currently, no--according to the boundaries of Community Board 4 Bushwick stops at Flushing on the North... Broadway on the West... Wyckoff (roughly) on the East... MostHoly Trinity Cemetery on the South... So where you are talking about it is East Williamsburg--at least now. anon: 7th Jul 2008 - 04:56 GMT is the intersection of montrose ave and humboldt street relatively safe? im coming from the perspective of an inexperienced suburban white male, so im not sure what "safe" even means. upfromflames: 7th Jul 2008 - 12:15 GMT "Safe" is a psychological range that falls somewhere between what you are used and what people in the neighborhood are used to. So i don't know makes you feel "safe". But you could take the time to read the posts above and get an idea of what others say about this, as its a controversial topic. Peter: 7th Jul 2008 - 14:27 GMT im fascinated by how often people, in a context such as this, tend to define "safe" as "comfortable, according to my standards"... ergo, it doesnt surprise me that someone that would inquire about the "safety" of this area defines himself as a "inexperienced suburban white male", heh... like it is: 7th Jul 2008 - 20:56 GMT dear suburban white male not that bad, but not great either, look in a different area Ed: 27th Jul 2008 - 04:35 GMT ARE THERE ANY CURRENT OR FORMER BUSHWICK BUDDIES HERE AT CITYNOISE? Ed: 28th Jul 2008 - 02:32 GMT Bushwick Buddies is a private web site devoted to former residents of Bushwick, Brooklyn. You can register by contacting the administrator at bushwickbuddies.com. For the most part the site consists of pictures of 1950s Bushwick and discussions on many topics. The pictures are nostalgic and worth viewing by anyone who lived in Bushwick in the 50's. However, many of the discussions are led by a group of older women who endlessly discuss inanities and flirt with the male old timers who join in. The men are right wing fanatics who have a military solution to every problem facing the country. They kicked me out because I don.t agree with their politics and conservative views on almost anything. If you want a good laugh, try it. However, don't even try to disagree with them as they are closed minded and very defensive. Excuzmepleez: 30th Jul 2008 - 08:33 GMT This post is in response to "remember 1966." I remember the sad accident. It happened on Troutman Street between Central and Evergreen and it involved a boy named Joey Mistretta who was 9 years old, he had a sister Annette, who I went to school with. Troutman Street was literally dug up by workers,(believe it was due to the construction of JHS 111) and large pieces of wood was used to cover and fence ( the digging) the area at night and weekends. Of course, kids being kids were attracted to the area, I myself was curious but I was more afraid then curious. Kids played near and around the area all the time, whenever an adult saw a child or children too close to the digging, they would reprimand them, chase them away and sometimes, the kids would go back playing after the adults left. That’s what happened , Joey and some kids went back to play in the ditch, the dirt was piled high in some areas of the ditch and the pieces of wood that was used for covering, the kids climbed on (like the monkey bars in the park.) Joey slipped and fell into an exposed sewer the other kids went for help and by the time the parents and adults arrived they could not find him. When the police arrived, one of the adults who lived on the block and who also," worked in sewers and knew the sewer system well "wanted and tried to climb into the sewer to try to find and pull Joey out. The police stopped him from climbing into the sewer, saying it was too dangerous. By the time the police sent down professionals to help in the recovery they could not locate him Apparently the water current in the sewer system swept Joey away, his body was found hours later and blocks away from where he fell in. I remember Joey, he was a funny and likable kid. Such a sad, sad story. In fact, a few years ago, I spoke with someone who lived on that block and her father was the person who wanted to climb down the sewer to help retrieve Joey. During the late 50’s and 60’s I lived at 171 Troutman Street between Wilson and Central. With the exception of the accident with Joey, my brother and I have fond memories of Bushwick. MTA: 30th Jul 2008 - 19:31 GMT This is a great thread and really shows everyone's perspective on the past, the changes, and ideas about the future. I want to check in and see what folks think about Jefferson Ave. between Evergreen and Bushwick Ave. Any information would be great. Thanks BushwickBaBY08: 31st Jul 2008 - 17:32 GMT i live in Bushwick..right on Knickbocker Ave.btw.Jefferson n Troutman..well to start it off.. Bushwick needes to be shut down..its full of 14-16 yer old girls whom are pregnate..thats so uncalled for..but what can we do when there no body to show them right.then you have the lill HOOD BOyz..Please wearn there pant off there butts..who in the hell thnkz dats cute? well only the HOOD RATZ.not only that but every night we got the lill HOOD BOYz starting some DRAMMa With the new plp dat move in on the block. they even break in to plpz new Restaurants. how many of the YOung PLP.. Make it out THIS HOOD? with out Getting Shot at,,or giving the state time? thats the real question..i can not waite till i move out of this TRASH ASS HOOD...May B it may b on the rise...but why waite for it to come..when there are many diff places that ARE ALL READY BUILT?... NOW I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU... WHich 1 is Easier..... BE ABLE TO TAKe a PErson out The HOOOD.. OR being ABLe TO TAKE THE HOOD Out OF A PERSON.... in my point of view...even though plp are raised in low in come communties..they should ACT Like HOOD RATS...WHY Can they FInd it EAsy TO SEll DRugz..OR FIght da next person.... WHY Cant they BUST DERE ASS And FIght for a BETTER EDUCATION..A BETTER WAY TO LIFE... emc: 3rd Aug 2008 - 04:26 GMT ok- so after reading a lot of the above it seems that it may be a bad idea to stay at my friend's place who will be out of town. i will be visiting by myself and was going to rent a place for the weekend but he offered his for free...but would a single girl, who would spend a lot of time in LES or williamsburg, make it ok? i would be hitting the bars and meeting some folks. mind you i have never stayed in the city in general. just looking for honesty- no worries if the answer is no-i was just looking for guidance. thanks! Excuzmepleez: 3rd Aug 2008 - 06:01 GMT To emc, Where is your "friends place" located? There are sections of Bushwick that I would consider fairly safe and other areas very questionable. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander and vise-versa. MaverickMuze: 6th Aug 2008 - 03:02 GMT Check a Film they did on Bushwick Projects @ www.youtube.com/maverickmuze mami: 12th Aug 2008 - 06:34 GMT bushwick cant wait to go back............. i lived in bushwick\|flushing until i moved into my housing apartment in coneyisland and let me tell you i can:t wait to go back.... i miss siting in front of the building.chating with all the buchenchedas.walking to the cochefrito.Everybody knowS eachother p.r perade couldn"t wait .it wasnt much but it made me happy to be around my people.it seems like iam in another world coney island is so boring iam stuck with all this russians.if you ever wanna have a great summer bushck is were you wanna be...................i'll be thier soon....lol.lol... i but in a transfer.see you soon bushwick. Ecto 5000: 13th Aug 2008 - 22:58 GMT i lived on Menahan st and Wilson ave rite on the corner in the projects.They were called p60 now they are called Hope Gardens, ive moved away and came back and things have change.But for the better, back in the days (1990`S)this area on menahan st,grove st and linden st was buggin out shoot outs in broad daylight even if the precint was down the block.Drugs was on the rise and alot of wanna be drug dealers that didnt fight a fair one they would run and get their guns.Me i stayed clear from that life.Dont get me wrong every hood has its problems.My block was about football and basketball and 383 was the field.Linden park was also part of my life.Plus my window look out to the park.Bushwick is a very block oriented.If you walk down your block your givin plenty of "wasup"or "whats good"to everyone that is out on the stoops.Brooklyn has alot of bad places that are not worth movin too.But bushwick is not like any other hood we have Knickerbocker and Myrtle up by ridgewood.Plenty of good workin people livin their lives here.If i can grow up in brooklyn again i would live in BUSHWICK!!!! mami: 14th Aug 2008 - 00:06 GMT I.S49 in bushwick.i atteded 49 from 1994until1997.i had so much fun in that school.i still remember mr witney ms morrinson ms bostic ms raina mr lango ms love mr fernandez and mr rodriquez,did any one out their attend or have any memories please post IS49 will be changeing its name but its good to keep it:s memory alive waz good any one respond//////////Ps ,i use to tag up f.ster. landlord: 18th Aug 2008 - 02:02 GMT mami ,your kind is not welcomed back in bushwick CHRISSY-46: 21st Aug 2008 - 02:54 GMT what a cool site. I can't even believe I found people that came from my childhood, teenage, neighborhood. I grew up on Melrose St. between Knickerbock and Wilson in the early 50's. Went to P.S. 53 and 162. Remember all the wonderful times, fun and family events we had right on our own street. The knish man would come around/ does anyone remember? The half moon ride with the owner Tony? We had a man coming by sharpening kitchen knives and scissors? Caruso Pharmacy, St. Leonards, Pat's Pizzeria on Wilson across from JHS111. Hey how about Ampollos' Grocery store and Mr. Presti on Wilson between Melrose and George St.? How about Willies Candy Store on Wilson? Oh gosh were they good times. Yes I remember Joey Mistretta. I went to school with his sister and we were very close. That was an awful time for all of us. What a horrible accident and terrible way to die. Poor kid!!! How about Cypress Pool???? That only recently closed after many years it became a private pool club. Now I think there are residential bldgs. I am not comfortable goind to the old neighborhood anymore but when I am there and walk a block or so, I see it in my mind the way it was back then; not the reality of what it is like today and that could be dangerous. Anyway, more on little doggies. Don't look back. Those memories are wonderful and where they are supposed to say are in our minds and hearts forever and for me; Bushwick will always be called a home for me. The Bushwick of yesteryear of course! Sara: 22nd Aug 2008 - 13:31 GMT Anyone familiar with Bushwick Ave., close to the Halsey St stop? Safe or to be avoided? anon (ool-182ced44.dyn.optonline.net): 22nd Aug 2008 - 14:37 GMT Anyboby live on Arion in 1974......do you remember a McNally family??????????????? Frankie Five Angels: 26th Aug 2008 - 20:30 GMT My nana lived at 154 Wilson Avenue until 1970...belonged to St. Joseph Patron and lived next door to Bonsignore Funeral Home..which is now a church. I have very fond memories of LaRossa bakery, Giangrasso's and Circo's ( still there)..anyone know the Adamo's, Iavvarone's, Scaturro's....my parents friends and very successful families now....what a great place to live ! Antoine Whitfield: 30th Aug 2008 - 17:15 GMT crystal, i too used to hang out at the gameroom on wilson ave back in the day. I lived at 638 wilson down from the train station. wilson ave was the place to be and everybody who was somebody hungout there. If you down holla at me pernll43@hotmail.com maybe our paths have crossed somewhere? Bill Diggins: 7th Sep 2008 - 23:27 GMT i grew up at 77 granite street. off bushwick ave. pilling and chauncey and halsey streets nearby..dead end street that led to the bing belly hill over the tracks near aberdeen park. railroad boys??? brother harry and sisters adelyn and rosemarie. georgie walsh...paulie richie went to our lady of lourdes near desales pl. anyone remember form the 50s and 60s...gang fights? lol im at daringrebel@gmail.com say hello.... anon (ool-18babe68.dyn.optonline.net): 11th Sep 2008 - 05:31 GMT Moving to Hancock off the J Halsey stop...what's it like there? anon (dialup-4.237.219.23.Dial1.NewYork1.Level3.net): 12th Sep 2008 - 19:49 GMT Dear moving to hancock, Where are you moving from? Why Hancock and Halsey? Is Hancock low rent and easy transportaion? wyoming native: 13th Sep 2008 - 21:34 GMT Still looking for any and all photos of 1920 Grove Street. Old (circa 1938) or newer would be great! email snzrmom6@hotmail.com JP1515JeffersonAve: 15th Sep 2008 - 17:06 GMT I find it amazing that so many have so many different views yet we all have a common thread...the Love of our hood. I grew up in Bushwick back in the 70's through the 90's. From Jefferson Ave & Wyckoff, Stockholm & Wyckoff, Norman & Wyckoff and lastly Menahan and St. Nick before getting married and moving to Glendale. I found this site by chance after talking to some of my co-workers about the "good ole days". We were talking about the street games we all played as kids. Stoopball, Punchball, Kick the Can, Stickball, Ringolevio. So I got home and started surfing. I found some sights about street games. I found Lil Dave from Lil Dave Rockers on Youtube. Sites about Rocking, Apache and Rubberband Man and then I found this one. Well I read some stuff, positive, negative, and some of it true but I still love Bushwick Brooklyn. I went to St. Martins now St. Elizabeth. I grew up on Jefferson Ave with characters like Spunky, Mono (pronounced Mon-yo), Chino, Lefty was my cousin. Felix, Pablo, Angel and their sisters; JB, Robbie, Markie, Michael, Eric, Crazy Tony, Cho-co-la-te, Spidey (Jose he use to go out with Wanda whose sister Marible was fine, she probably still is. Lil Dave cousins Louie (Joe Rock Head), Daisy, Yvonne damn I can't remember anymore right now. Our block was fun even though it was tuff at times to fit right in. We had block parties, a "johnny pump" right on the corner so we could get the bus running on Wyckoff. We had bread dough fights, pea shooter fights, played ball on tracks that ran across the middle of the block. Jumped the roofs, went to battles at Sister Betty's place on Cornellia and Irving. Played stickball in 600, softball in Hylan Park, some guys even swam in the reservoir at Hylan Park. Despite all of the hardships and obstacles of growing up poor, latino, and sometimes with just one parent, I have wonderful memories of rowing up in "Bushwick". One Love. Gemini: 19th Sep 2008 - 15:07 GMT I have lived in Bushwick for most of my life. I have lived on my street for 34 yrs. Bushwick is like any other neighborhood it has it's ups and downs. I referred to it as living in the better half of the Ghetto. We have the best block Party's and the Block elders and all parents look out for the little ones. The hardest part about living on the block for so long is when the older people pass on you are left feeling as though you lost a family member. We have A Progressive Block Association and I am one of the original Weirfield Street kids. My children are second generation my new grandson made third. We still have fruit trees in our backyards. I have an apple and a boisenberry tree, wild rose bushes and violets that just sprung up from nowhere about ten years ago. My neighbors have cherry and peach. It's quiet at night and in the summer people Bar-B-Que and sit on their steps at all hours. These homes are two family private houses. Working and retired residents. We've recently had a Village Rock Band move in on the corner...they're loud but pretty cool they also do Tatoos. LOL! To the woman that said its awful and Ghetto Fabulous.... living on Troutman would be just that. Troutman and every block after that has the highest population of Puerto Ricans that can't help but spray graffetti all over the place. So to say Bushwick is Ghetto is wrong its what the people in the area make it. (I have nothing against Puerto Ricans but that's just how it is in that direction of Bushwick). I always say when I die I want to be creamated me and sprinkle my ashes on Weirfield Street on the day of the Block Party or sprinkle me in my front yard. Bushwick is affordable to most and the transportion is the best J, Z, L trains 26 bus that transfers to every line and the Jackie Robinson highway straigt up Bushwick Ave and the Williamsburg Bridge up Broadway. It just don't get any easier than that. Check it out. I welcome you. Gemini: 19th Sep 2008 - 15:21 GMT JP1515JeffersonAve you forgot the Scelly court. the kids just drew one on our street. They have the numbers in the wrong places but we have one. LOL. wyoming native: 20th Sep 2008 - 23:45 GMT Gemini: How close are you to Grove Street? 1920 to be exact? fran z: 22nd Sep 2008 - 13:15 GMT i lived on starr st between knick and wilson avefrom 1954 until 1995 miss that pretzel factory wyoming native: 22nd Sep 2008 - 21:04 GMT fran z: Do you ever remember going to Grove St.? My Mom lived there with her Aunt and Uncle for a couple of months after coming to America from Yugoslavia. I would like to have pix of anything from Grove St. to show her. She was only 11 at the time, and remembers a St. Aloysius School across the street from their house? They lived at 1920 Grove Street. Anything, old or more recent would really be appreciated! arty lady: 23rd Sep 2008 - 02:37 GMT Planning on renting an artist loft in Bushwick in one of the large loft buildings on Siegel st. I'm a woman of color and will be taking the L train. Don't really know Brooklyn well. The loft is cheap and I need to work. Can someone tell me if it;s safe for a woman to be working in that neighborhood- i.e. do i have to fear I can get mugged or raped on the streets in broad daylight or in the subway at the Bushwick end?? Gonebutnot forgotten: 23rd Sep 2008 - 18:27 GMT Grew up on Montrose Avenue across from Most Holy Trinity Church. What a beautiful church. Always reminded me of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Had cousins who went to school there and remember walking to Grand Street for food, clothes and shoe shopping. The A&P was the only large grocery store. Bakeries and pizza on every corner. Took the train to Manhattan to work and buried my parents in Most Holy Trinity Cemetery and would say a prayer every evening as the train rose out of the tunnel and I could look over into the cemetery and see my parents grave. Bless all who grew up in Bushwick. Frankie Five Angels: 25th Sep 2008 - 17:49 GMT Hey Sicilian Brookly Gal, Did you know any of the Iavaronne's, Livoti's, Adamo's, Jesse Speciale Florist....all there and in St' Jo Patron during the 50's and 60's... Angela Bentley: 13th Oct 2008 - 13:27 GMT Hi everyone I asked this question before didn't get a response but I grew up all over brooklyn, last years in the city I grew up in ridgewood area Palmetto ave, gates ave and onondonk ave. I had family that lived on wyckoff ave over the drug store on the corner from the hospital. Does anyone remember the McNeil family. Colleen and Louie with their daughters Georgette etc. Anyone remember the Vitale family, tony and matthew and their neice and nephew maria and ray ray. How about the fisher family Kathleen, maryjane and Robert. If anyone knows these family please let me know. I loved gates ave and palmetto ave you can sit on your front stairs for hours just watching everyone. that was the thing to do. Let me know whats up. Bea K.: 14th Oct 2008 - 04:41 GMT Just goes to prove there's good and bad 'no matter where we live' and that includes Bushwick. For those who've moved on to "safer areas" (whatever that constitutes these days, as I most certainly 'don't' look for safety in a place, or even a person because there's NONE to be found no matter how 'safe' we 'think' we are.), then that's how your life was meant to be because look at the folks who've also moved to "safe areas" (cities, towns, countries, etc.) only to find out after disaster strikes,"I never thought it could happen here or to us" as the famous saying goes. We're, the world as a whole, living in some of the most dangerous and treacherous times we've seen yet, and truthfully I don't see things going to get any better from here (terrorists, bombings, almost every nightmare that we can imagine coming to life right before our very eyes.). Not being pessimistic, just telling it like it is, even for those who don't agree. "Safety" and peace of mind come not from a 'place', or even a person, but from someone that mankind has denied since the beginning of time. JP1515JeffersonAve: 19th Oct 2008 - 22:48 GMT Gemini...Did you or any of your fam orfriends go to St. Martin/St. Elizabeth? Do any of the Diaz Fam still live there? Is Father Hoffmann still with the parish? I went to school there from 1974 - 1982. Brodidly AB: 5th Nov 2008 - 16:40 GMT Bushwick!! What can I say? It can be an interesting place to live in and it can be a nightmare. To all those who are contemplating moving to Bushwick, on the serious tip you should do your research. As a late 60's child born and bred in bushwick at a young age I realized that I was in the midst of an ever changing community. I still have fond memories of the " Johnny-on-the pony-games', TAG, Co CO livio, 2- hand touch, stick ball, fastpitch, climbing the schoolbuildings of P.S. 151, the roller skating disco on Wycoff and Myrtle and oh buddy.. the Block parties... who could ever forget? But someting happened in the mid to late 70's on through the mid 80's...CRACK, APATHY, Wanna- Be "Scarfaces" and "Nino Browns" basically took Bushwick down a murderous and ugly path from which it is still barely trying to recover. The Bushwick of 25-30 years ago had more home ownership, business oriented people, (both Black, Puerto Rican, White, etc) . The sons and daughter's of the "ME ME ME' generation had sons and daughters of their own who basically disowned the search of self determination and fell into lust of " I am gonna get mines" and it is " all about me". What is the result? This has taken Bushwick into a 3rd world welfare state, where drugs still run rampant, kids cuss and swear like adults, you can hear the word Nigger used more often than in the south and moreso by people who are NOT white. Out of Wedlock kids is the norm, multiple baby daddys and multiple baby- momma drma are the relationship norms. You might ask me why I still go back after painting such a bleak picture? It is because of those "diamonds-in-the rough" those diehard Brooklynites,and Bushwick-folk that have never forgotten what community is and what a neighborhood is. These are the people that despite everything that has attempted to blight this section of Brooklyn, they have perservered and managed to raise their children to become productive citizens and good people who understand poverty, who understand the "ghetto-life". People do not understand how Bushwick can be a ghetto or in the midst of Poverty if you look solely at the real estate market. It is all about the people . It the people where you live ain't about "sh$$%t"... then basically they represent the neighborhood in which you live... ( don't care about how much the houses cost). Do you know how many half a million dollar homes in Bushwick are not worth 1/10th the cost that they are selling it due to the sacrifices that you would have to make? It would astound you. I will offer some Tips for anyone contemplating moving to Bushwick. 1. If you do not like Blacks, Puerto Ricans or Caribbean people- do not move here. 2. I would advise brushing up on some Spanish. It will definitely aid in your adjustment. 3. Before getting a home, check out the neighborhood thoroughly. 4. Look at the homes around summertime...mainly July -August. You will get the real feel of how many people you will be living next to. ( mainly because that is when you will see the different festivals, carnivals, activities, block parties and etc) If you can deal with that .. then you will be fine. 5. If you are the quiet type..look into lofts near the subway or apartment buildings near senior citizen homes or libraries..(most people will not loiter around there and will be constantly moving") Also stay away from Junior High and High Schools. That is a magnet for noise. 6. If noise does not bother you, then you will have greater options. 7.If you have children, I advise you to seriously consider access to extracurricular activities , ie Boys / Girls Club, Church, Sports, hobbies..something to keep them off the streets. Belive me...they will live a lot longer. 8.Finally .. the streets can read a person. If you are a hateful person , people will pick that up immediately, if you are someone who minds your business and is about something you just might be able to improve your immediate surroundings and possible your neighborhood. Take it from a person who grew up in Bushwick Brooklyn, got out before I hated it.. and came back to appreciate it. PEACE to ALL Brodidly - Bushwick 4 Ever Santana: 6th Nov 2008 - 15:13 GMT Advice to all people curious about life in Bushwick. I spent 20 years of my lifes in bushwick. Left NY as a whole for 7 years to see what the world had to offer me. Since then have been to 17 countries and moved to three different states. Why is it after all this traveling and moving around the only place that does it for me is Bushwick and East Williamsburg. Now you ask if it is the shit? Hells yeah it is!!! Santana: 6th Nov 2008 - 15:24 GMT Brodidly AB and all the rest of you who got to live in Bushwick during the 60s and 70s are so lucky. Those were the years when "minorities" took over and made Bushwick what it is today. I was lucky enough to see the 80s and 90s. Still lucky enough to have seen change. I grew up on Menahan Street and Bushwick Ave. During the 80s and 90s that was one of the baddest streets in a two mile radius. So to see the neighborhood transform from Hood to almost unaffordable is by far the best thing anyone can ever see. Shows progress in the community. And big shout out to Diana Reyna the first women of Dominican-American descent to be elected as a New York City public office and still the counsil member of the 34th district. Which includes Bushwick as one of them. She is a major reason why there is more housing for low-income housing and more communities and activities in the neighborhood. vanessa: 2nd Dec 2008 - 18:55 GMT uugghhh @ Putnam btw Bushwick/Broadway... wonderful apartment...crackwhore Neptune Hotel on the corner, not so nice. Jose: 6th Dec 2008 - 05:36 GMT Hey I grew up in Bushwick. On Knickerbocker and Decatur. I moved to New england around 13 years ago. I miss playing dominoes in fron of the house and all the spanish music playing. WHen I was young we also had many block parties. You don't see that in new england. I use to visit alot when my mother lived there. But since she passed I in 2000 I really do not go there much. I loved Bushwick. Janet: 7th Dec 2008: 7th Dec 2008 - 22:34 GMT Hi. I grew up in Williamsburg on south 8th street. I loved it at that time had great friends there. I wonder how and what ever happen to them where they are today. From south 8th st moved to Stockholm & Central Ave in 1962 live in Phoenix now. It's always good to talk and hear from people of Brooklyn. Nick Snewf: 8th Dec 2008 - 01:46 GMT I live on the corner of Bushwick and Granite in the Biko Transformation Center. My only complaint about living in Far East Bushwick is the lack of a neighborhood bar (that is licensed and which I am welcome in) and the limited food in the neighborhood - but I remedy all of that by cooking and drinking at home and saving lots of money. Bushwick is a rich (in spirit) and vibrant area filled with Caribbean charms. I recommend it to anyone but when you bring your gentrification bring your rent control with you otherwise you'll be taking homes away from the current residents of the 'Shwick. 100% puerto rikan : 14th Dec 2008 - 22:37 GMT What's good bushwick we had some good days murda moore what's poppin that's the block right there ya digg just wanna say what's good too all my niggasz out there 1 ... JoseFromIrving: 15th Dec 2008 - 15:49 GMT I was born and raised in Brooklyn during the 70's, 80's and 90's. I lived on Irving Avenue between Suydam and Hart St. I left in 1992 and moved "upstate" and I must tell you it was one of the best things I ever did in my life. Although Bushwick teaches you things, they are not necessarily good ones. I went to PS 123 (Mrs. Kriss's class) and JHS 162 (SP class 1985). During the 70's the neighborhood was mostly made up of Italians and everything had a sense of order, until they started to leave. Yes at that time the mob ran most of the neighborhood, but.... there was order. After the Italians left the area, the neighborhood became infested with crack dealers and heroin junkies. Living there through the mid 80's and 90's was rough and I would not wish it on anyone. Yes, the neighborhood made me a bit wiser but at what expense? My parents still live there and I visit them once a month. Every time I get there I quickly remember why I left. It's crowded, you can't park anywhere, people are rude, car alarms keep going off.. why bother. I am glad to see that they finally turned those old factories into "loft" apartments and hopefully get a bit more diversity in that neighborhood, it gets old seeing the same thing block to block. They don't even have any more italian coffee places anymore.. what a shame. I suggest that if you do have kids you do not move there. The schools are horrific and do not prepare you at all, overall it's a depressing place. Hey, you get what you pay for. Do yourself a favor and move an hour or so north and you will be glad you did. Story: 17th Dec 2008 - 19:49 GMT Hi, I am an artist living in Hackney, London in the United Kingdom. Me and a friend are looking to spend 3 months in New York next year doing the galleries and looking into artist residencies. She told me she has heard Greenpoint is a great place and the best artist community in New York. I've been told Bushwick is the place I should be looking for a flat to let as its affordable and has a great artist community. We are looking to network, does anyone know what I should go for? Is Greenpoint part of Williamsburgh? I've been in Hackney for 10 years and even though everyone thinks its dodgy it is an amazing and creative community with the highest concentration of artists in Europe. My road is nicknamed "Murder Mile" but I have never been mugged or as much as been talken to badly. I understand the mispresentation of neighbourhoods as my neighbourhoods gets it all the time, so a bit of grittiness doesnt bother me. I am looking for a vibrant area but not overly gentrified. Story: 17th Dec 2008 - 19:54 GMT I also have to say that the wikipedia entry about Bushwick is the most discouraging ever. Is any of this true? no 1: 19th Dec 2008 - 23:14 GMT 100% puerto rikan : 14th Dec 2008 - 22:37 GMT What's good bushwick we had some good days murda moore what's poppin that's the block right there ya digg just wanna say what's good too all my niggasz out there 1 ... This is why yourt type of people are getting priced out of bushwick John Dereszewski: 21st Dec 2008 - 14:48 GMT Story, I think the Wikipedia picture of Bushwick is dated and far too pessimistic. While still pretty gritty, Bushwick has become a far more solid community over the past decade and boasts a growing and very creative artistic community. It's certainly worth exploring. One site that you should check out is www.BushwickBk.com It provides a tremendous amount of information - and a vibrant commentary - about this community from the prospective of both newer and more established residents. You probably should also Google "Bushwick" and "Arts" to get a better glimpse of the current scene. Hope you make it to the 'wick! Melissa: 23rd Dec 2008 - 15:52 GMT I'm a single female living in Bushwick. All the bad descriptions of the area may seem daunting (like the history of Maria Hernandez park or Knickerbocker ave), but honestly the place is a gem. Lots of families and working people, no projects or slums. The only people who may seem dangerous are the crackheads at 2am or the little wannabe gangsta's riding on their BMX's whistling at teenage girls. Plus, my apartment is beautiful, and my building has never been broken into. No rats or roaches. The train stations are clean and reliable. I cannot say enough good things about Bushwick! Melissa: 23rd Dec 2008 - 16:04 GMT ps. Learn Spanish. A little politeness goes a long way. Queen me: I LOVE BUSWICK The fuckin man: 23rd Dec 2008 - 23:13 GMT learn spanish,melissa surely you shit!!!!!!!!!! noa: 24th Dec 2008 - 20:59 GMT Ahhh Bushwick, I love it there. my friend lives in a place where rent'd be 250/month if we shared a room together. How easy is it to get a job in NYC? I been trying to find employment for months, but to no avail. If I could work in NYC, then i could contribute to citynoise on a regular basis :) someone gave me a camera while i visited, thus i am inspired. dreamsbushwick: 13th Jan 2009 - 18:46 GMT wow some people are so dumb..it isnt safe anywhere right now you could be in the most whitest or richest place in ny and anything can happened of course you have to be careful everywhere you go not just bushwick ive lived in bushwick my entire life and i mean its not the best looking place but ive never had a problem yea there are gangs and fights ans shoot outs but umm turn the news on you see that everywhere you dont see bushwick in the news everyday..if you can find any apartment/loft/condo for cheap in bushwick buy it rent it or whatever because bushwick is changing more and more "white" people are moving in you see better people now in the streets and it seriously if you dont feel safe in bushwick you should not feel safe anywhere else because i believe anything can happen anywhere you at..plus the L train takes you into the city where you can transfer basically to every other train out in ny..also bedford is like 5mins away which has cool restuarants and stores soho is like 30mins on the train...im not going to lie and say its a great best place to live at but its an okay place to live at if you want to say out of trouble then thats on you live your life and mind your business and do what you got to do!!! by the way ridgewood is the same shit as bushwick same streets same people same everything... remember: 22nd Jan 2009 - 23:53 GMT does anybody remember Dr. Pelicane or dr's Klein or Viviani Luis: 26th Jan 2009 - 04:10 GMT I lived in Bushwick for 20 years,and I have to say it was the best years of my life. I moved out of NY about 16 years ago, but I go back home at least 5 to 10 times a year. Its crazy to see the changes, but change is good. I attended P.S.377, P.S,116, I.S. 291, and last but not least Bushwick H.S. Shit was nuts back then, I'm talking 80-93 when I was out there running around acting dumb. Back then I felt like I was just a product of my environment, but as you get older you realize that we make our own choices. Heroin and Crack were rampant back then, I remember seeing lines of junkies in Putnam Park. I'm not saying it isn't now, but it was much more noticeable back then. I remember 3 weed gates on my block alone Madison between Knickerbocker and wilson. I can go on and on, I still have relatives and friends that are still living in Bushwick. My point is that BUSHWICK has changed drastically. latino in the south: 19th Feb 2009 - 18:33 GMT hey is that picture up on top from Melrose street. If it is I used to live right across from it many years ago when it was still a factory.Wow i didnt grow up in brooklyn but my lady lived there and i lived there part time and downtown most of the time ( Carroll Gardens).Smith street...that neighborhood rocks. I miss it but now im retired in my 40s and in the dirty south. I love it here.God Bless Brooklyn !!!!! gailbushwick 21st feb 2009: 23rd Feb 2009 - 05:48 GMT well well well bushwick lets see .i lived there for 26 years i just moved out 2 months ago to redhook but i keep going back while i was there i raised 3 kids on my own i did see changes .but like all places nothing stays the same.yes there was alot of drugs and alot of crime .from time to time .but all things change when i moved there i was on himrod street and knickerbocker ave .i paid 250.00 in rent now the rents are 1,800.00 on the same block .for the same crappy apts .i think that all the smart people came into bushwick and thats when the rents went up.since it is only 10 min to the city.but i was reading earlier on here and it said something about teenage girls pregant and alot of crack and drugs.but this was not the only place that messed up things happen at.and that alot of the prison population is from bushwick.oh please theres people from all over.in prison.. life is what you make it and some people just make wrong choices.and there all NOT from bushwick its just like any other place you have some good and you have some bad.thats what make up our neighoods.,,my 25 year old son has a saying and that is how i will sum this up. IT IS WHAT IT IS . ...................... Thinker: 28th Feb 2009 - 00:39 GMT The time is here Bushwick near the L train is becoming unaffordable Thinker: 28th Feb 2009 - 00:39 GMT The time is here, Bushwick near the L train is becoming unaffordable Kriestine Mangel: 4th Mar 2009 - 01:45 GMT to JP1515JeffersonAve after reading your post I felt as if I could've written it. You described my childhood almost to the t. I lived on Halsey between Irving and Knickerbocker from 1964-1980. I also went to St. Martin/St. Elizabeth Seton school from 1974-1976 but went to St. Martin church from 1964-1980. Before that I went to ps 151 and afterwards to RFK which was a special program housed in St. Brigid's on Grove St. the things you describe like the bread dough fights...truly a unique experience to Bushwick. cocolivio, rck, skellyz, stoopball. and the nicknames, we had chuleta, chema, flea, airport, ham, boomer. priceless. I have so many fond memories. i love reading people's comments and am pleased to see that in the midst of all the hype regarding crime, there are intelligent open-minded people who see Bushwick for what it is...a diverse community with lots of history. We can either Embrace the diversity and enrich our lives with all the positive things different people have to offer or complain about things that are different than you're used to and be miserable. Easy choice. I live in Orlando FL now, and don't get me wrong, Orlando is great, but as many have commented, people are fooled into believing that any one place is "safer" than another. The powers that be who have investments to protect (ie. tourism or any other big industry for that matter) do what has to be done so that a safe image is projected. Based on what I'm reading Bushwick is the new hub for artists. Cool. when it starts commanding high rents and attracting those "powers that be", it too will "be safer" because that's what they'll want people to see. after all that's been said, I consider myself fortunate and blessed to have been raised in Bushwick and to have that sense of community as part of my foundation. I'm willing to bet many feel the same. allaboutharry: 18th Mar 2009 - 22:08 GMT Looking for people who grew up in the Bushwick district of north-east Brooklyn in the mid to late 1940's and early 1950's. Doing research for a book on Harry Nilsson who lived at 762 Jefferson Ave. from 1941 to 1952. I would appreciate background information about the way of life, quality of life, entertainment scene, and any reminiscences, if you came in contact with him. If you would like to participate in an exchange of information via email, please contact me at the following email address: allthingsharry@gmail. Thank you, Peter upfromflames: 18th Mar 2009 - 22:15 GMT From a Bushwick historian, let me suggest you check out Bushwick Buddies. Thats a site for older former residents from the time you are interested in. good luck. Dave: 2nd Apr 2009 - 19:29 GMT I work for a military museum and we were donated a WWII uniform and also in the duffel bag was an old Bushwick baseball uniform which appears to be from the same time period. It has a patch on the shoulder of an Indian Cheif. Could anyone give us some information on this uniform? John Dereszewski: 12th Apr 2009 - 03:32 GMT The baseball uniform in question is probably that worn by the "Bushwicks", an independent Minor League team. The Bushwicks played their games just beyond the Queens boundary, north of Jamaica Ave. Housing now occupies the site, though the good folks at the Woodhaven Historical Association have placed a plaque commenorating the old ballpark and the Bushwicks. The Bushwicks were a very "major" minor league team, and played many exhibition games against such immortals as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They also developed a number of future Major Leaguers. One who comes to mind is Eddie Yost, the famous "Walking Man" who played for the Senators and the Tigers over a long and distinguished career. He played for the Bushwicks in the late 1940's/early 1950's, when the team was just about to fold. The one thing I do not know is why the team was called the Bushwicks? As far as I know, they did not play in their "host" community. If anyone has more information to share on this, I would love to here about it. annette: 14th Apr 2009 - 22:57 GMT I lived in Bushwick from 1961 until 1976. My friends and I played outside all day. growing up in Bushwicks makes me appreciate all that i have. I remember hanging out on the stoop, playing stoop ball, hit the stick, skellzy, hopscotch, red light green light, Mary's candy store(she made the best malteds- egg creams- and had the best penny candy- she also sold spaldines, tops, yo yos) on summer evenings the grown up would bring out their beach chairs and hang out. Everyone knew everybodies kids-so had better behaved! We had an italian bread store(they made focaccia although i called it pizza and you bought it by the square- what a treat) on the block as well as an italian grocery. i have some great memories. i think i had more fun growing up with less than my kids had growing up with excess- i know our generation wanted to give our children-stuff-stuff we never had. i tell stories of growing up in the ghetto-my children laugh! i remember shopping on Knickerbocker ave-Myrtle ave. we did alot of walking. St Brgids was 8 blocks from my house. I remember going to 45 Harmon to get a summer youth job- scary- i waited in crowd for 8 hrs. But it was so exciting to get a paycheck 1.35 an hour. Great memories i wouldn't change for the world!!!!!!! Peter: 16th Apr 2009 - 00:40 GMT some factual crime-statistics from the 83rd precinct (bushwick) are available here... Frankie 5 Angels: 20th Apr 2009 - 20:55 GMT Hey remember:..I still go to Dr. Viviani,..the dentist! Progrock71: 23rd Apr 2009 - 02:25 GMT Lived in Bushwick from 1975 to 1992 and I have to say it wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be BUT it depended on which part you were in since it is indeed a very large neighborhood. I lived in Hart street between Central & WIlson avenue and also in Willoughby between Suydam and WYckoff. Hart street was actually ok. Most of the families on my street knew each other, the kids could stay out all day playing unattended and nothing much ever happened. There was a mix of blue collar & poor, renters and homeowners, it wasn't all "ghetto land". Of course, walk just two blocks past Central, towards Bushwick Avenue and it got pretty scary very quick. Same thing if you walked up towards Jefferson/Troutman by JHS 111, ESPECIALLY in the mid to late 80s with all the crack dealers and thugs. It was a strange neighborhood - you'd find a nice well kept street and then in the next block find a few abandoned/burned buildings, garbage everywhere, hoodlums hanging out (expecially towards Bushwick High, at the end of Knickerbocker). Even Knickerbocker Park (what we called it then even though it was officially "Bushwick Park" and now Maria Hernandez Park) had 2 sides to it. I would hardly ever go to the side over by Starr Street because it was usually dangerous especially the corner by what is now I believe and Associated supermarket (was A & P back in the day) but the opposite side was relatively safe and me and my mom would walk home many late nights in the summer coming from my sister's without problem. There would be usually be people out on the stoops, old ladies gossiping, just hanging out enjoying the night air and being friendly and waving hello. And walking just 2 blocks on Willoughby past Wyckoff and you were in a quiet almost suburb like area with large 2 family houses w/garages - this was nearer to Maspeth (towards Grover Cleveland), probably the borderline but you were still in Bushwick. Not saying it was an oasis or paradise, but the neighborhood was definitely not East New York, Bed Stuy or Park Slope back in the day (of course Park Slope today is more like Soho, heh). It had its share of rough and decent and I myself have a lot of both good and crazy childhood memories. And I kind of saw both sides, having gone to I.S. 383 (Philipa Schuyler) which was a specialized junior high for "smart kids" while occasionally cutting to hang out with some of the rougher element from JHS 162 & 111. (And it was the same in H.S. - went to Brooklyn Tech but also hung out with my boys from Bushwick and other schools - anyone remember Eastern District?) Eventually I moved out to Maspeth (not too far) then to Astoria and discovered this blog here which is bringing back a whole lot of memories! Frankie 5 Angels: 1st May 2009 - 19:21 GMT Hey Progrock71, My mom came from sicily in 1920 and her father bought one of those white limestone apartment buildings next to the park on Starr....they used to polish the brass handrails every saturday. Those were the days!...glad to hear you have some recent fond memories..and I agree, there are spots that are still very livable.... viviani: 17th May 2009 - 22:53 GMT ask him if his father/grandfather was a general practitioner, office was near myrtle & hart Linda: 20th May 2009 - 16:27 GMT Oh my gosh, I used to get Pretzels every Sunday after church (piping hot actually coming off the rollers) at the Pretezel Factory. I will never forget that. elaine r.: 27th May 2009 - 05:19 GMT this is to annette: I grew up on wilson ave.('71 ) and moved out in 2004. I believe the bakery you're talking about was my dad's, Giangrasso bakery. Yes, the sicilian square pizzas were the best thing you'll ever get. They were what we had at my school for parties. (I went to St. Francis on Suydam) It was operating until he sold the building in may 2004 and has since passed in 2007. In reading some of these entries, i have bittersweet memories of growing up there. At times it was very scary because when it was bad it was bad. I'm very happy living in the burbs now, but do have to admit I still drive by like once a year to get some pizza from Tony's and get a glimpse of our building. It seems like another world to me now!! elaine r.: 27th May 2009 - 06:32 GMT hey frankie 5 angels, any chance your mom's nickname was kitty? my dad is Dominick Giangrasso. Frankie 5 Angels: 28th May 2009 - 19:07 GMT Elaine, No not Kitty...but, I do remember Giangrasso's ( which i thought was still there)..also, Valencia on the corner of Hart and Wilson and LaRossa for pizza dough...the St. Joe's feasts were also wonderful....great times Elaine.. Ciao, Frankie Frankie 5 Angels: 28th May 2009 - 19:16 GMT Hey Viviani, I also used Dr. DeVita ( foot doctor) and Dr, Gerraputo ( dentist)....the guy had a drill he used to pump with his foot!!!.... stine: 2nd Jun 2009 - 17:52 GMT I love this site! What a great place to get insight on Bushwick. We are looking at a place on Menahan and Wyckoff, but are not familiar with this part of Bushwick. Do anyone know this particular area and would like to share some of their knowledge? Anything would be much appreciated! Thanks, and hope to be your neighbor soon. Teresa G: 10th Jun 2009 - 22:16 GMT Gee, I never thought I would find a site that would keep me at a computer until my ass became like DEAD. The best was when someone mentioned Palermos bakery. Actually it was Palermo and Canepa. It was my grandmothers sister who owned it. I left Bushwick in the mid forties. Last place I lived was Greene and Wilson. My folks had a six family there. Brandas grocery was on the corner. I can't forget those days..so different from some postings. Loved reading them tho. Keep them coming and would love to hear from anyone who would be my generation or younger to reminesce with. Teresa G: 12th Jun 2009 - 17:26 GMT updating on comment...my last address in bushwick was 1263 Greene Ave at the corner of Wilson...before that 1501 Dekalb Ave between knickerbocker and Irving...do any of you Bushwick High attendees know of the Bonura brothers Peter and Frank. ..they lived across the street from me on Dekalb....would love some input! Thanks Frankie 5 Angels: 16th Jun 2009 - 19:36 GMT Elaine r....dont you mean St. Joseph Patron on Suydam? Me: 20th Jun 2009 - 03:33 GMT Reading some of the posts have brought back many memories. I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Ridgewood queens..Putnam and Myrtle. I spent alot of time at the movie theater on Myrtle (I forgot the name of it)..I bought my jeans at #1 Jeans right next to the Chinese take out place. I live in Florida now..Been here since 1990 when I graduated from Franklin K. lane H.S. which I heard is really bad now. Its a shame. I also went to J.H.S.93 the annex and the main building..I think they changed the name of those schools now. I was trying to find some pics of the J.H.S if anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it. Debbie: 22nd Jun 2009 - 16:38 GMT To Frankie 5 Angels...actually the School changed its name from St. Joseph Patron to St. Francis Cabrini in Sept 1975. The church is still St. Joseph Patron. Growing up in Bushwick was great. Those are memories you can't forget. They make us who we are today whether we still live there or have moved away. NayNay: 28th Jun 2009 - 20:38 GMT Bushwick like any other neighborhood has its ups and downs. All that depends on what kind of crew you like to mingle with. I lived in Williamsburg for 13 years of my life. I lived on Grattan st. between Bogart and Morgan Ave. I have been living in Bushwick for 23 years now. I also work in Bushwick. I refuse to leave our children of tomorrow struggling and standing alone. In life you have to have a little bit of love, hope and faith and together all is possible. Crime is everywhere. Thugs go to the greatest neighborhoods to vandalize and steal. I live on Dekalb btwn Wykcoff & Irving. I have been there for 20 years. No issues. People come out for a little while to mingle and back into their homes. It is very family oriented. People on the block have been there just about a lifetime. We have a diverse group of ethnicity in the neighborhood. I must say for the most part everyone is respectful. Life is what you make of it where ever you go. In life we are going to be influenced, whether its good or bad we will be affected. It is up to us to choose our paths. You can only hope that your children walk out that door with the morals and values that you have instilled in them. Is tough in the streets regardless where you go. Creeps are all over the world. Bushwick has had a wonderful facelift. I happen to enjoy working with the kids from Bushwick, I can relate. I hate when people who are middle class, from Long Island or Staten Island want to dictate to our kids like "Why you misbehaving". The reality of it is that they are being obligated to become adults. You have a single mom providing for a family of 4-5 kids, juggling work and school, or simply 2 jobs. No time for the kids to be kids. Times is really hard. So before you stop a kid and think about their behavior, think of yourself as an adult who can't handle half the sht on your plate. So who needs to grow up? DON S.: 14th Jul 2009 - 00:06 GMT I was born at 263 Central Ave. That's between Greene and Harmon Streets. It was a time when there were no robberies or muggings. It was a time before the great escape. We could sleep on the fire escape in summer. If we left the car door unlocked, the car was still there in the morning. Eveyone knew one another. Knickerbocker was filled with mothers pushing baby carriges, shopping, or just to meet friends and shoot the breeze. Believe it or not, Bushwick was a safe area in the 1950's and 60's. One could walk to Bargaintown on Gates and Broadway in the evening without fear. I remember Norman from the Boys and Men's shop on Knickerbocker fitting us all with our St Barbara's uniforms. It was a sweet time, a time that will never happen again. Even though I am a Politically Incorrect person and proud of it, one would only have to think realistically about why Bushwick fell. I don't have to say more. billy: 24th Jul 2009 - 05:46 GMT kb-28 jun,2007 I lived on eldert st.between wilson and central, from 1957 till 1964 and I WILL TELL YOU THIS AT THAT TIME PERIOD THAT DID NOT HAPPEN,THE DMZ WAS CENTRAL AVE. THAT SAID THEIR ARE GOOD AND BAD IN ALL GROUPS.BUSHWICK WILL CHANGE BECAUSE NOTHING EVER STAYS THE SAME THAT IS A FACT OF LIFE. Barbara Leone: 30th Jul 2009 - 02:26 GMT HAVE NOT BEEN HERE FOR AWHILE. I LIVED AT 1301 GATES AVE IN THE LATE 50S TO EARLY 60S. LOVED ALOT OF THINGS ABOUT BUSHWICK BUT GOING TO JJUNIOR HIGH 296 WAS ROUGH AND MOST OF MY FRIEND MOVED AWAY BEFORE ME. REALLY HAVE TO GO BACK TO SEE ST. BARBARA'S THINK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME. IF YOU KNOW ME YOU CAN FIND ME ON FACEBOOK Angela Bentley: 30th Jul 2009 - 17:42 GMT Ok its been a while for me to haven't been on for a while....since there are some new names on the site maybe you can help me out. I lived in the area when I was young back in the 70's we lived on gates ave and onondonk ave I am looking for a couple of people. kathleen Fisher and her sister maryjane fisher who lived on Palmetto street. Also Anthony and Matthew Vitale. I am also looking for a guy named Michael Alessandrini who used to work at St. Barbara's church back in 66 and 67. If anyone knows of these people please let meknow. Thansk Maggie: 30th Jul 2009 - 21:21 GMT OMG! This site has brought back so many memories, good and bad but mostly very fond ones. I grew up in Bushwick from the mid to late 70's until early 90's and regardless what some think I am from Bushwick. Even though I moved out I still was around hanging in the area due to family and friends that still lived there. I grew up with my family on Suydam between Wilson and Central right across from St. Joseph Church (which incidently I went back to baptize my daughter at this church in 2003) went to JHS 111 than WB Bryant HS till I got expelled and sent to Eastern District HS. E.stoned bushwick: 2nd May 2008 - 16:31 GMT or Eric Bushwick Tax Crew whatever you call yourself, I know you....we use to hang with the old crew...LG, BeeSki, Tommy, Angel (you said was your cousin) Lisa, Lil Melissa, Lisa Lee she use to date Angel for a bit around the time Angel Lisa and Melly's Mom passed away, than after they left with their Dad, she was messing with BeeSki for a while (she was pretty crazy too) you were dating Cindy at the time ....you both looked like Blanquitos light skin and green eyes. We called you ERock at the time. We had some great times, When I ran away and Lisa too you helped us sneak into your hallway and sleep, shit it was cold out there and you looked out and almost got in trouble with your crazy Mom. I'm not exactly sure which cookie (Nelly) ur talking about but if you post on this site let me know email me at vmsmile411@live.com. Sorry u were kept from your daughter, but if memory serves me correct perhaps she did it for the best back than you were a bit troublesome back than and didn't have your head on straight I guess that was her way of protecting her, but it would be nice to see u guys get in touch and finally meet each other if that is what she wants. I remember all the local club spots from than Normandie's on Cypress (first club I went to @ 17) it was so drug infested with all the Dominican and PR small time drug dealers coke distributed all over the place, The Banks over by Flushing past the Morgan TRain station, hard for me to refer to Maria hernandez Park when all I have ever known it to be was Knickerbocker park. It was such a cool place to hangout and meet up with your school crushes. It was a tough place to grow up and we had experience the gang and drug violence as some became statistics of the environment some of of chose to surpass that and make it out and do something positive with their lives. I remember the drug infestation on Jefferson and Troutman, Starr Street and Willouby by Wyckoff and St. Nicholas. The Rebel Devils, Koskiosko Boys, than the small timer youngins TOS, HBO and so one. The Block Parties were fun not to mention the House parties....OMG the first one I went to when I attended JHS 111 was on Jefferson between Evergreen and Bushwick (I believe) it was a blast. My first apt. was on corner of Wilson and Willouby.......went to college, had a good job and decided I wanted to get out of the area, had my heart broken at 21 and decided it's time to leave and go elsewhere. A decision I never regretted, went to Elmhurst where I lived for several years loved it! Close to everything even my girls that still lived in Ridgewood, so I still came by to hang. Than left Queens moved to Starrett City and from there left in 2002 when I had my daughter and decided this is it out of here and moved to PA. I love it here, my home is beautiful, my daughter a blessing. I still work in the city and travel back and forth but I don't miss living in Bushwick even though I had some great great memories, that I don't regret. It made me wise and street smart and tough, cause I don't take no shit from anyone and anyone that knew me from the neighborhood knows this of me. I also kept my head straight to succumb to the drugs or as the fellas put it Hoin' (lol) with every Tom Dick or Harry. I also didn't wind up a pregnant teen with no education, or on welfare. I moved out of my intolerable mother's before I was 18 attended LIU with my mom's helping pay my tuition till I decided to work fulltime. Had my own apts. since I was 18, always lived in very nice apts, especially when I lived in Queens, bought my own car, traveled to many countries (for pleasure) had my daughter at 34 so I enjoyed my single life plenty before her and thankfully have been able to accomodate her with the life I have always wanted to give her. But I will say it took living and seeing Bushwick the way it was to be the woman I am today and strive hard for the lifestyle I have wanted for myself and my daughter. I haven't been to Bushwick (well the area I grew up) for a few years, I would say since 2003 or 04. I still visit Williamsburg as one of my closest friends lives in the South Side and I visit her as well as my sis-in-law in Ridgwood and most important my hairstylist also in Ridgwood. Not givin up my Dominicana, they are the best for hair! I'm glad to hear Bushwick is coming along, the people there deserve it, but like someone in the other post indicated the people are what make the place. You want to have a cleaner and brighter future for Bushwick don't wait for the blanquitos to come in and do it for you, you have the power to do it together my fellow Latinos! As my Mom says "Querer es Poder". In other words the power is in you to make it happen. I hope to someday drive by and feel it safe enough to show my daughter where I grew up and where Maggie was made be the tough cookie she is today. I thankfully never had anything happen to me while I lived there, but in all fairness I was from there and they rarely messed with you when they were familiar with you but I have seen some ugliness from murder, to overdoses, to petty theft and burglary even to the racism and brutality of the police dept to the residents in the area. I have also seen a community that came together when one of their children was in need. I know quite a few of us that left the neighborhood and done well for themselves some better than others and the legit way too! lol! Take care my Bushwicknites, and anyone that recognizes me and remembers give me a shout on vmsmile411@live.com. All the best to you all even the newcomers.....like all places you always have to show caution, don't be naive and mind yours. I'm sure you'll be alright. E anon (c-71-228-246-94.hsd1.tn.comcast.net): 1st Aug 2009 - 19:21 GMT my daughter is seriously considering a loft apartment at 385 Troutman/Wycliff, she says it is convenient to Jefferson L train. Any comments about safety in this area? She is coming from the midwest. Peter: 1st Aug 2009 - 21:08 GMT How about you trust your daughter's judgment rather than going online and second-guessing her? anthony E (ZOOK): 4th Aug 2009 - 14:50 GMT i grew up (short time) in bklyn moved out in '66 lived on bushwich ave across from bushwick houses, i remember when wearing converse (sneakers) was the shit! i loved playing stickball,skelly,,cracktops i remember "pops"a little sitdown joint where penny candy was great,, there was also a chocolate syrup place next to our apt (forget the name) where i use to go and buy a bottle of choc syrup lol i will always love "B" town! peace!! believe it or not: 4th Aug 2009 - 19:17 GMT my father had a friend who worked there in the 40's (choclate syrup factory) was also called sambo soda. couldn't call it that today Peter: 5th Aug 2009 - 16:55 GMT anyone remember Denaro Bakery? this is what it looks like now: Ontop: 22nd Aug 2009 - 21:01 GMT I've lived i Bushwick all my life. Bushwick has definitely changed for the better. A lot of caucasians are moving into Bushwick so i would say thats a big change. The value on the houses are going up a lot. Im 41 years old I live on Menahan Street and Evergreen. I plan on being here for another 10 more years. I recomend anyone to live in Bushwick. Its only going to change for the better. Ray: 2nd Sep 2009 - 16:23 GMT Cornelia & Irving is where i used to live. 80s & 90s. Moved to Tampa, Fl. But my heart will always remember Bushwick! marina: 3rd Sep 2009 - 00:24 GMT This thread is better than a lot of books I've read! it sounds like ppl who would pass eachother on the street and not say anything but only wonder what the other person was thinking are finally getting to talk to eachother. I'm from St. Louis and I've never been to Bushwick, I spend a lot of time on the Internet reading about diff stuff (unemployment is a bitch lol). I think its interesting that some ppl are using this site to scope real estate in a future/capitalist manner while most ppl are using it to connect to the past/community. Honestly how u r using this site says a lot about u as a person. . . Chris Rodriguez definitely said the smartest and most concise stuff on this site. For ppl that are upset w the way other ppl talk/type, I ask what about you makes you so special that the way you talk/type/live/consume/shit makes that way the "universal" way to do things? Are u saying the Internet belongs to you? Unless ur Al Gore that ain't true lol. I don't know bc I did not grow up in an area like Bushwick, but I would think for newcomers you need to understand that whatever is bad about the neighborhood, u r entering and maybe even trespassing in something that is very sacred and rare in America today. . . an actual community where ppl know eachother and share memories. I know I've overstepped my boundaries before just like anyone else, but all the cultural tourism in this century is really gross but I have hopes that we as a ppl can make something better out of it. Why move to a poor neighborhood if ur just going to treat its citizens like brown ornaments, a backdrop for ur fabulous funky city life? Why do yoga if ur still going to talk shit when ur tech assist guy is in India? I'm not there but maybe what ppl are saying about not having walking tours is the context, let the ppl who created the neighborhood, who were there when it sucked, show it off how they want to. Not to stereotype but that might be by tagging or blasting music. Not the right kind of pride for you? You can have ur walking tour in Bushwick but if Bushwick ppl go to the Upper East Side or the nice ass parts of CT and bump My President Is Black they prob still get pulled over. That might be why its unfair. I think there's a way to do this right. . .it just doesn't get done a lot. I try not to be cynical and I really hope we can all treat eachother w respect someday. Thank you all for ur stories. anon (ny-bas00.csfb.com): 4th Sep 2009 - 13:13 GMT Hi Everybody, Need your thoughts. I'm looking at a really great 2 family house on Norman Street, right off the corner of Wyckoff. It's about a block from the Halsey L train. What do you guys think about this area? Is it safe? I have friends who live in Ridgewood and love it but they're on the other side of Myrtle (central Ridgewood). This would be right (literally) on the Bushwick border. There are some factories in between the 2 hoods but it's right there. I did notice that there have been some loft conversions and a huge new glass/steel (dozens of units) condo building on Irving Avenue too - units just went on sale last month. So, is this area safe? I don't want to be afraid to walk around, in the day or the night, and I don't want to worry about my parents walking around there. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, Sharon Deb: 8th Sep 2009 - 17:23 GMT to anon (c-71-228-246-94.hsd1.tn.comcast.net: my 21-yr-old daughter from the jersey suburbs is living in Bushwick not far from where your daughter is considering living...write me at deborama19@gmail.com if you would like to talk. My daughter's been in the neighborhood a year already, we just moved her into a new place this weekend on Flushing Ave... marlon: 9th Sep 2009 - 21:24 GMT the only thing you got to worry in bushwick now are the corrupt cops from 83rd precinct.....they will plant drugs on you if they feel like it! ED: 12th Sep 2009 - 18:22 GMT My family and I lived at 103 Stockholm Street from 1944-1959. I went to PS 74, JHS57,and Brooklyn Tech. Bushwick back then had its good and bad. Alot of fun for kids. However, the Bonnanno crime family controlled and expanded extortion and gambling. Eventually, they introduced heroin to the area and that wiped out all of the Mafia wannabes in the area street gangs. The Viet Nam war wiped out the rest of the punks. German and Italian landlords opened the floodgates to minorities and the neighborhood went into a tailspin of riots,arson and crime. Bushwick taught me to identify a bullshit artist a mile away. anon (216.220.216.185): 13th Sep 2009 - 18:13 GMT I was born in the early 80s in wyckoff hops so I was a kid for some the worst time but I loved my childhood had a bunch of buddyz male n female it is a very family oriented hood being genarations have lived there some jus move to a next block I remember a lot of stuff u guy ngalz r talkin about I lived rigth by the l on jefferson used to play ball in th lot of that factory there used to a k9 school across from it there was a lot of hookers on flushing which made it easy for all the deals to make a quick buck they cleaned it up back there I seen an art supply store back there they opened an a shealther on flushing an made it a one way I've ran all around that hood an did get into trouble put that's the past the area where the l runz was the first to start changin back by the factorys a lot artist lofts now there being produced on a mass scale the look nice but I preferr the artist type u no fix as u can yo own style I live in queenz now land lord skrweed us so he can rent for a lot more I still love it an the diversty has always been there just its more younger cucasian movin in aint that much drugz like in the past n the onez that still do it are on the lo but don't be fooled I've smelled massive ganja farms comin from those renovated lofts so its not just the latins or blacks so us cuation with whoever u interact with an chances are if some thing where to happen to some one those hoods on the coners would be there faster then the cops every one helps eachother not always on apositive not but hey n one thing pops always said was its not the hood its the people if they take pride in there family home street hood u will see the change an as for ne kingdom they wouldn't let some friends of mine eat there for no real reason the work rite by there so it was like a lucnh or after workthing an they would let them that kinda sucks u open a resturant in the hood n don't let the locals in unless the some fashionistas or hlpsters but all in all great schoolz n teacherz 123 162 383 parkz maria h or hookerbocker park or starr park great memories minus the shootouts n gettin chased by a junkie wit a neddle n haven to hit him wit a garbbage can n by the way I've lost friends to drugz shootingz jail sickness so that's y I say watch u hang wit n yo lil 1 hang wit Anon: 8th Oct 2009 - 12:57 GMT One good thing about Bushwick is if you are getting off the train with a baby stroller...everyone helps you carry it up or down the stairs without you asking.People here are not selfish and Bushwick is very family. I did read on another site where some people who just moved to Bushwick said there weren't a lot of good mexican restaurants in Bushwick and this is quite possibly because Bushwick is a Puerto Rican neighborhood and Puerto Ricans eat Puerto Rican food (HELLO), not tacos. I did suggest for them to try arroz con pollo y habichuelas and mufungo...chorizo y bustelo. And some rice pudding & flan. How about a cuban sandwich with a tamarindo icee? (okay now I am making myself hungry)... Which brings me to my next good point about Bushwick...the Food!!! Excellent Puerto Rican food no doubt. The best. Another good point about Bushwick...the salsa Music. Even if you don't play your own you can always hear someone else's and this is the heartbeat of the people who live here. This is not a dead place it is very lively filled with very loving people. I personally have not been to the NE Kingdom restaurant and don't want to go . I like family owned Puerto Rican restaurants . They are the real deal. If you are around Bushwick on the day of the Puerto Rican day parade you will hear a lot of music playing and a lot of horns blowing and a lot of people cheering. You may even hear the Borinquen Anthem shaking the pavement you walk on. Maria Hernandez Park is a great place to chill out with a coffee from the Italian Cafe across the street on Knickerbocker. Here you can watch people play bocce, chess, or handball. In the park on Menahan St. around the corner of the 83rd precinct you can watch the Police Athletic League (PAL) teach kids baseball...or at least you used to be able to (just make sure you don't sit too close or you will get a baseball in the head accidentally)...There are a lot of positives about Bushwick and all of these are in place because of the people who have lived here for years who created the rich culture you see and who have had children and grandchildren here. lourdes: 9th Oct 2009 - 20:53 GMT Anyone remeber the cop Officer Beaty from Menahan???? He tore shit up. Rodgrigo and Detective Monsert also. There was some crazy cops back in da day. Anon: 10th Oct 2009 - 17:37 GMT All I remember is Jimmy Jazz and Burger King off the J train at Knickerbocker and the 83rd precinct of course and the coco candy carts (mmmmmmmm). And the avon lady near DeKalb and the meat market near the J train at Knickerbocker...very good pecorino romano for sale in there!Good Fresh whole chickens too. The walk to Ridgewood, Queens from there is a good one on a Sunday morning. Allen : 16th Oct 2009 - 13:40 GMT This site brings back some good memories!! I wonder if anyone might know of some of my old friends who I knew there in that area during the mid to late 1960's?? One was Ruben Figueroa who lived last that I knew, lived on Suydam Street. He and I had attended Bushwick High school for a time. He was in orchestra in school under Mr. Abel. I then stayed with him and his family for a short while. He had an uncle who lived on Hart Street. Another good friend I knew, was Edward Will, who lived on Grattan Street. He and I also had attended Bushwick High School. His uncle's name was Charles Schadle. There was also a Tony (Angel) Diaz, who went to Brooklyn Tech. Previous to that, I knew him at P.S. 114. Also, does anyone know of the kids who lived on Central Avenue and I think it was near Troutman Street. There was a Joanne, a Benji, and some others. Does anyone know of the Bushwick High School during that period, of teachers like Mr. Abel, Mr. Cohen - coach of the soccer team, Mr. Faber - Guidance Counselor, Mr. Kelly - Science, the Science Lab teacher - Mr. Goldstein, and others. I would love to hear from you!! You can contact me at macallen@operamail.com Me, me, me, meeeeeee!: 16th Oct 2009 - 19:58 GMT I was born in Wycoff Hospital and grew up in Bushwick in the 70's. REMEMBER the "blackout"??? My family lived at 248 Irving Avenue between Bleeker St. and Greene. My dad was German/Irish and my mom Puerto Rican. My brothers and sisters all attended St. Brigids, P.S. 186, Grover Cleveland, 162, and Bushwick. My dad moved us out of Brooklyn in 1981 after a series of crimes that took place before our eyes and in or around our home. Bushwick was, to say the least, a ROUGH place to grow up. Lots of fighting. Both verbally and physically. And with that being said, let me also say that I have the most incredibally, fond memories of Bushwick. I remember literally "Swimming" in the johnny pumps/ fire hydriant (if that is even possible), playing handball off the side of a building, going skating at Sweet Ruby's, crossing the street to Tony's pizza for italian ices, shopping on knickerbocker, hanging out the window and on the stoop, playing red light- green light, mother may I and all kinds of awesome stuff with a block load of friends. Someone was always outside to "stick" with and God forbid you ever "FLATLEAVED" anyone. Too funny!!! We were not very wealthy and we did not have "play dates" or organized sports clubs but we lived life to the fullest. We used our imaginations and watever we found laying around to create hours of amusement and fun. We took pride in our families and in our community. Looking back and thinking about it, I would not want to raise my children up in the streets where I was raised (they wouldnt make it even one day), BUT, if I had to do my childhood all over again, I wouldnt change a thing. Fantastic, nostalgic memories.....bring a smile to my face.... Everytime! gailbushwick 21st feb 2009: 20th Oct 2009 - 20:56 GMT sorry but thre is no j train on knickerbocker ave the m train runs over there.and the meat market that was there has been a kinky store for panties and bras ................................... Den: 21st Oct 2009 - 15:15 GMT Can anyone tell me what kind of area Wilson Ave and Starr St are...safety wise? I'm thinking about leasing in that area. I'm coming from the Los Angeles area, can't imagine it would be much different??? Thanks! Peter: 21st Oct 2009 - 18:18 GMT i live, pretty much, on that block. what would give you the impression that it isnt a "safe" block? Den: 21st Oct 2009 - 18:40 GMT Oh no, no, I don't have the impression that it isn't safe (didn't mean to offend). After reading some of the comments about what areas are and are not safe, don't go here, don't go there, this area is quiet, that area is nice...nothing has been said about this area. I just thought I would get some input on what to expect when I arrive next week to look at some lease options. I know it's near Bushwick park and also I believe a Jr. High. Just looking for some helpful opinions from people like you. Thanks! Peter: 21st Oct 2009 - 19:41 GMT bear in mind that many of the comments in this thread are from clueless out-of-towners like yourself, so take them with a grain of salt. like every other neighborhood in nyc, bushwick is as safe as you make it... that is, if you exercise a little common sense and dont act stupid or come across as an over-entitled stereotypical-hipster-yuppie-gentrifying-storm-trooper. similarly, bushwick isnt any more or less safe than any other neighborhood ive ever lived in, so im not sure why this post has attracted so much safety-obsessed traffic in the first place. i guess it does speak volumes about uninformed people's prejudices and rumors of the past. i hate to actually spell it out here, but ive often discovered that "is bushwick safe?" is like a code that young white people use to inquire not so much about the neighborhood's fading drug/crime reputation as much as the community's demographics. sadly, many people seem to still associate the stereotypes they grew up with with communities like ours that feature such wide diversity. but come on... if youre moving from LA, what are you worried about? having already experienced working-class grit, urban desolation and bi-lingual big-city life, youre the perfect candidate for bushwick. just show up next week and check it out in person and youll understand. but yeah... stop by and have some tacos at 'el paiso' at the corner of irving and suydam, right by the corner of the park. stop and take a sec to observe and talk to people there. look around, walk in the park, observe bushwick life... and come back here and tell me whether or not its necessary to have this epically pointless online discussion about whether or not bushwick is "safe", because no matter how many times i answer the "is bushwick safe" question for someone here, ten more show up asking the same question for some reason. maybe if you fall in love with the neighborhood after you move here, you can come here and try to answer the same vague, nebulous questions for people that youre asking right now ;) Galloping Greg: 21st Oct 2009 - 20:04 GMT ^^^ As for me, I'm just curious as to why someone would move cross-country to a neighborhood that they don't know anything about. Snicker. Seems like whatever it is that's powerful enough to draw you there in real life would balance out your largely imaginary fears, yeah? Den: 21st Oct 2009 - 21:23 GMT Personally, I think the safety-obsessed traffic is due to the fact that Bushwick is being so called re-discovered. My guess! People are naturally curious about the change, like myself. I also like to exercise my common sense by asking questions based off of what some of the locals have posted. I also don't feel it's a pointless online discussion about whether or not Bushwick is safe or not...it's about finding out the facts and educating one's self. That's common sense! Thanks for your input...I'll for sure try 'El Paiso'. Thanks for the advice, I'll give 'el paiso' a try. Lurker: 21st Oct 2009 - 23:50 GMT There's the rub, Den. You say "re-discovered". I say "How can a neighborhood be re-discovered when its already peopled by tens of thousands of residents?" Who, pray tell, is doing this "rediscovering"? It's certainly not the people already living here. It's not the ones who were born here, grew up here, will die here. I'm guessing you're one of the young/hip/white contingent, aren't you? And of the worst sort, too -- moving here without knowing why, without knowing the neighborhood, being a total non New Yorker outsider. So while your guess above serves your personal purposes well, it certainly doesn't speak for the rest of us Bushwick residents. I bet you can't even name ten brief reasons why you're moving to Bushwick...... Whereas I could write a 1,000 page book about why I choose to continue living here. E.stoned and druga FROM BUSHWICK: 22nd Oct 2009 - 01:37 GMT two real ogeez from da bush remember all the crews hbo, cgk, bsk, wcc, p.s 123 ps 111, Cleavland, lcc bushwick posie.tha 80s was da shiznit It was dangerous but it was fun.we use to play around crack viles and derty needles in our school yards please exuse the mis spelling after all we went to p.s 123 miss spatulla was the Principe!!! lol p.s who killed baby flo at roseland in the 80s?the original 83 on wilson av I lived on stockholm in wilson from 79 to 89 born in wycoff so waz good!!was in both w.t.c bombings and still hear my santos are wit me ELOHEEM right back if u wit us??!!!! Allen : 22nd Oct 2009 - 18:41 GMT Hi I wrote just a few days ago (re: Oct. 16), asking for if anyone perhaps knew of some friends of mine from some years back. (I see there are a lot of ones written here from kids who lived in Bushwick from 1970s' onwards. I guess I am one of the old-timers who remembers before that time, and am looking for about 1963 - 1965 or so. I wanted to narrow down a few details - My good friend, Ruben Figueroa lived last at 334 Suydam Street (around 1967 or 1968). He had moved from Hart Street. He had an uncle still at Hart Street. We ourselves lived a few houses down on Hart Street and faced the "El" on Myrtle Ave. The other friend, Tony Diaz - lived somewhere just north of Noll Street. It may have been Varet Street or Moore Street or in that area. He attended Brooklyn Tech, but had attended Public School 114 on Noll Street in the lower grades. My other friend, Edwin Will - lived at 142 Grattan Street. He attended Bushwick High School until he want into the army. He had also worked in a church in his area. Last, but not least, is of a group of kids who lived on Central Avenue, near Troutman Street (or thereabouts). One was a girl named Joanne (Last name I believe was McQueen, or something like that.) She had red hair and was still young of the age of about 10 or 11 perhaps. (She was younger than I was.) Her grandmother lived a few streets away. (I think Melrose, perhaps). My memory is somewhat vague on some of this, as it has been some years back. But maybe someone knows of some of these people. Allen : 22nd Oct 2009 - 18:41 GMT Hi I wrote just a few days ago (re: Oct. 16), asking for if anyone perhaps knew of some friends of mine from some years back. (I see there are a lot of ones written here from kids who lived in Bushwick from 1970s' onwards. I guess I am one of the old-timers who remembers before that time, and am looking for about 1963 - 1965 or so. I wanted to narrow down a few details - My good friend, Ruben Figueroa lived last at 334 Suydam Street (around 1967 or 1968). He had moved from Hart Street. He had an uncle still at Hart Street. We ourselves lived a few houses down on Hart Street and faced the "El" on Myrtle Ave. The other friend, Tony Diaz - lived somewhere just north of Noll Street. It may have been Varet Street or Moore Street or in that area. He attended Brooklyn Tech, but had attended Public School 114 on Noll Street in the lower grades. My other friend, Edwin Will - lived at 142 Grattan Street. He attended Bushwick High School until he want into the army. He had also worked in a church in his area. Last, but not least, is of a group of kids who lived on Central Avenue, near Troutman Street (or thereabouts). One was a girl named Joanne (Last name I believe was McQueen, or something like that.) She had red hair and was still young of the age of about 10 or 11 perhaps. (She was younger than I was.) Her grandmother lived a few streets away. (I think Melrose, perhaps). My memory is somewhat vague on some of this, as it has been some years back. But maybe someone knows of some of these people. macallen@operamail.com Frank C.: 31st Oct 2009 - 18:36 GMT I grew up on the corner of 1330 Halsey and Irving back in the late 60's until I escaped in 1979. I had to run home from PS151,(On Knickerbocker) because of the racial attacks form all the blacks and hispanics.I am down in Florida right now and I am seeing the same deterioration down here such as I observed back then. I miss the old neighborhood and I would consider moving back if it were plausible. My point of commenting was for the one'Homey", who commented about his disfavoring the influx of "caucasians"moving into "dahood", we'll let me expalin this to him, how do you think the people felt back then when they seen the deterioration of their neighborhood, when the influx of blacks and hispanics came through and RAVAGED a beautiful area. I remember fantasizing about living in Ridgewood. I would cross the tracks on Halsey heading up to Wycoff to the LL train and make my escape from the hood.My mother and I were robbed at knifepoint for a box of Crayola crayons and $1.64( My change from my birthday moneypurchase)on Knickerbocker and Eldert.I remember being attacked by a group of Puerto Ricans on the corner of Cooper and Irving about 15 in all for a little 6 y/o half-white/half Puerto Rican kid(always called a F-in honkey though) and as they punched and kicked me they dragged me across from the ice factory on Wilson and proceeded to try and stick my fingers into a discarded car battery..Ah the lovely memories, well I grew into a racist and an ultra violent person which effected my whole way of life and thinking, I was forced to become like the trash I was surrounded by.I grew out of it anyhow and I am a better man for having experienced that life. I just wanted to point out that every neighborhood changes and hopefully it's for the better in Bushwick, I am just worried that I'll still be down here when all the influx of Hood folk start coming down here to further destroy this area,maybe I'll move back up there now that the quality of life is improving. It's happening up in Spanish Harlem, It's happening in Brooklyn, and all the hood folks are gonna have to deal with it.I pray for all the hard working black and hispanic folks thathave to move out and I wish all the returning white folks the best of luck...If fate holds it I'll be back also. Frank C.: 31st Oct 2009 - 18:44 GMT Just a little extra....According to the New York Times, "In a five-year period in the late 1960s and early 70's, the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn was transformed from a neatly maintained community of wood houses into what often approached a no man's land of abandoned buildings, empty lots, drugs and arson."[4] One out of every 8 buildings was damaged or destroyed by fire every year from 1969 to 1977 (Goodman 122). Robert:* Tough comment! Tony Giove: 11th Nov 2009 - 07:10 GMT I came across this site just searching PS 53 on Troutman St. I lived in the second house past PS 53 toward Wilson Ave. I think the address was 164. they knocked the whole block down to build a school.My dad, Mike, owned the luncheonette on Wilson Ave between Troutman St. and Star Street. The teens hung out there. Every time I see happy days it reminds me of my dad and or luncheonette. I'll post more later. Allen : 14th Nov 2009 - 19:12 GMT Just read Tony Giove's blog here. Very interesting Tony, that you lived on Troutman Street, and remember the old P.S. 53 there. Also, amazing that your Dad owned a luncheonette on Wilson. (Oh, "Happy Days"!) I am sure I must have seen it. I wonder if you had the chance to attend P.S. 53 yourself? It would be neat to hear from some of the kids who attended there and maybe remembers the old teachers there. By the way, I used to be one of the school crossing monitors there by the school. We always had to wear a white belt with a badge on it. (I thought this was kind of neat!). I played around the new school when they were building it. Me, and some of the kids I knew who lived on Central Avenue, whom I mentioned in another blog here. It was mostly all rubble at the time, and a large sandpile, and the scaffolding of the new school. Tony Giove: 16th Nov 2009 - 09:54 GMT I went to PS 53 in the 6th grade, then went to PS 162 for 7,8 and 9. I'll dig out my PS 53 graduation book and list some of the teachers. Tony Giove: 16th Nov 2009 - 09:56 GMT I played in the abandoned buildings before they tore down the block. We were just about the last family to move out of the neighborhood. Xcuzmepleez: 18th Nov 2009 - 15:05 GMT I also attended P.S. 53 and I remember vivdly when they tore it down, it was sad to see. My class was one of the last to graduate from 53. I also lived on Troutman St.,across the street from you, at 171 Troutman, next door to Palermo & Canepo Bakery. Visit myfamily.com, (Bushwick Buddies)you'll find a few pictures of P.S. 53 and J.H.S. 162, you may also find some class mates and neighbors there. Comment on this article.. 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