Bedford Stuyvesant

Bedford-Stuyvesant is big. So big it can be many places at once—a real estate investors haven, a renters dream, or an architectural lover's value neighborhood. Everyday, change comes to this large tract of land smack in the middle of central Brooklyn. New coffee shops, salons, big box retail, and restaurants join the boroughs culinary renaissance. This historic neighborhood is a long-time home to some and a fringe area on the move to others. 

Transportation defines the neighborhood as much as the sturdy brownstones. It's easy to get to on all sides. Subways are everywhere. The A/C train moves up and down Fulton Avenue. The G train takes travelers to Clinton Hill, Williamsburg, and Long Island City. The J/Z gets you into downtown Manhattan and emerging Bushwick.

Opportunity is available here. Large multi-family apartment dwellings built by some of the city's major architects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries draw developers. New construction is popping up again bordering Clinton Hill. 

The neighborhood, which has beauty parlors, antique stores, and hip-hop clothing shops, is beginning to redefine itself as the next frontier for mainstream but diverse urban culture.

Greenpoint

A true waterfront neighborhood, Greenpoint has everything an area needs to keep growing, appreciating in value, and attracting new residents. 

Larger than one thinks, Greenpoint is actually three or four different neighborhoods, all of which have distinct differences and commonalities. Near McCarren Park, the professional quotient runs high. So do the new restaurants, outdoor cafes, and bars. Closer to the water, new developments take over. But so does chic retail. All along Franklin Street, eateries draw artists, writers, and musicians as well as many of the architects and graphic designers who call the Greenpoint home. Clothing and furniture boutiques are most prevalent here.

High-tech companies are coming to the waterfront, purchasing or renting former industrial warehouses for their New York or global headquarters. The ferry shuttles residents back and forth from Manhattan and up and down the East River.

Manhattan Avenue is a retail strip reminiscent of Sixth Avenue from 30 years ago. Mom and pop shops line up next to boutiques and beauty parlors next to butchers with Polish sausages hanging from the ceilings, indicative of the neighborhood's ethnic past. Peter Pan Donuts sells the top-rated cream donut in the city in an old-fashioned coffee shop with curved countertops. 

Quiet streets off and around Monsignor McGolrick Park define the neighborhood's northern edge. Polish mansions, tall structures with eagles and other figurines, mark the buildings, all of which have large stairwells leading up to the front door and outdoor terraces. Smart investors or people looking to make a life in a strong neighborhood are always looking in Greenpoint.

Williamsburg

Forget the hype, this neighborhood really is the best in the world for an every something, and it's quickly becoming a haven for families and empty nesters. It has it all. Just four-minutes to Manhattan with some of the best retail, restaurants, and parks in the city, Williamsburg is fashionable, cultural, artsy, and organic. Food markets, sushi counters, grocers, yoga studios, and the waterfront give it a daily dose of authentic, health-oriented creative cool. 

As it grows, it seems to get better. South Williamsburg near the J, M, Z train has loft buildings and a growing food scene anchored by Peter Luger Steakhouse, Diner, and Marlowe & Sons. North Williamsburg tends to be lively with the Wythe Hotel and Brooklyn Bowl. The waterfront has a growing residential scene. East Williamsburg has an edge with non-pretentious flavor and a strong Latino bend. The area around Lorimer and Metropolitan has quiet side streets but a strong nightlife. 

Each area has distinct and varied housing. One common thread—prices are going up. This neighborhood might fetch the most bidding wars in the city. Fortunately, it hasn't reached its top price levels meaning some deals can be had. Go any night of the week, pick a new restaurant, you'll feel the energy.

DUMBO

Lofts, views, and water make this industrial neighborhood the place to be for artists, architects, finance people, and families looking for a small town atmosphere while having proximity to Lower Manhattan.

DUMBO is a site to see on a summer Saturday. People launch kayaks in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Children take rides on Jane's Carousel. Jacques Torres Chocolate Factory seems always busy. On Thursdays throughout the year, art galleries open to the public. There are local restaurants, record shops, bars, furniture shops, and bookstores. 

More than that, there is a strong community of residents who have pride in their neighborhood. Play dates are easy to find. So is an artist. The buildings have spacious home layouts. Prices appreciate in DUMBO because housing stock is fixed. Not many people have ever lost money investing in property. Renters like the large spaces. The F train gets you into Manhattan in one stop. 

Downtown Brooklyn

It's in the middle of it all. Literally, Downtown Brooklyn has totally reinvented itself as a mixed community with new developments, high-tech and media companies, and changing retail. 

Belltel Lofts is a 300-unit conversion of a former telephone switch center. Now, it's become a residential hub with a strong amenity suite, world-class Art Deco lobby, and some of the largest living spaces in the neighborhood. Families and singles compose a strong community anchoring the building.

It's convenience that drives the emergence of Downtown Brooklyn. During the day, countless retail and restaurants are seconds away. The area is walking distance to Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, and Atlantic Yards. Virtually every subway line runs through the neighborhood. At night, it's quiet like SoHo. 

Hotels and higher-level retail will replace the Dollar Stores and fast-food restaurants within two years. Downtown Brooklyn will continue to thrive. 

Brooklyn Heights

Arthur Miller, Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, and the founder of Rock Star Games—they all came to live in Brooklyn Heights. The reason is simple. Day or night, warm or cold, these streets combine the elegance of the Upper East Side, beauty of Paris, and ease of Brooklyn. 

The houses are drop-dead gorgeous. Woody Allen filmed "Bananas" on the Promenade. There are stand-alone homes, brownstones, and townhouses with views of the New York skyline. The tree-lined streets relax any passerby. Kids laughter can be heard from most corners. Three top-notch private schools educate area children with public schools improving because of parent participation. 

The promenade overlooks the harbor and skyline. Brooklyn Bridge Park has become an international destination. Retail bookends the neighborhood at Atlantic Avenue and Montague Street DUMBO, Carroll Gardens, and Downtown are easy walks. This is one of the most charming and attractive neighborhoods in New York City. More than that, it's one of the prettiest places to live in the world.

Park Slope

The transformation of this neighborhood from hard-working New Yorker's raising big families adjacent to Prospect Park into one of the most sought after residential corners of the city is complete. Park Slope rivals the West Village and Upper West Side in charm and lifestyle. It has become a near perfect neighborhood for families or anyone looking for a non-rushed yet convenient living experience.

The neighborhood also has a sense of humor. A rush on kale at the Park Slope Coop, a national respected organic food cooperative, caused a citywide stir. Soccer moms get involved in the things that matter—schools, safe streets, preserving important retail, and other aspects of community affairs. 

Prospect Park West might be as pretty a street as New York has, resembling the better sections of Riverside Drive. The brownstones and pre-war apartment houses at the north side of the neighborhood have a regal feel. The wooden clapboard homes towards the South Slope are more affordable. 

Fifth Avenue has become a hot restaurant row with Blue Ribbon and other name eateries. There are still a few old delis and butcher shops as well as stores selling religious artifacts and baseball cards. Some parts of the neighborhood will live forever, and that's a good thing. 

Prospect Heights

An impressive structural neighborhood as any, Prospect Heights is built like a great European boulevard. Anchored by the arch at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park, this is Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue. It's grand, stylish, and epic with edifices worthy of any city.

That's why the neighborhood has remained one of the strongest residential corridors in the city. Just off the Plaza, Richard Meier's "On Prospect Park" added a touch of modernity to the classic feel. For most of the year, an outdoor food market takes place across the street near the entrance to the park. Recent additions to Vanderbilt Avenue include upscale restaurants. Composers, literary agents, newspaper writers, lawyers, and doctors live in the regal buildings that line Eastern Parkway.

The neighborhood has seen significant improvement to the east near Franklin Avenue. Clothing boutiques, wine bars, and new developments are prominent as Brooklyn's growth in popularity continues. There is still incredible value in this neighborhood. A one-bedroom on pretty streets with names like Sterling Place can still be had at entry level prices

Clinton Hill

The West Village has nothing on Clinton Hill. New Orleans-style row houses, turn-of-the-century mansions built by Brooklynindustrialists, small cobblestone streets leading to parks or restored townhouses, and Pratt Institute, one of the top art and design college and graduate schools in the world have secured this neighborhood as one of Brooklyn's top international destinations and most charming enclaves. 

The sculpture garden and library at Pratt are inspiring. Myrtle Avenue has become an important retail corridor with a host of stores dedicated to eco-friendly living, pet care, and costume jewelry. Art and furniture galleries are popping up. Proximity to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Pratt mean a strong art and culture scene. When people think of "magical Brooklyn," they think of here. 

Fort Greene

Not just one of the finest neighborhoods in the city, but one of the top neighborhoods of any city in the world. This is no exaggeration. Fort Greene combines the charm of London's smallest neighborhoods with the mystery of Paris's Left Bank and the creativity and diversity of New York. Artists, filmmakers, novelists, scientists, financiers, florists, and barbecue chefs call this neighborhood home.

Why? The streets, convenience and beauty. DeKalb Avenue contains one of Brooklyn's best restaurant rows where South African restaurants meet French bistros meet dive bars meet elegant townhouse restaurants where people get married. There are organic markets across the street from artisanal beer halls. 

People with baby carriages stop to talk in the streets then stroll over to coffee shops and wine bars. There are carriage houses, new developments, pre-war apartment buildings, and beautiful brownstones. Downtown Brooklyn is a short walk away. The C train at Lafayette Avenue is close to other new restaurants, bars, bookstores, and clothing boutiques. But there are also hardware stores, barbecue joints, and tiny restaurants that from the street at night look as inviting as a Norman Rockwell painting.

Fort Greene Park provides a neighborhood amenity. The Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument, a memorial to the Revolutionary War, anchors the park. Six tennis courts draw athletes from all over the borough and Manhattan. Brooklyn Technical High School is one of the most impressive academic structures in New York City. Once you visit Fort Greene, it's hard not to want to live there.

Red Hook

As much Maine fishing village as artsy urban waterfront neighborhood, Red Hook is one of the most unique places in any city on the Eastern seaboard. Tumbleweeds dribble across the street on cold winter evenings. Welders sculpt masterpieces in studios next to glassblowers creating public works projects for cities in India. Chefs at The Good Fork concoct new ways to prepare a leek. This is a true creative neighborhood, with its own local services and strong community feel.

Most people know Red Hook for Ikea and Fairway, the big box brands that anchor the neighborhood's waterways. But Van Brunt Street and Connover Street are the places to be. There are chocolate bars, florists, landscape architects, wine stores, jewelry shops, and antiques. Local bars draw people on bikes and motorcycles. Playgrounds are full of children playing basketball. 

Carmelo Anthony learned to dribble on these playgrounds. Jay-Z threw Beyoncé an anniversary party in a waterfront events space. The New York lobster roll craze began in Red Hook. The small streets have carriage houses, townhouses, and apartment buildings. Subways are a far-walk away, but busses take you from downtown Brooklyn and Park Slope through the heart of the neighborhood. Plus, people have cars in Red Hook. How else would they haul their painting supplies, restoration projects, and design materials home?

Carroll Gardens

Carroll Gardens has emerged as one of the boroughs top living experiences attracting families, singles, and couples in love with its European like charm, central location, and quaint housing stock. Value-driven prices and an old-world retail line-up on Union and Smith Streets with butcher shops, antique stores, and restaurants once drew pioneers and artists to the changing neighborhood. 

Now, townhouses, floor-through apartments, carriage houses, and other unique living environments bring in an architectural-driven buyer and professionals who want to live somewhere "cool" other than Williamsburg or Greenpoint. Court and Smith Streets boast one of the best fashion and food scenes in the five boroughs. 

The area's other amenities have become some of the best in Brooklyn. Top chefs, furniture shops, nightlife visionaries with interesting cocktail concepts, and artisanal food offerings have joined the retail line-up. Proximity to Red Hook, Gowanus and Cobble Hill offer waterfront activity. Boerum Hill and downtown Brooklyn are walkable to the north and west. Transportation is easy. Bikes are everywhere. The Battery Tunnel has residents in Lower Manhattan in just minutes. 

Cobble Hill

On a warm spring night in Cobble Hill, the breeze off the harbor will make the leaves seem as if they're whispering at you. The cobblestone streets will make your feet feel the history. You'll likely see a young or old couple kiss in the candlelight through the window of a new wine bar. Enchanting and easy-going is how to describe this Brooklyn neighborhood with escalating real estate prices and residents who work in media, finance, and the arts. 

Smith Street and a proximity to Atlantic Avenue mean a choice between big-name retailers or mom and pop shops. Brooklyn Bridge Park adds a world-class amenity with playing fields, a water park for children, and meandering paths perfect for dog-walking or a romantic waltz with front view seats to the Lower Manhattan skyline. 

Backyards are a huge plus. Whether single-family townhouses of floor-thrus in a brownstone are your housing choice, outdoor space is a major residential amenity. From spring through fall, the neighborhood comes alive with parties and children's laughter coming from off-street locations. No longer a step-child to more mature and expensive Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill must be seen to be understood. Like most others, it's a perfect neighborhood to explore.