Brooklyn --> Maplewood

Grew up in Park Slope (with a short stop in Cobble Hill after college). Moved to NJ in '95 and to South Orange in 2001. When I go back to Park Slope it seems very foreign to me and I can't say I miss it very much.

Bay Ridge!! (and Clinton Hill, Sunset Park, Ft. Green, Prospect Park, & Park Slope)

rcarter31 said:

I am most proud to say we moved to Maplewood from The Upper West Side, West 80th Street, in fact.

Half a block to Sarabeth's and a couple of short blocks to Zabar's and H&H Bagel.

Hard to top that but overtime, Sonny's, Tabachnik's Deli and other spots met the needs...

Best Regards,
Ron Carter
Now in East Orange, enjoying lower property taxes and The Secret Garden @ 377

Omg! I used to live at 179 w. 80th...long ago in 1982/83

Later in life moved from Park Slope to Maplewood in 1990 with a 2 yr old and a baby! Now we're the old people!!

I never missed Brooklyn. I loved it here right from the start. My son lives in Park Slope now, and I just don't get the attraction. I grew up in Queens, lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn,and Colorado. I love South Orange, love my house, love my street, love my town.

Welcome! Moved from Park Slope in August with a 5 yo and just-turned-2-year-old. You are not alone

lizziecat, you say that often, and usually, no one responds. We feel differently, but that's OK. I'm glad you're so happy in South Orange. You're lucky to be in a place you love.

What? That I don't miss Brooklyn? Well, I don't. I realize that lots of people love(d) Brooklyn, but I was a city girl until I moved here. I always lived in apartments, with people in close proximity, and this place was a revelation to me--it was paradise. Brooklyn must have changed since I lived there, if so many people think it's great.

















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Hmmmm...I think it's a timing thing. At a guess, lizziecat lived there pre-1980. Wasn't such a hip place then, except for Brooklyn Heights. Just kind of working class and scary in places. Most of today's cool neighborhoods were still ungentrified or at least un-Village-ified.

I say this only as an occasional visitor to inlaws, and a couple of boyfriends who had apts in sketchy but cheap areas

It certainly has changed. I lived in Manhattan from 1961 (my birth) through 1986. They were the bad old days.

I feel like I've always lived in neighborhoods at the cusp of breaking out into hip neighborhoods, but left just as they really turned the corner (usually because of being priced out). Maplewood's probably the first neighborhood I've moved to where I've followed the trend.

Flatbush/Fort Green, Brooklyn (1991-1992).

Murray Hill, Manhattan (1992-1993).

Upper East Side, Manhattan (1993-1997).

Park Slope/Williamsburg, Brooklyn (1997-2005).

Inwood, Manhattan (2005-2006).

Maplewood, NJ (2006-Present).

LOL! Let's see...

1982-1995 Upper West Side (post college)
1995-7 Hoboken
1997-2000 Park Slope
2000-2004 Maplewood
2004-2013 South Orange

And because what goes around comes around, I am selling my house in South Orange this spring! So any of you Brooklyn peeps looking in the high 400s range for 4 bedrooms/2.5 baths in a gorgeous neighborhood that's great for kids, please hit me up. Oh and welcome to our wonderful two towns!

Welcome to the area. You'll find some like it, some don't. And all shades in between. For children though, it's a great place to be. Your children will enjoy a wonderful school system and a mix of urban suburban that you can't find in Brooklyn, without having to go too far West where the culture is not so fun and there is more homogeneity (translation: more Christian, more white, more convervative) So in that sense this area, including Millburn, West Orange and smidges of other towns do form a unique ecosystem for city transplants looking for a less hectic pace and more space. Get what you can out of it, don't be afraid to chat people up and see what you have in common, and FOR GOODNESS SAKES don't fall into the trap of comparing this area to your former abode, those types always seem to have a harder time assimilating and making progress socially.

noo2wood, has Inwood finally made it? I lived there expecting something to happen. I don't think it has. I don't miss it much.

Tom,

Not sure Inwood has turned the corner yet. But I did love Inwood Hill Park when I was there. It was our first year with a baby and she loved those primeval hills and trees. I used to walk her to sleep in the stroller late at night in the park. Somehow it felt safe because there were always families still hanging out all night. They now have boat rentals and stuff there, so maybe it's still on its way to coming around.

Welcome. We moved from Manhattan>Hoboken for 6 years> Maplewood and couldn't be happier. Have a toddler and one on the way. We fought the suburbs for so long.....but ultimately the need for things like closets, parking in a driveway, going to the supermarket in a car vs. carrying one bag at a time, some storage, and a school system took over. I don't know why we fought it for so long...we love it here. Great house, great neighbors, great community, closets, a driveway...you will not regret it!

I was born in Ft. Greene and left it in 1973. Wasn't gentrified then. It was a rather dangerous neighborhood then. No chic shops, no trendy art scene,
no supermarkets and although we had some wonderful friends there and the train transportation couldn't be beat, I moved to "the city" (Manhattan, of course). I'm happily surprised at how fashionable the area has become - when I lived there, none of my friends from "the city" would dream of coming to visit. You would have thought I lived in the wilds of Outer Mongolia rather than Brooklyn.

Welcome! I taught on Smith street in Boerum Hill & lived on 8th ave in Park Slope. We moved here 6 years ago. I won’t lie, I miss Bklyn especially in the spring but this was the best move we ever could have made. My favorite things include: letting the kids play outside by themselves, the amazing medical care, playing loud music in our basement without a single neighbor complaint (maplewood neighbors are great!) & getting to live in a real house. Can't beat the green here & the close proximity to the city. Really the best of all worlds.

4/27. Heading back for Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

I do sometimes miss my building on Prospect Park West. Most of the neighbors were in their 20's and 30's and we would sit outside on the stoop sipping wine in the summer and listening to the music from the bandshell that was directly across. It was nice when you had nothing to do you can just sit out there and within minutes you would have company and some nights it would turn into a party.

Sidney place, Brooklyn Heights for many years. I miss it actually. You'll love the town though.

I'm no ex-Brooklyner, but if you're looking to meet people with kids your age try Mothers & More: http://www.somamothers.org/

You'll find a lot of people in the same boat.

We moved from Manhattan to Westchester (Mt. Kisco) to South Orange. I grew up in Dutchess County so it seemed like a logical move at the time. After a couple years in Westchester we realized that our kids would always be the poor ones in a sea of wealthy white classmates. We were living in a condo and realized a local house was out of our reach. We had many co-workers (the secret comic book mafia) that lived in SOMA, and we sold our 2 br condo for what we bought our 5br house for. We had 7 happy years in SOMA before we got transferred to LA. I miss SOMA every day.

Mothers and More is the best.

Aw, gee, amie. Surely you can find some place you love in your area. No?

I think you'll have a harder time NOT finding someone from Brooklyn. I'm a NJ native, and it's like I'm an outcast here. ;-)

Brooklyn is a big borough and has gone through some big changes demographically in the last 3 decades. I am from Brooklyn (not the hip part) and I lived there until 1987 - well before some of the greatest changes. When I left only park slope, Brooklyn heights and maybe Carrol gardens were.hip. williamsburgh decidedly wasn't. I think the Brooklyn experience the op references is both specific to time and place. That said we came here via hoboken and do like it very much.

Oh, sorry, Tom. We like living in LA fine. But I miss the bubble of SOMA.

We moved to West Orange about two years ago after 10 years in Brooklyn (first Greenpoint, then Prospect Heights) and we have a 6-month old daughter.

In addition to the Brooklyn connection in the area, you'll also find a lot of web producers, project managers, graphic designers - all manner of "digital media" types (at least, I have!)

I am new to MOL, but when I was in need of emergency child care recently, I had total strangers from both MOL and Mothers & More offering their condolences and sending recommendations. Some even offered to watch my daughter themselves if I couldn't find anyone. I was bowled over by the sense of community and felt so happy that we had moved here.

We go to Brooklyn ALL THE TIME. It's a really short drive if you travel at the right time of day. So I really feel we have the best of both worlds.

Welcome and enjoy!

I like going to the Flea once in awhile. Yesterday someone was asking about best way to get to Barclay Center. Maybe we should start a M/SO to Bklyn shuttle like those buses to Atlantic City!

apple44 said:

I like going to the Flea once in awhile. Yesterday someone was asking about best way to get to Barclay Center. Maybe we should start a M/SO to Bklyn shuttle like those buses to Atlantic City!

I'd totally sign up for that! I'd love to visit Brooklyn again, but I don't want to drive there.

Oh wow!

We're on our way! Going to be in S. Orange by the end of the month (hopefully) Straight from Park Slope! 14 years was enough. I want a backyard this summer