Brooklyn vs. Queens

28169 Views 44 Replies 22 Participants Last post by euromerican, May 20, 2010

The Urban Politician

Discussion Starter · Jun 15, 2009

It's time for the ultimate showdown.

Hip, sassy, sexy, living on the edge Brooklyn versus slow-paced, family-friendly, Jews, Arabs, and Koreans all buying orange juice at Key Food Queens.

What are the pros and cons of each borough? Which one do you prefer and why?

1 - 20 of 45 Posts

The Urban Politician

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jun 15, 2009

WHOA.....slow down, people--not all at once.

I had no idea this was such a hot topic!

I'll start:

Queens--a lot of new development, definitely a tad bit more suburban, and seemingly much more diverse. All of the religious temples of various ethnic groups seem to be in Queens. Physically, Queens seems much more defined by those mid-century "towers in a park" than Brooklyn is.

Brooklyn--more singles, more white professionals, more African Americans, seems to be a bit less diverse. It has more hip clubs, cafes, music lounges than Queens. Brooklyn has more of a "legacy" than Queens, and has more traditional-style streetscapes (lowrise prewar walkups, etc).

Which do I prefer? Being the unbiased party that I am (

), I'll go with Queens. As cool as Brooklyn is, I prefer the family-oriented nature and immense diversity of Queens. Brooklyn might have been more suitable for me 5 or 6 years ago, but I think I would be out of place there right now.

eddie88

· #3 · Jun 15, 2009

Brooklyn is very family oriented, im my area i have to fight my way down the streets with all the strollers.

Reactions: 1

nygirl

· #4 · Jun 15, 2009

I think I love them both equally. If I had to choose I would pick Brooklyn but now that I've explored both I cannot determine which is better.

Both have great subway service and both offer a wide variety of amentities. They are so very diverse, each in their own right and seem to both be on the move.

While Brooklyn has Williamsburg and Park Slope...Queens offers Flushing and Forest Hills.

Ok the Break down: Queens (left hand) Brooklyn (right hand)

Queens MoMA< Brooklyn Museum
5 Pointz > Bushwick street art
Flushing Meadows< Prospect Park
Astoria > Greenpoint
59th street Bridge > Verrezano Bridge
Mets game > Cyclones game
Far Rockaway Beach < Coney Island beach
Queens view of midtown > Brooklyn view of Lower Manhattan
Queensbridge > Marcy PJs
Forest Hills < Park Slope
Queens pizzerias < Brooklyn pizzerias
Woodside lesbian scene < Park Slope lesbian scene
L.I.C < Downtown Brooklyn

See less See more

The Urban Politician

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 16, 2009

nygirl said:
Forest Hills < Park Slope

^ I pretty much agree with your assessments, but I have to dispute this one.

Of course, this is obviously based on personality. Park Slope may have been my thing 5 or 6 years ago, but now I see myself fitting in better in Forest Hills

philvia

· #6 · Jun 16, 2009

for the most part, Queens is too suburban feeling

ramvid01

· #7 · Jun 16, 2009 (Edited)

^^ You must be talking about Eastern Queens, and even then I would not call it suburban, Suburbs brings about thoughts of curving roads and a house every 60 feet. Maybe less urban.

nygirl

· #8 · Jun 16, 2009

Western or eastern? East Queens to the south is rather suburban and to the north even bucolic (douglas manor, douglaston, little neck) but I think just about everything to the west of that strip that connects to Nassau is Urban. For the most part, Queens is urban and not suburban as Philvia suggests.

koolkid

· #9 · Jun 16, 2009 (Edited)

Queens is a great Borough, I'm glad she's a part of the crew. But when it comes down to a Brooklyn vs Queens, man, Brooklyn takes it outta the park. Queens has lots of great urban neighborhoods(eg. Ridgewood, which is practically an extension of Brooklyn, anyway) but Brooklyn has more . Brooklyn has a very homey feel that I like and theres lots of neighborhood pride that you may not always see in Queens. There are also lots of contrasting neighborhoods that make her far more exciting, whether you're in sunset park listening to the blasting salsa music from the tenements above or walking among a mob dressed in black, from head to toe, in Williamsburg. Brooklyn all the way, baby!

ramvid01

· #10 · Jun 16, 2009

nygirl said:
Western or eastern?

Oops. Meant Eastern Queens. Always use the opposite direction when I am referring to areas of Queens for some reason.

JivecitySTL

· #11 · Jun 17, 2009

Cool thread. I am going with Brooklyn overall on this one. I like the laid-back density that characterizes BK. Queens is fucking awesome. I, too, love the uber-diversity that Queens embodies, but at times it seems so far from Manhattan. Brooklyn is more centralized and has more buzz.

But I know what you mean, UP-- Brooklyn is changing very quickly and is becoming more of a trend-seeker's paradise, whereas Queens is just...it just is. And that's awesome. Overall, Brooklyn baby. Depending on my mood, Queens supreme.

nygirl

· #12 · Jun 17, 2009

I mean I would say Queens can conjur up the vision of a typical suburb due to areas with banal boxes packing city blocks in the designated residential zones. I can see the characteristics but I still say it is urban for the most part. Access to the subway, commuter rail, built up density, a population of 2+ million, tons of amentities, thriving central nodes ( Flushing, Jamaica, Elmhurst, Corona, LIC, Forest Hills) and incredibly diverse. Add to all that the airports, ball parks and stadiums, decent shopping boulevards, beaches and parks and two million + residents taking advantage of them, great festivals...

Now those may not all make an area a truly urban place but I think when you put them all together and add in those bedroom communities that pop up here and there and consume much of the area near Nassau County it could still be considered more urban on its own that most citys in this country. If that sounds really biased I'm sorry and not my intention.

Queensborough stand up! :rock:

See less See more

ZtBoy

· #13 · Jun 18, 2009

Hey nygirl, I've read your post and I have a few comments of my own! Don't take them personal.

Im juz kiding!

nygirl said:
Queens MoMA< Brooklyn Museum (WUT???...Brooklyn Museum Rocks!!!)
5 Pointz > Bushwick street art (Agree)
Flushing Meadows< Prospect Park (Agree...kinda)
Astoria > Greenpoint (Agree...strongly)
59th street Bridge > Verrezano Bridge (Agree...although 59th bridge is nostalgic)
Mets game > Cyclones game (Agree...HECK YEAH)
Far Rockaway Beach < Coney Island beach (Agree)
Queens view of midtown > Brooklyn view of Lower Manhattan (Agree)
Queensbridge > Marcy PJs (WUT???...How u figure Gurl?)
Forest Hills < Park Slope (Debatable)
Queens pizzerias < Brooklyn pizzerias (No way...you have just broken my heart!)
Woodside lesbian scene < Park Slope lesbian scene No comment ;-)
L.I.C < Downtown Brooklyn (WUT???...How u figure?)

See less See more

The Urban Politician

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jun 18, 2009

^ I think you've mixed up her assessment.

If A > B, that means A is greater than B.

nygirl

· #15 · Jun 18, 2009

lol thanks urb I was kinda wondering where he was going with that

ZtBoy

· #16 · Jun 19, 2009

ahhhhhhhhhh...my bad! I'm was on Novocaine

hno:

The Urban Politician said:
^ I think you've mixed up her assessment.

If A > B, that means A is greater than B.

Woozle

· #17 · Jun 22, 2009

There's no such thing as 'Brooklyn' and there's no such thing as 'Queens'. Both are patchworks of disjointed neighborhoods, differing wildly in their ethnic and socio-economic aspects.

People who live in prime Park Slope and people who live in East NY may as well live in different countries, even though both live in 'Brooklyn'.

nygirl

· #18 · Jun 22, 2009

I disagree. Of course there is a Brooklyn and a Queens. I think you are just getting too deep into the class differences. In fact the two area's you chose to use as examples have a strong sense of community but will let you know they are all about Brooklyn albiet in their own ways. Brooklyn (Kingsborough) and Queens (Queensborough) are not figments of the imagination but are two very real places with real people that will let you know just where you are at when and if you go there.

santobonao

· #19 · Jun 23, 2009 (Edited)

Well I will pick Queens, because i lived and i was raised and born in this borough. But so far Brooklyn is more cool and have many interesting stuff more than queens.

ZtBoy

· #20 · Jun 24, 2009

Queens is nice when you take into account the "suburban" feel that it has specially in eastern Queens. Brooklyn feels more like a city all throughout.

1 - 20 of 45 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.