bay ridge, brooklyn.

I think most people in New York have never heard of Bay Ridge, the neighborhood off of the veeeeery end of the R line in Brooklyn. N's been living here for a couple years now, and I've been here several months now.

Bay Ridge is known as one of the few conservative neighborhoods in New York. It has a high population of middle eastern immigrants, which contributes to its conservative vibe. There's also lots and lots of Italians. Kids grow up here, and senior citizens settle down here--two key demographics that I don't see working in Manhattan. Interesting and appropriate fact: Peggy on Mad Men is from Bay Ridge (a show which I have just recently become addicted to, thanks to N).

Rental buildings here are old, but extremely well-kept. People here are proud of their neighborhood and like to maintain it. And the Italians make for awesome, awesome Brooklyn pizza. I'm going to miss you terribly, Grandma's. And Elegante. And Pizza Wagon.

Bay Ridge's distance from Manhattan makes for cheap rent, and the neighborhood has those things like cheese shops, cupcake shops, and upscale boutique food stores. But like the rest of New York, Rite Aids, Duane Reades, pizza places, fruit stands, and bodegas take up most of the space. It's no Williamsburg down here.

Anyway, we currently live two blocks away from Owl's Head Park, Shore Road, and the 69th street pier. Owl's Head has a dog run in it (that Stewie simultaneously loves and is terrified by), Shore Road makes for beautiful on-the-water biking and running (with a spectacular view of the Verrazano Bridge, see above), and the pier lets you get out in the middle of the water and watch people fish and the boats go by. You can see the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, New Jersey, and Staten Island from it. I am certainly going to miss being so close to a park and water, especially for Stewie's sake.