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100 Reasons Why Brooklyn Lives Up To The Hype

At the kickoff to the Celebrate Brooklyn concert series in Prospect Park earlier this month, buffoonish Borough President Marty Markowitz took the stage to give a little speech recalling an out-of-town trip, bragging about the reactions he got when he told people about his home town: "When they heard I live in Brooklyn, they all said, 'Ooh, Brooklyn! I want to move there!'" To our pleasant surprise, the audience erupted into a welcoming cheer for the next wave of infamous "transplants."

We do seem to be living in a moment of Brooklyn triumphalism, so it's to be expected there's a backlash against Brooklyn's hyped hip cachet. But what's remarkable is that as overhyped and overmarketed as Brooklyn gets, it still manages to live up to its reputation—and often exceed it. Over the past twenty years, we've watched as Manhattan's character has been steadily stripped away and strangled into a strip mall of American homogeneity. Meanwhile, Brooklyn keeps getting better. Here are just 100 reasons why; click through on the photos for the full listicle.

Contributions by John Del Signore, Jamie Feldmar, Elyssa Goldberg, Bethany O'Grady, Melanie Jane Parker, Rachel Pincus, and Eva Saviano.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By John Del Signore in on June 28, 2011 1:35 PM

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  •  I MADE MY ORDER AND DROVE AROUND TO PAY AND THE CASHIER TOLD ME TO GO BACK AROUND AND RE-MAKE MY ORDER BECAUSE SHE DID NOT GET IT. SO I ASKED HER WHY SHE CAN'T JUST RE-TAKE MY ORDER NOW. SHE SAID IF I DON'T SHE WILL CALL THE POLICE. SO I DID NOT WON'T PROBLEMS. SO I DROVE BACK AROUND TALKING TO MY BABY AND THEN LOOKED UP AND THE LINE WAS TO LONG SO I ASK TO TALK TO A MANAGER AND SEEN THAT THE MAN...AGER IS THE CASHIER. SO I DID NOT WANT TO GET MAD AGAIN. THIS WAS THE LAST TIME I'LL EVER WASTE MY MONEY IN ANY. EVERY BK I'VE BEEN GOING TO 1000's AND NEVER GET ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT.I HAD A HISPANIC FRIEND BEFORE DRIVING-UP AT THE DRIVE-UP WINDOW I WAS TALKING TO HIM ON MY CELL PHONE BEHIND MY FRIEND AND I ASK MY FRIEND TO ASK FOR KETCHUP AND BECAUSE THEY BOTH ARE HISPANIC AND THE GUY WAITING ON MY FRIEND HE WOULD GIVE HIM 2 HANDS FULL OF KETCHUP SO TALKING TO MY FRIEND AND PULLING UP TO THE DRIVE-UP WINDOW WAITING ON THE SAME GUY TO GIVE ME MY FRIES AND SEE A BIG BOX OF KETCHUP RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES AND ASK FOR SOME KETCHUP AND THE HISPANIC GUY INSIDE SAYS HE DON'T HAVE ANY HE JUST RAN OUT. WHATS THAT IN THIS BOX AND THE GUY WOULD EMPTY THE FULL BOX OF KETCHUP ON THE FLOOR JUST SO I DON'T GET ANY.SO I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A I HATE BURGER KING PAGE ON FACEBOOK AND NOW I AM HAPPY. I 'M A RISK-TAKER AND WEALTHY AND WANTED TO MAYBE BUY BURGER KING HAVE SOMETHING PROFITABLE BUT I TOOK A SLOW LOOK AT EVERYTHING AND I THINK THAT BURGER KING NEEDS TO CLOSE THERE DOORS. EVERYONE OF THEM AROUND THE WORLD IS TRASHY RUN BY TRASH. WITH THAT BEING SAID I WILL NOT EVEN DRIVE-IN TO TURN AROUND BECAUSE SOMEONE MAY SEE ME AT BURGER KING AND WONDER WHY AM I THERE. PLEASE CLOSE-UP SOMEONE SAID BURGER KING NEEDED A NEW MAKE-OVER AND I SAID IT NEEDS HAULED TO A LANDFILL/DUMP. SORRY THAT MAY DISRESPECT THE DUMP...THANK YOU

  • gothamist_tips

    sent from phone

  • BKORIGIN

    Although it is unfair to incite a moniker (yipster) upon another, what other word (name) should I use to define the like.  As someone who has seen this before (Greenwich Village of the 70's and 80's) its the same story.  Outbidding and pushing out the original habitants Artists, Musicians and other creative peoples.  Stealing their concepts,claiming them as your own, then displacing them to some other frontier.  That new frontier may well be South Brooklyn so watch as you speak.

  • "Prospect Park is a sanctuary for the entire borough, and is located at
    the intersection of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Park Slope,
    Lefferts Garden, and Windsor Terrace."

    Umm, you left out the southern border of the Park: Flatbush!

  • "Prospect Park is a sanctuary for the entire borough, and is located at
    the intersection of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Park Slope,
    Lefferts Garden, and Windsor Terrace."

    Umm, you left out the southern border of the Park: Flatbush!

  • mnbk

    Having now spent a year in Brooklyn, I breathe a sigh of relief every time I enter Manhattan or Queens.  Brooklyn is a fucking ghetto.

  • Uhm, so I'm only seeing the first ten items here... Where did the rest go?

  • John_Del_Signore

    You have to click on each image for each set of ten. 

  • No one ever talks about South Brooklyn. Which has remained a relatively native Brooklyn culture compared to all those other trendy neighorhoods. Thats where you can get a real taste of brooklyn with out the intrusion of gentrification. not saying its better, (although i think so cuz i was raised there) but for some one not from brooklyn, it could be cool to explore it a bit. 

  • poras Tiwari

    Bank of America Online
    It's the people  that make Brooklyn Brooklyn. Those that live here,
    those that work here, and those that visit. Are are welcome.

  • Small point: Crown Heights doesn't intersect with Prospect Park

  • sQuib78

    this thread was better than the article!

  • nolastname
  • aaroo

    People love to reduce a huge extremely diverse Borough rich with history and culture populated by millions of people to one single particular stereotype that they love to hate on. You can't have the word "Brooklyn" written on the internet without a gillion hateful comments right below complaining about hipsters.

  • Guest

    I lived in Brooklyn all of my life and I  LOVE it. I love all the other boroughs too. Everyone come to Flatbush, we will greet you all.

  • Only transplants have this class thing among the 5 boroughs. I'm native and feel no need to goof on or feel superior to any of the boroughs. Each borough has some cool things about it and it's a shame that people don't experience all of it/ Cool has nothing to do with where you live. People with that mentality are usually the biggest clone sheep poseurs you'll ever meet.

  • Wendy Gallo

    I did a count for everyone that has issue with this list.

    There are 48 items that are located in the areas outside of "North Brooklyn" incuding but not limited to Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Dyker Heights (where I have lived), Red Hook, Dumbo, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Brooklyn Heights, Boreum Hill etc.. There are 24 listed items in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint/Bushwick neighborhoods and 28 that emcompass the borough as a whole.  This is a fairly balanced list given Brooklyn's ever present and increasing relevance in America.

  • Wow!  This thread was actually more interesting than the list of 100. I am certain you would not find the same passion in many other places.  It's the PEOPLE that make Brooklyn Brooklyn. Those that live here, those that work here, and those that visit. Are are welcome.

  • You gotta know the territory. Rasputin's is not in Brighton Beach, it is in Sheepshead Bay. Brighton Beach's northern boundary is the Belt Parkway.

  • haters gonna hate.

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