[forgotAgain]

I use to live in Bay Ridge as well, I was at the end of the R (then RR) line at 95th St. The subway is local from there and it takes a good 45 minutes to reach Wall Street and an hour to reach midtown. On top of that you need to add in the time to and from the station at both ends.

Its been a while since I lived there but living in Bay Ridge is not what people think of when they think of living in NYC. There are no museums or shows, great libraries or parks with concerts. (Although there is Shore Road which is a great place to jog.) Going into Manhattan on weekends is a drag when you ride the subway all week. Honestly, comparing living in Bay Ridge to living in someplace like Pittsburgh, I don't see where it's worth the time that the added expenses costs.

[WoodenChair]

I'm not familiar with Bay Ridge - but you can live in Queens, New Jersey, better parts of the Bronx, even Staten Island and Long Island and have shorter commutes than that for similar rents in safe neighborhoods. Yes, it's not the glamorous Manhattan life that people think of coming home to - but public transportation in New York is the best in the country and you're free to stay out as late as you want...

[omegaworks]

>public transportation in New York is the best in the country and you're free to stay out as late as you want...

Does anyone else think this is sad? When you visit a place like Tokyo, it makes NYC look like a decrepit backwater.

[WoodenChair]

I haven't been to Tokyo. But I have been to most of the largest cities of North America and Europe. The NYC subway system is extremely inexpensive ($2.50 for as long a ride as you need - as many transfers as you want), has incredibly wide coverage, and is quite reliable. It is one of the largest subway systems in the world. It is old and somewhat dirty if that's what you're referring to? I don't think it's sad.

In addition there are commuter trains that cover most of Long Island, Westchester county, Southwest Connecticut, and North New Jersey that connect to stations serviced by the subway and many run hourly or half hourly. NY buses aren't the best - but no system is perfect.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

$2.50? Now I know I'm old. Last time I rode the NYC bus/subway regularly, the price hike to 75 cents was controversial news.

Still I agree that it's a good deal considering how far you can travel.

[paxtonab]

Last time I was in Tokyo the subway stopped running very early (either midnight or 1 AM) compared to NYC where it never stops.

That has obvious benefits such as helping maintain cleanliness, but I still wouldn't eat a meal without washing my hands after riding on the Tokyo subway.

[mkehrt]

Have you been to Tokyo? The subway consists of several disjoint systems that don't connect in reasonable ways, each with its own incomprehensibly different payment system, and it stops running at around midnight. New York beats it by a mile.

[omegaworks]

Obviously you haven't been in a while. Nowadays they have the SUICA card tap and go that negotiates payments for you.

It does stop running, but Tokyo doesn't. That's why capsule hotels and suitcase lockers.

[gdilla]

You live in Bay Ridge so you can afford to live in greater NYC and access NYC opportunities. Not to live in Bay Ridge for the Bay Ridge lifestyle (necessarily.. some people live there for the schools).

[grrrando]

This is the most real reason to live in Bay Ridge. It's a suburb, realistically, but connected to a subway and within shooting distance of a lot of useful/interesting stuff.

I don't find myself often venturing to uptown Manhattan, Williamsburg, or anywhere in Queens. My fiancee and I live in Bay Ridge, some family members live in the West Village, and most of our friends live Southern/"Middle" Brooklyn – Park Slope, Bed Stuy, etc.

THAT SAID: The more wholesome amenities available in Bay Ridge blow away most everything else available in Brooklyn (notable exceptions are only Park Slope, BoCoCa, Williamsburg proper). Considering the price, a bargain of a neighborhood. Dining/Drinking-wise, the neighborhood itself is going through a small revolution. Good stuff happening. Super livable area.