Bed Stuy do or die

Great article in the New York Magazine this week about a specific block in Bed-Stuy- that of Jefferson Ave between Lewis and Putnam. The several pages-long article chronicles the history of 598 Jefferson Ave and along the way, tells the all-too-familiar gentrification story we've heard time and again in Brooklyn.

The article calls Bed-Stuy the last frontier of Brooklyn gentrification. Bushwick has been deemed a burnt-out slum and East New York and Brownsville has been branded tenement central.

As an avid driver who likes to take drives throughout Brooklyn, I can vouch for the writer's assessment. Many times, more than I can count, have I driven down Atlantic to go to JFK and I can tell you that Atlantic Ave, past where the A train rises from the ground, is not a pretty site. I'm just happy to be in my car, zipping along with the green streetlights. My oft-passenger, in her usual upbeat demeanor, didn't think the area was as bad as described, but those drives have pretty much changed her mind. The clicker was one morning at 6:30AM when we were driving to JFK and saw a body bag being removed in a stretcher with a swarm of cop cars swirling about.

What wasn't discussed much besides a passing reference is that of the historic district of Stuyvesant Heights. This area is the part of Bed-Stuy that hugs the Fulton St.corridor and is closest to the A train.

For those who can't picture what this area looks like, here's a link I reported on before that highlights the distinct Bed-Stuy architecture. To give you a sense, here's a picture of 240 Jefferson.