Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York

[@daisydiaz3016]

WOW I grew up in Williamsburg! This looks so different from when I lived out there in the South side

[@jgsalon]

So did I and I had a hairsalon right on Bedford Ave and North 6th called John Gabriel Salon. It was already on it's way when I opened. I grew up closer to the Montross Ave train stop.

[@randolphsrants]

Nice job.... good information

[@Charles08859]

I lived in the Northside section of Williamsburg (where this video focuses) for the first 24 years of my life (1962 - 1986). During that time, it was for the most part, a blue-collar working-class neighborhood made up of mostly second generation and third generation Polish-Americans and Italian-Americans. Many of it's residents worked at the local industries (such as Domino Sugar, Schaefer Beer and S&S Paper Machinery Company). I know that I'm in the minority here, but I ABSOLUTELY HATE WHAT IT HAS BECOME. Case in point: They gutted my parish church (St. Vincent de Paul) inserted two levels and turned the entire building into condominiums. I'm not an overly religious person, but I consider this ridiculous and a bit sacrilegious. BTW - The "Majestic Manhattan Bridge" at 4:47 is actually the Williamsburg Bridge.

[@1x1HealthyEnergybyAndrew]

I grew up in the Southside of WB. It's not the same. The new crowd is better then criminals but they're not the salt of the earth. They act holier than thou but when the cookie crumbles they're spoiled.

[@owentressiderofficial]

I was going to say the same thing. When making a guide for Williamsburg, you can’t mix up the Williamsburg bridge and the Manhattan bridge. But you’re right, the neighborhood has changed drastically. The Williamsburg of today is unrecognizable compared to 2007

[@heru-deshet359]

Born and raised in Williamsburg. Left many years ago. Miss what it was. Now hate what it is.

[@EngagedWellBeing]

Agree 110%! Born and raised in Williamsburg over closer to Bushwick and Bed Stuy. My parents came in 1973 from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. I went to high school in the north side, which is the area that he's focused on. I can't stand what it's become either. You are not in the minority for most people that have been raised there. There's a few things very off-putting about this video like when he says, "Life is good here in Williamsburg. You've got your Whole Foods. This has become a very upscale and gentrified part of town. Rents can be up there at about $4,000 a month." Life is good for who? And it's good because it's gentrified with a whole foods and really expensive rent? He might want to keep his characterizations of the neighborhood out of his videos, especially when he sounds very dull and dry in his expression. For some of us, there is no positive spin to put on what has occurred here and who it has negatively impacted.

[@digiprez77]

That diner was called Relish when I lived in Williamsburg... It was a fun place, and one of my regular haunts along with Stinger Bar and Kokey's. Whole area was pretty chill back then. There was definitely an artist vibe, but it hadn't really exploded yet. We used to hang out and throw rocks into the water where the highrises are now. I lived right off Bedford at South 1st. An Ice Cream truck home base was right across the street. They used to test their sound systems when heading out like police do with their sirens, so I would hear that music all day on weekends. I used the Marcy Ave station to commute because I worked in the WTC. If I came home late and it was nighttime, under the platform on Broadway felt like a scene right out of Batman. I used to walk by Peter Luger on the way home just to smell it.

[@denniscallan]

That is a wonderful memoir, thank you very much. I wondered about that diner. Things have changed!

[@myradioon]

@@denniscallan It wasn't some greasy spoon. It was often packed on weekends and sort of a sightly upscale hipster place converted from an old greasy spoon diner. There was also a similar popular place called 'Diner' on Broadway. I read it is used for films now. Many staples old and newer have gone under since the pandemic started shortly after this video. (And you know about Kokie's if you were there ;)

[@denniscallan]

@@myradioon Thanks for those insights.

[@deanzachariades6365]

Love this video. Love Williamsburg, home of the best pizzeria (Williamsburg Pizza). New York is definitely one of the very few real cities in the US, one of probably seven.

[@mariebucciantini3339]

McCarren Park is located in Greenpoint Brooklyn. The numbered streets that cross Bedford Avenue is in Williamsburg the others are located in Greenpoint.

[@muzikover3verything]

Grew up on Monitor and Meeker near Greenpoint/Williamsburg border. Neighborhood changed so much . My school St.Cecilia celebrated 100 years in 2006 and a year later they closed down. Today it is a condominium

[@luisfabian2561]

I was born and raised in Williamsburg brooklyn

[@ST-xg3gy]

Thank you. Very interesting.

[@GodsDNA23]

“Almost rural”.... I’ll definitely eat keeping my real “rural” home😁😉

[@javiersolis3461]

My old classic neighborhood,full of classic history,the L train of Bedford it was once known as a industrial stop a lot of textile and iron factories I lived in right in Bedford north 5 it was a nice place to walk at night time specially during Christmas time,summer vacation days going to macarium park for a bike ride or just to laid a blanket on the grass and have a little picnic,played ball eat classic coco,cherry pineapple ices that hispanic man use to sell in their little cart it was a wonderful place to live back from 1986 to 1997 when we moved to bushwick and all changed

[@Mikedawgs]

That diner is actually a film set they always use that for filming ! Just the other day they were using it to film something.

[@japanter]

Thank you for this video.

[@BInf-cj7du]

Lived at 409 Hughes St. At S. 3rd and Union St. That was 1965-69. My dad was the Superintendent of the same building. Our 4 bdrm 2 bath apartment was free of course, but the average rent was $20-50 a month then.

[@alldayubum]

My brother lived on Driggs in Williamsburg i always visited him the neighborhood is a great young crowd but many of them are rich trust fund kids wearing salvation army t-shirts.

[@MRP3261]

Bedford ave is 10.2 miles from Sheepshead Bay Bedford ave and Emmons ave to Bedford ave and Manhattan ave in Greenpoint. McCarren Park I use to see my friends play kickball. For me to go to Williamsburg I can take the B44-SBS instead of the Subway.

[@seans9149]

This is a fantastic and very informative, capturing the area! I made my discussion about moving to Williamsburg in the next month from Westcoast or sooner; thank you for your work!!

[@Carmen-11211]

I lived in Los Sures way back in the 70’s through the 90’s ..

[@WideBad]

So this is where Max and Caroline had their misadventures as diner girls

[@saint0004]

Great vid. Thanks for the insight and great atmosphere learning the history of this villsge

[@stefandee1970]

Nice and educative

[@stacier1396]

I have Williamsburg tattoo if you ever want to come in to show your welcome to come in!

[@joshberman9318]

have u done boropark/chinatown?

[@catalinadiseno]

Que agradable sujeto

[@yeetonykp4569]

Good information for travel planning, thanks.

[@MarcelGomesPan]

Drummer Peter Criss of KISS grew up in Williamsburg. 🥁

[@glmike523]

By the way, that was the Williamsburg Bridge, not the Manhattan Bridge. (at 4:48)

[@relaxingasmrnoise]

Great Video ~ really enjoyed the content and looking forward to checking out some of your other videos

[@hasansergi9056]

I will come one day again

[@Godgotme1986]

It has become the new Manhattan 😅

[@jonnyr.3109]

Williamsburg's changes over the year

[@GuzellaMuradkhanova]

👍👍👍👍

[@yogeshchauhang1959]

So beautiful place thanks for video

[@Funkylover-sl7ew]

Williamsburg looks like jersey Brooklyn n manhatan combined

[@heru-deshet359]

Havemyer used to be the main drag with all the stores.

[@johnstrika9170]

Lmfao bullshit. If you wanted to go buy crack, yeah, Havemeyer was great. The Southside was a shithole

[@lazyg6914]

Me: lives close Also me: I went there!

[@shsechas]

As a kid I lived on Rutledge St between Marcy ave and Bdwy. I used google earth and boy did it change. Went to Transfiguration school. It is no longer there. It was on Marcy ave and Hooper St. My sister went to Eastern District HS.

[@mmm-ie5ws]

where do you live now?

[@shsechas]

@@mmm-ie5ws Suffolk County Long Island NY

[@Kristiansolis15]

That will be my dream

[@dumalun8388]

I heard that borderline Bushwick was very Polish in the 1900's. As opposed to very Germanic, as he says.

[@denniscallan]

You "heard" something? From whom? I based my comment on info from Wikipedia. I mentioned Williamsburg was first called Bushwick Shore, something different than what is today's Bushwick. According to Wikipedia, Bushwick was "a predominantly Irish and Italian-American...(and now) the center for the Hispanic community....In the 1840s and 1850s, a majority of the immigrants were German....The population was at first heavily German, but many Jews from the Lower East side of Manhattan came to the area after the completion of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903."

[@D.N..]

Greenpoint Brooklyn was the Polish neighborhood..

[@denniscallan]

@@D.N.. Thank you for that info

[@myradioon]

Williamsburg proper was very German. Henry Miller the writer grew up on Driggs Ave. He was second generation German.

[@Kristiansolis15]

I’m going to go to Grand street so I can play skee ball

[@Dulles-f6u]

We called it.macaria park😅😅😅

[@mikehandbite4035]

I am a homeless williamsburg brooklyn person

[@silviagonzalez2264]

That’s. My neighbors yeah it looks like the second manhattan.

[@hasansergi9056]

I had the best and worst memories in there

[@ronaldckrausejr7762]

No empty storefronts? This video shows numerous empty storefronts, that also remain that way - for years

[@NINJET]

Ice skating? I wish.

[@weaponofgod2110]

We Built this City

[@ChannelZero1031]

6:36 Gorgeous Latin papi :)

[@jimmythegentconway8690]

It would be a good neighborhood, but hipsters ruined it

[@sjengdong6047]

etsy

[@Afgballer]

The creative people came to Brooklyn, makes it sound good, but these are people who are slaves to their desires which include sex, music, night clubs, alcohol, and other non permissible acts which lead to anxiety and depression.

[@smooveasy6276]

😂😂😂😂😂 village 😮😮😮 stop it

[@laurastrika6579]

In NO WAY is this the Williamsburg "neighborhood" of old OR original. It USED to be a tight knit place where, if you lived there you felt safe and knew everyone! I grew up on Leonard Street and when I go back now I'm disgusted! Don't call this tight knit. Its commercialized! And Bedford Avenue used to be forbidden. GRAHAM AVENUE was the MAIN Street for everyone & everything, even to our neighbors in Greenpoint.

[@ChannelZero1031]

The streets of Williamsburg aren't streets. They are catwalks. Everyone is dressed like they are displaying a style.

[@Daxxid1]

Yeah it’s so Unique

[@ChannelZero1031]

@@Daxxid1 Yeah i kept looking around at the people and the structure. Very "Hip".

[@paulwhite8661]

Williamsburg is over Price & overrated,👎👎

[@dumalun8388]

Very, very, overrated.

[@icedcoffee6461]

I say the same thing

[@mmm-ie5ws]

so where is it not overrated?

[@geeooohh]

Sucks that we lost our great neighborhood that we loved, to people who come in and consider what is become "overrated". What a waste 😣

[@reelix854]

Your addopted

[@icedcoffee6461]

Used to live there nothing really special unless you have money

[@geeooohh]

That's because the old neighborhood is no longer around. What you are describing is my neighborhood AFTER GENTRIFICATION.

[@kaivrock]

Let’s call a spade a spade. It’s a hipster drop-off where everybody over 40 is thrown out of.