71st St, Bay Ridge

71st Street is split in two by the Gowanus Expressway, so you can't go from one part of the street to the other without doing a detour. But 71st Street is a very well-kept, upscale area with some beautiful, old brownstones that have been kept up with the care by their owners. Some of them have been renovated to include garages (which is sometimes a necessity if you're looking for a close parking spot) but they seem to have kept the architectural integrity when doing the renovations. Traveling down 71st Street will take you into a different era (house wise) with some plain, boxy structures that are either two-or four-family units. They're not as elegant as the brownstones, but they are still well kept. This is a pretty quiet neighborhood ... there does not appear to be a lot of "activity" during the day, evenings or weekends, so anyone looking for "action" would best be served by looking elsewhere. But it is convenient, not far from the water and interstates and services are moderately available but you really do need a car to do any major shopping. If you don't mind being a bit isolated (meaning, not being right on top of services), this is a great neighborhood in which to live.