Bedford Ave, Williamsburg

Bedford Ave is, by far and away, the busiest street in Williamsburg. It's the street that pretty much everyone thinks of when they think of Williamsburg. It's pretty rowdy and there are a billion bars, restaurants and shops lining the streets. The problem with Bedford is that because the street is so overrun with hipsters, punk kids, college people, etc., you don't necessarily want to patronize any of the bars or restaurants that are directly on the street.
There's a cool bar on Bedford directly across from the L train called Spike Hill that has a fair amount of draft beers and cheap, decent food. It's dark but kind of smelly and it is pretty much always packed. So, it's definitely a weekday, semi early kind of joint in my opinion. There's a fantastic music venue on Bedford called Sound Fix that has been closed for a few years and finally reopened. It's a little far north (11th) but it's really cool and I've seen some amazing music. It's good to have this place back seeing as Willy was supposed to be the music mecca and was definitely suffering in that department lately.
Anna Maria's Pizza is the spot that most people say is the go-to in Willyburg and it's on Bedford right by the L stop. But, honestly, it's just ok. As far as Bedford stop pizza goes, yeah, I guess it is the best; but, if you can get access to one like Carmines, that's better. Plus, Anna Maria's is always crazy crowded. There are two great vegetarian spots on Bedford, but I would say they're both more for takeout than dine in. Wild Ginger has fantastic vegetarian and vegan asian food. I think there was a point wherein I ordered it every day for a week. There is nothing bad on this menu. Also, Bliss has great vegetarian food that's, well, not Asian. And, it's surprisingly unpretentious for being a veggie joint on Bedford. Oh, and Peters! I have a soft spot for Peters because it was one of the first places I ate in Willy. It has amazing comfort food and gigantic portions. That's the only place on all of Bedford that I can suffer through actually dining in. I guess that's because it's not one of the cooler joints on the street so it's not overrun with kids / hipsters.
There's a lot of cool shopping on Bedford. I love both the Wine and the Cheese shops on the street. There are a lot of cool clothing boutiques, but honestly, the staff is pretty spotty in all of them. They're mostly punks, actually. So, just be prepared for attitude on a Bedford shopping day. And, I would avoid the street all together on the weekend.
Living on Bedford has to be an absolute disaster. Every weekend, the streets are littered with PBR cans, cigarette butts and urine. Not to mention a lot of "homeless" people (i.e. druggy kids and lazies) hang out on Bedford so it resembles a ghetto late at night. When you consider the rent prices for what you're getting as far as size, quality and proximity to vagabonds, it's really not worth it. Who wants to pay two grand a month for a one bedroom in the middle of filth? Apparently, 20 year olds do . .. cuz they're everywhere..