Ridgewood, Queens

Located close to Brooklyn, Ridgewood is a small and lovely neighborhood that boasts a very convenient location and easy transportation. It is less than twenty minutes from Manhattan by subway and is extremely clean and well maintained. This tightly knit community has numerous civic organizations that are committed to maintaining the town's pleasant aesthetics. Evidence of this can be seen throughout Ridgewood on its clean, wide, tree-lined streets. A majority of the homes here are multi-family homes so there are lots of rentals available. With so many renters, Ridgewood does have a problem with parking; most parking spaces cost an extra $100-$200 a month. Ridgewood's population is a healthy mix of German, Romanian, Austrian, Polish, and Slovenian blue-collar and white-collar working families. The town is fairly safe and has lots of ethnic stores and restaurants. The town also has a small-town vibe, with plenty of small town activities for residents. Its convenient location also allows residents to enjoy the activities and amenities of numerous other towns. Another great thing about Ridgewood is its multitude of private and public schools, most of which are pretty well reviewed. The neighbors are friendly, and many of the town's residents live here their whole lives.

I'm actually dreaming of the day I can move into a 1 bedroom in Ridgewood. All of my friends - like much of our twenty-something demographic - seem to live in Brooklyn, but I sort of have my heart set on Queens.

From what I understand Ridgewood offers apartments to be admired - at least from a New York City standpoint. The neighborhood is quiet and if I do move there it will be the first neighborhood I live in that isn't crawling with hipsters. It will definitely be a bit of a culture shock, but I am ready for something new.

The area is home to a K-Mart that I must admit to having frequented a few times. Once to purchase a vacuum - as a surrogate New Yorker, I wasn't sure where else to get one. :) The pizza in the area is generally great as well.

This is a middle class neighborhood that is much what anyone would expect from a visit to the central-southern area of the borough of Queens. There are some commercial spots where residents can get their fill of McDonald’s and the Salvation Army and whatnot, such as on Jamaica Ave and Atlantic Ave. This is not a neighborhood of typical tourist fare, but it does have an interesting history dating back to Revolutionary War battles – so history buffs might find the golf course near where the battlefield was somewhat interesting (okay, maybe not). There is a restaurant out here with some interesting history as well, that of the Triangle Hofbrau, where stars from the twenties and thirties used to hang out (read: Mae West).

This area is currently home to a variety of immigrant communities, including those of Eastern Europe, Latin America, Arabia, and Southern Europe. (Fun fact: Harry Houdini is buried in a cemetery in this neighborhood – the Machpelah Cemetary – as he was a resident of the community.) The area is densely populated, but many of the row houses are pleasant to behold, and many feature actual white picket fences. The neighborhood has looked the same since the early 20th century, but has held up well in comparison to other New York neighborhoods which sometimes take on a worn down sort of look.

Ridgewood is a neighborhood located in Queens that is surrounded by Maspeth to the north, Bushwick to the west, Glendale to the south, and Middle Village to the east. Metropolitan Avenue is bounded to the north of Ridgewood. Transportation to Manhattan and strong neighborhood character and charm have made Ridgewood a huge draw for the artsy type and those priced out of Brooklyn.

The Fresh Pond Road M subway stop at 62nd St. sits down a dead-end residential street with wooden homes, different-color front doors and American flags. A friend told me that artists recently moved to Ridgewood for the low rents. One-bedrooms in the area go for about $1,150 per month. Brownstones, townhouses, and attached brick homes dominate sections of Ridgewood east of Fresh Pond Road. The brownstones make Ridgewood a very unique neighborhood in all of Queens.

For those seeking a congenial hangout, Casey Jones Saloon is an ideal local bar. Around the corner on 68th Ave., Casey Jones draws the old-school Ridgewood crowd, both men and women born in the neighborhood. The Polish influence stays strong in Ridgewood. Morscher's Pork Store sells almost every kind of pork known to man.

The worst thing about living in Ridgewood is telling everyone that you live in Queens. If it was Astoria or Long Island City it would have a little name recognition. Instead, people visualize the suburban hinterlands of Queens ala the King of Queens, that crappy tv show. Ridgewood is actually just past Bushwick on the L line and about 35 minutes from Union Square. It usually takes about the same to get to the lower east side via the M train. Crime is low – the occasional broken car window. Most of the streets are lined with trees, and rents are lower plus the apartments are larger than their Brooklyn counterparts. There isn’t a lot to do on the weekend, but finding something to do on Friday night isn’t a problem when you’re a half hour from Manhattan.