Union Ave, Williamsburg

Lately there have been a lot of new buildings springing up here that don't look especially affordable - though the area is a great one for the artistic twenty-something set. There are wine shops, cafes and small restaurants on and off this street that make it a highly desirable place to live. The area has become increasingly gentrified in recent years, but some of the Hispanic population remains in the area even as it becomes more expensive.

Branching off from Broadway and Lorimer Streets, this street is actually quite an idyllic place to live on. IT is very close to the Lorimer street subway stop and within walking distance of quite a few good restaurants, including Mojito Loco. The Sunac supermarket nearby offers a wide variety of fresh, organic food as well as other produce and groceries. The buildings here are mostly short apartment buildings with spacious apartments and a decent amount of amenities. I would recommend living here (with roommates), especially if you work in downtown Manhattan. The commute from this area is quite often shorter than the commute from uptown.

Union Avenue is a wonderful Williamsburg hotspot for visitors and residents. On the street is the music venue and bar Union Pool, and the restaurant Santa Fe. Santa Fe is offers the public handmade margaritas (a rarity in itself), and Union Pool is a great place to see local bands (they can be really good in Williamsburg).

Union Avenue is fast replacing Metropolitan Avenue as the 2nd best bar crawl in Williamsburg. The nightlife is terrific, but that often means loud and annoying drunk people making noise on the street at all hours of the night and a lot of homeless people. Still, there’s a terrific 24-hour grocery store that has natural food and Asian products. It’s also where the G and L train meet, making it easy to get anywhere.