Williamsburg: Brooklyn’s New 'Hipster Epicenter'

For many locals, Williamsburg in Brooklyn was a weird neighborhood one passed by when getting into lower Manhattan. Now it is the center of gravity of creativity in New York City. Metropolis magazine takes a walkabout in the neighborhood.

1 minute read

October 7, 2012, 11:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"What I've learned in the two months since I've arrived" writes Karrie Jacobs in Metropolis magazine, "is that-for all the generalizations about this being a hipster's paradise (true), or the victim of a scorched-earth approach to development (also true) -- Williamsburg is a neighborhood that's uncannily attuned to the pleasure of its residents, or, at least, its more recent arrivals."

"The story of these failed condos, bought out and converted into rentals, was repeated again and again. As a result, most of the properties abandoned at the bottom of the recession are suddenly full of affluent and young... renters. I feel as if we moved not to another neighborhood, but to a completely different city... Today, Williamsburg has that mixture of alternative culture and tasteful indulgence that I associate mostly with San Francisco."

Thanks to GigaOM

Monday, September 10, 2012 in Metropolis

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