When Paul and I moved to New York, we didn't have time to be picky about an apartment. We had one day to sign a lease, so we limited our search to two Brooklyn neighborhoods: Bay Ridge and Ditmas Park.
I hadn't returned to Ditmas Park since we visited an apartment or two there nearly three years ago. So when a friend told me to pick a place to meet for Sunday brunch, I chose a cafe in the neighborhood, Vox Pop.
When Paul and I were in the process of moving to New York, New Yorkers pointed to Vox Pop as a symbol of Ditmas Park's reawakening. But not everyone seemed to like Ditmas Park's label as the "next big thing." When we asked the guy showing us an apartment whether it was true that the neighborhood was up-and-coming, he immediately gave us such a sour look that I was convinced we had asked the wrong question. In any case, the apartment wasn't very nice and we moved to Bay Ridge.
Now the neighborhood had several restaurants that I didn't recall from before -- nice restaurants that would have looked more at home in Williamsburg. Not that I should be surprised. Ditmas Park looks to have its fair share of hipsters, but it also has a wealthy contingent. The area is famous across the country for its Victorian homes on hoity-toity-sounding roads (like Argyle, Marlborough and Rugby) lined with tall trees.
I'm happy we ended up where we did, but I still find Ditmas Park intriguing. It has character. After all, nowhere else have I found a flower shop/soccer bar.
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