Greenpoint Brooklyn: Traditionally Polish, Comfortably Cool

The Greenpoint neighborhood offers all the hip cachet of living in Brooklyn within a genuine neighborhood. It's a mix of hip young transplants, multi-generational Polish families, and industrial sites. Opinions vary, but the Greenpoint neighborhood spans from McCarren Park on the south, Newtown Creek on the north, the East River on the west, and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on the east. It lies at the northern-most tip of Brooklyn. Any farther north and you'd be in Queens. One of the defining characteristics of the neighborhood is that almost half of the people living there claim Polish ancestry. Some of them immigrated directly from Poland, while others still live in the house their Polish grandparents bought way back when. You'll see that reflected in the stores and restaurants, in the Polish-language crossword puzzles in the newsstands and the really delicious potato pancakes at the diner.

Greenpoint Brooklyn: A Changing Neighborhood

Historically, Greenpoint has been a very industrial area. In the northern part of the neighborhood, you can still see the massive Newtown Creek wastewater treatment plant. They offer offer tours, if you're interested. In 2005, the city rezoned the neighborhood and added about 175 blocks of residential space. Since then, Greenpoint has been a center of growth. Young upstarts and refugees from other pricier neighborhoods came running. So did new development, including almost 8,000 new units. But unlike its southern neighbor, Williamsburg, they still have a lot of beautiful original housing stock alongside the more recently-constructed apartment buildings. You'll find brick row houses throughout the neighborhood on the quieter streets. The neighborhood still has some of that old New York grit left to it. Its industrial waterfront played Prohibition-era Atlantic City for the HBO show, Boardwalk Empire. That waterfront, a mix of old power plants and TV and movie studio space, sits right on the East River, offering a grand view of the Manhattan skyline. The industry here is mostly gone, so these old building are on the chopping block to make way for grand luxury towers. Greenpoint spans two stops on the G train, which is the only subway line to pass through the area. Consider this a blessing and a curse. It's a curse because the G runs between Queens and Brooklyn only. But it's a blessing because that minor transit inconvenience has let the neighborhood remain less changed than many others. Hipsters with money go to Williamsburg. Most of the change has come from new residents looking for affordable apartments and New Yorkers fleeing skyrocketing rents. This mix of new and old makes Greenpoint a fascinating neighborhood. Some corner markets won't have English labels on their products. Some only sell organic produce. It's the neighborhood where the girls from the HBO show Girls live. It's also where Peter Pan donuts has been cranking out sweet fried dough for over 60 years. This increased attention has not only brought more people to the area, it's made it safer. Thirty years ago, this area played home to street gangs, including mafia hoods. Now, kids can play on the streets. All those people have increased the energy of Greenpoint streets, but it remains a more 'chill' alternative to the Brooklyn hotspots.

Dining and Nightlife in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

The area boasts a wide range of restaurants for those looking to get out and sample the local wares. The Polish presence is strong, so there are multiple Polish restaurants. You've got diners that serve pierogies and sauerkraut beside three pages of eggs and sandwiches plus fine dining restaurants that serve authentic stuffed cabbage and beet borscht. If Polish food isn't your thing, you'll even find plenty of authentic Italian spots, thanks to the nearby community of deeply-rooted Italians. You'll find great red-sauce places, coal-fired pizza, or elegant Italian. Or check out some of the authentic Mexican, Indonesian, or Syrian delicacies around the area. For folks looking for something more new world, Greenpoint has a bumper crop of farm-to-table bistros. Enjoy fresh ingredients and sustainable living for less than you would in most other New York areas. Restaurants run from rustic and quirky to polished and professional, owing to the lower local rents. Greenpoint is a place where weird can still survive. Local nightlife is steps away, though you'll rarely hear it from your apartment. The neighborhood scene is more about cozy local places to meet your friends than bumpin' and thumpin' dance floors. Plenty of comfortable bars line Greenpoint Ave., places where you can gather your friends and play trivia or hear each other talk. You won't find much of a club scene there, though you will find, St. Vitus, one of Brooklyn's only exclusively metal music venues. It's a headbangers delight. Or slip into the Manhattan Inn and listen to New Orleans-style piano and nosh on cajun delights.

Who Else Lives There

Your neighbors skew younger. Sure, there's an older crowd living in Greenpoint, but the median age according to the 2010 census was about 36. That's thanks to the family vibe and new crop of hip young adults. About one quarter of the residents there have children living with them. You'll see them every day at the supermarkets, by the water, or in one of the local parks. As for the new arrivals, you'll find they're mostly college educated and professional. Many of the newer businesses cater to these folks: coffee shops with free wifi so you can work over your latte, bike repair stores, and beer gardens with a vast selection of microbrews. But because this is the chill neighborhood, these newcomers don't flaunt; they blend in with the existing area. If you're looking for a place that has all the cool of Brooklyn without the extreme gentrification, Greenpoint fits the bill. It's the old and the new world mixed in one, a Polish neighborhood blended with hip, young professionals. You'll find places to eat and drink your fill and transit options that will get you around the rest of the city. How cool is that?