Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Is Brooklyn <em>So</em> Over?
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 1, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 1, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The NY Times is hinting that Brooklyn may be so over, a theory that seems to be based around Heath Ledger leaving the borough.
What if Brooklyn’s recent cachet as the locus for what’s next is little more than a thin and fragile crust of chic, hiding the insecurity of people who constantly measure the social currency of their ZIP code by Manhattan standards? The number of trendy boutiques, bistros and music clubs in Brooklyn may have spiked in the last five years, but its infrastructure of cool still represents only a fraction of that found in Manhattan. Its new identity is moored to a finite number of shops, restaurants, luxury condominiums and, yes, celebrities. If even one leaves, a void is created. Could the borough’s new status vanish as quickly as it ascended?
We think perhaps their belief is based upon a "thin and fragile" foundation. After all, if a borough's cred is based upon shops, condos and stars...Brooklyn is faring pretty well. With Trader Joe's, Urban Outfitters, an Apple Store and luxury condos flooding the market and John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Norman Mailer, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Paul Giammati, Adrian Grenier, Michael Pitt, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard calling it home -- it seems Brooklyn won't be suffering from a lack of attention anytime soon, Heath or no Heath.
The Observer recently took a look at Brooklyn's real estate market through the eyes of Eric McFarland, manager of Corcoran Group’s first Williamsburg office. He spoke of the "Manhattanifying" of Brooklyn, and bringing a small army of people across the river to the new emerging markets. Sounds like the borough will be just fine (though maybe they jumped the gun on the whole Red Hook thing), but the current residents may not be into this "Manhattanifying" of which Mr. McFarland speaks.
Photo of Williamsburg condo on fire via I'm Not Sayin.
Tagged
adrian grenier
apple
apple store
breaking
brooklyn
celebrities
clubs
Corcoran Group
fashion
fire
gun
heath ledger
Jennifer Connelly
john turturro
maggie gyllenhaal
manhattan
Michael Pitt
Music
News: NYC
norman mailer
ny times
Paul Bettany
people
real estate
red hook
restaurants
rosie perez
steve buscemi
the observer
Trader Joe
trader joe's
urban outfitters
williamsburg
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .