Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Brooklyn Heights Residents Offended By A Truman Capote Quote/Everything
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 25, 2011
Modified Jul 25, 2011
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 Jul 25, 2011
Modified Jul 25, 2011
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
Lesser known facts: Capote also napped, by choice.

The controversial sign.
Former Brooklyn Heights resident Truman Capote once famously said, "I live in Brooklyn. By Choice." The quote is now being used on 78 directional signs in the borough to help tourists navigate Downtown Brooklyn, and some residents are taking it as a slap in the face! According to the NY Post, at least.
One resident told the paper, "I don’t like the signs. It sounds like it was put up by someone who doesn’t live here." Another chimed in, "It’s offensive. Before I asked and learned that [Capote] said it, I took it to mean that we live in Brooklyn because we can’t afford Manhattan." Well, his 1959 "House in the Heights" essay also called Brooklyn, "as a whole, an uninviting community."
Considering the Metro Tech Business Improvement District shelled out $1.4 million for the signage plan, you can fuggedaboutit coming down.
Tagged
brooklyn
brooklyn heights
signs
truman capote
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
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 11:18 a.m. ET
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
By
Sonia Rao
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 .