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FYI: Ridgewood Is Now East Williamsburg, Also Bushwick
By
Lauren Evans
Published May 10, 2013
Modified May 10, 2013
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By
Lauren Evans
Published May 10, 2013
Modified May 10, 2013
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Through the wonders of science and gerrymandered real estate borders, it is possible to live in both Brooklyn and Queens at the same time. Where is this enchanted mystery spot, you ask? It's called Ridgewood—although it's also called East Williamsburg, and, if you scoot a little to the left, no, too far, OK perfect, Bushwick.
Real estate firm Kalmon Dolgin Associates, Inc. recently signed three properties at 18-28 Troutman Street, which, as we can tell from the hyphenated address, is located in Queens. Ridgewood, Queens. But a press release acquired by DNAinfo claims the address (which is in Queens) is actually in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn—a whole different borough.
Brooklyn, shmooklyn, it's all the same! An agitated employee with Kalmon Dolgin denied that the agency marketed the property as anything but Ridgewood, but even if it had, he said, who cares?
"It's a block away from East Williamsburg," said the employee, who refused to give his name. "It's all on the L train."
He added that he shows property by region, not neighborhood, saying that if a prospective tenant wants Prospect Park, he'll show them Gowanus. But he denies having referred to Queens as Brooklyn.
"The tenants I got were local people. No one is trying to fool anybody," he said. "You would look like an idiot if you started falsely labeling the property."
Katarina Hybenova, who edits Bushwick Daily, said that shifting neighborhood boundaries for real estate purposes is nothing new—especially in forums like Craigslist, where "facts" are about as grounded in reality as unicorns and low-calorie pizza.
"You can almost guarantee that it says if something says East Williamsburg it will be Bushwick," she said. "If it says Bushwick, it will be in Bed-Stuy."
But Hybenova defends the inclination to loop Ridgewood in with the rest of its L train counterparts. Parallel Art Space, located at 17-17 Troutman, is technically in Ridgewood—but the distinction matters not to people who live around the gallery.
"Many people in that building don't even know they're in Ridgewood," she said. Hybenova would know—despite editing a publication prominently featuring "Bushwick" in its name, she's a Ridgewood resident herself.
"I think it's very Bushwick to live in Ridgewood," she said.
Tagged
brooklyn
Buswick
east williamsburg
queens
real estate
ridgewood
original
Lauren Evans
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