Though Twitter is slowly falling apart thanks to the diabolical whims of Elon Musk, the social media hub keeps chugging along, sustained in part by #thediscourse that keeps us all sucked into our phones, armchair refereeing the drama. And this weekend’s #discourse involves North Brooklyn.
I say North Brooklyn instead of specifying a neighborhood because it’s precisely these geographic borders that has Twitter in a tizzy. Well, geography and the NYC dating scene.
As user maplecocaine once so astutely observed, “Each day on twitter there is one main character. The goal is to never be it.” This weekend’s Twitter main character was a self-proclaimed professional dater who logged on to share her displeasure with a potential suitor’s suggestion for a first date location. The location in question was the local bar, FourFiveSix (199 Richardson St.)
I’m interested less in the hot takes regarding whether or not it’s acceptable to suggest a place in your neighborhood as a date spot (because the answer is so obvious that it’s not worth entertaining.)
I’m interested in the fact that no one can agree whether or not East Williamsburg is a real place. The suitor described the bar’s location as East Williamsburg. Some users were bold enough to claim the space as Greenpoint, which, as FourFiveSix is located just east of the BQE, simply cannot be the case. Google Maps defines East Williamsburg as Woodpoint Road turning into Bushwick Avenue, extending to Flushing Avenue, and bordered by Newtown Creek. This leaves out FourFiveSix.
Frankly, I’d consider FourFiveSix to be just plain ole Williamsburg, but what do you think? Is it East Williamsburg? Is East Williamsburg a geographically distinct place?
Also, I’ve never been, but the folks dragging the backyard space at FourFiveSix come across as snobbish. It looks like a normal backyard bar to me?
The present East Williamsburg is an artificial designation created by realtors and developers in the ’90s by appropriating the name of a former neighborhood of the same name to make this particular post-industrial area of Williamsburg, Brooklyn more attractive and marketable for residential construction. It has no historical connection with the actual neighborhood of East Williamsburgh (with an “h”), which didn’t even border Brooklyn, and was located in Queens between Ridgewood Heights, Maspeth, Nassau Heights and Middle Village. You can see this by viewing the map at the link below.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804n.ct006608/?r=0.119,0.83,0.372,0.143,0
A similar situation existed in the early ’60s when realtors wanted to attract an earlier generation of gentrifiers into what was the northern part of Red Hook by renaming it Carroll Gardens. Red Hook, then as now, had the reputation as a run down, dangerous neighborhood.
I lived in Williamsburg “proper” for seven years (on Bedford Ave) and have lived in Greenpoint for five years (near McGolrick Park). Fourfivesix in unfortunately just plain ole Williamsburg. The person who said it was located in East Williamsburg probably doesn’t know the neighborhood well. Can someone ask how long he has been living there?
Excepting old timers who have lived in the area their entire lives, most, if not all, current residents don’t know anything about the history of the neighborhood and surrounding areas. being long established residents for about twenty minutes, they don’t want. nor care, to be bothered with such ephemera. Zei gesunt, their loss.
Also, HE probably lives in East Williamsburg since Woodpoint Road is one block away and he lives a two blocks away. Honest mistake really (for someone who probably hasn’t lived there long).
This is from the Atlas of Long Island, New York. From recent and actual surveys and records [1873]
Notice that East Williamsburgh At the left side of the map) is definitely within Queens County, not Brooklyn:
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-633f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99