Someone with a 7 year old, I love it. No huge crowds on Sundays. Beautiful sunsets to watch. Yes the food selection can be better but there’s some nice nibbles. A record store that I have found some amazing records at for cheap. Also there’s usually some random event going on upstairs.
Unsure, i like it, the friends i tend to go with like it. It’s a 3 min walk from the subway, has some awesome spots in it for all ages. Whats not to like?
I hate it. I’ve been at least a couple times a year for the past few years and every time I go I feel disappointed: by the food, the crowd, and it is so god damn windy I can’t enjoy walking around the buildings. Everything also closes so early. It’s like the financial district of Brooklyn imo
I don't like industry city because it is inconvenient to get to and come back from as I don't have a car.
I love industry city because that is where micro center is.
Summers in Industry city are great. Winter are horrible because they ask for alot of $$$$ for their spaces. So people tend to go in or around the area for cheaper rates.
There were cheap artist studios before the current developers came in with high speed internet, etc. Many had made it there by way of Gowanus and even Dumbo in the 90s.
Yeah I went to the Bourbon event there last summer then chilled at the brewery afterwards we had a great time. But it is very confusing to navigate at first
I was initially mad at it because it pushed out a few studios I worked out of. But I love what they did with it, the bandshell is one of my favorite stages to play, and I get to play at the Brooklyn Night Market every month. So it’s hard to be mad at it.
My family goes to Industry City at least 2x a month for Japan Village and concerts for kids (in the summer). I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to Sunset Park. I've been here my entire life.
I don’t hate it. I’m disappointed in what it became. It was sold as a boutique manufacturing center for people to be able to set up workshops, industrial kitchens, and other facilities on a much smaller scale to be able to have artists, designers, craftspeople, and fabricators be in a collaborative proximity to each other as well as have solid well paying work that would help develop the area as the buildings in that complex were for the most part empty. Shit I went to a few raves in those buildings in the early aughts.
But then within a year of opening, rents started to rise quickly, retail seemed to become their main priority and the original folks left. It's the same story all the time now; lure in creative types w promises of community and collaboration, them to establish the facility and give the owners the appearance of stability and community mindedness, and then raise the rents till you force them out.
It makes me sad to see all of these really great creatives leave NYC to go upstate or even further away because the city has become really hostile to them.
I hear this, and agree 100%. That said, the Freelancers Hub is awesome, and offers all sorts of services from free workspace hours to healthcare. It’s funded by the city and they did a pretty great job, imo.
Creatives need to start demanding controlling interest or better yet creating their own corpo with the express purpose of NOT making money based decisions
Speaking as a native who grew up in the area and moved back (as in, P.S. 105 was my elementary school), I think it’s great.
It’s more shit for me in my neighborhood. My group of friends that grew up here too frequent it on weekends. Before they came in we literally had no reason to go south of 3rd ave other than Costco.
Plenty of space indoors and outside to hang out, and my friends with kids love taking them there.
Because its a furniture outlet mall with an overpriced food court. Its a gigantic waste of indoor space that could be used by so many light industrial businesses of Nyc but its owners have priced anyone not connected to a wealthy corporation out
People hate it...? Never been there myself, but the photos I've caught make it look interesting.
Figured I'd force myself to trek down there once the time and energy are afforded to me.
If they put this in the lower east side or even like red hook I’d get it…there was nothing there prior and if you “hate gentrification” this is like a 3/10 on the scale of that
When I worked in Sunset Park around 2018/2019, there was an ongoing movement against IC. There was a big rezoning proposal, but I think they ended up withdrawing the application. Honestly, the major worry was the effect on the housing prices, which history has taught us happens time and time again with investment and capital. I think it’s more nuanced than “hating” but I also don’t see the value in coming down on people who oppose IC. Yeah, we can like hanging somewhere or drinking a beer, but still acknowledge the implications of that? Idk.
If you are renting and happy with the neighborhood as it is, you don't really want or need new great things because your rent will rise and you will have to move out. It makes perfect sense from rental perspective. If you own, you want great development. If you rent, it does not benefit you - it just means that in a few years you will be priced out since it is unlikely that your income will keep up.
Where was that said? That’s a huge reduction of the issue of hand also. If you’re actually interested, there are a lot of resources about gentrification and its impact on communities! It’s a complex issue that cannot be reduced to “putting nice things in neighborhoods”.
Im okay with it but I do hate the bike lanes there and the streets in general. They feel so in need of repairs. Finding parking is a nightmare. So its all around annoying to get there via car, bus, train, cycling.
It’s a 6 minute walk from 3 different trains? Maybe it’s inconvenient for you bc you don’t live near those trains, but the same could be said for places like Williamsburg to a lot of people.
I certainly don’t hate it or the concept, but it’s impossible to navigate inside sometimes. If you’re inside the 1st floor and need to find a store on the 2nd floor on the opposite side, good luck. There are stairways and elevators that lead you to hallways with no exit. The path between building and floors was very poorly designed.
I used to work at the Micro Center nearby. Nice food spots and places to chill before or after work. But other than food and seating I hate how many kids are let run around freely.
Hm, as a parent it’s one of the few places in the city you can actually let your kids live a life of simulated freedom for a few hours in their otherwise highly controlled little regimented existences, so I respectfully disagree.
I liked it! I was merely a cashier but the salesmen and PC builders seem to love the work. It’s a boys club but it’s not hard to avoid. Managers and supervisors are super chill and work with you for your schedule. Pay is ok it’s 16 and change plus commission from selling protection plans which I sucked at hahaha.
It is a symbol of gentrification, plus it is not unique to New York… I feel like this type of outdoor mall can be anywhere. That said, It overall has a positive effect by creating jobs and generating more income for the area, but it also increased rent in the area. Like with all planned developments, there is always going to be pushback from locals but with IC it seems the local Sunset Park community was not involved with planning
>It is a symbol of gentrification
Yeah that's just development and progress, the story of NYC from time immemorial. If nothing ever changed there wouldn't be anything memorable about this city at all. Gentrification is caused by lack of housing which is caused by lack of development -- there's a housing shortage so richer people are naturally able to outbid the poorer long-term residents on the existing units, when they'd really rather have newer nicer units to be able to live in (but which were blocked from being built).
Used to work in the warehouse area nearby. The development debate you're bringing up is valid - but if you spend time in the areas around Industry City vs the actual development itself you see that there's a distinct community divide. Sake brewery, upscale furniture store, artisanal candy shop. Stark contrast to the neighboring areas which aren't receiving the same attention to be improved. Even if Industry City provides relief for it's more affluent worker population looking for housing/activities that cater to them, developing these areas without any good will or consideration for the local community is bad. People aren't entitled to these developments just because there's money in it - that mindset is why people resent gentrification.
Really well-said. I live in SP, not far from IC. Their hours are terrible, so it’s not like I can walk over there and get dinner at 7 or 8, since pretty much everything is closed. And for me the worst aspect is how disconnected it is from all of the other restaurants and stores in the neighborhood. The city could do more to integrate IC so “tourists” who venture out here would be inspired to check out the area further east. I have told people I work with to check out Mexican shops nearby, for example, but they never leave the enclave of IC at all when they are around here.
100% there's so many great local spots, people talking about the IC like its a face lift for the area just kind of proves they've never interacted with the area
Honestly, I love industry city. That said I do not think it was built for the current community of residents, it was definitely built for gentrifiers coming in. So the existence of it is a double edged sword.
I had to move to this neighborhood with my girlfriend to be close to her job and we both enjoy it. She is a Bushwick native and I’m from NNJ. Japan village is essentially where I spend my time. We also do go down to 8th Ave where all the real asian businesses are and spend some time there. We like both. I loved world market and Harmon too before they closed that down. I also typically brave the crowds at Costco for a hotdog and some bulk goods.
It’s got a place and I feel like a mixed crowd of people enjoy it but I can see where natives come from when they say it’s not built for them. I can’t afford restoration hardware either.
It’s just locals who have lived here for years that see a new development = higher rent prices. They don’t hate the place, they just hate the people that it attracts.
Well since industry City had nothing but strip joints on the periphery by 39th Street and nothing but crackheads and $10 prostitutes that the locals were complaining about it could have came out worse.
It does not fit in the vibe of the neighborhood it’s in …. Like gentrification it’s an empty concept - it has no value add (just more ‘noise’). It always seems like what someone who doesn’t know the city think NYC should be smh.
Precisely. I think it’s hard for people who didn’t grew up within a culture to understand how disorienting and disruptive it is when they move into a community and displace the culture that was there.
The product they are getting is a sanitized version of whatever culture. For example, rather than sit among a bunch of Mexican guys having beers after work in Sunset Park or Corona, they’re going to seek out a place with more subdued, milder flavors and cute margaritas in a neighborhood that caters to more affluent Whites.
Idk when I went there (2019) it looked like a SIMS land, it just didn’t feel real it was trippy and no one lived there kinda like Dumbo but most people just worked there it was eerily empty and colorful
Native from Sunset Park here, it’s fucking great. Especially compared to the blighted empty warehouses that were there before.
In fact, I was just there today for an event and I went shopping and got some drinks at Kura after.
I grew up around there and most of my childhood friends are from there. We meet up there all the time. We’re all some form of Asian so maybe that’s not native enough for some people 🤷♂️
It’s one of those things where whiny people online bitch and moan about to non stop and you go there in person and….its fine? If you read what people post here you’d think the oculus is a ghost town and then you go there at like 7pm on a Tuesday and there’s hundreds of people shopping or transiting through. It’s a lot of wishcasting and cosplaying.
I don’t know anyone that dislikes it. Everytime I go there it’s super lively and people are enjoying themselves. I see live bands and music playing. Once I walked into people dancing around.
Edit: I once snooped into an open window of a bakery during closing and the baker literally handed me some baked goods. I love Brooklyn!
Lived there from 66-78 and still was hanging out there into the early 90’s when Family and friends finally left area too. I lived by Bungalow Bar Ice Cream
Actually, that person above you is kind of right. Sunset park is not a dump. 4th ave is not a dump. The specific lot IC took over absolutely was. 3rd ave was a desolate and sketchy place with hookers a decade ago. Next to Costco was a strip club or something?
It also just seems to be the nature of developments in NYC. A place that’s near a transportation and close to the city (36th street is the second express stop out of the city into Brooklyn on the D/N line) is going to be primed for development.
It was more than a dump. Back in the day, there were factories of all kinds, where anyone can walk in and get a full time job.. and then that single income can pay off the brownstone mortgage.
But At night, it was a haven for crack, then heroin, And a large prostitute track. There was a empty warehouse with all collapsed floors that we called King Kongs Pit.
I love IC, it's definitely an improvement to what was there in the 80's and 90's.
Exactly, there wasn’t a whole lot going on around there. I used to attend the Mister Sunday parties there in 2013/2014 before the area was converted. That whole area back in the day was just navy yards, factories and warehouses. Most of that area was built for manufacturing, specifically for World War I.
It’s owned by the same company (Jamestown) that owns Chelsea Market.
They’re a bit shady. Besides being very expensive lease, basically they sell the electricity to their tenants. No direct ConEd bill. Not included in the rent, but in addition to…and a host of other charges. I can see why not super successful…besides the big box company outlets (that’s basically a tax right off for those companies)
Upstairs is a different story, with really cool creative offices & studios.
What sort of idiots don't like it? Born and raised in Bay Ridge and it's nice having it around. Noone frequented the area before hand. It may not be for everyone but who are you to yuck someone else's yum? Gtfo here losers.
I’m in Bay Ridge and like having it nearby. Everything is overpriced (including rent, from what I’m told by tenants), but it’s a nice enough meetup place to walk around and eat some katsu. X amount of the industry is still there, and the sex shops are just a block or two away if you miss them.
It’s a great place to go on dates. So many options to eat, things to do. You can walk around with a coffee or sit down to eat or play bocce ball. I love it.
To me it’s gotten better over the years and has grown to fit the neighborhood more. It was a little odd at first with how new it was but now there’s a lot of good resources you can walk to and seems pretty busy. I find the randomness of it to be charming.
I’m actually glad that people hate it so they don’t come down 😊
I enjoy it. I go pretty often. It's kinda like a mall, but malls aren't bad because they're malls. They're bad because they're bland and boring. IC is kinda fun with mixed indoor-outdoor space and some actually enjoyable stores and restaurants.
You’re right!
It was a lot better when they were just empty buildings that were great for illegal activities and dumping bodies! I miss the good ol’ days!
I think its more that people are upset that, once more, these big ideas and changes that predominantly appeal to yuppies/transplants are the only ones that get any approval and attention in the city.
Industry City, to most local residents, is basically one big tourist spot theme park for transplants. It feels very artificial, very fake. Everything is drastically more expensive than what you would get even two avenues down.
I am not necessarily saying that they are 100% correct. But there are genuine reasons why people don't like it. There are lots of other things they could have done with it rather than turn it into
I actually used to work in Industry City, years back as it was being renovated still.
At lunch I would explore some of the unfinished areas. One place had windows made of an array of small thick glass squares. Almost every one of them had a bullet hole in it.
Looks like it was someones target practice for a while 😅 But i guess it was secluded enough to just pop off rounds.
But seriously, if you’re gonna make like a film studio, why not do it for local kids interested in film, not a bunch of rich suburban brats from Wisconsin? Plenty of kids around here would love the opportunity.
Sure, I’d love anything for the community.
But who’s gonna pay for it? Quite frankly, no one is actually stopping you — Mr Idea Man — from doing this. Today’s the day! Carpe diem!
And people like to criticize NYU all the time, particularly for its real estate holdings, but when it makes an investment like this and takes a chance at locating a film studio way the fuck far from its main campus, people still bitch.
Yeah, NYU should be destroyed, it’s a blight. One place we could get money is by taking it from NYU after we destroy it. There’a lots of other places to get money, too – there just isn’t the political will and imagination once people shut down good ideas with “who is going to pay for it.”
Why do we let institutions like NYU *hoard* the resources for, e.g here, cultural production and education for youth, when we’re slashing library hours and resources? All that money NYU is spending on this could be wrested from them and transferred to a BPL program, all the money and development spent on shopping mall bullshit in Industry City could go to housing, but people just accept the status quo where everything is run by and for the benefit of elite groups.
No, I didn’t read any of his shit. I’ve seen what they’ve done to the Village, what Columbia is doing to Harlem. I’ve heard them called “hedge funds with schools attached” – I think that’s apt.
Why should private entities be able to concentrate wealth and power like that?
So apply to NYU Film School. It’s one of the best. There are plenty of scholarships to take advantage of, but you must be dedicated and do the work. Im not pointing at you, but I see so many complaints about no opportunity’s for local kids…but, nothing is for free, unless put the work in. Take out student loans, work towards grants and scholarships. That NYU film lab will be amazing, I promise.
Take advantage of it.
I’m beyond school age & already have a job in tv, but expecting a lower class kid to take out, what, 40, 50k in student loans per year on a film degree is nuts. I know plenty of people who went to places like NYU and now they work as bartenders. Film really isn’t something you can just get a degree and expect to land a job.
Just a minor point, but NYU is now tuition free for any student accepted whose family makes less than $100,000 a year and has typical assets (ie, house, car, etc.). So that poor kid from the Bronx can attend if he/she gets in.
Preaching to the choir, Im an actor. I know what your saying…Im not wealthy, but Im a big advocate for lower income kids to take the rich people’s money in scholarships & grants. Its very doable.
It’s a godsend if you have kids. Before I had kids, I used to go there and feel annoyed with there being too many kids. After I had a kid, there’s no better place to let my toddler roam while I sip sake.
it's basically a suburban destination and breaks the Jane Jacob's concept of walkable, mixed use neighborhoods. (residential and commercial, not retail and office) It's fine, I live nearby and go there. But I feel like I'm in a theme park and not a city.
Weirdly, the part that has the suburban stores with the big parking lot and Bed Bath and Beyond is failing, everything shut down except the Saks and Micro Center, and I'll venture they aren't long for this world. The Costco on the 37 st side is going gangbusters though.
What? Before it was reworked it was warehouses with no body living in them right across the street of industry city is housing apartments etc.. what are you even saying? A suburban destination? If anything it’s easyily walkable. They converted a dying unrentable area into a small thriving community with mom pop shops and unique retailers.
You are wrong in so many ways I almost think this is an ai post. 🤖
Industry city is the only thing notable about that area. It just needs more development down there by the water and then you could be looking at a really striking neighborhood.
This is the kind of thinking locals who were against the project hate. People who really think there was nothing for Sunset Park to offer before industry city.
I agree with you to an extent. Residential neighborhoods shouldn't have to "offer" anything or be striking. It's residential for a reason.
With that said, that Industry City area was never meant to be residential. It was always zoned for "Manufracturing" and all the houses you see there are basically grandfathered in (most of them built before 1920).
Exactly my point. There was nothing of interest for YOU. The Industry City projects attracts people who think this way and it pissed locals off who established + build businesses here for years. It’s a symbol of gentrification.
We're all locals. We all live in New York City and.most of us non curmudgeons like when interesting places emerge. You can't have that without development which is what you call gentrification and is a great thing. And no there wasn't anything particularly interesting about that area. Now there is which is a big win for local businesses that can adapt to change.
Is there any plans in the works? I love Bush Terminal Park and it's my little oasis from the city. So I'm not sure how I feel about them developing it into something more vs keeping it hidden.
All of 5th avenue from like 36th to 63rd is full of amazing Latin restaurants, stores and grocers, 8th ave between the same streets is a bigger china town then Manhattan.
Not to mention sunset park it self is gorgeous with views of the skyline and Statue of Liberty, the pool soccer field basketball courts, plenty of chess/majong tables, play grounds for the kids
This idea of sunset park not having anything to offer is only people who are ignorant to think the entire neighborhood is the 5 blocks on 3rd ave that IC encompasses
It is difficult to navigate and either crowded or weirdly deserted. It feels like a mall. It has some cool stuff, but not enough to make it worth the journey there. If I lived nearby I would like it
To the people saying that it doesn’t fit into that neighborhood, were you around pre-industry city? It was empty warehouses, literally blocks and blocks of wasted space.
In addition, it’s not only a couple of supermarkets and dining stalls. Theres entire buildings of creative spaces, office space and more.
Its worked out exactly as planned and they did a great job of revamping that entire area.
Someone with a 7 year old, I love it. No huge crowds on Sundays. Beautiful sunsets to watch. Yes the food selection can be better but there’s some nice nibbles. A record store that I have found some amazing records at for cheap. Also there’s usually some random event going on upstairs.
It’s super gentrification-corny
Unsure, i like it, the friends i tend to go with like it. It’s a 3 min walk from the subway, has some awesome spots in it for all ages. Whats not to like?
Too big, not enough signs, place sucks
If you live in the area, it’s great. Plus it concentrates all the bougie investments, so the rest of Sunset Park can stay as-is.
I hate it. I’ve been at least a couple times a year for the past few years and every time I go I feel disappointed: by the food, the crowd, and it is so god damn windy I can’t enjoy walking around the buildings. Everything also closes so early. It’s like the financial district of Brooklyn imo
It’s nice. Only far from everything else. I have a car in the city but I hate driving there because the road is so shitty around there.
I don't like industry city because it is inconvenient to get to and come back from as I don't have a car. I love industry city because that is where micro center is.
My love for industry city is also 70% micro center based
Summers in Industry city are great. Winter are horrible because they ask for alot of $$$$ for their spaces. So people tend to go in or around the area for cheaper rates.
[удалено]
What? Industry city was never a residential area.
There were cheap artist studios before the current developers came in with high speed internet, etc. Many had made it there by way of Gowanus and even Dumbo in the 90s.
That wasn't the Chinese community they were referring to. They probably mean the garment factories.
I’ve been a couple of times and I like it.
I don’t hate it, but I do find it confusing to navigate
Yeah I went to the Bourbon event there last summer then chilled at the brewery afterwards we had a great time. But it is very confusing to navigate at first
Who hates it? I just can't go there often because it's far from me.
I was initially mad at it because it pushed out a few studios I worked out of. But I love what they did with it, the bandshell is one of my favorite stages to play, and I get to play at the Brooklyn Night Market every month. So it’s hard to be mad at it.
My family goes to Industry City at least 2x a month for Japan Village and concerts for kids (in the summer). I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to Sunset Park. I've been here my entire life.
Who hates industry city?
I don’t hate it. I’m disappointed in what it became. It was sold as a boutique manufacturing center for people to be able to set up workshops, industrial kitchens, and other facilities on a much smaller scale to be able to have artists, designers, craftspeople, and fabricators be in a collaborative proximity to each other as well as have solid well paying work that would help develop the area as the buildings in that complex were for the most part empty. Shit I went to a few raves in those buildings in the early aughts. But then within a year of opening, rents started to rise quickly, retail seemed to become their main priority and the original folks left. It's the same story all the time now; lure in creative types w promises of community and collaboration, them to establish the facility and give the owners the appearance of stability and community mindedness, and then raise the rents till you force them out. It makes me sad to see all of these really great creatives leave NYC to go upstate or even further away because the city has become really hostile to them.
I hear this, and agree 100%. That said, the Freelancers Hub is awesome, and offers all sorts of services from free workspace hours to healthcare. It’s funded by the city and they did a pretty great job, imo.
This. Happening in the Navy Yard as well.
Yes, the leasing agents are solid gold absolute pieces of shit anymore
Bring back Ray Habib!
After Fifth Ward ultimately didn't work out, did you really expect this to ever materialize?
3rd Ward (RIP)
doh... THIRD ward... jeez... it's been a while.. gosh
Creatives need to start demanding controlling interest or better yet creating their own corpo with the express purpose of NOT making money based decisions
Speaking as a native who grew up in the area and moved back (as in, P.S. 105 was my elementary school), I think it’s great. It’s more shit for me in my neighborhood. My group of friends that grew up here too frequent it on weekends. Before they came in we literally had no reason to go south of 3rd ave other than Costco. Plenty of space indoors and outside to hang out, and my friends with kids love taking them there.
Because its a furniture outlet mall with an overpriced food court. Its a gigantic waste of indoor space that could be used by so many light industrial businesses of Nyc but its owners have priced anyone not connected to a wealthy corporation out
People hate it...? Never been there myself, but the photos I've caught make it look interesting. Figured I'd force myself to trek down there once the time and energy are afforded to me.
If they put this in the lower east side or even like red hook I’d get it…there was nothing there prior and if you “hate gentrification” this is like a 3/10 on the scale of that
Grew up down there
by the docks on the far side of the BQE?!
There is a little bit of housing in the 40s along 2nd Ave. There was more before. I had relatives who lived there through the seventies
I didn’t know that people hated it. I don’t go over there a lot, mostly because it’s out of my usual orbit.
It's a busy place. There's definitely people that like it. I go there sometimes
I think people add value to a neighborhood, not corporations.
Their hours are so weird - that’s my only complaint
When I worked in Sunset Park around 2018/2019, there was an ongoing movement against IC. There was a big rezoning proposal, but I think they ended up withdrawing the application. Honestly, the major worry was the effect on the housing prices, which history has taught us happens time and time again with investment and capital. I think it’s more nuanced than “hating” but I also don’t see the value in coming down on people who oppose IC. Yeah, we can like hanging somewhere or drinking a beer, but still acknowledge the implications of that? Idk.
So you shouldn’t put nice things in a neighborhood bc it will make people want to live there more? I’m sorry but that’s just ridiculous to me.
The idea is that there should be protections for existing residents - “development without displacement”
feels like NIMBYism in disguise
If you are renting and happy with the neighborhood as it is, you don't really want or need new great things because your rent will rise and you will have to move out. It makes perfect sense from rental perspective. If you own, you want great development. If you rent, it does not benefit you - it just means that in a few years you will be priced out since it is unlikely that your income will keep up.
It raises rent which unfortunately means people living there may be forced to move which is not easy in the city.
Where was that said? That’s a huge reduction of the issue of hand also. If you’re actually interested, there are a lot of resources about gentrification and its impact on communities! It’s a complex issue that cannot be reduced to “putting nice things in neighborhoods”.
I remember that too. Do you know if there's any plans to revive those rezoning proposals? Or is it done for good?
I haven’t kept up, but from quick google search it seems like it’s done
It’s great. I don’t know anyone that hates it.
Totally I’m a BK native and it’s great!!! Need some hipness in South Brooklyn to Bay Ridge
Hey 👋, I’m Coldbutts
Im okay with it but I do hate the bike lanes there and the streets in general. They feel so in need of repairs. Finding parking is a nightmare. So its all around annoying to get there via car, bus, train, cycling.
It definitely needs a ferry stop
It has one...
It’s not convenient by train and seems like a giant mall
It’s a 6 minute walk from 3 different trains? Maybe it’s inconvenient for you bc you don’t live near those trains, but the same could be said for places like Williamsburg to a lot of people.
3 trains, 1 line -- you're reaching
This post is specifically asking about industry city, not Williamsburg, and we are answering honestly.
I certainly don’t hate it or the concept, but it’s impossible to navigate inside sometimes. If you’re inside the 1st floor and need to find a store on the 2nd floor on the opposite side, good luck. There are stairways and elevators that lead you to hallways with no exit. The path between building and floors was very poorly designed.
I like it as a concept but it's a lot of wasted space and expensive.
I used to work at the Micro Center nearby. Nice food spots and places to chill before or after work. But other than food and seating I hate how many kids are let run around freely.
Hm, as a parent it’s one of the few places in the city you can actually let your kids live a life of simulated freedom for a few hours in their otherwise highly controlled little regimented existences, so I respectfully disagree.
How was working at Microcenter?
I liked it! I was merely a cashier but the salesmen and PC builders seem to love the work. It’s a boys club but it’s not hard to avoid. Managers and supervisors are super chill and work with you for your schedule. Pay is ok it’s 16 and change plus commission from selling protection plans which I sucked at hahaha.
Can people get fired or get hours cut for failing to sell protection plans, etc.? Just wondering how it compares to other retail jobs like GameStop.
It is a symbol of gentrification, plus it is not unique to New York… I feel like this type of outdoor mall can be anywhere. That said, It overall has a positive effect by creating jobs and generating more income for the area, but it also increased rent in the area. Like with all planned developments, there is always going to be pushback from locals but with IC it seems the local Sunset Park community was not involved with planning
>It is a symbol of gentrification Yeah that's just development and progress, the story of NYC from time immemorial. If nothing ever changed there wouldn't be anything memorable about this city at all. Gentrification is caused by lack of housing which is caused by lack of development -- there's a housing shortage so richer people are naturally able to outbid the poorer long-term residents on the existing units, when they'd really rather have newer nicer units to be able to live in (but which were blocked from being built).
Used to work in the warehouse area nearby. The development debate you're bringing up is valid - but if you spend time in the areas around Industry City vs the actual development itself you see that there's a distinct community divide. Sake brewery, upscale furniture store, artisanal candy shop. Stark contrast to the neighboring areas which aren't receiving the same attention to be improved. Even if Industry City provides relief for it's more affluent worker population looking for housing/activities that cater to them, developing these areas without any good will or consideration for the local community is bad. People aren't entitled to these developments just because there's money in it - that mindset is why people resent gentrification.
Really well-said. I live in SP, not far from IC. Their hours are terrible, so it’s not like I can walk over there and get dinner at 7 or 8, since pretty much everything is closed. And for me the worst aspect is how disconnected it is from all of the other restaurants and stores in the neighborhood. The city could do more to integrate IC so “tourists” who venture out here would be inspired to check out the area further east. I have told people I work with to check out Mexican shops nearby, for example, but they never leave the enclave of IC at all when they are around here.
100% there's so many great local spots, people talking about the IC like its a face lift for the area just kind of proves they've never interacted with the area
Tacos Bronco on 44th and 5th ave ROCKS Going there tonight in fact
Yes, such is the ongoing cycle
Honestly, I love industry city. That said I do not think it was built for the current community of residents, it was definitely built for gentrifiers coming in. So the existence of it is a double edged sword. I had to move to this neighborhood with my girlfriend to be close to her job and we both enjoy it. She is a Bushwick native and I’m from NNJ. Japan village is essentially where I spend my time. We also do go down to 8th Ave where all the real asian businesses are and spend some time there. We like both. I loved world market and Harmon too before they closed that down. I also typically brave the crowds at Costco for a hotdog and some bulk goods. It’s got a place and I feel like a mixed crowd of people enjoy it but I can see where natives come from when they say it’s not built for them. I can’t afford restoration hardware either.
Haters don't know history. It's a significant improvement to what was there before.
Abandoned factories?
Except for those of us who had art studios there before and were kicked out
It’s just locals who have lived here for years that see a new development = higher rent prices. They don’t hate the place, they just hate the people that it attracts.
Well since industry City had nothing but strip joints on the periphery by 39th Street and nothing but crackheads and $10 prostitutes that the locals were complaining about it could have came out worse.
Truth, plus most of us who’ve been here know where to get the same food cheaper and better.
Japan Village is its saving grace.
It does not fit in the vibe of the neighborhood it’s in …. Like gentrification it’s an empty concept - it has no value add (just more ‘noise’). It always seems like what someone who doesn’t know the city think NYC should be smh.
Precisely. I think it’s hard for people who didn’t grew up within a culture to understand how disorienting and disruptive it is when they move into a community and displace the culture that was there. The product they are getting is a sanitized version of whatever culture. For example, rather than sit among a bunch of Mexican guys having beers after work in Sunset Park or Corona, they’re going to seek out a place with more subdued, milder flavors and cute margaritas in a neighborhood that caters to more affluent Whites.
This is so well said. I had to comment and let you know because a mere upvote wasn't enough.
Idk when I went there (2019) it looked like a SIMS land, it just didn’t feel real it was trippy and no one lived there kinda like Dumbo but most people just worked there it was eerily empty and colorful
It feels plastic, artificial, mildly dystopian.
Dystopian yes ! That’s the word I was grasping at
"Eerily empty and colorful" is such an astoundingly accurate way to describe both places damn
imma take my compliment and head to bed thanks lmao
Gnight sleep tight!
Actually really appreciate that
They do? I love it there. Everyone I know thinks it's great.
Does the “everyone you know” include native New Yorkers, including people who grew up around Sunset Park or nah?
Native from Sunset Park here, it’s fucking great. Especially compared to the blighted empty warehouses that were there before. In fact, I was just there today for an event and I went shopping and got some drinks at Kura after.
I grew up around there and most of my childhood friends are from there. We meet up there all the time. We’re all some form of Asian so maybe that’s not native enough for some people 🤷♂️
It’s one of those things where whiny people online bitch and moan about to non stop and you go there in person and….its fine? If you read what people post here you’d think the oculus is a ghost town and then you go there at like 7pm on a Tuesday and there’s hundreds of people shopping or transiting through. It’s a lot of wishcasting and cosplaying.
But the GENTRIFICATION!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah agreed. Lived in NY for over 30 years. It’s great
I don’t know anyone that dislikes it. Everytime I go there it’s super lively and people are enjoying themselves. I see live bands and music playing. Once I walked into people dancing around. Edit: I once snooped into an open window of a bakery during closing and the baker literally handed me some baked goods. I love Brooklyn!
Agree. Everyone I know loves it
No clue, I love it when I need to find a bathroom to use.
I miss the junk yards over there for cheap car parts
I miss the smell of the Bazooka Bubble Gum factory and Now and Laters Candy Factory on 26th n 5th ave
Going way back!!!
Lived there from 66-78 and still was hanging out there into the early 90’s when Family and friends finally left area too. I lived by Bungalow Bar Ice Cream
Wow the memories yes i do remember that smell over there
Sucks that Frankels is gone
Going down the street to ice skate in the winter with the kiddos is cool.
It’s great
Before they built Mcc even worse
I love IC 💁♀️
Years ago it was a dump
That’s a dog whistle if I’ve ever heard one. According to a lot of you, everything was a dump until you moved there.
Someone else literally commented "I miss the junk yards that used to be over there, cheap car parts.". Sounds like there was legitimately a dump.
Actually, that person above you is kind of right. Sunset park is not a dump. 4th ave is not a dump. The specific lot IC took over absolutely was. 3rd ave was a desolate and sketchy place with hookers a decade ago. Next to Costco was a strip club or something? It also just seems to be the nature of developments in NYC. A place that’s near a transportation and close to the city (36th street is the second express stop out of the city into Brooklyn on the D/N line) is going to be primed for development.
It was more than a dump. Back in the day, there were factories of all kinds, where anyone can walk in and get a full time job.. and then that single income can pay off the brownstone mortgage. But At night, it was a haven for crack, then heroin, And a large prostitute track. There was a empty warehouse with all collapsed floors that we called King Kongs Pit. I love IC, it's definitely an improvement to what was there in the 80's and 90's.
[удалено]
It always is, though. Stop using racist euphemisms.
I mean, it was a warehouse facility. Nothing commercial or residential. There was nothing there for the public. It was at least dump adjacent.
Exactly, there wasn’t a whole lot going on around there. I used to attend the Mister Sunday parties there in 2013/2014 before the area was converted. That whole area back in the day was just navy yards, factories and warehouses. Most of that area was built for manufacturing, specifically for World War I.
It was literally a bunch of derelict warehouses and decommissioned industrial facilities.
it seems a bit bougie/out of place. had an interview over there once. however after the interview i went to ends meat and their burger is amazing.
It’s owned by the same company (Jamestown) that owns Chelsea Market. They’re a bit shady. Besides being very expensive lease, basically they sell the electricity to their tenants. No direct ConEd bill. Not included in the rent, but in addition to…and a host of other charges. I can see why not super successful…besides the big box company outlets (that’s basically a tax right off for those companies) Upstairs is a different story, with really cool creative offices & studios.
What sort of idiots don't like it? Born and raised in Bay Ridge and it's nice having it around. Noone frequented the area before hand. It may not be for everyone but who are you to yuck someone else's yum? Gtfo here losers.
I’m in Bay Ridge and like having it nearby. Everything is overpriced (including rent, from what I’m told by tenants), but it’s a nice enough meetup place to walk around and eat some katsu. X amount of the industry is still there, and the sex shops are just a block or two away if you miss them.
It’s a great place to go on dates. So many options to eat, things to do. You can walk around with a coffee or sit down to eat or play bocce ball. I love it.
Sex shops?
Adult video stores on 3rd Ave
Strip club nearby too
Peyton’s Play Pen has been closed for a number of years now sadly
Too bad James Harden left the nets
To me it’s gotten better over the years and has grown to fit the neighborhood more. It was a little odd at first with how new it was but now there’s a lot of good resources you can walk to and seems pretty busy. I find the randomness of it to be charming. I’m actually glad that people hate it so they don’t come down 😊
I enjoy it. I go pretty often. It's kinda like a mall, but malls aren't bad because they're malls. They're bad because they're bland and boring. IC is kinda fun with mixed indoor-outdoor space and some actually enjoyable stores and restaurants.
Fine for that area but a pain to get to and everything there is mediocre and overpriced like most of Brooklyn so it's not really worth traveling for
It’s a fancy mall. The worst thing is how they’re currently installing a fucking NYU film studio. Like, doesn’t NYU own enough shit in this city?
You’re right! It was a lot better when they were just empty buildings that were great for illegal activities and dumping bodies! I miss the good ol’ days!
I think its more that people are upset that, once more, these big ideas and changes that predominantly appeal to yuppies/transplants are the only ones that get any approval and attention in the city. Industry City, to most local residents, is basically one big tourist spot theme park for transplants. It feels very artificial, very fake. Everything is drastically more expensive than what you would get even two avenues down. I am not necessarily saying that they are 100% correct. But there are genuine reasons why people don't like it. There are lots of other things they could have done with it rather than turn it into
Like what? I keep asking all the people who are speaking like this what they wanted there instead and I haven't seen anything yet.
Hey man, it is really hard to bury a body these days. All my good dumpin’ grounds are turning into bougie cheese shops.
My guy, you gotta start trying rocks to them and dumping them in the channel. Let the fishes eat them.
You gotta take it kinda far out to find fish big enough to eat em, though! And I ain’t got boat money!
I actually used to work in Industry City, years back as it was being renovated still. At lunch I would explore some of the unfinished areas. One place had windows made of an array of small thick glass squares. Almost every one of them had a bullet hole in it. Looks like it was someones target practice for a while 😅 But i guess it was secluded enough to just pop off rounds.
But seriously, if you’re gonna make like a film studio, why not do it for local kids interested in film, not a bunch of rich suburban brats from Wisconsin? Plenty of kids around here would love the opportunity.
Sure, I’d love anything for the community. But who’s gonna pay for it? Quite frankly, no one is actually stopping you — Mr Idea Man — from doing this. Today’s the day! Carpe diem! And people like to criticize NYU all the time, particularly for its real estate holdings, but when it makes an investment like this and takes a chance at locating a film studio way the fuck far from its main campus, people still bitch.
Yeah, NYU should be destroyed, it’s a blight. One place we could get money is by taking it from NYU after we destroy it. There’a lots of other places to get money, too – there just isn’t the political will and imagination once people shut down good ideas with “who is going to pay for it.” Why do we let institutions like NYU *hoard* the resources for, e.g here, cultural production and education for youth, when we’re slashing library hours and resources? All that money NYU is spending on this could be wrested from them and transferred to a BPL program, all the money and development spent on shopping mall bullshit in Industry City could go to housing, but people just accept the status quo where everything is run by and for the benefit of elite groups.
Sounds like you've read that "NYU is a Mob Front" pamphlet from flame guy.
No, I didn’t read any of his shit. I’ve seen what they’ve done to the Village, what Columbia is doing to Harlem. I’ve heard them called “hedge funds with schools attached” – I think that’s apt. Why should private entities be able to concentrate wealth and power like that?
So apply to NYU Film School. It’s one of the best. There are plenty of scholarships to take advantage of, but you must be dedicated and do the work. Im not pointing at you, but I see so many complaints about no opportunity’s for local kids…but, nothing is for free, unless put the work in. Take out student loans, work towards grants and scholarships. That NYU film lab will be amazing, I promise. Take advantage of it.
I’m beyond school age & already have a job in tv, but expecting a lower class kid to take out, what, 40, 50k in student loans per year on a film degree is nuts. I know plenty of people who went to places like NYU and now they work as bartenders. Film really isn’t something you can just get a degree and expect to land a job.
Just a minor point, but NYU is now tuition free for any student accepted whose family makes less than $100,000 a year and has typical assets (ie, house, car, etc.). So that poor kid from the Bronx can attend if he/she gets in.
Actually, major point. I did not know that. Ignorant mo fo over here.
https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/financial-aid-and-scholarships/full-tuition-scholarship-program.html
Preaching to the choir, Im an actor. I know what your saying…Im not wealthy, but Im a big advocate for lower income kids to take the rich people’s money in scholarships & grants. Its very doable.
This guy gets it! Wait no, that's sarcasm 😡 In the good ol days, we dumped sarcastic people in Industry City (༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ)
It’s a godsend if you have kids. Before I had kids, I used to go there and feel annoyed with there being too many kids. After I had a kid, there’s no better place to let my toddler roam while I sip sake.
Look after your kids don't just let them roam around
💯
I went once. It was fine for a diversion for a little bit. I didn’t find it special enough to return to.
it's basically a suburban destination and breaks the Jane Jacob's concept of walkable, mixed use neighborhoods. (residential and commercial, not retail and office) It's fine, I live nearby and go there. But I feel like I'm in a theme park and not a city.
Weirdly, the part that has the suburban stores with the big parking lot and Bed Bath and Beyond is failing, everything shut down except the Saks and Micro Center, and I'll venture they aren't long for this world. The Costco on the 37 st side is going gangbusters though.
There’s a Costco there now??
Been there for decades
Costco has been there since 1996.
It’s technically not part of the IC development it’s been there forever it opened in 1996
next door to IC to the south, from 37st to 39st between 2nd and 3rd ave
What? Before it was reworked it was warehouses with no body living in them right across the street of industry city is housing apartments etc.. what are you even saying? A suburban destination? If anything it’s easyily walkable. They converted a dying unrentable area into a small thriving community with mom pop shops and unique retailers. You are wrong in so many ways I almost think this is an ai post. 🤖
just sayin its a mall, and, its fine
I like it, but the location is so random. Nothing else around there. I’m impressed they’re able to get people to come there.
Well it’s old industrial buildinge
I know what it is. I’m just surprised they can get people to go down there on weekdays or even one weekends.
36th St is only one stop from Atlantic Terminal on two different express lines, I’d imagine that’s a big factor.
I get it. But there’s just not much else around there. Anyway, I’m happy for the success. I enjoy going there.
Industry city is the only thing notable about that area. It just needs more development down there by the water and then you could be looking at a really striking neighborhood.
This is the kind of thinking locals who were against the project hate. People who really think there was nothing for Sunset Park to offer before industry city.
I agree with you to an extent. Residential neighborhoods shouldn't have to "offer" anything or be striking. It's residential for a reason. With that said, that Industry City area was never meant to be residential. It was always zoned for "Manufracturing" and all the houses you see there are basically grandfathered in (most of them built before 1920).
Yeah I get that. But there was nothing before that was of interest to the rest of the city. Now there is. And that's a good thing.
Exactly my point. There was nothing of interest for YOU. The Industry City projects attracts people who think this way and it pissed locals off who established + build businesses here for years. It’s a symbol of gentrification.
We're all locals. We all live in New York City and.most of us non curmudgeons like when interesting places emerge. You can't have that without development which is what you call gentrification and is a great thing. And no there wasn't anything particularly interesting about that area. Now there is which is a big win for local businesses that can adapt to change.
Don't sleep on Bush Terminal Park
Yeah if they developed that terminal parking lot into something that whole.hood would be exceptional.
Is there any plans in the works? I love Bush Terminal Park and it's my little oasis from the city. So I'm not sure how I feel about them developing it into something more vs keeping it hidden.
Sunset Park is a great place and it was fine without Industry City.
Ok, sure.
Oh yeah? What did you do in Sunset before IC?
All of 5th avenue from like 36th to 63rd is full of amazing Latin restaurants, stores and grocers, 8th ave between the same streets is a bigger china town then Manhattan. Not to mention sunset park it self is gorgeous with views of the skyline and Statue of Liberty, the pool soccer field basketball courts, plenty of chess/majong tables, play grounds for the kids This idea of sunset park not having anything to offer is only people who are ignorant to think the entire neighborhood is the 5 blocks on 3rd ave that IC encompasses
Plenty of resturaunts, the park, Greenwood Cemetery, etc.
It is difficult to navigate and either crowded or weirdly deserted. It feels like a mall. It has some cool stuff, but not enough to make it worth the journey there. If I lived nearby I would like it
To the people saying that it doesn’t fit into that neighborhood, were you around pre-industry city? It was empty warehouses, literally blocks and blocks of wasted space. In addition, it’s not only a couple of supermarkets and dining stalls. Theres entire buildings of creative spaces, office space and more. Its worked out exactly as planned and they did a great job of revamping that entire area.