Why You Should Move to Kensington, Brooklyn

When I moved to Kensington, Brooklyn five years ago, almost everybody I knew was like "Kensi-whatnow?" But after a couple of years, I definitely know now what I sort of knew then: Kensington is the best.

It's cheap!

Kensington is one of the cheapest neighborhoods in Brooklyn, with rents for a one-bedroom apartment averaging around $1,600, saving you mucho bucks compared to Bushwick ($2,000), Crown Heights ($2,100), or god forbid, Williamsburg ($3,000)! (source: http://www.mns.com/brooklyn_rental_market_report#williamsburg)

It's close to the park(s).

According to the google, it's about a 15-minute walk to Prospect Park, with its beautiful ponds, varied local fauna of birds and turtles, and ample places to barbecue outside. For someone who loves grilling outside but has no backyard to do in, having the park next door is clutch. I put that plural "s" on park because you also have Greenwood Cemetary nearby. Greenwood cemetery is gothic, beautiful, open to the public, and literally has parrots. Parrots in Brooklyn. Enough said.

It's calm.

It depends on what you're looking for. For me, after a day full of screaming children and even worse adults, I like for my home neighborhood to be a bit of an oasis of calm. Kensington just feels like a breath of fresh air when strolling around, and it feels even better on the weekends after a long week. I know I can step out of my crib, take a nice walk around, and no craziness is going to kill my vibe. And you know you can't say that about every neighborhood.

It's safe.

According to the now defunct DNAinfo, the Kensington and Parkville police precinct is the safest precinct in all of Brooklyn. Now, to me, all of Brooklyn is fine, and people who harp about safety are either racist, wimps, or both — but to each his own, and I have met many people for whom safety is a big factor.

Ocean Parkway

You can ride your bike on a beautiful, tree lined, free from cars, bike path all the way from Kensington straight to Coney Island. Imagine being at the beach in like 20 minutes, getting a nice little workout, and having access to everything from beer to rollercoasters. If biking isn't your thing, you can definitely drive or walk down Ocean Parkway, too!

Cortelyou Road

Have you even been to Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park? I know it's probably in my top five favorite things of summer in NYC. The food sold at Celebrate Brooklyn is made by the owners of The Farm on Adderley, one of the many restaurants on Cortelyou Road. This, Sycamore, and Castello Plan (go for brunch), make Cortelyou Road a popping scene — don't let anyone tell you the area is boring. And let's not forget about that Taco truck parked near the library — this place literally blew my mind at 2 AM on the way home from a Phish show — nor the absolutely amazing farmer's market every single Sunday.

The Beautiful Tree-Lined Streets of Ditmas Park

There's that episode of HBO's High Maintenance where the couple is walking around Rugby road or Westminster, going, "Are we even in Brooklyn?" Seeing the 100-year-old oak trees, the full-on front yards, driveways, and garages, you feel more like you're in Long Island or Westchester than Brooklyn. Taking a stroll among these tree-lined streets on a Sunday is a singular joy.

When you think about it, Kensington has everything you want — access to shops, restaurants, grocery stores, nice streets for a calm relaxing walk, a beautiful park nearby, and best of all- LOW RENT! So if I were you I would join those who know, before it's too late...