Anonymous
Post 02/07/2026 10:05     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
Anonymous wrote:Lived in both. I prefer Brooklyn, it feels less transient. If I were starting now with that budget, I think I"d try ditmas park/prospect park or PLG. The Q is emptier and so fast (would be faster than park slope), the schools are good, low taxes, you'll be on a block with the same kids for 15 years which is a gift. But 2mm might be tight. if I had more money, I'd do Brooklyn Heights or Cobble Hill, but that's substantially more than UWS


Those neighborhoods might be OK for lower Manhattan but the commute to midtown from there is substantially longer than from the UWS - you're talking about an extra hour a day. Depending on where in midtown and where on the UWS one can literally walk to work on a nice day. With young kids the extra commuting time saved is really huge.
Anonymous
Post 02/07/2026 09:57     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
Lived in both. I prefer Brooklyn, it feels less transient. If I were starting now with that budget, I think I"d try ditmas park/prospect park or PLG. The Q is emptier and so fast (would be faster than park slope), the schools are good, low taxes, you'll be on a block with the same kids for 15 years which is a gift. But 2mm might be tight. if I had more money, I'd do Brooklyn Heights or Cobble Hill, but that's substantially more than UWS
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 19:34     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
Hands down UWS. No question.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 19:19     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
UWS, hands down. Very kid friendly neighborhood, and so much easier to commute to midtown. Plenty of good options for public elementary school.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 18:21     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
The playgrounds in Park Slope are dangerously overcrowded compared to UWS.
The friends I have in Park Slope are constantly making remarks about 'those Manhattan people', I kind of don't get it. Nobody is talking about those 'Park Slope people'.

The midtown commute is easier from UWS. A lovely bike ride thru Central Park is a very doable option.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 18:02     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
UWS. No brainer. You can get a great apartment in a good school zone for $2MM. If you want public just be careful about zone lines as they aren't all logical or totally clear - you might not be zoned for a school a block away from you.

Sounds like you are a long way away but there are several good middle school options as well - a few different styles of schools to meet most needs.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 17:42     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
We’re on the UWS. It’s a fantastic neighborhood for families with kids.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 17:35     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
^^^ And the beauty of living on the UWS and working in midtown is you have so many train options to get between work and home.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 17:33     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
I would do UWS. So close to Central Park and Riverside Park. The schlep to Park Slope is a lot. My friend who lives there will ride the subway in, then won't want to face the trains going home so she spends a fortune on Uber.

I also think you can do better on UWS at 2-2.5 than anywhere near Prospect Park at the same price point.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 17:29     Subject: Upper West Side or Park Slope?
Which would you move to if you were raising one, maybe two, kids? Planning public schools for elementary school. Not sure about middle school or high school. Commuting to Midtown for work on a hybrid schedule. Housing budget would be 2-2.5 million.