Bed-Stuy is Bedford-Stuyvesant, a residential neighborhood in north Brooklyn. Everybody calls it Bed-Stuy. It’s been one of New York City’s core African American neighborhoods since the 1930s. It’s very Caribbean too.
South Williamsburg
Clinton Hill | Bed-Stuy | Bushwick
Crown Heights
Flushing Ave
Classon Ave | Bed-Stuy | Broadway
Atlantic Ave
The neighborhood has a reputation from the bad old 1970s, but that was a long time ago. The problem now is gentrification.
Fulton St is the main shopping street. NYC Open Streets include Macon St (between Arlington Place and Tompkins Ave), and Jefferson Ave (between Malcolm X Blvd and Patchen Ave.
Bed-Stuy Culture
Bed-Stuy Festivals
The West Indian Day Parade Labor Day Carnival isn’t quite in the neighborhood, but is part of the community.
A Cool Neighborhood
The neighborhood has everything now, but especially a lot of great African American and Caribbean culture. Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G.), the legendary New York rapper wasn’t from Bed-Stuy, but claimed he was because it was cool.
Today, Bed-Stuy has one of the largest groupings of beautiful historic brownstones. They are from the Victorian era (1837-1901). The ornamentation is incredible.
“Take the A Train” (1941), the iconic Billy Strayhorn/Joya Sherrill song popularized by Duke Ellington, is about taking the (A) train from Bed-Stuy to Harlem. It’s one of the iconic songs of the Swing Era (1930s-40s). The (A) Train is still is the best way to travel between the two neighborhoods. “Hurry, hurry, take the A Train, to get to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem…”
Bedford-Stuyvesant has several sub-neighborhoods including: Bedford, Stuyvesant Heights, Ocean Hill and parts of Weeksville, one of Brooklyn’s historic African American community.
Bedford-Stuyvesant Government
Bed-Stuy is governed by Brooklyn Community District 3 (and District 8) and the Brooklyn Borough President. It is the New York City Council’s 36th District. In the U.S. Congress, it is New York District 8.