Ridgewood

There is something worth noting about all the businesses popping up in Ridgewood, the racially-diverse, feet-solidly-on-the-ground Queens neighborhood. As fashionable as the new boutiques, restaurants, and coffee shops are, they do not appear to be usurping Ridgewood originals. Platz Hardware has continued to do business on Forest Avenue for more than a century and other Ridgewood classics -- like Rudy's Bakery and Morscher's Pork Store – welcome new customers brought in by the up-and-comers. 

The thing Ridgewood does so well is to meld the old with the new. A brand new Vietnamese restaurant seems right at home next door to a Mexican grocery store. Longtime neighborhood stalwarts make room for new residents – artists, young families, retirees, and others who have discovered this cozy Bushwick and East Williamsburg-abutting alcove. There's a sense of community that is practically palpable, and like a favorite aunt's house, the feeling that everyone is welcomed at the table. 

It is said that Ridgewood's vibe is that of a village, and it is certainly true that residents do not need to leave the neighborhood in order to fully live their lives. They can pick up anything they need in the shops along Myrtle and Seneca avenues and enjoy food from restaurants built by longtime Ridgewood residents -- including Italian, German, Hispanic, and Egyptian cuisine.  

On any given weekend, they might visit the oldest Dutch Colonial stone house in New York, thumb through new and used books while enjoying a locally-made pastry, or take a walk through The Farmer's Oval, an expansive park in the heart of the neighborhood. 

There's an awful lot worth bragging about in Ridgewood. Just don't use the monikers "Quooklyn" or "Ridgewick" to refer to the area. They've done fine on their own for hundreds of years and do not want or need to be compared to any other neighborhood, regardless of proximity. Ridgewood may be relatively small, but they are mighty.