Brooklyn’s family-friendly Fifth Avenue — led by ‘mommy Mafia’ —tapped coolest street in NYC, surprising locals
It’s cool to wipe drool.
Changing diapers and pushing strollers have apparently become the Big Apple’s hottest new craze — as Time Out has picked family-friendly Fifth Avenue in Park Slope as this year’s coolest street in New York City.
The magazine says it chose the quiet central Brooklyn boulevard — which runs south from Barclays Center — because of its cafes, mom-and-pop shops and a parenting scene they described as a “mommy Mafia.”
“This is not a strike against it in our book,” the mag said of the strip’s Lululemon-clad, PTA-member denizens. “If anything, it means the area is walkable, safe and has something for everyone.”
The selection of Fifth Avenue — which also ranked 13th globally on Time Out’s annual Coolest Streets in the World list — had hipsters in the more traditionally with-it Manhattan turning up their noses.
“I thought like, ‘Oh, Brooklyn? Oh, forget it, I don’t care,'” Thomas Harris, who lives in the Lower East Side, told The Post. “It’s very neighborhood-y [t]here.”
“When I hear Park Slope, I just think it’s lame,” added Josiah Provan, 30, who lives near Astor Place. “I don’t really think that there’s anything going on over there. I think I’ve only been there once and it didn’t really seem that cool.”
The staff of Time Out felt otherwise, however, as they raved about the homey atmosphere along Brooklyn’s Fifth Avenue, which includes eateries like Masalawala & Sons, Ginger’s Bar and Good Judy — and businesses like The Ripped Bodice bookstore.
The area is also flooded with indie shops, like the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store, which sells clothing and gifts; the Community Bookstore, one of borough’s oldest bookstores; and Sip N Play, a board game café, among other highlights.
Park Slope’s Business Improvement District also “sets it apart” as the nonprofit is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The nonprofit is known for throwing fun community events that help the local economy.
The honor even surprised some Fifth Avenue locals.
“That’s kind of surprising to me. I don’t think I would describe this as one of the coolest neighborhoods in New York but that’s just me personally,” said Miles Spilliane, 35, a musician who was walking down the street with his pink-scooter-riding 4-year-old daughter.
“I think it’s a nice neighborhood, there’s a lot of great restaurants and bars and cafes. There’s a lot of really nice stuff. It’s good for kids and families.”
Manhattanites – who are used to being ranked more superior to their other borough counterparts – they could be less than impressed with Time Out’s ranking.
East Village resident, Sharon Bechor, said she was “surprised” to hear the sleepy Park Slope street got the accolade when she thinks the “East Village is way cooler.”
“Honestly, a street needs to have a little more grit if it’s going to be named the coolest street in New York City,” she said Thursday.
Another East Village diehard, Thieyacine Fall – who has lived in the neighborhood since 1986 – said Park Slope turns him off due to its elitist parents and wealth and says Brooklyn is “cliquey.”
“I have friends that make $1 million a year. I have friends that are on food stamps. It just gels a bit more diversity-wise,” he said of Manhattan. “They [Brooklynites] have their brownstones.”
This year’s top street in the world according to Time Out was High Street in Melbourne, Australia, followed by Hollywood Road in Hong Kong in second and East Eleventh in Austin, Tex., in third — which was the only US street to come in ahead of Fifth Avenue.
