Bay Ridge

Photograph by Claudio Papapietro

LOOK HERE Along Shore Road, you’ll enjoy the gorgeous, expansive sight of the Verrazano Bridge and the bay.

Photograph by Claudio Papapietro

Why your family should move there

In a word, water. With its winding harbor-front esplanade along Shore Road, this friendly, middle-class neighborhood treats its residents to spectacular views of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the bay across to Staten Island. Just about everything is geared toward families—there’s even a children’s hair salon, Tiny Cuts—and the nabe offers every convenience you could possibly need: all the major banks (HSBC, Chase and others), video stores, dry cleaners, drugstores, pediatricians, dentists and a number of local car services. Walking around this lovely area is not only a breeze; it’s a pleasure.

What you’ll find

There is no shortage of quiet residential streets, more than a hundred retail stores, excellent restaurants (mostly on Third Avenue) and imported specialty food shops. (Kids might be pleased to know that the neighborhood boasts a Häagen Dazs, Carvel, Tasti D-Lite, Cold Stone Creamery and a Baskin-Robbins.) There are two big supermarkets and, yes, even a Starbucks. On sunny days, the streets are filled with strolling families, tweens on cell phones and kids walking their dogs. The promenade is a perfect weekend spot, glorious for bicycling, jogging, skateboarding and roller-blading. At the playground on Shore Road and 79th Street, overlooking the water, your kids will find great climbing bars and swings.

THAI ME UP Pho Hoai is a longtime neighborhood favorite.

Photograph by Claudio Papapietro

What you’ll pay

In the past five years, prices have risen dramatically, but you can still buy a prewar two-bedroom apartment (with bridge and harbor views) for around $400,000, and a three-bedroom can easily be had for $550,000. “Shore Road is the most prestigious address, and that’s where most people want to be,” says broker Devonne Johnson of Re/Max Reliable Realty, who likens it to Manhattan’s grand Riverside Drive. The apartment buildings there range from pristine art deco to red-brick buildings that are unremarkable but not hideous. Johnson says that all the co-ops along Shore Road have strong financials, always a crucial factor in securing a mortgage. Along Shore Road in the 80s is the so-called Gold Coast, which offers million-dollar mansions. If that isn’t quite your price range, don’t fret: You can buy a brick, semi-detached single-family home for around $500,000, though it certainly won’t be on Shore Road and might need some work.

Where to hang out

For the sake of your belly, don’t spend too much time at the Little Cupcake Bake Shop (9102 Third Ave, 718-680-4465), but an occasional treat won’t hurt you. (This is also a reasonably priced venue for kids’ birthday parties.) Paneantico (9124 Third Ave, 718-680-2347) is packed with parents and young children on weekends; they serve more than 100 kinds of Italian sandwiches, all hugely stuffed and all to die for. Your kids will love Hinsch’s (8518 Fifth Ave, 718-748-2854), an ice cream parlor and diner with decor charmingly stuck in the 1950s, including its original neon sign. Some of the stores along 86th Street, the main shopping district, are mom-and-pop, like Trio Shoes, which opened in 1932. But most are chains: The Children’s Place, Gap, Benetton, Circuit City and designer discount giant Century 21. For toys, there’s the megachain K-B, but you’ll find far more imaginative playthings at the small but well-stocked Kaleidoscope (8722 Third Ave, 718-491-2051). And for activity time on a rainy day, there’s always The Painted Pot (8009 Third Ave, 718-491-6411).

GO HOME This 1,500-square-foot house was recently listed for $579,000.

Photograph courtesy of Remax 1st Choice Realty

What the locals love

“We were priced out of Park Slope,” says local mom Nancy Sabatino, who moved here six years ago with her husband and daughter. “That was disappointing at first, but now we love everything about this neighborhood—the low buildings, the open skies. It’s much less crowded, and it’s a lot easier to park around here.”

Report card on the schools

P.S. 104 (9115 Fifth Ave), which is K–8, offers a gifted and talented program; there is an emphasis on community service and participation in charitable drives. Nearby P.S. 185 (8601 Ridge Blvd) runs K–5 and is also considered exceptional. It is known for its strong art and music programs, where even kindergartners learn to play the violin.

What we’d change

Despite the ethnic diversity—Asian, Italian, Irish, Middle Eastern and more—racial diversity is lacking. You won’t see many African-Americans walking around Bay Ridge. In terms of commercial offerings, the only movie theater is run-down (many locals hop in the car and head to Sheepshead Bay instead), and there is no big bookstore. This area could really use—and could certainly support—a Borders or a Barnes & Noble.

SWEET TOOTH It’s always time for dessert at the charming Little Cupcake Bake Shop, which is often packed, unsurprisingly, after school and on weekends.

Photograph by Claudio Papapietro

Distance to Manhattan

The MTA express bus is a comfortable, quiet coach, making the 30-minute ride into lower Manhattan perfectly pleasant. The R train (with four stations in the neighborhood) takes nearly an hour to midtown, though you can switch to an express train at another Brooklyn station.