First off, I’m not going to get into that West Midwood/South Midwood/Midwood Park meshugas. This is just Midwood. Let’s leave it at that.

So, as I mentioned a few times on this blog, I grew up in Midwood. It was like a suburb. All of my cool friends were in the brownstone neighborhoods closer to Manhattan. Midwood was a cultural wasteland with crappy architecture. The finest restaurants were diners.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t that bad. One of Midwood’s greatest assets, to this day, is the schools. I suppose I was blessed to be able to go to some of the best schools in the country (I made that up): PS 193, Hudde and Murrow. If the neighborhood didn’t offer much, the curriculums were progressive and challenging. So if you have children and you’re not yet ready to take the leap into the burbs, perhaps Midwood is the place for you.

Midwood boasts detached houses and tree lined streets. It’s a quiet, peaceful area. Just like the burbs. Except most of Midwood is within walking distance to shops and transportation. The B express zips into Manhattan. The local Q train is not bad, but it’s a wise move to switch to the express. Shopping strips include Avenue M, J and Kings Highway. Nostrand Avenue is another commercial district.

The area is increasingly becoming more Russian and Orthodox Jewish. Great for food! But bad for you on a Friday evening and Saturday when the neighborhood is dead. Unless of course, you’re observing the Sabbath yourself. It also means that homes don’t sit on the market for very long. Just because this isn’t a popular neighborhood with the hipsters doesn’t mean it’s not popular.

Some big Midwood pluses:

This is a real Brooklyn neighborhood. Diverse and down to earth.

It’s central to other great Brooklyn neighborhoods. Not a far bike ride to Prospect Park or Coney Island in the other direction.