Bensonhurst - Brooklyn's Little Italy or Chinatown?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- Check Out Cool Bensonhurst Stuff HERE: amzn.to/3I9SXRX
Bensonhurst Brooklyn has long been considered the little italy of Brooklyn. The neighborhood has a color past filled with Italian culture and history. It still remains a neighborhood filled with Italian restaurants, pastry shops, social clubs, and delis.
But is Bensonhurst, Brooklyn really the Italian stronghold it once was? The neighborhood is changing, it is becoming more international and immigrants from other parts of the world have settled in the neighborhood. This makes it interesting because when walking through Bensonhurst you get a taste of so many diverse cultures cohabitating in relative peace.
This neighborhoods diverse character, amazing restaurants, and authentic charm make it a place worth visiting in Brooklyn and in New York City.
JP has dedicated his life to traveling. He is a digital nomad who creates travel vlogs about interesting places all over the world. His travel videos teach viewers all about amazing destinations in a travel documentary type format. JP is a professional travel guide who seeks to educate and inspire you to check off all the items on your bucket list. He not only provides the viewer with travel essentials, but also educates on off the beaten path locations that you wouldn’t think to visit. Check out his travel vlog and be inspired to explore your world!
Check Out Cool Bensonhurst Stuff HERE: amzn.to/3I9SXRX
When you did the 86th street section, that whole area was once mostly Italian shops up until the late 90s!
It is fascinating the changes in neighborhoods. It's a cycle that's been going in in NYC and Brooklyn for forever.
It’s crazy that so many stores on 86 street has Chinese writing
My neighborhood ❤️
In 50 years some Chinese kid will be saying the same thing "my neighborhood"
I had some of my best memories of Bensomhurst 1974/75. I intend visiting especially 1531 west 11st. My fondest and forever memories.
I still miss Diane Zuloff after all these years.
The Old Bensonhurst really pulls on the heartstrings of many and holds a special place in many peoples hearts. Thanks for watching!
@raymondalequin9189 No woman is worth pining for after all these years, trust me, I would know. I’m sure Diane Zuloff doesn’t look anything like you remember her. You’re stuck on the fantasy of what she used to be man
I grew up in Bensonhurst in the early & mid 90’s. It’s mostly Chinese , Mexican and Russian now. All of the Italians moved to Staten Island or Jersey . I moved long time ago but I sure missed the old Bensonhurst , it had character.
Yes the neighborhood has changed significantly since the 90s. Much more international now, but some Italians have still remained- mostly older people though.
Its still like 30% Italian American
@@mob4336no it was 11% Italian in 2019 and decreasing.
@@BeeBee-pl9ly Bensonhurst is not only 11%. Where are you getting that info from? Let me guess Wikipedia right ?
@@mob4336 real stats. Quit living in the past and accept change. It's okay statisticalatlas is the website
I really miss Brooklyn especially Bensonhurst..thanks for the memories
Brooklyn, and Bensonhurst especially, holds a special place in people's hearts. Though the neighborhood has changed alot over the last several decades- it is still a highly authentic Brooklyn neighborhood. Thanks for watching!
Yeah it’s sad how the neighborhood is not the same .
You forgot to mention that, the same D and N line connect to Chinatown Manhattan so it kind of has the same history as when the Italians did
What an excellent point. It really comes full circle how transportation lines connect communities. Thanks for the input!
I miss the old Bensonhurst grew up here and I’m still here hate what has happened to 86St.
Yes the neighborhood has changed tremendously in the past several decades. But interestingly the old Italians that remained comingle quite peacefully with the newer demographics.
I live in Bay Ridge and My girlfriend grew up in Dyker.
Yes demographics have changed but my girlfriend made a great point when she told me that she would rather have Chinatown relocate here then East New York... 😂
@FCm-tq2ho wow can't get more racist than that
The old Italians that couldn't afford to move out have no choice but to get along they're outnumbered some have tears in their eyes when they talk about the "good Ole days" which is code for saying when no blacks Latinos or Asians were allowed in Bensonhurst
What's hilarious is the same people you Italians used to chase outta Bensonhurst or kill remember Yousef Hawkins have now taken over and chased you out
Bensonhurst is a very good example of mixture of cultures that started in USA. Thank you for this video. 👍🌹
Hey Turbon yes it is a very diverse neighborhood and has some of the best food and cultural experiences in Brooklyn. Check it out!
Is Bensonhurst where they filmed Moonstruck?
@@MadMax31577 Nope, Carroll Gardens. That also used to be another large Italian neighborhood as well before hipster gentrification took over like wild fire.
86 street use to be the hang out spot. Cars would cruise up and down
Yes for sure in the 1980s and 90s, Bensonhurst was the spot. Thanks for watching.
It's crazy seeing those old videos of Bensonhurst from the 80s and 90s, and then comparing it to today's Bensonhurst. They're like two completely different countries altogether.
Jees! I left Bensonhurst (Bay 25th & 86th streets) in 1966 and Lenny's Pizza was booming way back then. Glad to see they are still there !
Yikes! L&B still there also. My Dad's favorite pizza place.
Hey Dave. Thanks for watching! Unfortunately, Lenny's closed for good about a couple of months after filming this video around March of this year so I am glad I got to catch it before they left.
L&B is still here. They have just recently opened a location next to the Brooklyn Bridge as well. I still get L&B for most of my parties and they just started doing a vodka sauce version of their original square.
Wow, 1966? Must’ve been interesting back then. Where’d you head to after you left? I’ll try to guess. Staten Island, Long Island, Jersey or Florida?
Here in California there isn’t Italian culture, but when I went to college in Mass there were a bunch of guidos and they were so darn funny. I miss that energy actually. Thanks for showing us a former home base.
Hey Yogi. Thanks for watching the video! Boston, Philly, NYC, Providence, and Chicago are really the only places to find this. Stay tuned for more Brooklyn, NYC, and east coast content.
There’s a big Italian community in Northern California idk about southern though
I could be wrong but I think guido culture is not as big as it used to be like in the 80s
Pittsburgh has a big Italian culture too.
We belong to the social club, Vivo San Vito that is in your video! If you ever want to come to one of the events, you are DEFINITELY welcomed!
Teresa which avenue is Vivo San Vito on? Thanks for the invite. Maybe I can interview someone at the club and they can talk about Bensonhurst/Dyker back in the day.....
Lived her my whole life. It’s mostly 85% Asian and Mexican. Russians are in Brighten Beach.
Thanks for staying! Bhurst 4eva
We have a few vestiges left of Italian culture. We still have Italian social clubs, bakeries, restaurants and salumerias. It's just mire diversified now. Many decades ago, the neighborhood was Jewish and Italian and before that, Irish
😀😀😀Really Great! Video my friend of Bensonhurst Brooklyn New York. I am Black American and this was detail for the Famous places there like L&B Pizza on 86th Street. A Great Place for Square Pizza with the Sauce on top!!!Also John's Deli as well..Kudos Kudos!!! Ralph J
I think Lenny's Pizza closed down, if I am not mistaken??? But there is a Lenny's Pizza in Park Slope area by me, that is open and not affilliated with Lenny's in Bensonhurst. But still Good Pizza I may say. Ralph J
Best pizza I ever had was the place on the corner when you come up from the train.
If I'm correct the original owner of John's Deli sold the stillwell location and relocated to 13th Ave during covid
People from China, Mexico, Middle East, and Russia in Bensonhurst.
Back to the late 90’s, there are a lot of Blue eyes Europeans.
yes that is true. Thanks for watching!
Frank and Sals!!! 😍😍😍
The best haha thanks for watching
I grew up 17 and 77st in 1979
I sooo miss bensonhurst. Lived there for 6 years
Hi Maria, you can take yourself out of Bensonhurst but you can't take the Bensonhurst out of you. The neighborhood is a truly diverse urban community and is always changing- but interestingly remains relatively peaceful.
@@ProjectGaiaTravel I miss it soooo much, there are familiar stores still. I just miss the culture, diversity and all
Very accurate description of my neighborhood. You seem to know the place well.
Yes still here myself. Thanks for watching.
Avenue U and west 9th at is where I grew up…
Very nice, still here...
@@ProjectGaiaTravel I went down my old street a few years ago, didn’t really change that much to be honest… I do miss living around the corner from l&b tho…
Re-watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos (for the billionth time)- there's a scene ?ep 2 where he's in Bensonhurst, near the ?D-train; always curious as to what it looks like now so thanks for the vid- would love to see in person one day 💜
Just saw my parents home!
Big love for Bensonhurst people who stayed!
You can see this guy loves this neighborhood. Born and bred, I’ll bet
Hey MadMax31. I do love this neighborhood. It is a real Brooklyn neighborhood and is a great food and shopping spot. Though the demographics have changed in the last several decades, it still retains an authentic immigrant charm that is hard to find in most areas of the USA. Interestingly, being so diverse the people here cohabitate together- take a visit sometime and thanks for watching!
Bensonhurst is about 15% Italiano 50% Chinese and the other 35% Mexico, Ecuador , El Salvador etc
Hey Bronx History! Yes that sounds about right, thanks for your input.
Bensonhurst is and will always be Italian 🇮🇹
Hopefully it retains its charm. Thanks for watching
No it wont
🤌🏼
One tip, you could have picked more appropriate background music for the slideshow shot where you were introducing Frank and Sal"s.. it would have helped pull the viewer into a more authentic, and imaginative head space. Perhaps some old time Italian folk music, or to keep with the theme of your channel and the type of series you're trying to produce you could have even tried to find some old time Italian music that someone remixed with a house beat! They do exist, trust me, EVERY kind of music ever made has been remixed with a house beat!
Instead you picked a track that has a Latin flavor remixed over a modern, "4 on the floor" house beat.
Sorry, it's little details like this that just bother me.. and likewise, I notice when they are addressed and incorporated really well by creators also!
The musical score that's playing behind montages and slide shows have a huge impact on the mood and feeling of the viewer and they change the way they perceive the message portrayed on screen.. this is elementary, well known by directors/documentaries for as long as moving pictures existed...which is why theatre owners hired and paid full time musicians to play music back when films were still "silent" and whether it was a full orchestra or a single man playing a multi-instrument like a Calliope or one of those elaborate, bespoke, one-man-band instruments that combined a pipe organ, with bells/percussion/drums, horns, reed and other wind instrument that could all be played simultaneously by a single player like an elaborate organ!
The "way" that person played and the type of music they played at each point of the film dramatically changed how the viewers in the audience perceived the story that was unfolding on the screen before them!
If the organist was lazy, slow on the transitions, and chose types/styles of music that weren't 100% appropriate to what the viewers were seeing on screen at that very moment, it would take them right out of the action, and cause them to lose interest in the plot or zone out the movie all together!
VS a highly skilled, high energy, player that played a score that seemed to match the exact mood of the actors, and melded perfectly with each and every action as it happened on screen (ie: a well timed knock on a wood block every time the actor on screen would turn around fast, causing the length of timber he was carrying on his shoulder to swing around and smack his co-star on the back of the head.. or a gentle sweep across a set of hanging metal chimes when the male actor would turn around and see the leading lady for the very first time all dressed up like an angel from heaven)... could result in an entire theatre full of punters refusing to leave after the reel ended, shouting and demanding an encore or double feature!
Sorry to ramble, but I teach film and theater production, and I specialize in all areas of theatrical score, Foley, musical and sound effects and enhancement, etc. basically anything and everything to do with "sound" in a film production except for the actual dialogue of the actors featured on screen.
Thanks for all of the video editing and production tips.
Besides Villabate Alba pasticceria amd Tomasso's on 86th st, I can't really think of any other Italian places I'd say are must experience.
Hey Christophe yes Tomasso's is a great place too. Thanks for the recommendation!
You must not have lived there for long or must be newish to the area… there are so many good places you have to know what you want and where to get that from specifically…go to joes of avenue U and get a rice ball special a stuffed artichoke and a panelle roll…. Thank me later.
It used to be a great Italian neighborhood. Now it’s a mess and not safe.
It was never safe
its actually much safer now than back then with all the criminal italians and their mob culture. the chinese and latino immigrants who live here now are much more hardworking and family oriented
@@johnmarshall4399It definitely was safe and is still pretty safe.
Great? There used to be a mob rubout every week
It was never safe for non Italians especially black folks
There was a time, in the early days, a lot of Eastern European Hasidic Jews occupied a good part. But that's Williamsburg now. It's still one of the safest neighborhoods in NYC
Oramai Bensonhurst è un quartiere multietnico più che altro dominato dai cinesi ....
Pochi italiani rimasti. Comunque la storia rimarrà della piccola italia Brooklyn.
Yes very true. Thanks your information on how the neighborhood has changed.
Ma tu di dove sei? Saluti da Brooklyn
Really sad what happened to the old neighborhood
Sad is the Frontline special, 7 Days in Bensonhurst.
That was the tragedy.
Gotta say that Bensonhurst ain't the same as in 1960's. Takin' chicks to the Oriental or Benson theaters (the Deluxe too), stoppin' for pizza. It was the B train then or just the West End Line. In the late 1950's a token for the subway cost fifteen cents, same for a slice of pizza. Bensonhurst was one of the safest parts of Brooklyn, with all due respect to Carroll Gardens. Same for Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge. Nice video but a bit depressing. Don't nothin' never stay the same?
So I'd say that south brooklyn has kept some of its vibe from the 1960s-1980s from 75th Street to the water, from shore road to about 14th avenue. But very different because young people are not replacing their parents in the neighborhood because the cost of housing has become unrealistic. A small 1600 square foot house that is extremely old and not updated is well over a million dollars now- Young people cannot buy this so the native south brooklyn people sell to immigrants- but I really dont know how they get the money....
SO SAD 😮💨
I miss the classic Bensonhurst I grew up in. Bath Ave, 18th Ave, 86th Street is like a different world now. It’s dirty, dilapidated, and doesn’t even look like Brooklyn anymore.
I agree… I grew up on u and west 9th and also 13th avenue and 69th street….as a teenager in the 80s I had a blast but now it’s a different world completely…as a kid everyone our age on our block we’re friends… now no one ever talks to their neighbors anymore…
So sad how dirty Bensonhurst has gotten.
It chinahurst now and China heights
No more Lennys
Sadly its gone. They announced that they were leaving and the business closed in less than 3 days. Glad this was recorded just a couple months before the legendary pizzeria closed forever. Thanks for watching!
Both Manhattan and Brooklyn little Italys are chinatowns. Bronx is better and if you want the best little Italy in the US its Bostons North End
They should change the name from Bensonhurst to Beijinghurst
It' is now china grew up on 86th st and bay 31st street now it is unrecognizable
I grew up in that neighborhood since1986. It was great. Then the “diversity” destroyed it. Check 62 precincts crime numbers and you will see as the area “diversified” the crime went up. Moved to Long Island in 1998 and visited ole neighborhood and watched it decline. Overcrowded, unsanitary, parking is impossible especially on Bath Ave with all mosques and double parking
Just left the bakery lol
I saw you
Haha which one? My favorites are Elegante- which is actually in Gravesend and Rimini.
Question where are these Chinese and Mexicans getting the money to live in this area. Thats the bog question. Italians have been in that area for close to 100 years
italians got rich and moved to nicer neighborhoods duh. also many of the immigrants in bensonhurst live in cramped multi family homes, it’s expensive but not as expensive as having your own house
Frank and Sals is a No for me. The owners are nasty… I will never give them my business ever again.
Not many black why ?
Blacks live well in many other parts of Brooklyn. Adios
Safe neighborhood means few or no blacks people who can't lose their southern accent.
The D use to be the B and The B use to be the D
It has a long history of historically being
Super extra racist. FOE REAL.
that area has most of the most racist problems this area isnt somewhere the 80 wasn’t great for black peoples this area back then was never together.
Yes Bensonhurst has a dark past when it comes to the racial tensions of the 1970s-90s but interestingly now is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in New York City. Thanks for your input and for watching.
NYC is very woke now 💯
I've been living in Bensonhurst since '81. Thus I've been here for over 40 years and I've witnessed all the changes. That being said, the neighborhood was way better during the 80's than it is now. Today, everything here caters mainly to the Asians and Mexicans. The streets have gotten very filthy and unkempt because there's no sense of community here anymore and overall, Bensonhurst feels like a 3rd world slum. I really hate living here.
Are there still mobsters
Not really Italian ones because most of the Italian American population has moved- but organized crime in other cultures like Chinese and Russian.
@@ProjectGaiaTravel mama Mia 🤝🤌
Bro the Italian mob is still there and nobody is telling them what to do. @@ProjectGaiaTravel
@@ProjectGaiaTravelWhat BS is this show. Italians still run the NYC underworld don't get it twisted.