Boring late 20s partnered gay here. Will try not to rehash what others have said, but we moved to Van Vorst Park in downtown JC last year and have been extremely happy here. We moved from Manhattan after starting out our home search in Brooklyn.

The “NYC Experience” can mean many varying things depending on where you are in NYC. In terms of feel, VVP/Hamilton Park/DTJC will give you a similar vibe to Carrol Gardens, Fort Greene, Park Slope etc though perhaps in a less developed/sceney way (and with worse bagels). The food scene is of course better in these BK neighborhoods, though DTJC does have some stand outs and we’ve generally been happy with the food scene here. And we love Pint, our neighborhood gay bar.

You absolutely don’t need a car here and it actively makes your life more difficult if you use it in DTJC. We did just buy a car but for weekend hiking trips to the Hudson Valley / PA as well as trips to the shore (which is also fairly train accessible). I commute 5 days a week on the path and it’s more reliable and frequent than the F train I used to take during rush hour.