I live in Williamsburg and I love it. The Bedford area is notoriously hipster, which you may or may not be into… There’s tons of good restaurants in the area, bars too, and people are always out and about. There is only 1 supermarket in the area called Tops and it’s a matter of debate, but personally I think it sucks.

Going a little futher on the L train, between Lorimer and Grand stops, yields a more down-to-earth, mutli-ethnic vibe. This area has good markets including great butchers, fish markets, and produce markets as well as 2 decently sized supermarkets. There are also tons of cheapo 99 cent stores around and things like that too.

I would also check out Park Slope. It also has tons of good food and bars, a good vibe, and of course, Prospect Park. It’s one of the prettier neighborhoods that I’ve seen in Brooklyn and I suspect that one day I will eventually move there.

Greenpoint is really nice too, but depending upon where in Gp you live, your only subway may be the G train, which blows. If you’re closer to the Williamsburg/Greenpoint border, you can walk down to the Bedford L and catch that. It’s primarily a polish neighborhood, but gets its share of Bedford hipster run-off as well.

I’ve only been out here a year and a half so I’m still learning about these nieghborhoods myself. Brooklyn is great though, I hope you find a good spot in it…