Ocean Hill is Bed-Stuy's less photographed eastern edge, holding the same 19th-century row houses with none of the attention, and D-Block is exactly what the name suggests — a block throwing a party under its own shorthand. Decatur Street closes between Thomas Boyland Street and Saratoga Avenue for the day. If you want the block party tradition without the crowd that follows a listing, streets like this one are where it still lives.
What to expect
A barricaded brownstone block with grills, tables and speakers in the roadbed and neighbors set up on the stoops either side. Everything is resident-organized, so the program is whatever the block decided on. It tends to build through the afternoon and run to the edge of the evening.
Good to know
- The A or C to Ralph Avenue on Fulton Street leaves you a few blocks south
- Free — the permit closes a public street, it does not privatize it
- Bring cash for anything sold off a neighbor's table
- Flat asphalt and step-free once the barricades are placed
- The surrounding Ocean Hill and Bed-Stuy row-house blocks reward a slow walk before or after
- Shade depends on the street trees, so bring water for the middle of the day
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Common questions
What does D-Block mean?
It is the block's own shorthand for itself — the party is named after the street rather than after an organization.
Can visitors come?
The roadway is public and block parties are generally welcoming, though they are put together by and for the people who live there.
Where is Ocean Hill?
It is the eastern edge of Bedford-Stuyvesant, between Broadway and Brownsville, with much of the same brownstone and row-house building stock.
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