New York City - Brooklyn for pre Christmas time visit

Wife and I are visiting New York Dec 17-22 this year for first time. With Manhattan hotels being out of budget, we have almost settled on Brooklyn Aloft as I can book with available SPG points. It also seems to be close to a subway station for easy access to Manhattan. Our other option for the same points is the Long Island city 4points. After reading reviews, we came to the conclusion the Four Points being in more of a residential neighborhood would force us to go somewhere on transit rather than being able to just walk out and explore. We def want to see the things most people want to see at Christmas, but we also really like the mom and pop places and getting off the beaten path. If it's safe!?!

I know it would be ideal to stay in Manhattan, especially our first time and the fact we will certainly be spending quite a bit of time there, but it's probably not going to happen. We are mostly concerned with safety of the neighborhood and getting a big city feel. Brooklyn seems like a good compromise of being in a city of it's own and being able to get on a subway and get to Manhattan.

Would anyone agree or disagree with this or have anything to add, please do. We tried to do as much research as possible, but sometimes things appear a little different on paper ( or the Internet in this case)...

Aloft is better location and more accessible in my opinion.
I have not stayed there and it can get loud at night due to nightlife in the building.

Please search this forum for Aloft. I know I drove by the building for another post sometime within the past year.

Wife and I are visiting New York Dec 17-22 this year for first time. With Manhattan hotels being out of budget, we have almost settled on Brooklyn Aloft as I can book with available SPG points. It also seems to be close to a subway station for easy access to Manhattan. Our other option for the same points is the Long Island city 4points. After reading reviews, we came to the conclusion the Four Points being in more of a residential neighborhood would force us to go somewhere on transit rather than being able to just walk out and explore. We def want to see the things most people want to see at Christmas, but we also really like the mom and pop places and getting off the beaten path. If it's safe!?!

I know it would be ideal to stay in Manhattan, especially our first time and the fact we will certainly be spending quite a bit of time there, but it's probably not going to happen. We are mostly concerned with safety of the neighborhood and getting a big city feel. Brooklyn seems like a good compromise of being in a city of it's own and being able to get on a subway and get to Manhattan.

Would anyone agree or disagree with this or have anything to add, please do. We tried to do as much research as possible, but sometimes things appear a little different on paper ( or the Internet in this case)...

I used to live in Boerum Hill, the neighborhood adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn, where the Aloft is located. The hotel and attached Sheraton are right downtown. Brooklyn is big and would be the fourth largest city in America if it was it's own city. You're just across the bridge from Manhattan so it's not like you have the far to go. I've walked from my old house across the bridge to lower manhattan.

The Fulton Street mall is going through a resurgence. The are is mostly office workers and Fulton Street shoppers during the day. Three sides of Downtown Brooklyn is bordered on three sides by residential neighborhoods, Fort Greene (East), Boerum Hill (South) and Brooklyn Hts. (West) with nice restaurants and unbeatable architecture. The brownstones in Fort Greene are amazing. Boerum Hill has a nice restaurant collection on Jay St/Smith St. and Brooklyn Hts has the Montague St and the Promenade.

The Aloft/Sheraton are a 3 minute walk to the Hoyt Street subway station (Manhattan bound only). When returning from Manhattan, the entrance/exit is across the street and one block west. If you walk out the front door of the hotel and to the corner you can enter the manhattan bound 2/3 train which will take you to lower Manhattan and the Westside via the tunnel. There are two other stations within a five minute walk of the hotel, DeKalb Ave and Borough Hall. DeKalb Ave, trains take you over the Manhattan bridge and into center Manhattan. Borough Hall, the 4/5 train take you to lower Manhattan and the Eastside; 2/3 trains to lower Manhattan and the Westside and the R train to lower Manhattan and Central Manhattan.

Aloft is better location and more accessible in my opinion.
I have not stayed there and it can get loud at night due to nightlife in the building.

That doesn't make sense as written. If you haven't stayed there, how would you know this or are you taking someone elses word.

Thank you for the detailed reply, kennected. And I never thought of searching just this forum, it had a lot of the same questions answered. I had looked at the SPG forum sticky, but it was more directed toward the property itself and what benefits the platinum members did or didn't get ;)
I am starting to feel pretty good about staying here.

@Kennected - I have not stayed as a guest but Aloft has nightlife (club or lounge/bar) in the building which generates some activity in the lobby and the street in front of hotel. I can't tell you if in a room away from the street you will hear any of this (or street side) but there is non-hotel guest attracted to the hotel for nightlife.

I've never stayed at Ink 48 either but know the lobby has a ton of activity & noise due to the rooftop bar.