Brooklyn bar owner Patrick Watson has love for Carroll Gardens, doesn't miss roommates stealing his booze

In the ever-competitive world of New York bars and restaurants, eight years in business is practically an eternity. So by those standards, The JakeWalk—an eight-year-old, speakeasy-style Carroll Gardens watering hole named after an unsavory piece of Prohibition-era slang—could rightly be considered a neighborhood lifer at this point.

For this round of Due Diligence, we caught up with owner and founder Patrick Watson on the changing scene on Smith Street, the drawbacks of being a wine-lover with roommates, and more:

1.  What neighborhood do you live in?

Carroll Gardens. [I] moved to the neighborhood in 1996.

2. Is this your dream neighborhood or is there someplace else in NYC you’d prefer to settle in?

Definitely my dream neighborhood. Regardless of how much it has changed, it is still my favorite place on earth (outside of San Sebastian of course).

3. Do you own or rent?

Rent.

4. How’d you find it?

You know, a friend of a friend who knew that guy whose brother owns it?

5. What’s the one thing you love the most about it?

The people. Hands down.

6. If there’s one thing you could change about your apartment, what would it be?

The addition of a hot tub.

7. In three words, describe the first apartment you've ever lived in.

Small, quaint, cozy (but mine)!

8. Do you dream of old New York or prefer the 2015 version?

Tough question, really. It is because of old New York that it is the way it is currently. The history and culture of old New York are magnificent. 

9. Tell us about the favorite apartment you’ve ever had.

This one. Its spacious, beautiful, the kids can run around freely and it has an awesome kitchen to cook in.

10. And the worst?

I guess that would be the one where I had more roommates than I could count back in my younger days on the Upper Haight  district of San Francisco. Too many people drinking my wine.

11. Name one NYC service you couldn’t live without.

Con Ed, sadly. Otherwise the Friends of the Hudson River Park. They rule!

12. What's your favorite spot in the city?

Home.

13. Which would you rather: Brooklyn brownstone or a penthouse in a shiny, new condo?

Brownstone. One with a fantastic stoop.

14. If you could live elsewhere, where would it be?

San Sebastian, Spain.

15. Any advice for a recent New York transplant?

Grab the city and run with it. All of it!