“Why would bochrim want to learn in Lakewood when they have Brooklyn?”
. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
. It became the “in thing to do” if you want a shidduch
(I personally have been to Lakewood less than 5 times in my life. I know many such people. B”H we are not lacking places to learn torah or people to learn from, neither are our children.)
“Also it does not answer the question of why there are no big yeshivos for bochrim after EY in NYC.”
See above.