Things Remembered: Brooklyn

Under the guise of "Things Remembered," I will be curating various perspectives of different places, ideas, and concepts through people whom have lived and experienced them firsthand; be that person myself or someone else.

This first segment is a concise and to the point exposé of Brooklyn via social advocate and artist, Michael Stewart; he also happens to be my cousin.  Michael was born and raised in Washington, D.C. but lived, worked, and studied post-graduately New York City.

I interviewed Mike on just some general interest situations on what his urban experience has been like moving between the American Northeast, South, and Mid-Atlantic.  Here's what he had to say:


Me: What do you think of Brooklyn holistically?

Mike: It's a cool place to visit.


Me: You were raised in Washington, DC.  You attended university in Greensboro, NC.  You attended graduate school and worked a few years in and around the Brooklyn and New York City area.  How was your experience living there different from the other cities that you have also resided in?

Mike: Living in DC is natural for me.  Greensboro was hard for me to adjust to because it wasn't much I could identify with coming from a more aggressive urban culture.  Greensboro had a slower pace which gave me some peace and comfort.  I never thought about living in New York until I experienced the fast pace of the city [when I came for school].

Me: Even coming from DC, NY was a definite lifestyle adjustment for you.


Me: What was your favorite part of the Brooklyn?  Why?

Mike: I like Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hills.  I like the block layouts, restaurants, culture and entertainment, etc.  For me, each neighborhood has its own culture.  I like how Bed-Stuy has/had a strong African-American presence.  It reminds/reminded me of DC.


Me: Last question; would you move back to Brooklyn?

Mike: Only for the right job and salary.

Lunch in '67 Burger

Fort Greene street scene

Neighborhood essentials

Check out this short video shot and edited by yours truly while Mike was in town for a quick weekend:

Things Remembered pt 1 Brooklyn from Keilon L. on Vimeo.

Urban Exploration Day: Lower Manhattan to Staten

The day started with a trip to the National 9/11 Museum to see how the city and country has "respectfully" memorialized those who were lost during the tragic events on September 11, 2001. This was a free day sponsored by Conde Nast.  However, as in the spirit of all things free in New York City, it was first come, first served.  Upon arrival, Amanda and I were greeted to the news that the free tickets for admission were all spent and then that purchase tickets were sold out through Saturday; this was a Wednesday (typical in NYC for all things new and shiny).  After a few choice photo ops, we figured that  we'd try our luck at some other cultural explorations.

After a twisting and winding walk through the Financial District, we stopped to take in the site of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House.  Housed inside of this National Historic structure is also the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of the American Indian (why they're called Indians is still bewildering to me and will be apart of a later rant). I personally did not enjoy much about this museum nor its location.  This is not to take a jab at the Native American culture; however, to me, the museum felt to be in very poor taste from the exhibits, to the historical location, and to a number of architectural details of the building.  I personally did not enjoy the visit, but check out my high/low-lights:

Beautiful symmetry in the main hall

Amanda taking it all in

Peering around corners

I didn't care for...

The exhibition's language..."beasts that talk"

Architectural details

Asia is contemplative...America is alert...Europe is majestic...Africa is asleep.

Moving along though...to mid-afternoon...

Still in lower Manhattan, and finding that we still had an entire day of beautiful weather ahead of us, I decided that we should really be tourists and hop on the Staten Island Ferry.  The ferry service runs 24 hours and day and is completely free.  It's a hit with tourists for that reason and because it offers some truly unparalleled views of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City and the New York Harbour in general.  The trip is about 15 to 20 minutes and is a perfect way to beat the heat--the breeze is nice and so are the libations that are available for the after work crowd or just the casual day drinkers parched from waiting every half hour to board.

Check out a few shots from aboard the John F. Kennedy ferry:

New York vs. New Jersey (so close but yet so far)

Amanda enjoying the breeze

Lower Manhattan

The obligatory tourist shot (first time seeing the front of the Statue of Liberty)

Upon arriving on Staten Island, we were faced with the question of, "what do we do now?"  In our typical urban exploration we hit the pavement to take in the sights, sounds, and diverse terrains of the borough.  Visually Staten Island looks like a conglomeration of working class neighborhoods with differing levels of diversity and affluence.  It does not have that central downtown area that you find in Brooklyn and Manhattan or even Flushing, Queens to a certain extent.  The terrain is harsh and unforgiving, with very steep hills not fit for biking up (I learned that the hard way later) and hills not safe for riding down without adequate braking mechanisms dotting the interior of the landscape.  Despite the density as is the case in all boroughs of New York City, Staten Island offers a much more "suburbanized" lifestyle, especially on the far side of the island than any other borough.

After a stop in a Stapleton neighborhood public park we decided to venture to the other side of the island via the (mostly) free Staten Island Railroad, a subway styled partially elevated heavy rail line that cuts clear across the island from one waterfront to the other at Totenville station.

Less crowded streets in Staten

Catching a breather in the park

 

Skies over Stapleton

Pause to change trains...

Upon arrival at our final destination...

Totenville Station

We met the sunset over New Jersey

Had to do it for the 'gram

Something like picture perfect

Sailing seashells by the seashore...

As the sun made it's departure, so did we...a day well done.  Until next time...Adieu!

Urban Learning Day

I've been an official Brooklyn resident for just over 6 months now and I'm slowly but surely finally getting a chance to explore my city or more politically correct--borough.  I have to admit that for the first few months of my relocation The City (the landmass that is Manhattan Island; you know, the SoHos, the Times Squares, the Central Parks, etc.) was more so my life than the place that I laid my head every night.  I knew more about SoHo, the neighborhood in Manhattan where I work, than Crown Heights, here, in Brooklyn where I reside--that concerned me.

If you're looking at New York City as a whole entity, frankly, it's quite hard.  New York City is a vast conglomeration of 5 separate cities, officially known as boroughs--Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx.  For the most part, each of these boroughs alone would be one of the largest cities in America.  Despite their separate identities they all come together under one flag that is New York City and they are a damn proud people.  Nevertheless; where does one start in the process of becoming a "local?"

The answer to that question finds me in Prospect Heights taking a leisurely stroll through Grand Army Plaza to the Brooklyn Public Library on a Monday afternoon.  A library card is the skeleton key to a corridor of endless entryways (too dramatic?).  In all seriousness, your local and/or in this case regional library is a great resource for a transplant (incoming resident from another city) to begin to learn what their community has to offer.  Here at the Brooklyn Public Library, one can find community calendars, learn new languages, take creative writing classes, join a book discussion club, apply for a passport, take classes to learn valuable job readiness skills, relax in the café and make a new friend over  a warm drink (perfect central meet-up spot for the cold winter months), use the internet, or even read a book, maybe?

At the end of the day, when moving to a new community there's a plethora of new things to learn and explore and your local public library has a wealth of information and services to get you well on your way.  Happy exploration...

- Esoteric

"Here are enshrined the longing of great hearts and noble things that tower above the tide, the magic word that winged wonder starts, the garnered wisdom that never dies." (Roscoe C. Brown)

Selected Shots:

Fin.

Life on the Rocks: Urban Exploration Day

Above the tide,

Yet weathered from erosion;

Beyond the waves,

But a slave to the surf.

Ones environment dictates much about their life and its inevitable experiences.  Human geography is a broadly vast experiment.  With that being said, I personally seek to suit up in my lab coat, glasses and gloves and blow shit up as often as possible.

Today's experiment took us into the field known as the Wiliamsburg neighborhood, with a quick romp into adjoining Greenpoint.  Often known as "Hipsterville," be it affectionately or otherwise, this section of northern Brooklyn offers a large array of diverse dining and shopping experiences as well parks and natural scenic grace (as natural as can be in a heavily built environment such as New York City) .  As diverse and the commercial real estate is also the housing offered in the area.  There's everything from high rise condominiums to walk-up apartments and, characteristic of Brooklyn, gorgeous brownstones.  With such a wealth of contrasts, it is quite amazing how well these neighborhoods operate in harmony; even with all the damn tourists.

- Keilon

“In wisdom gathered over time i have found that every experience is a form of exploration”

  -Ansel Adams

“...and i plan to experience a lot by the end of my time.”

-Amanda

with that being said, we ventured into a little place known as “hipsterville”, pardon, williamsburg is what this area is called. it’s a journey to get to depending on where you call home in new york city. we took three trains to get there; borough hopping from brooklyn to manhattan back to brooklyn. but once we got there and saw that the sun was still out i was happy i made the trip. it's a nice little area that reminds me of neighborhoods from home (Chicago). our reason for making this trek was to explore the Brooklyn Flea's winter market-Smorgasburg.

brooklyn flea is a very large market where one can procure vintage, modern, new, used and modified items as well as fill your belly with delicious grub. we decided to have a breakfast classic; a chocolate doughnut from Dough Brooklyn. and it was amazing! (had two actually) and browsed lots of sparkly jewelry and cool rustic home decor.

after the flea market we explored more of the area walking leisurely even though it was windy and chilly making sure to take everything in. getting brunch at Mable’s Smokehouse & Banquet Hall and traveling to the greenpoint waterfront to see the east river at sunset. overall this exploration experience was nice. williamsburg, we may be back soon…

-Amanda

Selected shots of the day:

From Brooklyn...

...to Manhattan

Public Transit in NYC can be a daunting and incoherent excursion.  Why must you travel from Brooklyn just to make it back to Brooklyn via grumbling train ride through lower Manhattan?

Street art and murals have come to define much of this portion of Brooklyn

Amanda surveys the scene on 5th & Berry

The scene in front of the Brooklyn Flea's Smorgasburg

....from clothing...

...to trinkets...

...and, of course, food!

There's a little bit a lot of everything to see and eat at these Brooklyn Flea sponsored events.  Be sure to visit www.brooklynflea.com for information and schedules on their various markets throughout the year.

Street Scenes:

thoughts on the wall

There's no shortage of street art in Williamsburg.  One can argue that at times, there's a bit of visual overstimulation but how can you not love art?  And by love art, how can you not appreciate the process of seeing and loving or seeing and loathing; be utterly intrigued or utterly disgusted; whatever your reaction may be you felt something and that's the central theme to revisit in life.  If this post leaves you with nothing else, take away  the desire to Feel Something.

photo-op time...
                                     The eyes are always watching
almost as effective as the yellow lines
                                                                             Chilly
Vivid
                                                      the pursuit of "Epic"

trying to find "that shot"
                                                             Behind the wallStreet art

Greenpoint Waterfront:

After the endless bombardment of industrial fortresses that crowd the Williamsburg portion of the East River it's nice to break into the somewhat more serene setting of the Greenpoint waterfront at WNYC Transmitter Park between Kent Street and Greenpoint Avenue.Taking it all in...

Nearing sunset......Manhattan across the East River

Amanda near sunset......Keilon's silhouette

testing lowtide...

...relinquishing camera duties

shutterbug......Greenpoint Avenue

Fin.