I’ve been here in Brooklyn, New Yok, a short while now and
it’s blown me away in terms of the number of impressions it has made on me. The
initial one is quite simply the size: it’s a HUGE city! I always knew it would
be big; American style XXXL and all that. But it’s only when you get here and
start to navigate your way around the city, that you realise how quickly
exhaustive it can all become, as you apply your London or other ‘big city
logic’ to New York. It doesn’t quite work on the same level. I’ll let you know
how that develops though, as it may just be the initial settling in period for
me.
So anyway, yes, it’s a big place, but what else? Well the
neighbourhood I’m living in; Crown Heights, has this intense population make-up
of Jews and Afro-Caribbean’s. it’s such a contrast of behaviours I’m seeing
between the two, as they live harmoniously, side by side. And the other
neighbourhoods too - like in many cities, I suppose - change very quickly and
are similarly made up of distinct ethnic groups. But here in NYC it feels far more
striking. When I visited Brighton Beach, for instance, it was an area full of
Russians and Ukrainians. To the point where Eastern European was the prominent,
if not only cuisine available. They were the only languages I could hear
(occasionally punctuated by English) and the signs were bilingual – in Russian
and English. It was quite an extraordinary sight and feeling to witness, as I
imagined them arriving into the area and then expanding to occupy it over time.
Well, at least I’ve found my haven for dumplings, sautéed cabbage and potatoes,
should I crave it!
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My closest subway station that connects me to Manhattan and
beyond: Franklin Avenue
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The area where I live is highly gentrified – you have the
usual array of bars, cafes and restaurants and even museums and a botanical
garden nearby
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On the whole, and despite the size of the city, I’d say it’s
definitely a friendly city. I’m used to averting my eyes from people as I
revert back to my ‘London ways’, however I’m always pleasantly surprised when
someone greets me with a ‘good morning’ or a simple ‘hello’. And to be greeted
is refreshing. A simple sign of humanity. But naturally where a city is
friendly, it also has its brutally rude moments. I’ve known someone to quite
literally be *shoved* out of the way at a subway station, as their ticket
didn’t swipe through the first time round. I’m always surprised when I hear
stories like this. It makes me reflect on what happens to a person to take this
course of action; to feel this sense of entitlement over and above another
human being. How and when did it start? Was it a one-off moment of impatience
or are they always like this? My fascination with human behaviour! But overall,
I would say it’s a friendly place, where people will smile and try to help you
find your way 😊 I know I’ve been helped plenty!
And did I tell you that New York is an artist’s paradise?!
My soul has been thoroughly cleansed and revived here, for there’s art and culture
happening on each and every corner!
And that’s one of the absolute *joys* of living here: there are pop-up
galleries, one-off shows and performances – stuff that you happily and
spontaneously walk past and pleasantly discover. Because that’s the only way to
do it. Otherwise, you’d spend your life looking up every art and cultural
event, and that’s time that no one has! And you’d never find it all anyway. For
there’s always a new mural going up, an exhibition coming down, a musician
setting up somewhere, a performance art piece taking place in this actual
moment… So, the simple and best way is just to soak it all up and enjoy it – a
very mindful approach to life, art and culture itself…
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Brooklyn Museum – 5 floors of amazingness! It’s free on
Thursday evenings, so no prizes for guessing where I am on a Thursday night!
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New street art, I recently discovered – like I say, there’s
art on every corner!
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So those are my initial impressions, but there are many
others that I’ve been jotting down, so do come back for Part II of this blog later
this week! Until then 😊
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The local streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn
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The traditional sign of America, seen in all those American
movies, (as well as in Guatemala!) - the yellow school bus
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