Helloooooo Brooklyn!

 And also hello from Brooklyn. I landed in queens I guess, but other than being at an airport and on a train I have been in Brooklyn. 

I am at my friends apartment “cat sitting” except the cats are hiding so I have barely seen them. Picked up two piles of cat puke though… and fed them. So I guess I’m doing my job. 

The apartment is in a cute neighborhood that is just adjacent to some more interesting ones… meaning theirs has some higher end restaurants and a Whole Foods, while the streets nearby are filled with all sorts of stores and restaurants. So much so that it is enthralling for hour, somewhat sensory overwhelm but in a magical way that makes you feel alive. My mom said that about New York this morning when I was not feeling very alive at 5 am, that this is a city that is exciting and feels alive all the time. So far I have found that to be true, at least of Brooklyn. 

I got off the train a bit further than my friend recommended so that I could walk around a bit. Walked a mile or two to get to the place, the keys didn’t seem to work so I called her and she said “push.” So far that’s been the only crisis. The other being I bought an Omni card or whatever for the subway then later realized you can just use a normal credit card. 

In my miles of walking in the 90 degree heat and sun (early afternoon) I was literally dripping when I got in. But as soon as I got in, I wanted to leave again. It’s a cute apartment; they have sooo much stuff, and it doesn’t in any way meet the stereotype of being small, but it was the streets that called to me. I walked Atlantic and 4th to get here, I walked part of 3rd, 4th, and 5th just to explore before cutting east. Found myself on smith heading north towards downtown Brooklyn. All of these streets/avenues are commercial and just overflowing with life. Tons of people on the street, block parties, parks full, plus just people hanging out. 

In the downtown area I checked out the outsides of some of the civic and state buildings while strolling through the parks. Little kids playing soccer. Bikers. Skaters. Folks out for a stroll. Tons of couples, tons of families. 

And a raising canes if I can’t find food in the millions of other spots. I’ll admit I went to Whole Foods to get carrots and sunscreen, but even the Whole Foods felt like a market, not the sanitary suburban place on the border of slp. It was crowded and noisy and people were bustling. I didn’t go into any bodegas but did stop at a pharmacy and a smaller grocer later in the day. The bodegas are funny because they look like corner stores, but they have a whole menu of pictures plastered on the windows or walls outside. I saw food from Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Ethiopia, Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Ireland, Poland, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, Japanese, and probably more that I’m forgetting. And half the places seem to sell food from multiple backgrounds, like all the kebab/gyro trucks also had a taco menu and vice versa.  Like it truly is a wonderfully diverse place. People from everywhere speaking all sorts of languages and inviting mike to guess… is that Haitian French or west African French? Is that Mexican Spanish or Cuban Spanish?  

There are chains, I did see a McDonald’s and burger kind, chick fil a, Popeyes, Dave’s hot chicken and canes, but there are many more local small businesses than the chains. It’s like a little out of place almost when you see the dominos or the Starbucks. The target and Dave and busters apparently are near the mall.

Beyond the restaurants there are also food trucks, and vendors with permits and not so much. Everything is on top of one another, not neatly placed, not spaced out. I kind of love that the gym and the call center and the storage locker and the literal warehouse are all next to each other. That may be one of the things that most takes me to other places… in MN, warehouses have their own land… here, you walk by and they are moving pallets, or stacking packages right next door to a commercial business. It reminds me of Latin America that way. 

But like, there was a toy store that had all the toys and action figures out and posed in the store front. Not in packages… but like posed (like how things used to be… you know?)  there were multiple magic stores that I came across, yes book stores and trinkets and all sorts of stuff but multiple magic stores for magicians?!?!? I mean… how amazing. 

It was 90 degrees today and so many people were outside… they still are out on the town. Block after block, in the parks, on the piers, under the bridges. It’s incredible. I walked through a couple of blocks that I was pretty sure were subsidized housing, and people were just out in the parks and courtyards having parties. Along the piers there are places where people grill and picnic. So many families celebrating because it’s summer and it’s Saturday. In mn? Na. We might go to a patio brewery or go on the lake, or maybe go for a bike ride… but here everyone is out. 

And everyone looks good. It’s not the Boston shallow, it’s like people look good, healthy, wear clothes that fit. I dunno. Makes me self conscious as I sweat through my t shirt, and my belly bulges… but I was walking around for at least 5-6 hours. And loved it almost the whole time (had to get some drinks/snacks to keep up the energy). 

Tomorrow I’m hoping to explore prospect park, the Brooklyn museum, get a bagel, maybe go to Williamsburg, or another neighborhood (all these neighborhoods used to be villages/cities in themselves). 

I looked at a map of the area I walked today and it was like 1/8 of Brooklyn… it felt like a lot. 

Wish I had a romantic partner to do this with. 

In terms of cities, I spent a lot of time trying to compare… the closest I’ve gotten is Buenos  Aires… huge, multicultural, lively, vibrant and exciting. A mix of old and new. Parks and buildings and art, good transportation. Great food. 

In vastness, the tall building remind me of São Paulo or Lima, both of which are also very multicultural. I’d say smell wise, maybe some of the cities in India. It’s pretty funky at least once a block, but it just feels like part of it…  I dunno. A little like London, except instead of hustle and bustle dreary, it’s hustle and bustle lively.  But not really other parts of Europe. 

There are hills in Brooklyn, but when I first got in from the airport, it seemed the whole area was totally flat. I think the height of the trains (some of them look down on the neighborhoods) makes it seem more flat than maybe it is.

I also think the visuals really mess with your head distance wise. I feel like I walk a mile and the map shows me an inch. 

Anyway… getting tired (two nights in a row with only 4-5 hours). Hopefully the Chinese food I had for dinner doesn’t make me sick. 

More Brooklyn tomorrow. I think Monday-Wednesday I run around manhattan, museums, parks, maybe see a show, I dunno. Probably Thursday just playing catch up to whatever I didn’t see… perhaps a trip on the water. I am not sure if I want to be out and about at night. I think maybe when I get to know the place a bit better. But also just tired. 

No plans for queens or the Bronx or Staten Island unless I randomly stumble into them… it’s just a lot in 6 days as it is.  And given how long the train takes, and needing to be at the airport two hours early, I think Friday will also be an early morning leaving. 

Ok… I am brain dead. Brooklyns great. At one point I felt really sad that I’ve never been out here before. I could make it a thing to come once every few years easily. 

Adding this on after::: my mom asked for a highlight. I ended with saying this feels like the best of the US. She agreed.