Somehow I ended up in Brooklyn. I spent the weeks prior to coming to NYC wondering where I'd live and somehow this is where I ended up. I live in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. It's a nice neighborhood. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's a mix of Arab, Italian, and with some Asian and Hispanic people. Overall it seems predominately Italian. I see plenty of the caricature "tough guys" we get exposed to on a daily basis on TV and they have names like Sal, Vinny, etc.
This is old world New York. Not your Sex and the City chic NYC with fashionably hip people eating brunch with their circle of friends. No, this is real deal Old World New York. A part of the city that hasn't aged. There are plenty of archaisms here. It reminds me of my days in 7 mile Detroit with the old style heaters (valve included, as is the hissing that won't let me sleep), solid old school bath tubs, exposed wiring, hardwood floors, and solid walls caked with 10 layers of paint.
It blows my mind it's still like this here, even in Manhattan. You won't find a fan in the bathroom, central air, in wall phone jacks, LAN, etc. It has a strange old world charm to a place many think (and may even consider) the height of modern civilization. This is as European as the US will ever get and I love every minute of it.
The shops are plenty old school as well. I had to look hard for a REAL supermarket, otherwise, everything is sold in specialty shops such as, meat shops (minus fish, that's for another store), bakeries, fruit stands, discount shops for your cleaning supplies, and so on and so on.
One of my friends from Manhattan likes to call this place "guido central". I'm not sure if that's being unfair or if it's a stereotypical. I looked it up on wikitionary.com and this is what they had to say:
Guido
1. A male given name of Italian origin. English equivalent: Guy
2. (slang, pejorative) a young, lower class or working class Italian-American or Italian-Canadian male from an urban environment. Carries the connotation of a person who is humorously uncultured and has a thuggish and overtly macho attitude and an unyielding pride in his Italian ancestry. Common in Northeast areas such as Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, South Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Boston.
ummmm . . . yeah, we have some of those here for sure . . .
I went out drinking on Saturday with my pint sized Ecuadorian roommate and everywhere we went there were the tough guys with the open shirts, the thick Brooklyn accent (hey, your bustin' my bawls), nearly the same haircut and clothing style for everyone out here, it's like they're handing out uniforms. I feel like I'm in a foreign country. I couldn't really get comfortable out here on my first night. Oh, and I saw a fist fight, probably my second one since I came out here. Not worried though, seems to be only between drunk Italians near the bars. Crime rate here is low otherwise.
My sudden introverted tendencies kind of drove my roommate nuts as he wanted to get out, get fucked up, and get a taste of the local culture (he used to live in a shitty section of Brooklyn prior to moving out to Bay Ridge). Oh well, I suppose next time I'll try harder to "blend" (I wish I could pull up that Marisa Tomei quote from My Cousin Vinny).
I went for a walk today. Probably walked about 20 blocks. I took a deep breath, got a coffee, and realized, "I'm here. I'm not in Michigan. WOW." Finally for some reason, it set in today. I'm happy with this setup so far. I probably have the biggest bedroom I've ever had in an apartment, I have a nice sized living room, a kitchen space (enough to fit a small table there). I don't have to have a car to get around, I have all the necessities within walking distance. I can take a train to Manhattan to hang out with some friends (new and old) if I need a change of scenery. Best part, there's work here . . . OK, not the best work , but I can make a living here until I find the "dream job" I've always wanted.
More Pictures:
-My Kitchen (note to self: I should invest in a smoke alarm and an extinguisher)
Brooklyn pictures are sorely lacking. I need to kick it up and take a few more. I guess I didn't want to look like a tourist my first few weeks here. I might edit this post and throw some in later on.
-First paycheck: box spring and frame
Sorry for the mess, I have a bit of a bout of insomnia so I decided to write this post. I managed to get a nice comforter and sheet set due to being close to some major discount retailer here in Brooklyn. Otherwise, I definitely need more furnishings in my room. Also, I haven't had internet for while and I'm "leeching" this from the neighbors, perhaps I'll post more once I get it sorted out (soon, I hope).
"If it ain't rough it ain't right."
- Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons guard
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