Brooklyn- A Great NY Experience!

I had the pleasure of staying in my daughter’s apartment in Brooklyn for the last few days. It was an experience I’ll treasure. The city is so completely different from my New Hampshire home; I was taken in by everything. She lives in a trendy neighborhood of brownstones called Park Slope. It’s the perfect mix of urban conveniences and residential living. The carbon footprint of the city people is embarrassingly low compared to us country mice. Life exists quite comfortably without a car. Many people have a car, but they only use it for the occasional trip out of the city, and they rely on the subway for commuting. The leaves were falling while I was there- and yes, the side streets are lined with old trees. I noticed immediately that all the parked cars were covered in leaves. It's a visual confirmation of how unimportant cars are to city folks. I was able to find a parking space just around the corner from the apartment, and my car stayed there the entire time. It too, was covered in leaves when I went back to it five days later.

I think city people are healthier than country people. Partly because they walk everywhere, but also because they walk often-- not just once a day, but many times a day for blocks at a time. It’s hard to imagine having all of your daily needs completely within walking distance. In New Hampshire I have to drive 5 miles to do anything: rent a movie, buy groceries, shop for clothes, gifts, visit the library, post office, pharmacy, go to restaurants- you name it, I’m in the car to do it. In the city, all of these amenities are within a few blocks at most, and most are within a block of where you live. The infrastructure is completely centered on pedestrian living, not the automobile. What a novel idea!

Like everything in life, there are drawbacks - like always being in contact with people. Country folks may be intimidated by this and be concerned for their personal security. It’s true, everyone practices safe living, but it’s not obsessive, just common sense. I found the people to be widely different, yet completely comfortable with each other. It’s a study in human cooperation we can all take a lesson from. They’re not the stereotypical cold and unfriendly people of folklore – people who show no interest in strangers and never look you the eye. They respect each other’s space - it’s important to do that in a dense community - but they also have a relaxed and confident manner. It comes from being so immersed in other people all the time.

For example, Halloween was celebrated on Halloween- and at night! In the big city no less! It was amazing to see thousands of little urchins walking down the sidewalks, trick or treating at all the stores and the residences. They even had a Halloween Parade in the evening down Seventh Ave. They did all of the things we’re too affraid to do in New Hampshire. Go figure.

So we ate in some great restaurants and small cafes, visited the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, enjoyed taking the dog for a long runs in Prospect Park, became addicted to the freshly baked apple stuffed croissants just around the corner, watched the NY Marathon, all of these things, without ever getting in a car. But most of all we enjoyed seeing so many people living together in a vibrant, harmonious and stimulating environment- a great NY experience!

Here’s a snippet of our visit in Brooklyn (be sure to select HD & Full Screen) : Our visit to Brooklyn