I move from Manhattan to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, which is rapidly changing. When I visited five years ago, it was a very different landscape. It may be one of the examples of gentrification in New York, in which people who are being priced out of Manhattan are moving increasingly towards Brooklyn and Queens. I think Brooklyn is still more popular among young professionals, so now the housing prices in Brooklyn are becoming more expensive. The rising rents unfortunately, are forcing people who have lived in those neighborhoods for a long time to leave.
Crown Heights is approximately an hour from Grand Central station, so I have to commute an hour each way. However, it is worth it for extra space, the "tranquility" (a much as a city like New York could be tranquil), and the trees. Manhattan has a lot of ambient stress, and it is very crowded. Every now and then I see videos or articles about ridiculously small apartments, and I do feel a bit nostalgic for the home that I had in upper west side for 3 years--a fifth floor walk up, which was so small that the bed had to be lofted so that I would have my "living room" underneath the bed, the bathroom door didn't open all the way, and the fridge and shower were miniature versions. It was a cozy space that was my own, but at the same time, I am relieved to never have to live there again. If I miss it, maybe I'll rent a pod hotel next time I'm on vacation and reminisce.
We sublet a one bedroom in Crown Heights with a small garden that is unruly and full of colorful little flowers. There is a rose bush in the back that bloomed, so that when I looked out the window, I could see the red roses, yellow daisies, these blue flowers (not sure what they are), and orange lilies. One of the things that I love most about crown heights are the gardens. People in the neighborhood love flowers and color. The yards are not big, but people manage to do something with almost every foot of dirt. There is much more of a community feeling here. It seems that someone takes care of the dirt around the trees on the sidewalk, so that even those areas will be in bloom. There is a "community herb garden", and a "doggy water stop" down the block, where someone always leaves a bucket of water outside for thirsty dogs walking by. The herb garden has a small pair of scissors, so you can help yourself to mint, thyme, and other basic herbs, with express instructions "please do not take entire plant!"
We live close to thee pretty great establishments (though they have just okay reviews on yelp). Abigail's Bakery has three items that I have not seen in any other bakery--snickers cookies, s'mores bars, and tipsy vanilla ice cream (which has bourbon in it). You can get an ice cream sandwich, with any cookie or brownie in the store of your choice, and a scoop of ice cream. The s'mores bars are one of my favorites. Their cakes are just okay.
Catfish is a soul food restaurant, which has a pretty good chicken fried steak, and bloody mary. On another note, I had a "bloody mary kim" at Mokbar, a Korean restaurant, which has kimchi in it, and is actually one of the best cocktails that I have had in a while.
Cafe Rue Dix is a Senegalese restaurant, named after the street that the owner grew up on back in Senegal. Of course, the food is much more expensive than in Senegal, but the quality comes pretty close. I haven't had really good Senegalese food in a long time.
This area also has a lot of Asian Mexican fusion places, and of course, Caribbean food. I tried the Japanese-Mexican place, Domo Taco, the Korean Mexican place, Kimchi Bowl, and the Vietnamese Mexican Place, Bahnmigos. All of them have really good beef burritos. The tacos are good as well. I think perhaps those places helped me transition to actual Mexican food, which I'm starting to like a lot.
Brooklyn easily felt like home to me. Despite the long commute, it was nice to step off the train and feel like I had left the hectic work world behind.
