“We got a safe in the trunk with money in a stack With dice in the front and Brooklyn's in the back – No Sleep ‘il Brooklyn”
Brooklyn boy, born and raised
Chopping lines, hey hey
It's my birthday
It's a toy I torch to tarpit flames
A lockjaw night, hey hey
It's my birthday
Let's do a bit of a roundup. Weekend finally here. Brooklyn Boy: my new favorite song. Brooklyn is my home. Someday, maybe it won't be but for now this is the place where i live. This is the place where i was born even. Now, i'm not some typical brooklynite who uses the word YO and cruises around in a 1985 Caddy blasting music from Saturday Night Fever. No, i am much more subtle or delicate in my Brooklyniteisms.
For example, instead of cruising the streets of Brooklyn, i cruise the healthfood and fruit stands. And not in a 1985 Caddy. My cruising is usually done in my Brooks Casadia all terrain running shoes, with ipod. No Saturday Night Fever for this Brooklyn girl.
My Brooklyn neighborhood is very interesting to say the least. I would venture to guess we are 85% russian influenced at this point. Let's just say i hear a lot of russian being spoken. It's cool though. I find it fascinating to listen, hear and observe how the russian people live. They love to party, i will give them that!
My ex-roommate Nataly (i miss her so) is a prime example. She came here from the Ukraine in 1997 a shy and bewildered woman. I had the pleasure of picking her up from the airport. Almost immediately, well after about 8 months she married an american. Yep, this kind of stuff still happens. The marriage was sort of arranged so that Nataly could get her "green" card and become an American citizen. She worked so hard to get this done. She got it done. She divorced American. She is now an American citizen. But, get this. She is now back in the Ukraine with her real husband and love of her life. She simply cannot get her husband here to the states because of lots of legal redtape. It may take up to 10 years! WTF?? Nuff said.
So, Coney Island...gotta love it. The cyclone, the beach, my beloved boardwalk...its all there to behold. GOD, dude you done good! I really don't think there is anything like Coney Island in all of the world. So much history there. The summer is a wonderful time in Coney Island. Even the famous Nathan's holds a special place in my heart. Not because i miss the hotdogs i ate as a kid, but because its just another one of GOD dude's amazing creations.
I have many memories of Coney Island, but the one's that stick out the most in my mind was my family outings to the rides and then the beach. My mom ROCKed the planning of these days. She brought with her everything under the kitchen sink. Food, blankets, toys, sunscreen, hats, pales and shovels...all of it. The only thing i did not like was that my mom seemed to favor these strange looking kerchifs that she put on both myself and my sister. Whenever i watch my old homemovies i cringe.
So, now i am a grownup. I no longer eat Nathan's hotdogs or wear odd looking kerchifs on my head. I do, on the other hand like to walk on the boardwalk and take in all of GOD dude's creations. The best to me is breathing in the salty ocean air. It always seems so fresh and delicate at the same time. I also love to walk along the beach and observe the people. Want to know something? As i walk, i can see in my minds eye, my family sitting there. I can see the little red pale and shovel i used to play with. I can see my mom fixing my sisters kerchif tucking her long hair underneath it. I see it all really!
I have been given a gift. It's the gift of rememberence. Its the gift of looking back and seeing and then looking forward and seeing even more. The history here is so amazing. So, yes i am a Brooklyn girl and proud of it. Sometimes, its the worst place to be, but mostly its the best!
Round up:
This week went fast for me...
Lots of stuff happening, i feel myself spinning to fast. I want things to slow down a little. I need it to slow down. Think i will go put my ipod on and chill for a bit!
If you want to make Brooklyn in words or film or paint, you must see the way the sun defines the silent streets on an early Sunday morning, sculpting trees, buildings, fire hydrants, stray dogs, and wandering people with an almost perfect clarity.
-- Pete Hamill
Posts
