Final Thoughts on Brooklyn

My daughter lives in a blended community: about half African-American and about half everything else -- Latino, White, Asian, Mixed. There is a healthy community spirit and people expect to get along. You can see that the area was once blighted. Now it's on its way up. There's a bright future for these good people.

Brooklyn has eighty distinct neighborhoods. That's a lot.

Everyone I met was friendly. And I met and greeted as many people as possible. It kind of goes against New York's reputation, but there it is. Also young. With a lot of children. Another observation which suggests a bright future.

Brooklyn is dirty. Too much. And it's a darn shame, too, because it's improving and has the potential to be a charming place. I will never understand cities with people who dump garbage on the sidewalks. It's sad. Some blocks were fully renovated and clean and gardened. Not enough. One would expect that if property values keep going up the garbage problem will fix itself. I sure hope so.

Brooklyn has really good food of every possible ethnic and gastronomic variety. I didn't know there was such a thing as a Yemeni deli. But there is. Now I know.

I found myself imagining how fun it would be to explore with a bicycle...if the weather was cooler. Fall would be best. Perhaps that will happen someday.