33

Lower East Side

LES intro

 

After the highs of the last few neighbourhoods, I came down with a thud this week.

Zero energy and worse, zip curiosity – all my life I’ve been curious and keen to turn a corner, but suddenly I felt like all I wanted to see were the insides of my eyeballs.

Not surprising – we’ve been travelling for nine months without a break – but not helpful either.

So I decided to compromise. I’d take it easy and explore somewhere close.

We’re staying in an apartment in the West Village so close could mean a number of places. Definitely not the West Village though – it’s still charming but just not very interesting – but the Lower East Side, that could work. Manhattan may have lost its edge but as someone we met said, “Yeah, but we still got the Lower East Side”.

‘Suburb’ No 33 decided.

Some facts… The Lower East Side (LES) – which is the bit south of East Houston and north of East Broadway and Canal Street – is important historically because it was the first home immigrants knew, beginning with the Irish, Germans and East European Jews in the 1840s, to the Italians in the 1890s and then the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans in the 1940-50s. The latest waves have been the Chinese from 1965 and the hipsters more recently.

Let’s amble. Slowly if that’s alright with you.

 

Part 1: From the past to the present

As I mentioned, the LES is getting more hipsterish by the day. But was there more to it than just the cool cafes, boutiques and art galleries? Was there still a ‘neighbourhood’?

In the 1840s there definitely was a neighbourhood. But it was one that was filled with thousands of people per square mile, all desperately trying to pursue the ‘American Dream’ while crammed into dark, noisy, dirty tenement buildings without electricity, water or loos…

 

 

now there's AC but back then there wasn't even any electricity - or water or loos - in the tenements

now there’s AC but back then there wasn’t even any electricity – or water or loos – in the tenements

 

 

 

 

Ridley's was a big department store in the petticoat era

Ridley’s was a big department store in the petticoat era

 

 

 

 

Despite the bad conditions, Eastern European Jews in particular thrived in the LES. They lived in the tenements and set up shop down below, stitching and silversmithing their way to a better life. And in 1886 they put their stamp on the place forever by building a magnificent shul, the Eldridge Street Synagogue.

 

 

same vintage - the synagogue and the pushcarts

same vintage – the synagogue and the pushcarts

 

 

 

 

You’re seeing the Eldridge Street Synagogue at its best, at the end of a 20 year restoration. When I first laid eyes on it, I imagined how thrilled the local Jewish community must be, to have it as their shul. But when I visited it on Saturday, their day of prayer, I was stunned at how few were there – orthodox Jews still live on the LES but there are relatively few compared to 100 years ago.

 

 

Eldridge Street Synagogue, restored to its 1887 glory

Eldridge Street Synagogue, restored to its 1887 glory

 

 

 

 

Joseph, one of just a handful attending the synagogue

Joseph, one of just a handful attending the synagogue

 

 

 

 

John Safran's cousin?

John Safran’s cousin?

 

 

 

 

Part 2: Jewish life on the LES

Having discovered the Eldridge Street Synagogue I was keen to explore the rest of the Jewish LES. So I headed to Orchard Street, knowing that this was where many of the Eastern European Jewish immigrants had worked 14 hour days to buy small shops and establish the area as a bargain mecca.

Well, that was then and this was now – there’s hardly any more Jewish shops left on Orchard Street. I read later that as late as the 1960s, the eight blocks on Orchard Street between East Houston and Divsion Street were filled with Jewish owned shops, selling everything from fabrics to luggage.

Thankfully though the neighbourhood still has Samuel Gluck, owner of Global International Mens Clothiers. Business may not be brisk but Sam isn’t going down without a fight – in the short time we were there he corralled two guys who just happened to be walking by to slip on a jacket or two. This is a man who hustles while he waits.

 

 

one of the last - No 62 Orchard has been here almost 60 years

one of the last – No 62 Orchard has been here almost 60 years

 

 

 

 

Sam’s father arrived in NY in 1945 from Romania with nothing but managed to start up the business and thrive – so far it’s been going for almost 60 years. But the last decade especially has seen massive change in the area.

Given the changing population of the LES – from Orthodox Jews to hipsters and the Chinese – Sam is doing what he can to adapt.

 

 

'Now I tuck my curls behind my ears to blend in more'

‘I tuck my curls behind my ears to blend in more’

 

 

 

 

Hey Sam, I need a new suit for tonight, can you organise it?

Hey Sam, I need a new suit for tonight, can you organise it?

 

 

 

 

Leaving Sam to scout the street for more potential customers, I continued my search for other remnants of the Jewish LES. Not surprisingly, it’s the Jewish food businesses that are far from struggling – the Jewish like their nosh.

 

 

there were no sons

there were no sons

 

 

 

 

sacrosanct in Jewish life - bagels and the Torah

sacrosanct in Jewish life – bagels and the Torah

 

 

 

 

Still, they now have to compete with all the Chinese offerings.

 

 

knishes or noodles - take your pick

knishes or noodles?

 

 

 

 

But not with the ‘Cup & Saucer Luncheonette’ on Eldridge Street. This place is all but washed up.

 

 

the Cup & Saucer Luncheonette is all but washed up

the Cup & Saucer Luncheonette is all but washed up

 

 

 

 

Part 3: The Buddhists of the LES

I read that the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are the latest immigrants to arrive in the LES. But I think maybe they must be in the East Village rather than the LES because I didn’t really notice them so much. To me the LES is really about the Jewish and the Chinese.

While most Chinese of course hang around in neighbouring Chinatown, they’ve also in recent years strayed into the LES. Eldridge Street, for example, where the Cup & Saucer Luncheonette is still hanging on for dear life, is now very Chinese – there’s a Buddhist ‘temple’ just one door down from the Eldridge Street Synagogue.

I only discovered this by stumbling on it after I’d left the synagogue that Saturday morning. From one lot of faithful to another, albeit a very different one.

 

 

the far East vs Eastern Europe - the Buddhist temple and the synagogue

the far East vs Eastern Europe – the Buddhist temple and the synagogue

 

 

 

 

the Buddhist abbot

the Buddhist abbot

 

 

 

 

honouring their ancestors

honouring their ancestors

 

 

 

 

men in robes

men in robes

 

 

 

 

I obviously tried the Abbot’s patience because a moment after I took the shot above he turned on his heel and went inside to get another Buddhist monk to come out and ‘heavy’ me. Very surreal, being eyeballed by a black African Buddhist who wasn’t having any of my backchat. He was right, I had stayed long enough, but still, it seemed so un-Buddhist.

 

 

swish

swish

 

 

 

 

Part 4: The Chinese

I find the mix of Jewish and Chinese in the LES particularly interesting – while they seem so different, they’ve both successfully transplanted their rich cultural practices all over the world.

 

 

the different faces of the LES - Jewish, Chinese, American

the different faces of the LES – Jewish, Chinese, American

 

 

 

 

foreign neighbours

foreign neighbours

 

 

 

 

Walking along Division Street, I noticed a woman burning a whole load of papers near a stool piled high with dumplings and incense. She was performing a ceremony to pay her respects to someone who died. It was right outside a shop where they were making those 3D paper models that we’d seen in Hong Kong that would later be burnt to ensure a good afterlife.

It didn’t matter that she wasn’t somewhere tranquil or grander than a street somewhere in NYC. This was her culture and she’d practice it wherever.

 

 

smoke and fire on the Lower East Side - paying respects

smoke and fire on the Lower East Side – paying respects

 

 

 

 

It was the same as the Jews – they’d transplanted their culture all the way from Eastern Europe to an entirely foreign land and made it work.

 

 

 

both involve fire and prayer

both involve fire and prayer

 

 

 

 

doorways into different worlds

doorways into different worlds

 

 

 

 

Part 5: The latest wave to arrive on the LES – the hipsters

Okay, they’re not exactly immigrants but they do have their own culture. Fortunately for older neighbourhoods like the LES it usually involves recycling vintage spaces into cafes and galleries rather than knocking them down altogether.

Unfortunately though, for the Chinese, the hipsters seem to be inadvertently pushing some of them out by pushing the rents up – I read about a building on Delancey where the long-term Chinese residents hated the hipsters for paying the higher rents and thereby endangering their affordable ones. 

 

 

the latest wave to hit the LES after the Chinese - the hipsters :: 1

the latest wave to hit the LES after the Chinese – the hipsters :: 1

 

 

 

 

the latest wave to hit the LES after the Chinese - the hipsters :: 2

the latest wave to hit the LES after the Chinese – the hipsters :: 2

 

 

 

 

recycled shirt shop - now a gallery

recycled shirt shop – now a gallery

 

 

 

 

Part 6: A little on the wild side

Starting with this one – note the gentleman on the left, a new cross-breed – the Chinese hipster.

 

 

Lower East wild Side - the dragon and the leopard

Lower East wild Side – the dragon and the leopard

 

 

 

 

Then there’s Shaggy, a curious canine we met on Clinton Street.

 

 

not only does Shaggy wear shoes

not only does Shaggy wear shoes

 

 

 

 

he also has a cap

he also has a cap

 

 

 

 

I'm guessing Shaggy doesn't eat dog food either

I’m guessing Shaggy doesn’t eat dog food either

 

 

 

 

And finally, two lions.

 

raaa! Shadow, you don't scare me

raaa! Shadow, you don’t scare me

 

 

 

 

Part 7: So is there a neighbourhood in the neighbourhood?

Probably not compared to the closely-knit, highly inter-dependent ones that have inhabited the LES over the last 200 years. But relative to other areas, I think so. I saw signs of it on benches that shop owners put out for the Puerto Rican oldies to pass their time on. On shared steps where people waited for their laundry.

 

 

a hat wearer from way back - Carlos

a hat wearer from way back – Carlos

 

 

 

 

proudly Puerto Rican - Carlos, chewing the fat with Luis

proudly Puerto Rican – Carlos, chewing the fat with Luis

 

 

 

 

waiting for laundry on Broome - Davi and Kumi

waiting for laundry on Broome – Davi and Kumi

 

 

 

 

And in the way the various groups work hard to keep their cultures alive, from the Jews and Chinese to the South Americans.

 

 

keeping different heritages alive

keeping different heritages alive

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Jewish tradition, I learned two new things this week – even if only your mother’s mother’s mother was Jewish, you’re Jewish, and that right now, Jews are celebrating their new year – L’shana Tova!

 

 

'even if only your mother's mother's mother was Jewish, you're Jewish'

‘even if only your mother’s mother’s mother was Jewish, you’re Jewish’

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year - may it be a sweet one

Happy New Year – may it be a sweet one

 

 

 

 

The Wrap

Despite my lack of energy this week, I enjoyed meandering around the LES. I so wish time-machines existed so I could hop in one and travel back to see just how crowded and crazy the neighbourhood used to be. Still, I feel grateful that I saw it when I did – who knows how long those last remnants of the past will be able to hang on for.

 

 

 

from east to west - Coco looking west over the Hudson

from east to west – Coco looking west over the Hudson

 

 

 

On the ‘home front’

As I said, I hit the wall this week – and Coco wasn’t helping. She loves NY but she also loves to regularly remind me what she’s missing: “I miss my friends, my family, my cats and my home.” I can’t argue with her – I miss all those too (especially the cat who is no longer – still haven’t told Coco). As amazing as this project has been and still is, it’s been the longest year – ever. Seriously, I feel like we’ve been away for years. And I’m running a month late so the earliest we’ll be home is late January!

To give us both a boost, Coco and I took the day off and went ‘out’ last Tuesday. We ate sushi and gluten-free cupcakes (Babycakes). We read books at my favourite bookstore in NY (Rizzoli). We broke my cardinal rule of not spending a cent on anything unnecessary and bought ‘stuff’ – me, MAC make-up (because in my fantasy world, I have the time and the patience to fiddle with all that), Coco, a pair of shiny black shoes (because in the real world she’s developed a love of everything fashion – she’s going to be an expensive teenager I can just tell).

We had fun. Except all that retail therapy made me even more worried about money than I already am. Oy vey!

This suburb has been brought to you by @JasonCupitt

 —

See you next Monday-ish.

 

32

Crown Heights

CH intro

 

What a week. It started in the Caribbean and ended up in Russia…

This week’s neighbourhood, Crown Heights, was actually the very first one Coco and I stuck our noses in when we arrived in NY three weeks ago. I knew it was a West Indian enclave but what I didn’t know until I started talking to the locals there was that every year it hosts a huge carnival – the Labour Day Parade, a celebration of West Indian/Caribbean culture that stomps and shimmies its way down the main drag (Eastern Parkway) on the first Monday in September.

How could I miss that? I decided to put Crown Heights off until then and chose another neighbourhood for my first NY installment.

Which is how I ended up ‘in the Caribbean’ last Monday. And the Russia bit? We’ll get to that later.

First, some facts. Crown Heights is in Brooklyn. Was posh and white in the early 20th century, then became more working class and black, a mix of West Indian and African American – while at the same time housing a large Hasidic Jewish minority. This mix of such different cultures was the original reason I wanted to explore the neighbourhood – and after last week’s look at the South Williamsburg Jews, I was even more intrigued.

Let’s go Crown Heights!

 

Part 1: Before the parade

Before I decided to put Crown Heights on ice until the Labour Day Parade, I’d already taken quite a few snaps. It was a Saturday, and across Eastern Parkway I noticed smartly dressed women sitting on benches.

Turns out they were from the Seventh Day Adventist Church across the street and Saturday was their church day. Having found the black Africans a little chilly in Paris, I approached with caution – but I needn’t have. You couldn’t hope to meet a friendlier bunch of people than the congregation of Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist Church.

 

 

in their Saturday best - outside the Seventh-Day Adventist Church - Danie, Sunshine and girls

in their Saturday best – Danie, Sunshine and girls

 

 

 

 

"Black women shouldn't have to straighten or braid their hair" - Danie, fighting for follicle freedom

“Black women shouldn’t have to straighten or braid their hair” – Danie, fighting for follicle freedom

 

 

 

 

perfect lines

the opposite – perfect lines

 

 

 

 

Patricia and Shianne :: 1

Patricia and Shianne :: 1

 

 

 

 

Patricia and Shianne :: 2

Patricia and Shianne :: 2

 

 

 

 

"I always wear a hat to church, always"

“I always wear a hat to church, always”

 

 

 

 

That church was just one of the many that we would find during our time in Crown Heights – and they come in all different shapes and sizes. From the Seventh Day Adventists to the Baptist churches and the Spiritual churches – and Mount Faith Zion Church, headed by Bishop Roach…

 

 

Bishop R.C. Roach, Mount Faith Zion Church

Bishop R.C. Roach, Mount Faith Zion Church

 

 

 

 

all welcome

all welcome

 

 

 

 

On the first wander in Crown Heights we also met some delightful local kids, all from a Jamaican background – Naomi and brother Fabian were having a ‘go’ of a stretch limo parked outside their house. They knew the driver and were testing it out.

 

 

rockstar for a second - Naomi :: 1

rockstar for a second – Naomi :: 1

 

 

 

 

rockstar for a second - Naomi :: 2

rockstar for a second – Naomi :: 2

 

 

 

 

Fabian

Fabian

 

 

 

 

Before leaving I took a quick shot of Naomi with a friend, hanging outside their homes on Eastern Parkway. It would be a very different scene when I returned three weeks later…

 

 

chillin' - Naomi and Kalila

chillin’ – Naomi and Kalila

 

 

 

 

Part 2: The Labour Day Parade

Like I said, a very different Crown Heights greeted me as I hopped off the 3 train last Monday – wild, deafeningly loud and incredibly proud. This was the West Indies’ day – Jamaica, Grenada, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago et al – and they were making sure everyone knew it.

 

 

a statue of liberty

a statue of liberty

 

 

 

 

"It's a chance for my kids to see my culture" - Jamaican born Virginia and her girls

“It’s a chance for my kids to see my culture” – Jamaican born Virginia and her girls

 

 

 

 

Jaden and Joel

Jaden and Joel

 

 

 

 

Robert - "I'm from Jamaica of course!"

Robert – “I’m from Jamaica of course!”

 

 

 

 

because it wasn't noisy enough - Daniel playing the air horn

because it wasn’t noisy enough – Daniel playing the air horn

 

 

 

 

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

 

 

 

 

And the parade itself? Rhinestones, glitter, feathers and lots of skin – I was no longer in South Williamsburg…

 

 

a bird of paradise in a sea of blue

a bird of paradise in a sea of blue

 

 

 

 

he can't take his eyes off her

he can’t take his eyes off her

 

 

 

 

For months, costume-makers have been hunched over hot glue-guns, applying copious amounts of rhinestones and feathers to outfits like Alana’s…

 

 

more rhinestones and feathers than usual

more rhinestones and feathers than usual

 

 

 

 

marching for Trinidad and Tobago :: 1

marching for Trinidad and Tobago :: 1

 

 

 

 

marching for Trinidad and Tobago :: 2

marching for Trinidad and Tobago :: 2

 

 

 

 

I like his head dress too

I like his head dress too

 

 

 

 

purple pucker

purple pucker

 

 

 

 

all shapes and sizes :: 1

all shapes and sizes :: 1

 

 

 

 

all shapes and sizes :: 2

all shapes and sizes :: 2

 

 

 

 

Days later Coco and I visited the nearby Brooklyn Botanic Garden – and all the memories of the Labour Day Parade came flooding back…

 

 

yellow eyes :: 1

yellow eyes :: 1

 

 

 

 

yellow eyes :: 2

yellow eyes :: 2

 

 

 

 

scales :: 1

scales :: 1

 

 

 

 

scales :: 2

scales :: 2

 

 

 

 

scales :: 3

scales :: 3

 

 

 

 

Part 3: The Chabad-Lubavitch Jews of Crown Heights

I did know before I visited the nighbourhood that the Hasidic Jews of Crown Heights – from the Chabad or Lubavitch sect – were known as the ‘friendly’ and more relaxed Hasidic Jews. But I still couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw some Chabad Jews wandering down the street during the Labour Day Parade. They weren’t exactly standing on the side-lines, cheering the marchers on, but they seemed pretty fine about it. One Jewish man, Stewart, told me it was a good thing. A young Jewish boy, Daniel, had set up a stall of his old toys outside his home with his grandfather and mum nearby. Maybe it wasn’t exactly kosher but it was clearly okay. (Oh, and yes, they were totally fine about me photographing them – hooray!)

 

 

"It's good" - Stewart

“It’s good” – Stewart

 

 

 

 

Daniel outside his house with a toy stall

Daniel outside his house with a toy stall

 

 

 

 

living side by side

living side by side

 

 

 

 

The next time Coco and I visited the neighbourhood I noticed a large group of young male Chabad Jews outside a building across from their main synagogue, 770, on Eastern Parkway. We wandered over to find that the building was a dormitory for the men who were all overseas students, attending the school inside the synagogue. Because this was no ordinary synagogue – for Chabad Jews, 770 (known as that because of its address, 770 Eastern Parkway) is the most important synagogue in the world.

 

 

from Israel to Crown Heights :: 1

from Israel to Crown Heights :: 1

 

 

 

 

from Israel to Crown Heights :: 2

from Israel to Crown Heights :: 2

 

 

 

 

from Israel to Crown Heights :: 3

from Israel to Crown Heights :: 3

 

 

 

 

Amazing really, given the neighbourhood’s many churches and that earlier, just a few blocks west, we’d seen a Muslim family hit the tarmac to pray.

 

 

prayer, wherever it needs to be

prayer, wherever it needs to be

 

 

 

 

Crown Heights – neighbourhood of churches, synagogues and make-shift mosques.

 

 

reborn - tattoo man and the former movie theatre, now church

reborn – tattoo man and the former movie theatre, now church

 

 

 

 

Part 4: Three weddings in one day

On our last visit to the area, Coco and I stumbled on three weddings all happening on Eastern Parkway.

The first was being held in the Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist Church that we’d come across that very first day – it was a Sunday and I wondered why their door was open, given that Saturday was their church day. So we took a quick peek inside – to see a very nervous looking bride waiting for proceedings to begin.

 

 

Sophie at Shiloh Seventh-Day Adventist Church, about to walk up the aisle :: 1

Sophie, about to walk up the aisle :: 1

 

 

 

 

Sophie at Shiloh Seventh-Day Adventist Church, about to walk up the aisle :: 2

Sophie, about to walk up the aisle :: 2

 

 

 

 

Not wanting to add to her nerves, we quietly left and continued walking east along the Parkway – until we noticed a group of women sitting outside the Oholei Torah Center, not far from the 770 synagogue. By now I knew that the Chabad Jews were pretty cool about photography – and that their reputation for being friendly was well-earned – but these women were especially welcoming.

 

 

relatives of the bride and groom wait outside the Oholei Torah Center

relatives of the bride and groom wait outside the Oholei Torah Center

 

 

 

 

So welcoming in fact that it seemed perfectly normal to sidle up to one of them, Libby, and ask, “So is that a wig you’re wearing?”

 

 

Libby

Libby

 

 

 

 

(Yes, it was a wig. ‘Really?’ – ‘Really’. Libby explained that like the Williamsburg Jews, they have to wear them, but that they can wear any style of wig, they don’t have to wear hats and they certainly don’t have to shave their heads.)

 

 

Libby's daughter

Libby’s daughter

 

 

 

 

After taking a few shots, Goldie, the woman in the purple outfit in the third to last image above, asked if Coco and I wanted to take a look inside.

I didn’t take a shot of the room – it was a fairly nondescript convention hall (although interestingly, the women were on one side of a screen, the men on the other). But I loved talking to Goldie – she’s a Rabbi’s wife and a million other things but this 48 year old mother of nine was the perfect person to quiz about all things Chabad. Having just experienced a little of the Williamsburg Jews, I was intrigued about the differences between them. Goldie explained that while they had the same Hasidic religion, they had very different philosophies. A major one was that the Chabads were actively encouraged to go into the outside world to make the world a better place, one good deed at a time.

I spent so long talking to Goldie that I missed the bride’s arrival outside in the better light – but I got one shot of her sitting on a special seat.

 

 

the bride, Chaya, before the ceremony

the bride, Chaya, before the ceremony

 

 

 

 

Feeling that we’d stayed long enough – what did these brides think of a complete stranger suddenly appearing? – I thanked Chaya, Goldie and the other women and headed back onto Eastern Parkway.

We’d only walked another minute when I spotted a large gathering across the street, right outside the 770 synagogue. Yes, it was another Chabad wedding, but this was the actual ceremony, when the bride and groom stand under a chuppah and various things happen.

I couldn’t see anything until it was too late – I just caught sight of the bride and groom disappearing into the synagogue for the next step in the ceremony, where they spend 10 minutes alone in the yichud room. They’ve had to fast the whole day so finally this is when they can eat something – and technically, this is the first time they’re allowed to be alone together. Oh, and also, they’ve had to spend the week before the wedding apart. Why, I asked someone? “Anticipation!” they answered gleefully.

 

 

step 1 - the ceremony under the chuppah

step 1 – the ceremony under the chuppah

 

 

 

 

step 2 - the bride and groom enter the yichud room

step 2 – the bride and groom enter the yichud room

 

 

 

 

By then I’d met the brother of the groom and his mother. I thought she looked quite exotic and when she talked I realised she was Russian, as were several others around her – and then I remembered, that was where Chabad Jews originated from, over 200 years ago. Standing there, waiting for the bride and groom to come back out, surrounded by Russian voices and the black hats, admiring the groom’s mother’s piercing blue eyes and pale unlined skin, I felt that I’d been transported – across the seas to a land of snow and ice and red wine. Red wine?! More like vodka – red wine was what I had to pick up for dinner – Coco and I had been invited to a friend’s house and we were late, we had to go!

For the last time that day we said our goodbyes and jumped into a taxi.

 

 

from Russia with love - the groom's Russian mum and brother

from Russia with love – the groom’s Russian mum and brother

 

 

 

 

step 3 - exit the building as man and wife

step 3 – exit the building as man and wife

 

 

 

 

married at 20 - Talia :: 1

married at 20 – Talia :: 1

 

 

 

 

married at 20 - Talia :: 2

married at 20 – Talia :: 2

 

 

 

 

lacework

lacework

 

 

 

 

Mazal Tov Chaim and Talia!

Mazal Tov Chaim and Talia!

 

 

 

 

Part 5: Love and peace

Crown Heights has had its troubles – there were riots in 1991, a real low point in relations between the black and Jewish communities – but wandering around its quiet back streets or even along Eastern Parkway at sunset, it seems like a pretty chilled place, one that’s able to accommodate even the most different faiths and peoples.

 

 

brownstones in golden light

brownstones in golden light

 

 

 

 

the quiet life on Eastern Parkway -  Sierra-Maree and Kimani

the quiet life on Eastern Parkway – Sierra-Maree and Kimani

 

 

 

 

of all descriptions

of all descriptions

 

 

 

 

they do a pretty good job of it in Crown Heights

they do a pretty good job of it in Crown Heights

 

 

 

 

The Wrap

Crown Heights knows how to throw a wild party  – and apparently the Labour Day Parade used to be a lot wilder, in every respect. But even so, I absolutely loved it. I remember walking down the street, through the glitter and the feathers and the broad smiles, thinking, I know it’s cliched but I really LOVE New York! And that was before I felt the joy of being able to take photos of the wonderfully warm Chabad Jews, at their weddings no less. It’s a week that made me feel full of gratitude. Gawd. I think I’m going to have to go get my hanky now.

 

 

Coco and I snapping the fish

Coco and I snapping the fish

 

 

 

On the ‘home front’

All pretty quiet on the home front. Except for the usual arguments about Coco spending too long on that blooming iPad. But as I usually complain about it while chained to my own computer, it doesn’t really cut deep. She also got to see a whole load of creepy, crawly spiders this week at the American Museum Of Natural History. Not with me though – anyone who knows my story (an Australian White-Tail Spider basically decimated half a thumb of mine) knows I don’t do spiders.

 This suburb has been brought to you by Nadine Lee

 —

 See you next Monday-ish.

 

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