A lot of people have asked for a blog post chronicling my impressions of Brooklyn, after having lived in Austin from August 1995-December 2009. Now that we’ve logged in 3 whole months here---and because the dreariness of the weather is compelling me to do something happy---I thought this would be a good time to tackle that request. So, for your pleasure, broken down haphazardly, some thoughts. Feedback is most welcome.
What do you miss about Austin? Figured I’d get this out of the way, since people ask it a lot. Besides beloved friends? The weather is the most obvious answer to this question right at this moment, even though my Austin peeps have made it clear to me that they’ve had a pretty bad (for them) winter. I’ve been reassured by many New Yorkers that this is the worst winter in a long time, so I suppose that a trial by fire---snow, in this case---is a good way to assure ourselves that we can make it. And now that there’s hope for spring on the horizon, I can say we did. I also miss the Alamo Drafthouse. New York has everything you can imagine, except the Alamo Drafthouse. Because of this hole in the city’s infrastructure, Marc and I have seen exactly one movie in a theater since we’ve been here, when we used to go the movies at least 3 or 4 times a month in Austin, usually more.
Now that this is out of the way, here’s some observations, broken down by category.
Politics and government. So far, an overall improvement. Seeing someone who makes Rick Perry look sane and moderate take 18.6% in the Republican primary only reinforces this sense. New York politics are as fucked up as they get, but it’s really nice knowing that your Senator is unlikely to compare members of minority groups to people who fuck animals on the Senate floor.
New York City is a wonder, of course. It’s really amazing how well the infrastructure works, if you’re an outsider looking in. Sure, the subway system has fucked me a few times, but I rarely get that tense, freaked out feeling that you get in a bumper to bumper traffic jam, when you realize you have no control over what happens. Here, there are options. And even though it takes awhile to get places, that’s not something I usually mind as long as I’m not driving. The green belt in Austin is pretty cool, but it doesn’t hold a candle to living near Prospect Park---I can’t wait until it warms up. The museums aren’t something you just do on a early date or when your parents come to town, but something you can get a group of friends together to go see. The library is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, I think.
Living in a pedestrian city. When there are a lot of people out and about, walking around, it makes you feel a lot more connected to your larger community. This weather has made it harder than I think it usually is to walk everywhere; I’m looking forward to spring, when I think the radius of “places we walk to” will expand rapidly. Often, taking the subway doesn’t shave significant time off a journey within some parts of Brooklyn, but you still take it to be warm. I look forward to not having to do that. I still am amazed at how people will hold their ground on a sidewalk, especially since I live in stroller derby Brooklyn, and often feel like perhaps the ginormous strollers should cede the right of way. I now get what people complain about. But on the whole, I’ve always been a fan of walking. It feels good, and I don’t understand why so many people resist it.
The fact that being a pedestrian city also means that anything you can imagine is delivered has also been a wonderful thing.