Hello Architect-US Family and dear readers,
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear ‘Brooklyn‘? Brooklyn Bridge? Old factories and warehouses? Coffee shops, breweries, raves? Good neighborhood or bad neighborhood? Gentrification?
Photo 1: Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass
Every morning I take a train to Dumbo in Brooklyn and walk 10 minutes to Studioteka’s office. As I leave the subway station, I can see a Brooklyn Bridge and Downtown Manhattan in the distance. I cross the street and speed up when the light starts blinking. There is a brewery on the corner of an industrial building. All the buildings here are renovated and nicely maintained. I hear the noise of trains on Manhattan Bridge right above me. There is a small square under construction, and the dust is in the air. I pass by boutique art stores and people walking dogs around the block. I take my mask off and smell a fresh breakfast sandwich. I walk into the building and catch eye contact (a form of saying hello) with the guy at the tiny Japanese coffee and pastry store. These little things make me smile.
Photo 2: Black tea & lychee cake at Burrow
At the end of last year, my architecture professor and friend John McRae, whom I met at the University of Tennessee, visited me in Dumbo. We went for lunch to a local salad bar and strolled along the waterfront park with a cup of coffee. Dumbo is a must-visit place if you haven’t been already!
Photo 3: At the waterfront park
