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A Perfect Weekend
By Jay | May 26, 2008
My blog has been a bit depressing lately with talk of a slowing economy, layoffs at my company, and a generally toxic atmosphere at work. But this weekend put all of that out of my mind, at least for a couple days. The weather here in Brooklyn was idyllic; upper 60’s and low 70’s, dry air and a perfect blue sky. Spring has been late and long this year, and the leaves on some trees are still not fully out; the first time I’ve ever seen this so late in the year.
M. and I joined about 2,000 other bikers for the Tour de Brooklyn, a 20 mile bike ride through sections of Brooklyn that I don’t think I’ve ever been in before. It was a great time, and very interesting. I forget sometimes just what a diverse place Brooklyn is. We took several food breaks, having bagels with a schmear of Nova Lox in the Lubavicher Hasidim neighborhood of Crown Heights, and then tacos & freshly made tamarindo juice at a mexican place in Bushwick. The best snack though was coconut juice from fresh green coconuts somewhere in East New York, cut with a machete just like on the beach in Rio de Janeiro. We passed through what used to be some of the worst neighborhoods anywhere in the US, and it’s amazing to see the improvement. Brownsville & East New York used to look like war zones; now every single one of those abandoned buildings has been renovated and is being lived in. Even Bushwick now has a well-kept, neighborly feel to it; the abject poverty one used to see is gone (or hidden better). All in all, Brooklyn seems like a prosperous place, just about anywhere you go.
Work starts again tomorrow, but I find myself caring less about what happens there. I had a good book-hunting weekend and sold a ton as well. It feels good to have my side business; I need the job less, so am not as worried about what happens as I had been.
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Topics: Brooklyn, Business, Work |
May 27th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Sounds like a great weekend. I’m glad you got a chance to relax and put other things out of your mind.