Downtown Brooklyn https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017 Sat, 03 Jun 2017 06:42:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://files.eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/var/www/webroot/ROOT/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/01/15140022/mhc_logo_NEW-favicon.png Downtown Brooklyn https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017 32 32 Megane’s Reflection https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/23/meganes-reflection/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/23/meganes-reflection/#respond Tue, 23 May 2017 04:13:07 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=599 As a frequent member of the passing community, I expected to know enough about Downtown Brooklyn that my perspective would not change at the end of this project, and I was wrong. Shopping at the malls, having friends in the nearby schools and stepping between Court Street Theater and Barnes and Nobles couldn’t have prepared me for the quiet streets beyond the teenage attractions. There, the people walk their dogs in promenade, go to the park then step into their buildings that seemed bulletproof from the sharp sound beyond Borough Hall. Interviewing the residents and walking around those buildings has allowed me to conclude many things about Downtown, many of them nostalgic and disappointing.

The residents praise the diversity of the area, and wish for nothing to change. As an outsider, I have noticed that unless integrated into the community, the residents are less welcoming and are even weary of passer-bys. Most of the residents are young-aged to middle-aged adults settled into their lifestyle and ready for full independence. All the residents seemed to have financial stability and are fully satisfied with the neighborhood they lived. Because of this, I decided the weariness of outsiders did not stem from hostility but curiosity. Outsiders must not be seen beyond the invisible barriers often and once One ventures beyond the Line, the residents must be reminded that just beyond them lie one of the most popular neighborhoods in the United States.

Although the residents praise diversity, it was not present in race, age nor socioeconomic status. More diversity is present in the types of business Downtown provides than there was in the residents themselves. Religion was diverse however where I witnessed people of Islamic faith gather in a hole-in-the-wall location I walked past many times before but never took time to rid. Further down, I noticed a Greek Orthodox cathedral open to the public on a Friday, where again, a small crowd gathered. Now knowing the multiple projects underway meant to ‘diversify’ Downtown in socioeconomic terms, the nostalgia hits for the new barriers that will be made around the residents. The loiterers near the Department of Labor building and outside a food pantry down Schemerhorn Street will have to find a more discrete and organized way to worry about their future. A new high rise building said to be ‘affordable’ to those moving from Manhattan will be near those buildings and will probably have low tolerance for those damaging the pristine image of real estate commerce. People should have never had to go through the rezoning of 2004, and although the residents down near Court Street have yet to fear of such a dire situation, competition is rising, and with it, the cost of the area (Bonislawski). Downtown Brooklyn will no longer be the financial refuge they had sought out, but a new nightmare and a need for relocation. Such plans take decades to get afoot, and once they are underway, they are finalized (Davis 91).

Knowing this now, I will look for the subtle signs of change. New stores are being added and more people will come to buy. Little stores with less competition will close or be bought out by the major investors and the economic value of each location will increase. The subtle signs of change also include the receding of the barrier, more children attending the park with residents’ children, smiling with them and buying at their stores. It has yet to occur, but like the other major projects, such occurrence has a deadline. My newfound knowledge allows me to understand that every neighborhood, no matter how perfect and undisturbed from the outside, always has its own demon to slay, and in this case, the demon is Change. How can Downtown Brooklyn be resilient against with change when it has always been as symbol of innovative progress? I shall hopefully see by 2020.

 

Bonislawski, Adam. “Downtown Brooklyn: A Residential Dead Zone No More.” Observer, 9 June 2016, observer.com/2016/06/downtown-brooklyn-a-residential-dead-zone-no-more/.

Fraser, Lisa. “City Living: Downtown Brooklyn is the New Center of Everything.” Am New York, 15 Oct. 2014, www.amny.com/real-estate/city-living/brooklyn/city-living-downtown-brooklyn-is-the-new-center-of-everything-1.9507358.

Davis, Perry. “Partners for Downtown Development: Creating a New Central Business District in Brooklyn.” Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, vol. 36, no. 2, 1986, pp. 87–99. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1173901.
“Downtown Brooklyn Rising: Read The Full Report.” Downtown Brooklyn, downtownbrooklyn.com/news/2016/downtown-brooklyn-rising-read-the-full-report.

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Omayra’s Reflection https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/22/omayras-reflection/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/22/omayras-reflection/#respond Tue, 23 May 2017 03:57:02 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=594 Before actually getting into the depths of research, information, and history of Downtown Brooklyn (a neighborhood that I did not really know much about before this project) I had the mental image that it was just like any other neighborhood of NYC. It had its own commercial aspects to it and the residential aspects to it and somehow people lived and went on with their daily lives. But as I started to look into the general aspects of the neighborhood itself, I kept on encountering the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership which was dedicated to the restructuring and overall improvement of the neighborhood. Their goal was to try and help recreate the area of Downtown Brooklyn into a more vibrant, active, economically and culturally prosperous environment for the betterment of not only the neighborhood itself but for the better of the borough and of New York City as it is stated in Downtown Brooklyn’s “FY 15 Programmatic Report”. According to the rezoning plans that were drawn up in the early 2000’s, the whole purpose for this “makeover” of the areas of and near Downtown Brooklyn was to attract future entrepreneurs and businesses to set up their offices and establishments (storefronts) in Downtown Brooklyn instead of places like Los Angeles and Manhattan (“My Brooklyn” 05:21-05:45) with the incentive of a cheaper rent. With this, there would be an income of revenue into the area of Downtown Brooklyn and that everyone would benefit from it. Or at least that was the general idea of the plan that the city’s government wanted the public to think. Because it is certainly what I had thought of when I was reading the information.

From initial research prior to any field visits, I learned that with there had been a rezoning plan started in the year 2004 which called for an introduction of newer commercial establishments to bring with it more economic activity to the area and the development of more residential houses (Kinney). But in terms of what was the outcome and how the plan actually turned out, I had no clue. So when I actually came to Downtown Brooklyn, I was amazed with such shiny new buildings that reach upwards into the sky, of the new and modern big chain businesses and stores lining up on Fulton Mall, and of the unique logo of “DWNTWN BRKYLN” that gives the whole neighborhood a sense of superiority and modernization that self brand logos seemed to achieve. While I was walking around the streets of Downtown Brooklyn I was awed at how much the government was able to execute their plans in changing the neighborhood into the new hub of commercial and economic activity that is seemed to be. I felt that with the incorporation of the the major subway train lines all converging into one location of close proximity of each other, and of the determinism of the government to carry through with the rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn, that the area must have been thriving and that the businesses must have been booming with such new initiatives present to bring in people (tourists mostly) into Downtown Brooklyn in order to improve the community. But what I actually saw as I went to the neighborhood was that it was anything but “booming” and “thriving”.

After more trips to the neighborhood, I had noticed that the shiny and vast Fulton Mall area was almost always empty; the space itself seemed to be populated with only a few stragglers here and there that seemed to just be passing by and were not actually looking into the stores to buy something. The stores themselves were empty and vacant with an absence of customers. There were a lot of empty spaces and closed storefronts all around the area that gave the neighborhood a ghost town atmosphere to it (regardless of if there were people around, the feeling did not dissipate). This heavily contrasted with what I had initially thought of the neighborhood and what I was seeing was certainly not reflecting on what the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership had portrayed within their website and documents.

After conducting a few interviews, I had an inkling at what was perhaps the problem, or the underlying issue at hand. From what I have heard, the overall inhabitants from Brooklyn do not seem to think of Downtown Brooklyn has a “destination” as it was initially hoped to become. The majority of the Brooklynites that I have talked to (who do not live in Downtown) always tend to gravitate towards Manhattan whenever they go out. So that could account as to why there did not seem to be a lot of people visiting Downtown. Another reason as to why the neighborhood did not seem to be that popular was because of the dissent or dislike that some of the actual residents have towards the new aspects of the neighborhood. During the rezoning, tenants raised rent prices and the government forcefully moved and displaced many of the residents and long time small business owners, most of whom had laid their roots in Downtown, in order to make room for the incoming stores and developers (“My Brooklyn” 28:46-29:06). This created an outrage among the people living in Downtown due to the fact that there were major changes going on that greatly affected the lives of the residents but which were of no concern to the government officials who were the heads of the project management (“My Brooklyn” 28:46- 31:10). Gentrification had started to take place and many of the small businesses and residents that have been in the community for a long time were unmercifully removed from their roots without any proper warning or prior notice ahead of time (“My Brooklyn” 51:55- 52:39). Even though some  residents might say that the changes throughout the neighborhood are good things, one cannot easily forget how many people were forced to move their livelihoods and lives because someone had the money to buy the land from which they had planted their roots.

Sure, there have been some positive changes in the neighborhood. One cannot deny that there has been an increase in visitors to the neighborhood that helps with the economy of the area, crime rates have gone down and the neighborhood has somewhat changed its image with the self brand (Kinney), bringing in new entrepreneurs, businesses, and people from Manhattan (Bonislawski). Multiple residential buildings have gone up alongside with parking garages and storage units in the area and there has been an increase in the amount of young people who move into the neighborhood; but what are the costs of these changes taking place?

For one, many people had to move from the area due to the raise in rent. And the construction of these new buildings, although they bring in new people, they do not create sufficient permanent and stable jobs for the community (“My Brooklyn” 40:00-40:22). Additionally, these changes do not really benefit those who were already in Downtown Brooklyn since the housing rent prices were way above their price range and the they did not qualify for the “affordable” housing residential buildings that were constructed (“My Brooklyn” 01:02:03-01:02:14). Additionally, the new stores that were popping up did not specifically cater to the needs or interests of the residents but of the new people who were coming into the neighborhood. Making it rather clear and obvious who the targeted group was when the project planners were thinking about the rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn. So we have had people unfairly removed from their homes because the price of rent was too high, businesses had to move to other locations because someone else with more money bought the land, and of a removing of big groups of people who have had their roots in the neighborhood for years before gentrification came to their doorsteps (“My Brooklyn 01:02:30- 01:03:02).

So now as I walk along the streets of Downtown Brooklyn and look up towards the high rise buildings with their new glass and metal finishes, the first thing that comes into my mind is not of “progress” but of oppression and inequality. We might all have an idea that gentrification is a good thing because it recreates the area around it into a more modern and refined area fit for the middle class- upper class society citizens that are coming into the neighborhood, but we often fail to consider those who are on the bottom of the social class ladder who has more to lose than to gain with the effect of “improvement” for the sakes of those belonging in the upper classes. Downtown Brooklyn used to be a vibrant place filled with an array of people who self-identified with their community because they had made it their own but now it is a hollow and superficial area filled with the typical cookie-cutter ideals and image of a city that lacks in both idiosyncratic culture and identity but of the history that one gets when they have been there long enough to plant their roots.

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Anna https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/22/anna/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/22/anna/#respond Mon, 22 May 2017 20:57:14 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=548 A college student in her early 20’s.

  • What brings you here to Downtown Brooklyn today (or just any time in general)?
    • One time I had to go to jury duty over at the court. Today I’m going to the DMV to meet a friend.

 

  • Do you come here often?
    • Um, no not really. I mostly go to Manhattan really.

 

  • What would you recommend to anyone visiting the area of Downtown Brooklyn to go and visit?
    • I like going to the Promenade. You can see the whole Brooklyn Bridge from there and I usually take pictures.

 

  • How reliable would you consider the MTA system to be in coming here? Is coming here accessible for you?
    • I would have to say that the MTA is reliable. One thing that I really like is that there are a lot of trains that stop at Atlantic Av which makes transferring really easy. No matter where I might be all that I have to do is just find a train to take me there [Atlantic Av] and then I can easily go home on the N or the R. When I first moved here, about 8 years ago, a piece of advice that my aunt gave me whenever I would go out was this: “If you can find a train to take you to Atlantic Avenue, you can always get home.”

 

  • Have you noticed any changes around the neighborhood over the past few years?
    • Not really. I guess there are less homeless people around here.
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Andy https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/15/andy/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/15/andy/#respond Mon, 15 May 2017 15:56:07 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=481 Andy, a father of two young girls has lived in the neighborhood for 3 years. Because the neighborhood is so peaceful, he wouldn’t change anything about it. He finds everything everything he has need of readily and doesn’t mind the popularity of the area.

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A.T. https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/a-t/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/a-t/#respond Fri, 12 May 2017 17:52:44 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=434 A BAM security guard, co-worker of V.A., has been working in the Peter Sharp Jay building for 10 years. Around late 40- early 50’s years of age, lives in Crown Heights.

  • Has there been a change that is noticeable in Downtown Brooklyn over the past years?
    • Brooklyn will be the new Manhattan.

 

  • What makes you say that?
    • These new residential areas that they are building are mostly targeted to the higher class population. I think its because a lot of people are moving out of Manhattan, who already pay that much money [~$2,000] monthly for rent and so yeah, its for the people who are leaving Manhattan since they are trying to make Manhattan into a commercial area and there’s no room for the residential area since they are buying everything up. They are kicking the people who live there out because businesses are moving in. There is going to be a time where no one will be living in Manhattan.

 

  • How has the neighborhood changed?
    • You know Fulton St? So back then it was just a long street with small businesses owned by families and slowly they’ve been bought out and kicked out for all of these big stores- like Uniqlo and Aeropostale. Like, they wanted to shut down Macy’s and open up more new stores, or some business office building. So they’ll have to probably buy the building and change and fix it on the inside but leave the outside of the building looking the same like they always do since it’s a historic building.

 

  • (In continuation of talking about the new residential buildings and living in Downtown Brooklyn in general..)
    • But it’s really expensive. $2,000 for a studio, no one can really live here. Although supposedly they have different rents for people of different incomes; low income, middle income, it’s impractical. $2,000 of rent money every month. With that type of money you could probably be paying a mortgage for a house somewhere in Philly or New Jersey. You  know, depending on where you are. You could get a 4 to 5 bedroom house with that kind of money that you are spending every month on rent. And it’s better that way because it’s yours [the hypothetical house]. If you are renting out a studio in one of these new fancy buildings you can’t do that [change or do some home improvement/renovations] cause first of all, the apartment isn’t yours, then you have to make or sign a contract about the changes that you have to do, and if you move out then all of your work will have gone all to waste…
    • I have applied to some of the residential buildings [the lottery] around the area and I always get turned down because “I earn too much” which is absurd because I don’t earn that much money! I don’t earn that much. I always go to these interviews and the final stages of the whole lottery process and application and at the end I always get turned down, nothing… But the rent is just too high. No one can afford these prices and so a lot of these residential areas are always empty. They have built these new buildings and they have to keep changing their contracts and price levels because it’s too expensive.

 

  • Have you seen any changes in the people either around the neighborhood, in the area of this building, the audience who are coming here to the BAM? Have these changes been good, bad, or so-so?
    • I think it’s good. There are jobs and more residential areas to provide for the people with living places cause since they’re moving out of Manhattan but they are moving out the original residents. The bringing and attraction of more new people. But the rent is just too high.
    • But there are definitely a lot of more people. Oh yeah, there are a lot of more tourists but mostly I just see mostly white young couples/ people/ families. There are a lot of dogs too. We have people coming from all around the world [to the BAM]. We have people coming from England, Australia, Canada… because they hear about Downtown Brooklyn and see all of these things and they come here… But with the changes, it’s hard to find parking.

 

  • Would you say that there is a diversity in the new people coming in?
    • There is diversity, mostly white people, but there is a variety of people who are now moving here. There are different races and cultures but it’s mostly all young people, I would have to say that they are in their 20’s and early 30’s but that’s where it ends. You won’t find anyone older than mid 30’s. There aren’t a lot of middle aged or old people here. And that’s what I’ve been telling the people here [at the BAM]. They have to change the things here to accommodate this change in the new population of the incoming of younger people with the shows and performances that they give here.

 

  • So you have said that there have been changes in the neighborhood and in the BAM, and considering that your experience of the neighborhood is dominated with your time in the BAM, how have these changes been reflected in the BAM?
    • It’s safer. Back then, St. Felix, this area, used to be crazy. From what my co-workers have said, in the past there have been break ins, robberies… You would go out [from work] and it would be dark and there were no lights. There would be crack heads but now there are none. There are more police officers around and it’s gotten better.
    • One day, around 2 AM in the evening, some guy broke into my car. I always take my keys and make sure to turn on the car alarm so when I heard the sound of a car alarm, I immediately went out to look to see if there was something going on and I see a guy inside my car doing something in the bottom of the driver’s seat. I called out and he just ran away. But back then people would just walk the streets and check the car doors to see if it was opened or if there were anything inside of the car, like valuables or bags, and see if there was no one there so that they could break through the glass.
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V.A. https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/v-a/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/v-a/#respond Fri, 12 May 2017 14:52:51 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=422 A security guard for the Brooklyn Academy of Music for 6 years. Initially worked at the Harvey Theater building but then was transferred to the Peter Sharp Jay building 2 weeks ago. Mid 40- early 50’s. Had an indistinguishable accent.

 

  •  Has there been any noticeable changes around the neighborhood or the area in the time that you’ve been working here?
    • I can only talk about the area around the BAM buildings as I don’t live here. Usually I just leave straight for home once I’m done here, you know? Some changes that I have noticed is that there are new residential buildings popping up around the area in the past… 5 years. Like the new buildings that’s right next to this building, by Ashland and Lafayette? Yeah, like… back then, it used to be a large parking space.

 

  • So you do agree that there has been a change within the neighborhood itself, with all of the bringing in of these businesses, how has that reflected in like, the people you see here or in the audience and around the area in terms of people?
    • At least for now, I have noticed that there are a lot more sold out shows. So there is an audience for it. So I guess that that’s a good change for the BAM. And with these new residential buildings that are going up around the area, you are bringing in new, and more, people to live here in the area.

 

  • Ok, so there is a positive side to the whole change.
    • Yes, definitely. They’re bringing people in to live here and so people will probably work here, shop here…

 

  • Who do you think they’re targeting with these new residential buildings?
    • They say that they are [the builders] for lower to middle class income families but… I don’t think that’s the case. It’s just not possible with the rent for these apartments starting out at around $2,000 per month. It’s not possible. I think that they are targeting people more like in the higher class. No one is making that kind of money to pay for rent…

 

  • In what other ways has there been a change in Downtown Brooklyn, like in the commercial/business side?
    • With the arrival of Barclay’s Center five years ago, everything has changed. Everything got more expensive and there has been a lot more big chain retail stores all around Fulton St. Back then, Fulton St. used to be filled with these small owned shops but they’ve been kicking them out, buying the buildings, and opening up all of these stores.
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Sergio https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/sergio/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/sergio/#respond Fri, 12 May 2017 06:01:47 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=429 Sergio is a third-generation store owner who has a great relationship to his loyal and peaceful customers, and even knows them by voice! He wouldn’t change anything about the area, and again thinks it is well-rounded in all aspects.

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Key Food Worker https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/key-food-worker/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/key-food-worker/#respond Fri, 12 May 2017 06:01:11 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=427 This Key Food worker operates a flower shop outlet where people from all ages come year round to buy flowers from his shop. He says the area is very peaceful and well-rounded

 

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D.W. https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/d-w/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/12/d-w/#respond Fri, 12 May 2017 05:57:54 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=424 A college student of around 20 years of age. Used to go to Brooklyn Technical High School.

  • What reasons might bring you to Downtown Brooklyn?
    • Today I’m going to see a movie over at BAM Rose Cinema since I just found out that they give student discounts. I also like to go to Target over in Atlantic Mall.

 

  • What changes have you noticed here in the neighborhood?
    • One thing that is most noticeable are these new buildings around the area. There are just so much more of these new buildings and condos and stuff here when there was nothing. I remember when I would get off from the train in the mornings to get to school, the walk would be so scary for me because the streets looked so shady. But now it’s different that there is all of this construction around the area that I can barely recognize this place. Another thing that I noticed was when I started to go to high school, Barclay’s Center didn’t exist.

 

  • Do you think that the MTA system is reliable in getting to Downtown Brooklyn?
    • I would have to say that the MTA system is 50-50. Sometimes you really can’t foresee any of the future delayed services or train construction work that affects how the other trains work. But in general, I think that it’s pretty easy to get to Downtown Brooklyn since there are so many train lines running along it.

 

  • Could you perhaps tell us any hidden gems or your favorite places to visit in Downtown Brooklyn?
    • Uuum… well, I don’t necessarily go here often but I guess that one of the things that I would recommend is going to the movie theater, or the just the theater in general, at the BAM buildings. Especially since they have student discounts and everything. I don’t know, it’s just something that I tell myself to do in an attempt to explore the area more.
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April 18 (with analysis) https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/11/april-18-with-analysis/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/2017/05/11/april-18-with-analysis/#respond Thu, 11 May 2017 06:09:20 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/downtownbrooklyn2017/?p=329 Went to try out Ganso Ramen restaurant, get more interviews, and go to the BAM theater with a friend.

Took the D train to Atlantic Av and then switched to the 3 train. Got off at Hoyt St.

Places visited: Ganso’s Ramen shop and BAM Peter Sharp Jay Building. 

Weather: around the 60’s° F. Windy and the air had a chill to it.

Time: 2:00- 6:30 PM

 

Went to go and scout out one of the restaurants that popped up when I was researching for the project. The streets were busy with a nice flow of pedestrian traffic. Ganso’s was a little bit challenging to find due to its small store front. Once inside it was somewhat busy but not overly crowded. I noticed that there was a small family sitting by the windows (one dad, three sons) and the rest of the customers in the restaurant were people  of around late 20’s- mid 30’s.

The overall decor of the place was simple and designed with a modern twist to it. And the clientele of Ganso was a mixture of different people. There were young people (probably college students), two men who looked like they were in their early 30’s, and I saw two families come in to enjoy a bowl of ramen. Both of them were of Asian race.

The food was good and my friend and I enjoyed ourselves. As I went to the bathroom that was at the back of the restaurant, I got to see the kitchen through the glass windows that enclosed its space. I was rather impressed by the kitchenware and all of the pots and bowls that were present in the work area. It also looked clean and well managed as I saw that the cooks would always wipe down their stations after they had used it while I was eating. What surprised me was that none of the cooks present were Asian.

After we had paid the bill, we then made our way to the Peter Jay Sharp BAM building to go see a movie at the Rose Cinema. I took the opportunity to go and watch a Japanese animated film that was currently being shown at the Rose Cinema and to take advantage of the student pricing discount after I had learned about on my last visit during one of my interviews. The BAM building was cavernous and empty on the inside as the only people who seemed to be entering in and out of the building were probably actors, musicians, artists, or employees as they had their own entry access cards that they used to swipe at a turnstile by the security desk and by some doors that were at either ends of the building. Since we were early and the ticket box still was not open, I took the opportunity to interview the two security guards who were stationed at the desk in the middle of the gallery (see interview section of the website for the interview itself).

Once we bought the tickets for the movie, we made our way into the cinema (which had just opened their doors) and found the room from where the movie was going to be shown. While I was doing this, I could not help but to notice the cinema. It was unlike any other cinema that I had gone to. First of all, it was more elegantly decorated and the walls had more posters of musical/theatrical performances than actual movie posters. It was also somewhat empty of people (but this could be due to the fact that the cinema had just opened). The theater room was also small and somewhat intimate. The seats were not sectioned off into groups with an aisle down the middle like most theaters do, but all of the chairs were gathered in one section facing the screen. There was also a small stage at the front which I found to be interesting.

Watching the movie at the Rose Cinema at the BAM was a different experience from any other movie theater. Just the venue in it of itself was quite different as it was much more elegantly furnished and decorated than any of the other common movie theaters that one might go to. This gives the area an elevated air of sophistication and class as the Rose Cinema caters not to the public masses and the latest blockbuster trend but to a more refined and selected audience and taste. It made watching the movie a more enjoyable and unique experience that stands out from any other time that I would go out to watch a movie at a movie theater. The way that the viewing rooms of the cinema are designed also gave me the impression that they had other uses other than to view movies on the silver screen. Since there was a stage at the front and of the layout of the seats, I would have to assume that they might hold small gatherings of performances in those rooms that gives it multiple functions and purposes which differs from other movie theaters; giving anyone who visits a wider selection of options of entertainment from which they could choose from.

Since the movie was a Japanese movie with english subtitles, I noticed that there were a couple of Japanese people inside of the theater with their children, which I thought was nice. It showed to me that there was a diversity to the public that one might see in Downtown Brooklyn that I felt was missing from the times that I have visited the field during the project.

Analysis:

  • Sight: With the new set of interviews I now saw things in a much more different perspective than before. What I thought was an astonishing feat of the city of New York in transforming the neighborhood into an area of economic boom, I noticed how easily it is for someone to get swept away with all of the glamor and glitz that the new shiny glass and metal buildings present to our eyes. These buildings and the new businesses that were popping up all over the place were actually oppressors that moved their way in and kicked out those who had laid down their roots in Downtown Brooklyn before the rezoning. And it is not surprising to see that these new businesses who had forcefully replaced those that were from the neighborhood were empty in business and patronage because they have no support from those who live in the actual community. All of these new establishments that are popping up have no type of loyal customer base because the people who live in the area are not patrons of these establishments. One reason for this could be because they lack the money to actually use their services and another reason could be because these new businesses do not call the attention or the favor of those who are in the area, thus taking their patronage somewhere else instead of Downtown Brooklyn (which could be a failure that is in part of the rezoning and revitalization of Downtown Brooklyn).
  • Taste, smell, and touch: At Ganso Ramen, when I came in I smelled the umami aroma of the Japanese food and of the multiple different types of broth that they must have had prepared. The restaurant was warm and it had a feeling of comfort, despite of the decor that calls for a more minimalistic and cool modern vibe that the hard wood furniture and features brought to the atmosphere of the restaurant that was perhaps used in hopes to attract and appeal to the younger audience and patrons that would probably frequent the establishment. The food was well to my liking although it was not something that was rather novel. The broth was well seasoned and not overly salty and oily, which I appreciated. The noodles were chewy and had a nice bite to them texture wise. All of this can mean, in my perspective, that the food was very well cooked to the standards as to how it might be traditionally prepared in Japanese cuisine as they tend to not go overboard with one particular flavor/aspect of their food but to find a certain balance between the different taste buds.
    • Touch: Since it is quite hard to find things from which to touch, one thing that I was told that I could do is feel how the buildings felt. All throughout the neighborhood, it is quite noticeable the slow changes that are occurring with the building of new and modern buildings with the passage of time. There is a recurring theme throughout these buildings in which the newer ones were mostly (if not the majority) made up of steel and glass materials while the older buildings were made up of more substantial materials like stone, brick, and concrete. This obviously gives their respective buildings a different type of texture to their composition. The newer ones obviously had the reflective surfaces from which can be quite blinding with the bright sunlight reflecting off its smooth and cool surfaces. A lot of the times, due to their modern and new appearance, I was reluctant to touch it but whenever I did, a dusty residue would come off from their surfaces on my fingers, reflecting the amount of pollution that is present within its surroundings. The older buildings, although made up of materials that are rougher in comparison to the modern materials used in the newer buildings, have a worn out texture and feel to them, in some cases they were almost a velvety smooth feeling to the stone when one runs their hands over its surface. This can be attributed to the passage of time and of the elements and of the material’s frequent usage by those of the public.
  • Audio: All throughout my time researching the project and going to the neighborhood, one thing that has struck me as kinda odd was the prevalence and lack of diversity in the languages that I would hear in the streets. And in the sounds that I would hear in general. The language that I mostly heard while outside was mostly English. Although English might be the official and main language of the US, being in NYC, you get used to hearing a multitude of different accents and languages floating up in the air. This also correlates to what has been told to me that the new population who is moving into the neighborhood are predominantly white people who would most likely speak English. Although I have heard people talk in Spanish while in Fulton Mall, it is just a rare instance that it comes off as a bit odd when you compare to how often you would hear the English language being used. Could this be because the population of the new Downtown Brooklyn is not as diverse as it once was when it was dominated with African Americans and Hispanics? The notion that the neighborhood is now turning  into a more predominantly white neighborhood does has its basis considering the amount of people who you see around the residential area. So when at the BAM I heard some string of Japanese dialogue, I was immediately curious and peaked at the sound of another different language. This meaning that Downtown Brooklyn might be attracting a variety of people as the government as initially wanted and it has also led me to wonder if there were more people who were not white that lived or frequented the businesses and establishments in Downtown Brooklyn.
  • Smell: One thing that truly amazes me is the fact that the area of Downtown Brooklyn does not have an unpleasant odor. Most places have a predominating smell of either trash, smoke (cigarette), rotting food, etc. One down side that one might take away might be the smell of the car pollution and the occasional whiff of the debris that comes from the construction that surrounds the area. These smells are mostly industrial in nature and dusty in feeling; leaving a gray dusting on top of your skin and a tickling sensation to the nose, which can lead to health problems later on in life if one were to be exposed to it for an extended period of time. Other than that, one reason as to why this neighborhood of Brooklyn is fairly pleasant in terms of how intense the unpleasant smells are could be because of the fact that the city government is aware that the area is a tourist/ commercial/ business/ federal area and they might tend to focus a bit more of their resources on keeping the area clean by providing more employees that help maintain the area of Downtown Brooklyn clean (this certainly is plausible to do the sheer frequency of how often one might encounter a sanitation employee walking along the sidewalks with their equipment being diligent of areas where they might need to clean up). Another thing that is interesting of the smells that one might find in Downtown Brooklyn is the different aromas of food that permeate throughout the air and into their surroundings. Just walking along Fulton Mall, one’s nose will pick up the delicious and savory aromas coming from the different restaurants like Shake Shack, Burger King, various pizzerias, Halal food trucks, hot dog carts, and that one cart by the corner of Albee Square that is run by an old man who sells different types of meat. Which goes to show how multicultural and diverse the area is. Not only can this represent how multifaceted the city of New York is but it can also give anyone who is in the area a wide variety of options from where to eat; a rare option that only a few places can truly provide to anyone who visits.
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