Leor

May 3rd,  2016

I visited 86th street in Bensonhurst on May 3, 2016, around the evening time. It was a cool 52-degree weather day, partly cloudy. May 3rd was the day of my birthday, so I was wearing formal clothes, of course, to make myself feel satisfied and celebrated on my special day. My birthday gift was visiting 86th street, I guess. 86th street is a long street bombarded with many different societies and races. Most of the general population around me were Chinese people. I felt like I was roaming the streets of Beijing since most of the workers and sellers on that street were Chinese. However, the consumer population was enormously diverse, ranging from African American to Italians to Chinese. Stores, departments, banks, and restaurants line the entire 86th street. There are apartments on top of some of the stores on each block. I visited the Bay Parkway area on 86th street, and I found myself surrounded by many banks and Chinese restaurants and cafes, like the Hi Tea Café and Wong Chinese Restaurant. Where I walked, there was a smell of fish, Chinese food, and inorganic products that Chinese groceries sell. In addition, there were moments when I smelt fresh and cool air as I walked past the cool air-ventilated electronic and departmental stores.

The D train line runs along the entire 86th street. The subway anchors and poles are evenly spaced on the floor of the long street. So long as the train line exists along 86th street, there is no sunlight on 86th street. 86th street never sees sunlight because the train line blocks the sun. There are little specs of sunlight that peak through the train tracks, but that’s as much sunlight as you will ever see on 86th street. (People that work on 86th street do not get a tan). The streets are very staggered and narrow. There is a split of the east and west sides of the street. Consumers and producers walk on both sides, and may God be with you if you want to cross to the other side.

There is something very interesting about the train line on 86th street. Every block forms an intersection complex with much perceptivity and vulnerability. The train line is like a shield and protection to all the people on 86th street. You are protected by sunlight and rain, yet sunlight shines and rain pours at every intersection. Standing under the train line at an intersection, I took a deep glance at the view and saw the sun shining with scattered gloomy clouds. I took a quick glance down the train line and saw even intervals of creeping light. There was a slight smell of rotten, old metal from the constant maintenance of the train tracks and rain droplets that seep through the small pores of the train tracks. In addition, the sounds of traffic were destructive since they were also at even intervals when the train would pass by; I felt a vibration and harmonic, consonant sounds every five minutes. Overall, I enjoyed the accompaniment of the diverse Bensonhurst population and community with the variety range of stores, groceries, restaurants, and departments under the train line.

May 12th, 2016

On May 12, 2016, I visited Bensonhurst for a third time. May 12 was a nice and hot Thursday. It was a 66 degree weather day with cool bursts of wind here and there. The day was beautiful and the sun was shining. May 12 was a special day because it was a national pride day for Jews. This day is called Yom Ha’atzmaut, which means the day of independence. Yom Ha’atzmaut tracks all the way back to 1948 when Israeli troops fought in the Israel War of Independence against Egyptian, Iraqi, and Syrian troops. The main goal of this was was to get control of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. Israeli troops fought incessantly and bravely until the other troops gave in. Israel was free of oppression and became an independent state since 1948. This day is special to me because I have family living in Israel now who are in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and are defending our state as I am writing this field note. Many of my uncles and aunts that live in Israel have greater relatives that have fought in the War of Independence in 1948. To commemorate this day, I dressed up in a blue shirt and white pants to signify the blue and white colors in the Israeli flag and remember my relatives that are risking their lives in the IDF to keep Israel safe.

Besides for my interesting background, I was also in a great mood since I had just attended a Yom Ha’atzmaut party off campus at the Tanger Hillel building, and I ate a big burger before I went to visit Bensonhurst, so I was satisfied to the max before I began my visit. When I got off the B3 bus on 86th Street, I realized that I automatically became assimilated to the diversity. I no longer was a Syrian Jew walking on 86th Street, I was a Bensonhurst resident walking on 86th Street. One thing I love about Bensonhurst is that it doesn’t matter what race or nationality you are, everyone accepts you and assumes that you have to do your own business in Bensonhurst. No one questions your presence and no one responds to your presence. I walked along the Bay Parkway area and passed by many restaurants. This was my third visit to 86th Street and I was already familiar to the stores near my vicinity. The best sniff I took on 86th Street is by the Italian pizza store, Lenny’s Pizza. The pizza smelt like heaven and the after smell of the bread crusts being heated in the oven enlightened my mood even more. Unfortunately, I couldn’t eat any of the food sold on 86th Street because I’m Jewish and the food is not Kosher, except for fruits.

I passed by many grocery markets. Some markets had their fruits and vegetables being sold outside on the sidewalk and some had them inside. I love fruits and vegetables; I consume about 10 different types of fruits and vegetables every day. I walked by one of the grocery stores by Bay Parkway and picked up and held a few apples. These apples were lime green in color and looked very intriguing. I bought one of the apples and ate it. It had a very sour and different taste to it. I tried to remember the taste of the apples in my area, Flatbush. These apples from 86th Street were way more sour than the apples I usually eat. Not that they did much, but the apples sweetened my visit even more.

Overall, I had a way better visit this time than I did before. Besides for the loud traffic that day and busy streets, because you know, when it’s sunny and hot outside, people find things to do even if it means walking aimlessly on 86th Street, I enjoyed the lovely weather and appreciated that I wasn’t socially pressured in the community.

 

Dajana

April 1st, 2016

Today was the first time I went to 86th street to collect data. It was a very noisy and busy day. the first thing that stood out to me was the ear-piercing sound of the D train passing by above me, and on top of that there was the loud sounds of car and pedestrian traffic.

The weather was not particularly great but that did not stop people from crowding the streets mainly for shopping purposes. I walked by a very loud bazaar-styled market that sold fresh produce. There were many people there, mostly older women, picking their fruits and vegetables. Many of the people I passed by were immigrants, and it was evident in the different languages that I heard being spoken, particularly Russian and Chinese. I did not see many children, although that was probably because I was there during school hours, still I saw a few mothers with their toddlers in stores like Children’s Place and McDonald’s.

I bought a slice of pizza which was really good; the crust was thin just the way I like it. The pizzeria was small and not too busy and it provided a nice break from the crowded, noisy streets. On my way out I avoided getting ice cream at the Baskin Robins near by and headed towards the calmer end of 86th street, where all of the furniture and clothing stores are located. I guess that explains why it got quieter— people seem to be noisier when they shop for groceries.

After a few more minutes of walking around and taking pictures of the sights that I passed I decided to go to Starbucks for a coffee break. When I walked in the place was fairly crowded; I ordered an iced coffee with just milk and managed to find a seat in the corner, for myself, across from a guy that seemed very concentrated on the work he was typing on his laptop.  The other table near by had more chairs and I noticed that the men sitting there looked very Albanian— we have a very distinct look, although I’m not sure non-Albanian can distinguish it. Sure enough after kindly eavesdropping on their conversation I heard them speak in Albanian and was able to confirm my assumption. I did not stay any longer because I did not want to be rude and frankly their conversation was not very interesting. I walked outside and was immediately greeted by the D train on the tracks above me— living close to that would be a nightmare, although that explains why there are not many houses along 86th street. The residential areas are found further down the intersecting avenues. I decided it was time for me to head home and fortunately I did not have to wait long for the B6 to get to the bus stop.

May 20th, 2016

The second time I went to 86th street, was with Gjelina and we decided to engage in all the shopping everyone was doing. There were not as many clothing stores as I initially assumed from the first time I came here. There were little boutiques and other store brands like Marshalls and Gap. We did not buy any clothing; it was mainly for observational purposes. The majority of the shoppers were women, but they were very diverse in race and age. I did buy a really nice perfume at a little shop we passed by right next to McDonald’s. The owner was really kind and patient with my indecisiveness about which perfume to buy, I ended up buying Chloé— I’m very satisfied with my purchase

On our way to Marshalls we passed by a psychic’s shop and asked about the prices. It was twenty dollars for a palm reading, which I was not very interested in and a hundred dollars for the crystal ball session, which of course I was super curious about but the price was unreasonably high. It made me wonder about her clientele; do people actually spend a hundred dollars on a crystal ball reading? We then spent a few minutes in Marshalls before deciding to get sushi. The restaurant was across the street which was convenient and it had gotten an A rating, which was convincing enough for us. We ordered California rolls, sweet potato rolls, chicken tempura rolls, and calamari. The food was delicious and fresh although I felt like it took a little long to be prepared, but maybe it seemed like that because I was hungry. The ambient of the restaurant was very calm and far removed from the loudness of 86th street. It was dimly lit and not crowded at all. I really enjoyed the colorful fish in the aquarium, I thought it added a nice touch to the place.

We walked around for a little longer and decided to stop by McDonald’s for some desert. We got Oreo mcflurries which is my favorite ice cream; it is the only thing I will ever eat at McDonald’s. Our table was by the window so that we could watch the traffic outside. The majority of the traffic was caused by trucks that carried goods to the market further down. The B1 bus line also goes down 86th street, which only contributes more to the traffic. After 15 minutes Gjelina walked me to my bus stop while begging me to stay longer; I dreaded taking the B6 home the second I saw the large crowd of people by the bus stop. Today was an especially busy day, probably because the weather was really nice outside. It was one of those days that felt like summer, we even had to take our jackets off and wrap them around our waists.

 

Gjelina Gjini

May 6th, 2016

It is dark. 7pm. I am on my way home from work. It is 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a fairly warm day but it is becoming dark and fast. Most businesses are also closing and I can’t smell much but dust, garbage and the occasional fruits. I hear the sound of a passing train about every five to ten minutes. It is above ground and gives the streets a gloomy undertone. There are also many buses nearby, so this is a transportation hub as well. In addition, I notice that the train stations, although most have stairs, are still wheelchair accessible in a few locations. This is not the case for the N train in the area, which is not wheelchair accessible. The wait time for the D train does not seem to be too bad but any wait would probably be too long in the winter, when above ground train stations are not warm places to be in.

I hear a lot of Chinese, and other Asian languages I am not familiar enough with to be able to recognize. I have been here many times, so everything feels pretty home-y to me. It is very crowded despite that its late. There are many businesses and it is not at all a residential area unless there are homes on the second floors of stores. I hear very little English. Most of the people in the area seem to be Asian, South American, or Eastern Europe. There may be some from the Middle East as well, but I don’t want to make any assumptions.

There is a large shift in the businesses once I pass Bay Parkway and all the way down to 18th Ave. From 25th Ave to Bay Parkway, I see a large amount of stores selling produce. There is an ethnic Turkish store that I just walked into. It has a lot of food that I am used to seeing in Albania, because of the closeness of Turkey to Albania. Sweets include packaged Bakllava, Llokums, and they also have a wide range of chocolates produced by Turkish companies. Of course, there is a wide selection of cheeses and milk products, including Dhallë, another drink I am very used to seeing. There is also a butcher. The majority of the customers in the store seem to be from either Turkey, Russia, or other parts of Eurasia. The next few stores mostly sell fruits and vegetables.

After Bay Parkway, the businesses became clothing-oriented. There are stores I have seen before, like Gap and Marshall’s. There are also smaller businesses that also sell clothes and shoes, and almost all of them seem to be managed by Russians. They are definitely more overpriced than the other stores that are not as small; however, I can see that the quality is somewhat better. After 18th Ave, the stores begin to come to a stop, and I return to a residential area.

 

May 14th

It is 2pm. It is 55 degrees Fahrenheit.  I decide that I am going to take a closer look at the food in the area. My first stop is Istanbul, a Turkish fast food place on Bay Parkway and 86th street. I have taken my mother along for moral support. We order a shish kebab, stuffed grape leaves, and a Coban Salatasi, which translates to Shepard Salad. I at first attempted to pick foods I wasn’t already familiar with but the fact that Albania had been occupied by the Turks for 500 years did not make that very easy. The food was good, service was slow, the employees all spoke to one another in Turkish. To be fair, service may have been slow for us because there happened to be quite a few people there and it is not a very big place, but the employees seemed to be working fairly quickly.

We finished up there and decided to get bubble tea. We went to a place called Kung Fu tea on 21st Ave and 86th street. It wasn’t as busy, but the only people in the entire shop were Asian and either teenagers or young adults. I wonder if bubble tea is a fairly new thing even in the country it originates from. Maybe that is why it attracts a younger crowd? In contrast, Istanbul was populated with Eurasian adults in their 30s and 40s, and they were mostly men. This may have been because a lot of workers get lunch breaks at about that time.

Of course, we then decided that we were going to do some grocery shopping. We bought mainly fruits and vegetables from the stores that followed one another from Bay Parkway and up. They were so closely placed that you almost couldn’t tell when one produce market ended and the other one started.