Leor

86th on Hurst

It’s May 20th, 2016 on a nice Friday afternoon. I’m sitting on one of the chairs of Hi Tea Café on Bay Parkway and 86th Street while writing his very paper on my MacBook Air. The keys on the keyboard are very sensitive to touch, especially when I’m typing in an outdoor, wild environment where everything is pressured and sensitive causing me to type faster and harder. It’s very sunny outside, and the weather is 68º Fahrenheit. It smells like fresh herbal tea to my right with a mix of garbage to my left. There is a cool air-ventilated smell spreading from the inside of the Café.

This is my fourth time visiting 86th Street, and something new occurs every visit. The last two times I visited, the weather wasn’t so great. The visit on May 3, my birthday, had a little cutting-edge to it since I was hyped for the surprises my friends planned for me that night, even though I didn’t know I was going to be surprised then. However, it was cloudy and gloomy and the people on 86th Street did not seem to be happy. I took a walk past some crying children, old and grumpy seniors, and rushing salesmen formally dressed and holding shoulder bags. The weather and external environment, sometimes, do have an effect on human beings. The visit on May 12 was a relaxing visit. I went to 86th Street and Bay Parkway around noon. It was a nice and hot day. That day was also a special day; it is called Yom Ha’atzmaut. Yom Ha’atzmaut is a day that the Jews celebrate Israel’s freedom from oppression and victory from the Israel Independence War against Egyptian, Syrian, and Iraqi troops in 1948 when Israel became a state. I was dressed in blue and white to show my national appreciation and loyalty to Israel, and was in a great mood that day since I had just attended a Yom Ha’atzmaut party in college before I went to visit my site. Besides for the political aspect of it, my day was filled with joy and happiness, and I was so glad and grateful to be alive, healthy, and independent unlike a few of my relatives who constantly risk their lives in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to defend their country, Israel. What better days could I have asked for to visit 86th Street; one was on my birthday, and one was on a national pride day. This visit is quite different too, but similar in a sense with regards to pride and happiness. I’m casually dressed and have my hand bag with me. I am excited and eager to roam through the streets and explore 86th Street through critical lenses since I just finished taking my Chemistry II final. The final started at 8:00 AM this morning, so I was awake at around 6:00 AM. I think I did pretty well on the final because I was totally prepared for it and I had a great night sleep the night before. It is now 1:37 PM, writing and reporting to you live from 86th Street.

As I observe all around me, I get the vibe that I don’t belong here. 86th Street in Bensonhurst is a great site but there is something missing that makes me feel displaced and excluded. I cannot understand the language being spoken around me and I cannot decipher between the various races in the area. Bensonhurst has a very diverse community including nationalities and races across the spectrum. There is something special about the diversity in Bensonhurst and it all tracks back to the late 20th century when racism was emergent in that area. There were many blacks living in Bensonhurst, especially around 20th Avenue. Blacks and whites were somewhat separated back then before all equality rights were modified and fully implemented. The famous Bensonhurst Murder Case in 1989 triggered and inspired racism in the Bensonhurst neighborhood (Rich Schapiro, nydailynews.com). The case was that Joseph Fama, a then 18-year-old white male, allegedly shot and murdered Yusuf Hawkins, a 16-year-old black male. Fama was sentenced a 32-year to life imprisonment. This Murder Case created racial tensions between blacks and whites and triggered the wide spread of racism in the Bensonhurst neighborhood. Many accounts of racism were recorded by various black women who really felt the consequences of racism. Black women were being called “niggers” and “Brillo-pads” while waiting at a bus stop (Andrew Sullivan, ebscohost.com). Blacks, in general, were being accused of shoplifting in deli and grocery supermarkets. One black woman had her change thrown at her by a cashier in a supermarket. These acts of discrimination and blatant racism grew and spread throughout the neighborhood. However, people came to accept the fact that the blacks were living within their vicinities. According to Sullivan, “The tales were invariably part of a larger story about how racism was not that big a problem in their lives, and how, if anything, things had gotten better in the past few years.” There are about 7,000 blacks living in Bensonhurst, and they are gradually being accepted in the Bensonhurst community.

Immigration into Bensonhurst grew in the late 20th century. Bensonhurst become the Chinatown for Chinese people since many houses and apartments were available for sale. “They come for the same reasons, Mr. Treyger said, as many other immigrants: more space, affordable housing, safety and good schools.” (Liz Robbins, nytimes.com) Chinese people populated Bensonhurst, and the foreign-born Chinese population increased by almost 50% the past 20 years, from 86,000 to 128,000 Chinese people. Also, the Asian population increased by around 57% between the years 2000 and 2010 (Elizabeth Wu, chinadaily.com). there was an influx of Italian immigrants mid-20th century and many Italians flooded Bensonhurst due to the open opportunities for jobs and housing. Recently there has been a decline in the Italian population in Bensonhurst to about 59,000 Italians, according to the 2000 census (Joseph Berger, nytimes.com). Among the two most dominant populations in Bensonhurst, there are few other nationalities within the neighborhood. The Koreans fit in right under the Chinese and Asian populations. There are minute populations of Jews that live in Bensonhurst. Other nationalities include Puerto Ricans and Hispanics. Throughout the massive influx of immigrants to Bensonhurst, the neighborhood became more diverse and favorable to incoming residents, no matter what nationality or race they were from. Whites learned to accept and favor blacks, and the Italians learned to favor and work with the Chinese and other nationalities. You can witness this wonderful cocktail of nationalities and races on 86th Street where so many eccentric restaurants and stores are built next to each other and attract a multitude of customers and residents who come from different ethnicities.

The D train runs along 86th Street from 18th Avenue to 25th Avenue. Besides for the wild rush that the train creates and elongates throughout 86th Street, the presence of the D train introduces a whole different perspective on the street. The poles and anchors, covered with a referee uniform, are evenly spaced along the streets. There are about six to eight anchors on every street. The train tracks serve as a protective shield over 86th Street. They can protect a person from sunlight and rain. While I am sitting on one of the café’s chairs, I am being partially protected from the hot sun, and that’s because I’m sitting a little far from the train tracks. If it were to rain now I would walk under the tracks since the raindrops slowly seep through the pores in the tracks and won’t affect me as much as the actual rain. The residue of the rain trickles down from the tracks and randomly drops a good 20 feet distance. These raindrops are the leftovers of the rain, and to me they symbolize the durability of God’s and Mother Nature’s existence in this world. Some sunlight also seeps through the pores of the tracks, but not as much as the peripheral sides of the streets. This characteristic of the train tracks unifies the people on 86th Street in a way, which motivates more people to come together, talk and chat, and shop and eat in the various supermarkets, stores, and restaurants.

The D train passes by approximately every seven minutes. The rumbling sound it makes is harmonious and consonant. Before the train passes over me, I feel a strong vibration and eager inclination to only pay attention to the train sounds and ooze every other sound out. As the train passes by, I hear the screeches and pops of every cart of the train along the electrified rails, and the blue and white sparks that extend over the rails. This coupled sensation occurs to me every time the train passes by me and the sounds that are produced by this sensation reminds me of my musicianship in which I always try to find and integrate new and harmonious sounds to amplify my daily music experience.

I originally had doubts about doing research on Bensonhurst since I can’t really relate to it on a personal level. Bensonhurst was just another neighborhood that a few of my far friends lived in, and not much really happened there. However, I agreed to my group’s choice of visiting Bensonhurst. I realized that although I couldn’t relate to it on a personal level, I had some connections with it since I shop there often, especially in Century 21 and a few stores on 86th Street. Ultimately, I’m glad I chose this place because I explored and learned about the different nationalities that encompass the neighborhood, and even more importantly, new places to shop at.

Gjelina

Two Albanians and a Jew in Bensonhurst:

A Reflection on the Final Web Project

            The final web project was an assignment that I enjoyed doing, particularly after my group’s change in neighborhood of interest. I was raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and I have always been very familiar with the area. However, after having done a bit of historical research, I was able to learn a few new things about the place I thought I knew all too well.

Bensonhurst has always been rather ethnically diverse; however, this was particularly visible along 86th street. For this reason, our assignment took us there. It is a heavily commercialized area with many different businesses, both big and small. Unsurprisingly, there were a few very well established businesses, such as Starbucks and McDonalds. However, it was the heavy concentration of local shops that were representative of the community’s cultural composition that was far more interesting. Bensonhurst is known to have Brooklyn’s second Chinatown, for there is a very large number of Chinese residents, who contribute to the neighborhood’s appeal through their establishment of businesses, in its borders. This is particularly apparent along 86th street as well as Bay Parkway. The produce markets are predominately Chinese-owned and offer a wide range of traditional Asian food. In addition, bubble tea shops, nail salons, and electronics stores are also dominated by the Asian population. They contribute immensely to the charm of the area by giving its residents a taste of a culture that is a world away.

In addition to its heavily populated Asian-American population, Bensonhurst has also experienced a large influx in immigrants. According to Lauren Holter, reporter for AM New York, “a 2013 report on the city’s housing and neighborhoods by New York University’s Furman Center named Bensonhurst the most racially diverse neighborhood in the city [..] Historically an Italian and Jewish neighborhood, Bensonhurst has transformed into a multi-cultural hub of southwest Brooklyn. The neighborhood’s Italian roots are still visible in the many eateries and specialty shops nestled along the tree-lined streets of Brooklyn’s Little Italy, including Lenny’s Pizza, made famous by its cameo in the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever. However, an influx of Chinese, Russian, Mexican and Middle Eastern immigrants has diversified the area for a few decades.” Predictably, this diversity was illustrated through our field notes and the data we collected. On one of my trips, I had heard Albanian, Spanish, Russian and Chinese—all within a few minutes of walking.

There are a variety of staple businesses that are generally associated with one culture or another. For example, along 18th Avenue, there was a relatively significant amount of Italian pastry shops and bakeries. Of course, pizzerias were also widespread. According to Jenny Freedman from A Taste of Travel, “When inner city land prices in New York rose, the Jews moved out of Manhattan and into Bensonhurst bringing with them their businesses. They were then followed by the Italians. Today it is the Chinese from Fujon province, Central Americans, Mexicans and Central Europeans who are moving into the area but many of the original Italian businesses still remain.” The neighborhood’s once Italian roots are still easily observed.

The neighborhood, in addition to being a cultural hub, is also very conveniently situated. There is a plethora of transportation options when in Bensonhurst. The B6, B82, B3, B4, B1, B9, and more, all have bus stops located in walking distance from one another. Additionally, the N train and the D train provide easy access to many locations. In order to get to Brooklyn, anyone can take the D train to 71st street, 79th Street, 18th Avenue, 20th Avenue, Bay Parkway or 25th Avenue. Alternatively, the N train stops at New Utrecht Avenue, 18th avenue, 20th Avenue, and Bay Parkway. I was glad to see that the D, in particular, had elevators along its stops that accommodated wheelchairs. 86th street is also fairly notable for the D train, which extends all along its path. I was surprised to realize that after a while of being on 86th street, the sounds of the passing trains became less prominent.

There were definitely times throughout the project that I questioned whether my connection to the neighborhood had any effect on the work I produced. Because I was so familiar with the area, did I possibly fail to view things with fresh eyes? Did I come into the project with my own preconceived notions or biases about Bensonhurst? Fortunately, Leor had not had as much exposure to Bensonhurst, so I feel that we were able to provide a fairly accurate representation of the community we observed.

This project was not a difficult one. It was fairly straightforward and I would not be able to say that I despised it. However, there were aspects of it that I could appreciate, and ones that I may not have necessarily understood the relevance of. For example, I can understand the value of knowing the historical significance of a community; however, the raw data sometimes left me wondering about the purpose it served. Smelling pizza does not necessarily tell anyone anything unless it is analyzed or used to come to some sort of conclusion. Unfortunately, there were plenty of times when I felt that greater conclusions were never reached. Of course, this was only a minor aspect of the assignment. The majority of the new insights I gained were the result of research done.

I appreciated the web portion of the project because it provided a crisper visual aspect to the work while allowing for access to be given to anyone with a computer. It was a great way for the group to collectively post and share data. I am glad that the information we gleaned will be available to those who search for it and I can only hope we did Bensonhurst justice.

Dajana

The place we chose for our project, 86th street, was not foreign to me; I had been to 86th street before countless times but when I went there for my first observations I experienced the area in a completely different way. All of my senses were alert and open to everything that surrounded me. In fact I was a bit overwhelmed initially as I did not know what to note first, what I was seeing or what I was hearing. 86th street is fairly busy with the constant flow of pedestrians, cars, trucks and buses. The D train that runs above the traffic further contributes to the noise that becomes almost unbearable at a certain point. I can never take a phone call while walking down 86th street without having to stop for the train to pass by or without asking the other person on the other end of the line to repeat what they said again.

Most of the research I did on 86th street and it’s history spoke of the strong Italian influence in the area, that has now been replaced by an influx of new immigrants from China and Eastern Europe. This was evident as I walked around and noticed all of the different languages that were spoken. A lot of the store front signs have Chinese characters and a lot of the shoppers can be heard speaking Russian and Albanian. I felt very comfortable in this setting, as an immigrant. The stores selling ethnic food, such as the Turkish one that I frequent, offer people a taste of home and a sense of comfort. I love the pickled vegetables, especially the peppers. There are still traces of the Italian culture that once dominated this region. While walking toward 86th from 18th street you can see the pizzerias and pastry shops all proudly display Italian flags. However there is a clear shift to a more Asian and Eastern European culture on 86th street.

Collecting data of observations was an interesting experience. Since it is a very busy area all of the senses are overwhelmed with information to take in so I decided to focus on one sense at a time and take notes through voice recordings. I also found that media such as pictures and videos are very helpful in portraying what I experienced as well as allowing me to recall the details I included in my field notes. Over all I would say that as a group we captured a lot of what 86th street is about, however it would have been very interesting if we would have been able to capture more of the differences in 86th street based on what time of the day or day of the week it is.