Kings Highway
Arriving at Kings Highway, we expected to see a quiet residential area. Instead, we heard the loud sounds of shopping bags, bargaining, and cash registers.
People from all across Brooklyn and other parts of the city come to Kings Highway for its commercial appeal.
Our interview with Cara and Laura, two local girls who have lived in the area their entire lives, said that the only activities in the area are eating at the many restaurants or going shoe shopping.
Many restaurants are kosher, because of the big Jewish presence in the area. Hebrew print on signs indicates that cafes like Amazon or Sunflower, are the highest level of Kosher.
One man, Gil, an Israeli who recently moved to the area, said that he might move home again. He doesn’t like the area because it’s dirty, and he doesn’t feel particularly at home because he isn’t as orthodox as the other Jews there.
Outside of the restaurants there is a small park called Sergeant Joyce Kilmer Triangle. On the benches you can find elderly Russians with what we would call “The Brighton Beach Mentality.” While everyone is on a mission to work or shop, these elderly people are content just sitting and enjoying the day.
The Russian presence in Kings Highway is large, and many recurring themes of Russian business can be seen. There are many optical stores, shoes and clothing stores, and ballroom dance studios. Additionally, there is a bank at every corner because people often make withdrawals so they can shop.
The building structures promulgate the idea that Kings Highway is commercial, and not residential, because the second level of the building, which would normally be used as an apartment, is another store, Often, these upper-level stores are not related to the businesses underneath them.
If you want a wide array of kosher restaurants, a good deal on shoes, or Russian inspired fur coats and track-suits, then Kings Highway is definitely the stop at which you should get off.
- Deborah Sebrow's blog
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