A few Sundays ago I stopped @ the 773 on Coney Island Avenue and had some drinks. While I was there, I saw a guy with his sweet dog. At one point the light hit him just right and I asked him if I could take his photo. He kindly said yes. It's not easy to take a photo of a man in dark bar, and spritely dog after a few vodka and tonics. But this one came out pretty well. (with the help of PhotoShop)
This suppressing heat has made me a bit of a shut in. All I can really do is sit in my bedroom sandwhiched between the fan and the air conditioner (and thank God I have an air conditioner). By Sunday I was going a little stir crazy and decided to check out Lark - a new coffee shop in Ditmas Park that's all the buzz.
It's located on Church Avenue just a few blocks off of Coney Island Avenue, right next door from a Thai place. I managed to get there before the crowds. The storefront it sits in is shallow (I think it was two placed) with wooden bench seats, and a window counter that faces a school. I was greeted warmly by a young woman covered with tattoos. I ordered a black coffee (no sugar). I didn't feel like a pastry so I got a bagel with cream cheese. The bagel was very fresh.
The best part is the "play room" complete with floor mats and pillows were kids are free to play and cavort while the other patrons can stay in the main part of the coffee shop to enjoy their brew and read without a screaming child. It's not that I don't like children, but it's hard to read and enjoy your coffee while someone's toddler is bouncing around.
On July 24th 2011 a candlelight vigil was held in Kensington Brooklyn for a murdered boy named Leiby Kletzy. Kensington is one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in the United States, perhaps the world. Leiby was a child from an Orthodox Jewish community. But on this night people came out to honor Leiby regardless of their religious background or culture. It didn't matter. He was a child in the neighborhood. It is a neighborhood that has pulled together under extremely sad circumstances.
If diverse cultures can live peacefully in community in Brooklyn, why can't we live in peace throughout the world. I think Leiby would have wanted that.
You can see more photos here.
Last night I was walking up 2nd Avenue in Kensington. This is the same block that the horrible monster lives. I saw some typical scenes in the hood. A woman sitting in her driveway in a lawn chair with margarita mix in a blender, some school children sitting on the front porch enjoying the summer evening. And shreds of crime scene tape.
The house that Levi Aaron lives in, the house were Leiby Kletzy died is surrounded by barriers while shocked neighbors stand around. I spoke to a few of them. One said he knew the guy but not very well. "He always seemed a little off" he told me.
This morning I walked over again because I wanted to take some pictures of the media frenzy. But there wasn't too much media there. Instead there was an evidence truck while people from the medical examiner's office walked into the house with white suits and booties on their feet.
This was at 9:30 this morning. There were some reporters there from the Daily News and The New York Post. Even though I have three papers to write and I am on extension. I decided to stick around a bit. I wanted to get a photograph of evidence being carried out. In the photo above, a parked car is in the way and I think it ruins the shot. So I grabbed a cup of coffee and found a great spot. A police officer came by and politely asked me not to move any closer. I told him "Sure, no problem, I won't get any closer than I am now. I promise." but then the Captain came and told me I had to move. I then walked back to where the NY POST photographer was and we were told to leave because we were "press". "But I'm not press" I argued. Didn't matter. I suppose owning a Nikon D90 automatically makes you "the press" and you are not allowed to take pictures.
I came back a few hours later. By that time some news trucks were on the scene. I was just in time to snap some photos of them carrying out a mattress.
So I wonder what else they will find there. It's hard to believe that Leiby was his only victim. But let's hope he was.
A few weeks ago I did a photo excursion to Green-Wood Cemetery. I haven't been here in years. Many Kensington residents don't know they live near the second largest cemetery in the world. They also may not know that Green-Wood Cemetery is the reason we have Prospect Park. The city of Brooklyn decided they needed a green space because people were going to Green-Wood Cemetery to picnic and enjoy the scenery.
And of course I used the "lomo affect" on these photos. I'm like a kid with a new toy.
(Word of caution. Photography is kind of not allowed, so have your camera packed when you walk through the gates.)
Recent Comments