Meet Your Neighbors : Episode 11

Welcome back to Meet Your Neighbors, a feature on the Bed Stuy blog that serves to make the introductions between you, our readers, and other people who live or work in Bedford Stuyvesant.

So with summer here, and a plethora of muggy, hazy days having become the norm, my normally spry, beat reporter tendencies have admittedly morphed into that of what some friends of mine used to call a “stoopie;” someone who sits on their stoop, seemingly staring off into space, but actually watching the summertime, slow motion, street scene unfold. This state is not an active one, for good reason; living in New York City, most of us have to deal with that challenging combination of descending down into virtual fog baths of precipitation on subway platforms, coupled with the blasting jolts of freezing cold air on the city’s subways, and in office buildings and stores. This daily ritual saps the energy, and creates a feeling of lethargy. Yet, the true charm of the season can be found in the fact that all of this heat and uncomfortable weather forces us to slow down, and trade in being compulsively active and on-the-go, for solitary bouts of quiet contemplation. One can not hit the streets and engage people with the same forthrightness and vigor that one might on a dry, cool day, but instead one can home in on a certain action, event, or even person, and mull over all of the qualities each possesses until one decides to leave the stoop and take a closer look. With that said, ready to meet some new neighbors?

Names: Adrian and Irene

Reside: We are on the Hart and Broadway block.

Age: I am 52 and Irene is forever young.

Born: London and New York

Cultural or ethnic heritage: British/Italian and American

How much do you feel like your cultural or ethnic background defines or influences your identity?: Quite a fair bit.

Lives with: We live together with a large cat named Pudding and a turtle.

How long have you lived in Bed Stuy?: Three months

What made you decide to move to Bed Stuy?: We are financial and cultural refugees.

Where else have you lived during your lifetime?: London, for myself, and Spain for Irene.

What is one of your favorite books, movies, or music artists?: Books: A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Michael Miller, Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson; Movie: Raising Arizona; Band: Siouxie and the Banshees

What do you like best about living in Bed Stuy?: A sense of community that has disappeared in
Manhattan.

What do you like least about living or working in Brooklyn and/or Bed Stuy?: Litter

What would you change about the neighborhood if you could?: Litter

Are there any businesses or services that your part of the neighborhood is lacking?: There are no art, book, or stationary stores, and a polite post office would be nice.

Do you feel like Bedford Stuyvesant is experiencing “gentrification”?: We have not been here long enough to know.

If you are relatively new to the neighborhood, how have you been treated by your neighbors, or the community at large?: Very, very well.

Other than your own ethnic or cultural background, what other ethnic groups, cultures, or countries do you have an affinity for and why?: All kinds, but especially India.

Is there anything in particular that you would like to say to, or share with, the neighbors who will be reading about you?: Thank you for making us feel at home, we love it here.

Photographs by Bed Stuy resident and photographer Rosie McCobb
http://www.rosiemccobb.com

READ THE PREVIOUS MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS EPISODE!