Yesterday I wanted to explore a part of the city I hadn’t seen before. So I hopped on the F train and went way out into Brooklyn, to Avenue P. From there I walked south along Stillwell Avenue through Bensonhurst, all the way to Coney Island. (With many little side trips.)
I visited Avenue P once before, last summer, but had to leave after just a few minutes because of rain. (My pals Lettuce and Squirrel were getting rained out at Coney Island on that very same day.)
I’ve always been curious about Avenue P because of “Really Rosie,” a children’s TV special developed by Maurice Sendak and Carole King back in the 1970s. I don’t ever remember seeing it as a child, but I was introduced to the music in the ‘80s by my friend Suzanne, who knew I loved King’s music. Rosie, a little girl who yearns to escape her boring childhood and be an actress, lives on Avenue P.
Surprisingly, I didn’t find a whole lot of terrific graffiti out there -- just lots of uninspiring tags. But once I got to Coney Island -- which I had visited before -- I found some good street art, and lots of other pictures as well. Coney Island looks even more desolate these days, with its amusement park now shuttered for redevelopment.
The tag above was on a phone booth. It could almost be a piece of Zen calligraphy -- disciplined and yet so simply and thoroughly an expression of the moment.
Man, you get around your city. I salute you? I took a walk yesterday, too, in the rain, hunkered down in my own thoughts, not paying attention to possible street art.
ReplyDeleteI love your eye!
I love the fact that you choose such different walks and seem content either with or without walking companions. If I ever take a walk with you, I'm afraid I will have to send you around the block for every block I walk because I am so slow these days! But I'm working on speeding up...
ReplyDeleteThat is a surprisingly intricate design. Most of the stuff around here is mindless, hurried tagging.
ReplyDeleteI love how you can just hop trains and go any place you want there. How loberating that must be.
ReplyDeleteI too noticed the intricate tagging here--nice shot and Reya's right about your eye.
Walking distances for me is really hard with these tears in my knee. They don't appear to be mending on their own...Perhaps I can look forward to rolling!
Barbara, the secret to walking with my brother is to keep him fed...he only strikes off at a crazy pace when in search of food!
ReplyDeleteAnd the worst combination is loaded with coffee AND hungery! HA!
There...the sibling has ratted you out!
hung-e-ry? oops
ReplyDeleteah, I was hoping to have made it out to coney island w/ f....but alas no time!
ReplyDelete