Last Exit to Brooklyn. Tonight I went to Bensonhurst in Brooklyn because I had to go to a thing to speak at a thing. Just a thing. I had never been before and in a another example of pre-judgement and word association that one plays with place names like "Iraq" "Syria" "Texas" and "Mykonos", I associated "Bensonhurst" with "race riots," (shhhhhh) "Mafia," and "death by gang for certain."
Turns out Scott Baio and Gabe Kaplan and Larry King and Marisa Tomei are all from here. Though they don't still live here.
It was a far ride from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I was fortunate enough to have trusty friends Sean and Peter come along. True Friend Test #307 "Hey, I have to go to Bensonhurst on a Saturday night will you come with me and I can't promise fun OR survival?" Good pals those two.
Though it was long, it was fast. I always love travelling over the Manhattan Bridge where the subway is outside and you get to see the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan. And then you travel though Brooklyn where those apartment buildings are so close to the rails and there is graffiti and neon and, as Peter said, you half expect to hear a wailing saxophone. It was so real it looked like a movie set or like we were on the Universal New York streets tour.
We arrived at the 71st Street stop. There was an Italian pastry shop from the 1950s. We got cookies. Awesome. There was a church and houses that were decorated above their station, meaning, tried to look too grand for their simplicity with lions and fancy doors. The streets were dark.
Three middle-aged unsuspecting youths walked without a problem.
Later we went to an excellent Turkish restaurant Bay Ridge Cafe (the name SCREAMS Turkish donnit?). The food was great and half the price of Manhattan. They were really lovely in there and gave us free dessert.
Like it was going to be our last.
Excellent food at the Bay Ridge
Sean and Pat. Peter would not allow photo for this publication.
Actually Peter is right behind me in this photo. Thanks Peter!
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