Crown Heights lies at the center of Brooklyn’s Caribbean community, home to one of the largest expatriate populations in the US with immigrants from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Haiti, and elsewhere. Nostrand Avenue, running north-south through Crown Heights, is dotted with roti shops and groceries, making it an ideal place to shop for West Indian ingredients.
When Kensington was developed in the late 19th century, there surely was no concept of what the neighborhood would become—the crossroads of countries, a confluence of cultures, an ethnic food shopper’s paradise. See what I found, traipsing through ten countries in five blocks of Church Avenue.
New York natives Josh and Benny Safdie are the Safdie Brothers. Remember the name, these kids are going places. This weekend marks the final days of the brothers two-week summer series Emotional Sloppy Manic Cinema, which features films they directed and selected for screening at BAM. We spoke to Josh Safdie about his craft.
For your hungry ears and keen stomachs, head out for summer fun this Saturday with these two great picks for daytime fun.
Nowhere in Brooklyn is there a more foreign enclave than Brighton. Under the elevated tracks of the B and Q, caressed by sea breezes, the sidewalks of Brighton Beach Avenue vibrate with a cacophony of voices: the Russian of women hawking pastries, the English of sand-seeking day trippers, the hum of shoppers hailing from Omsk to Kiev.
For brunch this weekend, hop on your bike and head to Home/Made in Red Hook. With long wooden tables, benches topped with pastel colored pillows, potted plants abound, and just-picked-fresh food, dining in the back garden feels like a picnic at a country cottage.
In a city that has everything, it can be options overload when trying to decide what to do or where to eat. But if you choose the right neighborhood, like Kensington and Windsor Terrace, you’ll find a nice variety of eateries and entertainment that doesn’t overwhelm. Quiet, but far from sleepy, these diverse neighborhoods show that sometimes less really is more.
