A street art mural by Argentine artist Santiago Spirito, who goes by the name Cabaio, in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. Photo / AP
A street art mural by Argentine artist Santiago Spirito, who goes by the name Cabaio, in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. Photo / AP
Beth J. Harpaz heads to the new epicenter of Brooklyn-cool.
For the last few years, a neighbourhood called Williamsburg has been the epicenter of Brooklyn-cool. But with prices for Williamsburg condos hitting US$4 million and up, young creative types are migrating to less expensive ground. They seem to have found it in nearby Bushwick, known for colourful street art and kale pizza at a place called Roberta's.
Yet Bushwick's emergence as part of cutting-edge Brooklyn has not completely erased memories of the bad old days, when the working-class neighbourhood was notorious for crime. Maria Hernandez Park is named for a woman who was killed in 1989 after standing up to drug dealers. Today the park is filled with flowers, skateboarders, dog-walkers and families. "No more shootings," said Elvin Alvarado, sitting on a park bench. "It used to be at 8pm, you could not pass. People were waiting for you."
Joe Ficalora grew up in the neighbourhood; his father was killed by a crackhead here in 1991. But Bushwick's murder rate has dropped 90 per cent since then, and Ficalora is thrilled with the transformation. He points to what used to be a warehouse, now renting out gleaming apartments, as proof that the neighbourhood will not "turn into Detroit".
"No one wanted to live here before," said Ficalora, who promotes street art through a group called the Bushwick Collective. "No one wanted the beast. Now everyone loves the beast!"
Where the hipsters of New York City go, tourists are sure to follow. So for out-of-towners willing to explore Bushwick, take the L subway line to Jefferson Street and start wandering. You'll find great eats and great art.
STREET ART
Along Troutman, Starr, Wyckoff and other streets, artwork decorates old factories, warehouses and even small apartment buildings. There's everything from a portrait of Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai to a picture of a flotation device with the words: "Street art saved my life." On a recent afternoon, several young men chose a mural of the late rapper Biggie Smalls as a backdrop for filming a music video. "I was looking for good artwork and this caught my eye," said the video's 20-year-old star, who goes by the name Flispy Flexin.
Bedford Stuyvesant-based rapper Flispy Flexin records a music video. Photo / AP
You may see artists at work with spray paint, stencils, ladders and other tools of the trade, and if you're intersted in learning more, you can sign up for a Bushwick street art tour.
Ficalora's family operates a steel products company that's one of a number of manufacturers still located in Bushwick. But some industrial buildings have been repurposed for residential and retail use, like Shops at the Loom, which houses 20 stores in a renovated textile mill at 1087 Flushing Ave.
Archie Broady owns a boutique at Shops at the Loom named for his mother, Iola. In his store, he says, "anybody should be able to find something beautiful." His eclectic wares and "found objects" range from hand-cranked candles wound around a coil, to bandages designed to match various skin colours.
Passing through Shops at the Loom on recently was Laura De Marco, an Italian visitor scoping out loft space for a photography workshop. "A lot of young artists live here," explained De Marco. "We're looking for a big space with light. Brooklyn is the place to do photography. This is the real Brooklyn."
Even folks from other parts of Brooklyn are intrigued by Bushwick's newfound trendiness. "I'm from Williamsburg but I'm here for a few days to explore the neighbourhood," explained Jodi Jones, a fashion photographer stopping by the Kave cafe.
Danielle Mastrion's portrait of education activist and heroine Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who stood up to the Taliban and defended her right to an education. Photo / AP
EATING AND DRINKING
Bushwick is an increasingly important player in Brooklyn's foodie scene. A tiny, upscale restaurant called Dear Bushwick at 41 Wilson Ave offers a sumptuous "English Country Kitchen" menu with entrees like stuffed bass and roast chicken. Intriguing vegetable sides include roasted carrots with "medieval nut pesto." Try Dear Bushwick's version of Pimm's and enjoy the quirky decor: A picture of a caped damsel on a white horse sits next to a handwritten nursery rhyme, "Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse."
No description of Bushwick would be complete without Roberta's, 261 Moore St, where food critics rightly laud the fabulous thin-crust pizza. The industrial-zoned block can seem deserted even when there's an hour-long wait for a table. Sometimes you can snag a seat at the bar and order food from there; additional tables are located in an atrium inside converted shipping containers.
In warm weather, there are outdoor tents and a tiki bar.
Roberta's co-owner Brandon Hoy says "there weren't a lot of people with their eyes on what was happening here" when they opened in 2008. "There's a fine line between dangerous and wildness, and the neighbourhood still has this very art-centric feeling of wildness," he said. "That's what drew us here and that's the foundation that created this art scene and culture. Craziness happens here in a fun way."
Getting there: From December, Air New Zealand will offer non-stop flights from Auckland to Houston, with onward connections to New York on partner airlines.
