For Estelle Getty
There are a few places that I love so much, I could spend hours doing nothing but sitting in their presence. Which makes them kind of like my apartment that I never leave. Which is why I probably I worship them as I do. All but one of those places are outside of this country, which is okay, because the american one is just down the street from me. Its official name is the “Brooklyn Heights Promenade,” but I don’t really like the word “promenade,” so I call it, “that place down by the water.”
Around 4 or 5, on a nice day, it becomes a fairground for the elderly and therefore, a carnival for me. It’s the best place to watch the sun set and the best place to see the city without feeling like you’re in the city. It’s quiet and it’s beautiful and it’s perfect for sudoku and reading and writing, but you have to get there before it gets dark if you want to see the Geriatric Mile. They have 8 o’clock bedtimes, you know.
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The Heights is also full of Obama love. If you’ve ever been walking around the city with me, you’ve probably seen me hand Obama stickers to random strangers who have somehow expressed their affinity for our next president. If I see an Obama sticker on a parked car, I’ll put one under their windshield wiper. And if I see one on a door, I’ll squeeze another in their door jamb.
There’s one house in particular who has a little kid I wish would come out and play. She/he adds her/his growing collection of Obama art to her/his living room windows. A few weeks ago, I passed their place and since I couldn’t reach far enough to leave a sticker for them on their window, I put it in the plant holder on the front doorstep, hoping nobody would steal it before the kid got to it. Yesterday, I was so excited to see my sticker plastering the glass, along with a few new pieces.
Brooklyn Heights may be the best next-door neighborhood ever.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
It must be great to be old in Brooklyn. Not to mention it’s really charming.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:13 am
i love the prom, too, so much. this weekend when i was walking to it, i took this exact same photo of your obama sticker to show you! problem is my lazy bones hasn’t uploaded it yet.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I think I might have to retire in Brooklyn.
RIP Estelle.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I highly recommend Brooklyn as a retirement community.
And Alison, I might be able to call it “the prom,” I just hadn’t thought of shortening it to make it a sayable word. I think you make up more words than anyone else I know.