Sharing with you my Brooklyn Roots

It's not always easy to live in the present.

So often, we get caught up in the moments of the past, the worries of the future and forget that we are in the now. When we look back at the good and bad memories, that's really all they are...MEMORIES. We can't take them back, relive them, or rewind time. All we can do is remember.

Recently, I took a drive to Brooklyn to stop at a cafe that I used to go to when I was in college. I love reminiscing and looking back on life. Typically, I realize that all the worries of the past and all the stresses of the moment were really so minuscule I can hardly even remember them.

On my way to the cafe, I decided to drive by my old neighborhood where I grew up. I lived in Bushwick, Brooklyn for a small portion of my life. However, that small portion did really shape my personality and give me the drive and sass that I have today. It was a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood. You'd see the sneakers hanging off the electric wires as well as Puerto Rican flags. In the summer it was too hot to be in the apartment so everyone chilled outside on their stoop. My sister and I would make paper kites and try to fly them out of our gated windows. In the winter, we'd go out and make snow angels on the sidewalk since we had no backyard or front yard. We'd shop on the avenue for anything from clothes, shoes, to groceries. I'll always remember going there with my mother to get curtains for the house or little things she needed. Some people feel a sense of shame when they look back at how they lived and where they came from. Not me. I feel blessed to have come from that neighborhood and to have had the experiences I've had. Being an adult now, I appreciate the luxuries I have and feel humbled to see how hard my parents worked to give us a better life. When we moved out of Brooklyn to Queens, we lived in a better neighborhood but I will never forget my roots. And even now when I visit at my age, I can walk around there and feel like I'm home.

        

All pictures posted are property of @Miss_NYCity

Growing up in Bushwick was not always the best or easiest. There were people who did drugs, people who were up to no good (our house got robbed), and it wasn't the cleanest. You had to walk with an attitude to be respected and  speaking up for yourself was common. That's where I learned to be strong and not allow anyone or anything get in my way..and I didn't. I can't express to you how these life skills helped me get through so many other areas and challenges in my life.

All pictures posted are property of @Miss_NYCity

When I arrived at my old neighborhood, I couldn't believe how it's beginning to change. It's still recognizable but here and there you will notice cafes, little restaurants with outdoor seating, and renovated apartment complexes. On the windows of the house I lived in was a sign that read "NO BUY OUTS." The neighborhood is changing before everyone's eyes and yet some people are still so caught up on their past, their futures, that I'm not sure they realize what is happening. A part of me is excited for the changes of New York, the neighborhoods are cleaner and it's much more of a modern city. However, more parts of me are sad that my roots will soon just be just a memory.


The Brooklyn that I knew and grew up is changing so fast. I often wonder what it would be like for this new generation growing up in the city. It hardly looks the same and soon possibly, it won't feel the same. It won't feel like the home I knew and grew up. So in honor of that I decided to take a few pictures of my old neighborhood so that I can always look back on when I feel down, when I feel stressed, or when I just want to reminisce about my childhood Brooklyn days. The fact is, time stops for no one so always seize the day, make the best of your moments and take advantage of what's in front of you when it's in front of you because you just never know if it will be there tomorrow, in a few days or a few years!

With Love,
Miss_NYCity xoxo