You know for many people Kensington is all new,
a place cheaper to live than Park slope, or a neighborhood
a lot safer than Williamsburg. There is Church Avenue
with it’s “not much to offer” pretty face. Along with some
public schools either on the “wrong” or “right” side of
Beverly Road.
Yeah, these gigantic wood frames are sure pretty, and you
could probably sell your brownstone in Park Slope and buy
three of them in a row. And all with driveways too.
Kensington is sure ripe for the picking,
especially if you are “new”.
But then there is the Kensington that others knew, a place
where they grew up. A place that holds a infinite amount
of childhood memories along a dirty looking Church Avenue.
99-cent stores where a movie theater once stood, wonderful
toy shops where nail salons now polish and lacquer to no end.
Or nameless, faceless take-out places where some of
Brooklyn’s best bakeries once lived.
What’s is “oh so new” and cheap to you,
is still a cherished memory for others.
Others who now live far away, and
sometimes dream about the streets and
houses where once they once grew up.
Yes , that’s what Kensington
still means to them.
Ron Lopez
Think Summer Now
-
View from the front porch
We are located in Delaware County between Downsville and Andes New York. A
ride less than three hours from NYC on a Friday night ...
14 years ago
3 comments:
To be honest the word "Kensington" never was used much as a kid - sure we knew that was the formal name of the neighborhood, but it was unknown elsewhere, stuck between Boro Park, Flatbush and the Terrace. But it was OUR neighborhood, and schools, and stores, and theatre, and supermarkets, and pzza parlors, and shoe repair guys and candy stores, and parks that made OUR neighborhood OURS. It was a magical place at a magical time - though that cliche probably applies to millions of neighborhoods across the US. Still I had a blessed childhood, teenage years and twenties there - I would not have changed one thing. Not everything was rosy (we had muggings, drugs etc.) but that just made us appreciate and fight for the good things (do you remember block patrols, neighborhood watch, block association?)
I don't want to seem pessimistic, but I dont think we'll ever see those times again. It dose'nt matter if the best stores come in again, you'll never see kids playing together out on the street like we used to. As good as the computer is, it severed a thousand years of traditions by keeping them holed up inside their house, hell they don't even speak anymore all they do is text. Will
when I grew up there, the last street off Albemarle, before the train tracks, had a giant skateboarding ramp - any idea if it's still there?
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