For the Love of Brooklyn » windsor terrace

sweet nothings of the everyday

Jill — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:29:19 +0000

As I mentioned earlier this summer, I love to take a leisurely walk through Windsor Terrace — especially after a long day at work. At a slow pace during sunset, the stress melts away as sweet nothings of the everyday are magnified; simple scenes become timeless odes to life in Brooklyn.

Boys playing baseball with their father, stately houses drenched in sunshine, a well-worn van parked in the sun, sweet flowers stretching to the last rays of the sunshine.

Life is good.

an evening stroll: windsor terrace

Jill — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:25:25 +0000

After a long day of work, one of my favorite ways to relax is to ride the subway a few extra stops and get off in Windsor Terrace to stroll through its quiet side streets, many of which are only a block long. The lovely gardens and stately townhouses are calm and orderly — soothing and rational after a stressful day. And more often than not, families are out enjoying the park, couples are doing their grocery shopping, kids playing ball on the streets.

Camera or not, I wholeheartedly recommend this way to de-stress. Walking and meditating on the small beauties that make this borough unique? That’s definitely one of the things I love most about Brooklyn.

my kind of happy hour

Jill — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:15:59 +0000

Last week’s beautiful weather had me out and about after long, tiring work days – a rarity in the winter, but a true joy now that it’s spring! A quick ride on the train to Prospect Park had me invigorated by the long shadows and late golden light. I definitely must do this more often (at least when the balmy temps come back later this week)!

a quiet saturday morning in the slope

Jill — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:45:38 +0000

Too often, as a photographer, I feel driven to capture the news-breaking, the attention-grabbing, and the extreme as I journey through the borough. This impulse sometimes allows me to forget the beauty in the mundane, to ignore the simplicity and loveliness of everyday life. One recent weekend, though, I made it a point to remember and reflect.

Welcome to my neighborhood bagel shop.

light pollution

Jill — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:09:56 +0000

I admit: I have a love-hate relationship with the Prospect Expressway. I know Sufjan Stevens already got dibs on the BQE, but I would be more than happy cursing and praising the Expressway while I’m hula hooping in the South Slope.

The majority of my hate (or serious dislike, since we’re all about the love here) stems from living next to the Expressway three stories up from the traffic below. Its lovely dim roar was a kind of post-apocalyptic urban lullaby from which I could never escape. It also afforded beautiful views of Manhattan and the Empire State Building… as long as you could drown out the noise.

On the flip side, because the city knew what a grand gesture it was to split the South Slope up with a massive highway in the 1950′s, they planted a beautiful series of parks which line the Expressway with benches and picnic tables and trees and dog runs and small community gardens. Whew.

And lots of nice walking paths. I love them especially.

Check out a map here to see how these 15 small parks are laid out. And do yourself a favor next time you’re in the neighborhood — Take a walk, even if it’s nighttime!

[ed. note - Thanks to the fine folks at Brownstoner for featuring this shot. I learned from one of the commenters that the dog run along this stretch of the Expressway is unofficial, but there is a petition out to get it recognized by the city. If you're so inclined, sign it here!]