NYC begins here

NYC begins here begins here because we said so. It would be more satisfying if the place were visible and contained within a fence, à la Plymouth Rock. The Visitor Center must be inside Borough Hall, which is about a hundred steps to the right.

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Seeing orange

Weekends are a good time for roadwork in areas heavily trafficked Monday through Friday. On this street there was such a cloud of gray dust from broken-up pavement we had to beat a retreat down to the subway.

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Borough Hall tree

The Christmas tree in front of Borough Hall is huge but not ginormous. Here in Brooklyn we don’t need a trillion twinkling lights. Cut-outs in the shape of stockings, stars, and moons are just right, a change from traditional ornaments, though I sincerely doubt whoever set up the tree was trying to reference Christmas’ origin as a pagan celebration.

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Mess everywhere at Jay Street

This used to be a stairway. The spraypainted CLOSED message seems redundant, given the half-inch plywood that will stop even the most oblivious of subway riders.

No one’s trying to pay for a ride at what used to be a token booth.

Expect delays at Jay Street, not with the trains, but moving around the station.

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Women and children dance first

Yesterday morning, in front of Borough Hall, there was singing and dancing in anticipation of Passover.

I didn’t understand a word of the songs, but the music had that timeless Hammond organ feeling, more enthusiastic than subtle, more Yankee Stadium than Carnegie Hall. Good entertainment for a couple minutes.

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Jay Street is a mess

The Jay Street subway station is undergoing a major renovation, and it is a BIG mess this weekend. Shuttle buses are running in place of A trains between the station and Utica Avenue, and there are slowdowns because the A and F trains are usings the same inbound track. This flower vendor brought some welcome color to the construction scene.

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