Welcome toEast Williamsburg

My letter to East Williamsburg

I lived off the Graham stop on the L train for almost a decade at the intersection where Via Vespucci becomes Avenida de Puerto Rico. The cultural melting pot was distinct here from the rest of Wburg with a smattering of hipster influx. But somehow this little enclave of Williamsburg has managed to retain very neighborhoody vibes, true blue Brooklyn, with the added bonus of some great bars and restaurants. I still dream of the breakfast sausages at the dirty spoon diner on Graham–Garden Grill–they were delicious and perfect after a night out. We had what some consider to be a unicorn apartment, the loading side of an old candle factory. Our living room was basically a giant garage with 30 foot ceilings. You could back a semi truck into it, yet somehow over the years we never tried, not even for our wildest Halloween parties where we would stuff 300 people into the 2500 SF space. People would take turns dancing in our makeshift plexiglass Gogo booth. One time one of our neighbors left a note on our front door the next morning: “Hey you jerks, f*ck you and your 4AM parties. Why don’t you think about others for once?” It was New Year's day and we proudly taped the handwritten note to the wall. We still frequent our favorite bar Blinky’s (formerly Norman’s Kil) where we’ve seen it pass ownership from good friends to other good friends, rebrand, and flourish again. Over the years we’ve seen loved ones get married in the backyard, other buddies ring in milestone birthdays, New Years, and Derby Hat contests. The Cheers-like culture of regulars is strong at that one. The waitresses at the 24 hr. Grand Morelo’s diner on Grand st still refuse to remember my name even though I’m a fluent Spanish speaker and have been frequenting the place for a solid 15 yrs. I’ve been in there at all hours, dressed to the nines, in pajamas, wearing a full monkey face prosthetic, as a sexy clown, you name it. They always remember my husband tho, ordering in his best Gringo Spanish…”extra salsa verde, por favor”. Even still, those are the best rainbow cookies and mozzarella sticks you’ll ever have, and I’m willing to die on that hill.