Final Thoughts from Bushwick

I have never been one for long, drawn-out goodbyes, but I continue to struggle to find the appropriate words to adequately describe the last seven years and three months that I have lived in the greatest city in the world.

A few moments stand out—covering the protests over the 2004 Republican National Convention, working on Fire Island for six summers and riding my then-roommate Christian’s bicycle over the Williamsburg Bridge to get to my Midtown office during the 2005 Transit Strike and interviewing same-sex couples who married on the day the state’s marriage equality law took effect in July. Other perhaps less obvious moments also come to mind. These include walking through Chinatown on a Saturday afternoon, taking the subway to Rockaway Beach, strolling through the Union Square Farmers Market with a $1.25 bag of broken pretzels and simply admiring the Manhattan skyline from the roof of my building here in Bushwick on a balmy summer night.

I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing some of the most kind and generous people I have ever met in my life here in New York. I have also had the distinct misfortune of knowing some of the most self-centered and morally bankrupt people I have ever met in my life here in New York. And while the city and some of those within it have not always proven particularly kind to this New Hampshire native, I will close this chapter of my life in a few hours with absolutely no regrets.

Thank you, New York.

The View from Jefferson Street

One last view from Jefferson Street before the move to Washington, D.C., is complete.

The View from Jefferson Street

Good riddance Irene!

Video: Hurricane Irene Bears Down on Bushwick

I shot this from my bedroom window on Jefferson Street in Bushwick around 7:50 a.m. as the center of Hurricane Irene passed within 30 miles of the city.

Leaves and some tree branches have come down, while the sunflowers that were in the garden across the street from my building have fallen. There is some garbage and debris on the street, but we still have electricity.

Video: Hurricane Irene Bears Down on Bushwick

The brunt of Hurricane Irene continues to bear down on Bushwick.

The lights have flickered a couple of times here on Jefferson Street, but we thankfully still have electricity. A tree in our backyard continues to lean. The wind has also shredded a canopy that covered an outdoor patio in the building next to mine.

I shot this video from my bedroom window around 6:20 a.m.

Outer Bands of Hurricane Irene Reach Bushwick

The outer banks of Hurricane Irene have begun to reach Bushwick.

A steady and increasingly torrential rain began about 20 minutes ago. The breeze has begun to freshen, but it remains well under 20 mph.

The checkout lines at the Associated Supermarket on the corner of Knickerbocker Avenue and Starr Street were more than a dozen people deep earlier this morning. They were even longer at the dollar store on the corner of Knickerbocker Avenue and Troutman Street, but everyone was calm and orderly as they stocked up on canned foods, candles and other supplies. I even purchased some Bacardi Gold at a nearby liquor store to make some hurricanes during the storm.

Several windows on my block on Jefferson Street have tape on them, but restaurants, Chinese take-outs, the supermarket and even the laundromat on Knickerbocker Avenue were open around 6:30 p.m.

Earthquake Shakes Bushwick

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 shook large swaths of the East Coast shortly before 2 p.m.

The earthquake’s epicenter is near Charlottesville, Va., but I certainly felt the tremor here in Bushwick. I was actually on the phone with my boyfriend in Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., when the pots and pans hanging above my stove suddenly began to sway. I initially thought that a gust of wind had caused them to move, but I realized it was an earthquake when the floor started shaking. I grabbed my keys, walked outside and watched several other people come out of buildings on Jefferson Street.

Aside from no cell phone service, everything appears to have returned to normal here in Bushwick. Social media networks remain uninterrupted. And the tremor managed to push Dominique Strauss-Kahn from the headlines.

Back to work...

The view from Jefferson Street

It's 9:12 a.m., and it's already hot!

An Excessive Heat Warning will be in effect in the five boroughs from noon to 8 p.m. The temperature could reach 95-degrees in Bushwick today, while the heat index could eclipse 102. Tomorrow's high temperature in the city could surpass the century mark.

Let's hope that I get everything done the to-do list so I can make a hasty retreat to Fire Island in the morning.

The view from Jefferson Street

Good thing I found my keys!

A sudden downpour descended upon Bushwick shortly after 7 p.m. I had just arrived home from the supermarket when a strong gust front forced me to frantically shut my bedroom and office windows. And then the rains came--and hard for about 10 minutes.

So what does any good journalist do when a sudden downpour inundates his neighborhood?

The view from Jefferson Street

It's a sultry summer morning here in Bushwick with thunderstorms on tap throughout the day.

The view from Jefferson Street

A hot and humid day is on tap here in Bushwick.

The view from Jefferson Street

The storms that passed near the city earlier today thankfully did not produce tornadoes like those that tore through Brooklyn last September, but they did leave a beautiful sunset in their wake.

I took these two pictures from my bedroom window shortly before 8 p.m. The second picture is a bit crooked because I was simultaneously on the phone with my parents in southern New Hampshire. The cells that spawned tornadoes in Massachusetts earlier today passed roughly 35 miles south of their home. They are fine.

Another dank Bushwick morning

When will this rain finally go away?

The lettuce in the garden may appreciate the Seattle-like weather that has enveloped the five boroughs in recent days, but I am certainly ready to hit the beach without a sweater!

The morning after in Bushwick

It's eerily quiet here on Jefferson Street after last night's shootout that left a suspected gun trafficker dead.

Two NYPD patrol cars were in front of 193 Knickerbocker Ave. about 45 minutes ago, while a television station's van was parked in front of a nearby bodega. A handful of candles have been placed in front of the building in which the shooting took place, but it was an otherwise normal Thursday morning in this part of Bushwick.

Undercover police officer kills suspected gun trafficker in Bushwick

It was certainly anything but a quiet night here in Bushwick!

Police officials told the New York Times that an undercover NYPD officer shot and killed a gun dealer shortly after he opened fire shortly after 8 p.m. The incident took place inside a building at 193 Knickerbocker Avenue while the undercover officer was reportedly trying to purchase weapons from two men.

I came across the scene as I was walking home from a grocery store on Bogart Street. Officers were quickly cordoning off Knickerbocker Avenue between Jefferson and Troutman Streets, and dozens of uniformed and apparently undercover NYPD officers had already converged on the scene when I happened upon the intersection. Officers placed one handcuffed man into a police car, and a second man was brought out of the building on the corner of Knickerbocker and Jefferson. I also saw several young men who were also apparently handcuffed sitting along a chain-link fence on Jefferson. I arrived home on Jefferson Street around 8:30 p.m. after I walked down Melrose Street and onto Irving Avenue.

The view from Jefferson Street

It was so cold here in Bushwick this morning that the heat in my apartment actually turned on!

The cool breeze has brought a distinctly autumnal feel to the borough on this Cinco de Mayo. And while I may have to pull out my sweater this morning, local meteorologists expect warmer weather will arrive before I head to Fire Island on Saturday morning. Summer is (hopefully) just around the corner!

The view from Jefferson Street

It's a balmy, but beautiful Wednesday morning here in Bushwick. The fog bank that enveloped the neighborhood on Monday afternoon is a distant memory.

Fog bank envelops Bushwick

A fog bank suddenly enveloped Bushwick and other coastal areas of Brooklyn, Queens and the South Shore of Long Island around 5 p.m.

The Manhattan skyline is normally visible from the roof of my building here on Jefferson Street. It was nowhere to be found, however, when I shot this clip about 20 minutes ago. The fog bank also caused the temperature to plummet nearly 20 degrees in roughly an hour.



The Manhattan skyline as it normally appears.

Easter Sunday in Bushwick

It was a beautiful day to plant a vegetable garden and stroll through the park. The cooling sea breeze arrived around 3:30 p.m., but it was still a gorgeous Easter Sunday here in Bushwick.

Bushwick in the Hungarian countryside?

One can find reminders of home in the most unlikely places--including Hungary!

The producers of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" constructed a New York streetscape from the 1990s at Korda Studios outside Budapest. The loading docks are reminiscent of the Meatpacking District before models, celebutantes and those who either love or hate them made the neighborhood so damn trendy. The run down factories with dated advertisements on their brick facades; the apartment buildings adorned with cast iron fire escapes and a local bodega, however, are genuine slices of Bushwick in the Hungarian countryside. The only thing missing from this set are the increasing number of hipsters who continue to penetrate deeper into the neighborhood, but one can certainly argue their absence is not necessarily a bad thing.