Mr. Williamsburg Grows Up!

I was raised in Williamsburg Brooklyn back when a 3 bedroom apartment went for a whopping $600 a month and when you could not walk to certain blocks unless you knew someone there or you would be beaten and robbed. Forget about going to McCarren Park after dark. I grew up thinking the park turned into an earthly version of hell on steroids (thank you mom and dad). Bedford was known as the spot where nothing but prostitutes and gangsters hung out at night. The Williamsburg Bridge was t0he last place you would have ever crossed after dark, unless you were there to venture into the world of illegal graffiti and heroine usage. Wow, how my hometown has changed!

The prices have definitely jumped through the roof. You can't even rent a room in a share for $600 a month. You can now walk through McCarren Park late at night and the only people who will harass you are the couple of broke kids asking to bum a cigarette off of you. Bedford is now the most desirable hangout for all the cool Brooklynites. The Williamsburg Bridge now connects Brooklynites and Manhattanites in a great interchange of ideas, events and hellos. Wow, how my hometown has changed!

I am glad that Graham Avenue still reads Avenida de Puerto Rico, giving respect to the community that built this strip into a great shopping avenue, full of promise and economic stability to the hood. I am glad that the handball courts still stand in McCarren Park, and at IS 49, for they symbolize a game that we poor kids grew up playing since all we had to do was chip in to buy a ball ($1) and take turns playing the game. I'm glad that there are still some great, authentic Spanish restaurants, many churches, and lots of community centers where the old timers and the new jacks can come together and mingle. I am also happy that many changes have taken place so that my children can now walk the streets without worrying about the little gangs that used to chase me for my sneakers. 

My Williamsburg is no longer the ghetto, but it is still my hood. The memories I have of growing up on Graham Avenue, walking to McCarren, getting together with my brothers, cousins and close friends for a game of Johnny on The Pony are still vivid in my mind. The new memories I build with friends who have moved to Brooklyn from far away lands such as Manhattan and Queens, and from even further distanced lands such as other states and other countries, those memories are priceless as well. I am Williamsburg, and will continue to love the growth of my neighborhood and my community.

Tell me about your community and the changes you've seen over the years.

George L. Rosario with Coldwell Banker www.GeorgeRosario.com