Things I Love About Brooklyn

That within three blocks of my front door there are: three middle eastern restaurants, a british chip shop, a sushi place, a gay bar, a regular ole bar with a full bocce court; a thai restaurant; a coffeeshop; a middle eastern grocery store; a regular grocery store; a specialty coffee store; two mexican restaurants; two produce stores; two drug stores; a burger place; a dunkin donuts (!); an indian restaurant....

That as I walk to any of the above on any given day I can overhear conversations in at least three foreign languages...

I'm about a half hour to hour subway stop from some of the best museums in the world.

I'm a half hour subway stop from Prospect Park. And I swear, standing in that park, looking up at the sky you wouldn't even know you were in a town let alone on the edge of the biggest cities in the world.

Public transportation. (Ah, the freedom of being car-less. No parking hassles. No trying to find a gas station. No traffic...)

Walking culture. Nothing better for people-wathcing, I swear. (Although, in the winter it sucks. See "Things I Miss About Charlottesville, VA" for more on frigid NY.)

The Brooklyn Promenade. You can look out over the east river to downtown Manhattan--all tall buildings and sparkly water.

Being seven hours away from unending family dramas. (Those of you who know me well know just how much of a plus this really is...)

Any writer worth her salt does a reading in Manhattan when their book comes out. Some even when they don't have a book to promote.

This is kind of related to above: Paul Auster lives here.

Go Brooklyn. I hate you and I love you. I'll never leave but I reserve the right to complain ad nauseum. :-)