Here's the thing I'm noticing about Brooklyn: the past seems to hold a sturdy even comforting place here and people are more interested in putting a new twist on old things rather than demolishing them all together.
Case in point; here's the Brooklyn Museum (and Prospect Park) photographed by Eugene Wemliner at the turn of the century:
And here's the museum today:
Even the interiors play 'red rover' between the expected:
and unexpected...
[caption id="attachment_5742" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="brightly painted walls and sitting areas are standard at this museum..."]
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expected...
and unexpected...
[caption id="attachment_5743" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="graphic retro-style wall treatments paying no mind to the historical nature of the art on display..."]
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[caption id="attachment_5741" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="and much of their permanent collection is stored in plain view in this Public Storage room!"]
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I'm a little sidetracked by these juxtapositions as I leave the museum and stroll past the Botanic Garden (this photo is actually by Rebecca Bullene- to make up for a moment of technical difficulty)
and through Prospect Park (remember the empty field in the black/white photo at top?)...
I'm so steeped in the clash of old and new that I barely notice the scene I've stumbled into!
Except for the giant trees and maybe a vinyl window here and there, this street could drop right back in time. I'm sure that's what the film crew is counting on as they set up this scene.
As new cars unload old cars...
and creativity continues to spill onto the sidewalk...
I head underground for the train to Manhattan catching a glimpse of this pulse mark just as the doors close.
I think I understand the beat of Brooklyn now, and I know I really like it here.
My final colors for my Color in the City Brooklyn palette represent all the contrasts: serious and optimistic, old and fresh, past and present... to me, these are the ultimate colors of Brooklyn.
Check in tomorrow for the complete color palette and a few final notes. See you then!