The Joy of Urban Landscaping

I live in an area of Brooklyn known as the Gowanus, so named for the infamous and very toxic canal that runs through it. It's a tiny sliver of a neighborhood that sits in between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. There is not a lot to it unless you are in the market for unisex hair salons and tire shops.

Some time ago, a Lowe's Home Improvement center opened up a half block from my house, bordering the canal. Apparently any business that opens in this area is required to do something to improve its appearance, so within the Lowe's parking lot they have created a promenade along the canal with benches and trees and plots of grass. If you sit on the benches you can look down at the purple and green water, watch the traffic on the BQE, stare at two huge oil drums and get a fetching view of a demolished building being torn apart by cranes.

In the mornings I take a walk over to F-line Bagels (amazing hazelnut iced coffee) and grab breakfast and head to the Lowe's parking lot to sit on the benches and take in the view. Strangely, no one else seems too excited about viewing this spectacular vantage point, so it is the one place I can be guaranteed to have some time to myself. It is the ultimate urban park. I highly recommend it.

Sidenote: The MTA is suing F Line Bagels because of their name and the fact that the store is decorated like a subway (minus the rats and piss puddles of course). The MTA is like the Monty Burns of NYC -- exercising major control over our daily lives and exuding pure evil at every opportunity. Seriously, stop being such a douchebag, MTA!