The Boatel in Brooklyn, New York, USA
The Boatel is part hotel part floating art exhibit. We went in the middle of the summer on a nice hot day. At sunset we dove into the bay and cooled off on the dock. Like Greenpoint the Boatel is another place defined by contrast. If you look closely you can see JFK airport and a school bus depot off in the distance. The planes fly right overhead and you get this weird mix or nature and urbanism.
Place you live: I live in Brooklyn.
Place your photo was taken: This photo was taken at the Boatel on Jamaica Bay in Far Rockaway.
Can you sum up Brooklyn? Perogies, hipsters, big industrial warehouses and big green parks. Greenpoint is a neighborhood on the edge of gentrification and with that comes a lot of different contrasts.
Occupation: Photographer
Preoccupation: Weightlifter, amateur motorcycle mechanic, thrift store shopper…
A perfect day in Brooklyn? In late August when it’s just starting to cool off it’s really great to grab a coffee or something stronger and people watch in McCarren Park. During the summer I love barbecuing on my roof, we can see the whole Manhattan skyline.
If someone was visiting, what must they do? Taking a long walk in Greenpoint can be really interesting. You’ll pass through beautiful tree lined streets and just a block later be in a dense warehouse filled industrial zone and then a couple blocks after that end up on shore of the east river looking at Manhattan. The scenery changes so quickly it’s really telling of the neighborhood.
A perfect meal in Brooklyn? If you want to go traditional a Polish dinner at Lomzynianka is probably the best your going to find in New York. My favorite spot is Paulie Gee’s. Really great pizza. Get the Hell Boy, it has spicy honey on it. So good!
What is the best thing about your spot? The diversity between old and new Brooklyn without too much gentrification.
What is the worst? Probably having to rely on the G train.
A little known fact about where you live? It was once one of the most polluted neighborhoods in the country because of an oil spill.
Where is your favorite place in the world? Florida? India? I don’t know yet…
Who are your three favorite photographers? Alec Soth, Luc Delahaye, Elinor Carucci.