Having just moved to Park Slope after living in Chelsea for more than a year and a half and being in Manhattan for almost 15 years, I’m still in the process of getting adjusted to the change. A few striking differences I’ve noticed immediately are that the streets were much less nosiy. Gone is the wailing of the fire trucks, the late night inebriated screams on the streets, the constant honking of cars and rattling of cargo trucks. These have been replaced by the sounds of birds chirping, the ringing of bicycle bells and shouts of children playing on the streets.

Gone also are the pedestrians scrambling frantically around at break-neck speeds on the very narrow pavements willing to mow you down if by some misfortune you happen to come in their way.  And instead, I’ve found less crowded pavements, sometimes as wide as the streets they border, with people strolling at a more leisurely pace.

Gay sex stores & bars like Rawhide have been replaced by more family friendly restaurants with unusually large amounts of space between the tables. My nearby & overcrowded Whole Foods has given way to quieter more community oriented grocery stores with enough aisle space to let me to think about what I need while I’m shopping (imagine that!). Bars nearby are less packed and offer a large selection of beers on tap and plenty of live music.

The tiny little stoop in front of my building used to be the only place within reasonable walking distance I could sit outside on a good day and now I have a rather large (and well maintained) backyard with more space than I know what to do with it.

As I begin to adjust to these changes I must admit that all in all, I am pretty pleased with my new neighborhood and I’m looking forward to learning more about it.