A History of Brooklyn In 20 Objects (“Objects” Being Very Loosely Defined)
9) Brooklyn Social Clubs
They still exist. These groups of guys—older, they’re always older—who hang out together on chairs outside of their storefronts, smoking cigarettes, talking a little, staring out at their neighborhoods. They disappear inside for a while, talking about their…well, who knows what? I certainly don’t. I’m about as far from being in one of these clubs as a person could be. But they are a part of the fabric of many Brooklyn neighborhoods: Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, and Carroll Gardens—the hood where men like this were immortalized in “Motherless Brooklyn.” Even as their neighborhoods change around them, they’ll still be there, drinking their espressos, watching.