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New Yorker

Class Profile: Yelena Melnichenko

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Writing has always been a strong suit of Yelena Melnichenko. “It’s something I’ve been doing since I was a kid. Even when I was little I’d write short stories for my teachers and create mystery novels.” Intrigued by the research that surrounded the mystery, the process of solving crimes always caught her eye. I asked if police work was something she would be interested in, maybe something like CSI. She responded with an abrupt “NO” she can’t stand even the thought of blood.

 

“I’ve always wanted to pull my writing together with photography. I’d done some photography over the years at centers for events but nothing too serious and I hope to get back into it.” Her strenuous school schedule has drawn her away from her love of photography. Ideally she wants to one day pursue a career that can tie together both her love for writing and photography. We spoke briefly about occupations that bring both worlds together, after some thought she said that an internship at somewhere like NatGeo would be an ideal introduction into the industry.

 

Something that many people may not know about Yelena is that she is actually an immigrant to this country from the Ukraine. In 1997 she moved to the US while she was in first grade. She was forced to take ESL when she first arrived although after only a month of tutoring, she not only placed out of the class but was told that her reading surpassed most of her peers. She claims that it has to do with reading and writing always being one of her hobbies although I can’t help but think it’s more than that. I also have many friends that immigrated to this country from foreign places. They are all bi or tri -lingual, rather than my American peers who primarily only speak English. We went on to speak about the difference in the educational system there and here, what I found was that foreign language is stressed more so in other countries than it is here. Yes, we might offer Spanish, French, even at some schools languages like Chinese or Latin but the fashion in which it is taught is much different. The curriculum is more strenuous, the assignments are more in depth, and the cultural standard is that you should without a doubt speak more than one language.

 

Yelena was a classmate of mine that I did not get to know too much inside of class, although when we got the chance to speak I was pleasantly surprised with everything I found out. I’m always interested to hear about my peers, especially when they’re from somewhere I’m not to familiar with. I’m going to take Yelena’s advice and “take the time to look into the details,” to learn more about her culture and where she hails from.

Profile on Carson Cachevsky

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It’s 6:20 p.m on a cool fall evening. The sun is starting to set and just a few beams of light make it through the high-rise that is directly across the street. It blocks the view of the east river from the window, but a glance of the New York City skyline can still be seen if you’re on the right angle.

“I moved here a year ago in September. At the time I was a server at the Brooklyn Flea Market, Smorgasburg. Williamsburg was very different than any other part of Brooklyn, especially this area. It was a little trendier, a younger crowd with a little more money. It was cleaner.”

The coffee table in front of her is littered with rolling papers and raw tobacco. The room smells of stale smoke and empty beer cans. Carson Cachevsky sits down after a long day of work and starts to roll a fresh cigarette for herself. She flicks her thumb, a flame ignites, and she lights her cigarette.

“It was the first time I had ever been out of the house and I wanted to see what it was like across the bridge. It was a personal decision. It was getting out of my parents hair but also just not being in midtown anymore.”

She takes a sip of her beer, a bud light 40 that she got from the bodega across the street. There are still signs of her years spent in Manhattan that she refuses to let go of, no matter where she lives. A Brooklyn heart with a Manhattan mindset.

“I have a very strong connection with my family at home. I just wanted to find a new Manhattan for myself. I was so used to Midtown, it became my perception of New York, and when I moved everything sort of changed. I started to want to learn about new neighborhoods, new communities, and new people”

Moving into another borough has actually made the relationships with her friends a bit more meaningful. Although they may not all live in the same building anymore, they still see each other, enjoy each others company and catch up on anything and everything that’s relevant in their lives. The only thing that has really changed is where they find themselves on a Saturday night.

“The crown Victoria. There’s also the night of joy and northern territory, which just opened up right as I moved into the neighborhood. One of the great things about bars in this area is the rooftop. I don’t have to have a great view of the water and the skyline, because almost everywhere I go there’s a rooftop where you can see it all.”

Two friends now enter the room. Julia a life long friend sits to her left in a zebra print chair. And Demi, another life long friend, takes a seat to her right in a tiger print chair. She sits back on her black leather couch, seemingly the queen of her own little Williamsburg jungle.

“I felt like I fit right in as soon as I moved here. I’ve met a lot of neighbors, and I feel like I can consider them all my friends now. But something I will say is that people here are not as friendly as you would expect. People are really exclusive in this area, so when you’re, lets say, at a bar it’s hard to meet new people. They may be friendly, but they keep to their friends and themselves.”

She gazes out of the window as if her view consisted of the water that hid behind the high rise next door. While in reality she was staring at the east side of the newly built building. She doesn’t need balconies, a penthouse, or views. Williamsburg gives her everything that she needs. The arts, restaurants and rich culture keep her busy and satisfied.

“I regularly attend shows at Cameo, The music Hall of Williamsburg, Output, and Brooklyn Bowl. Brooklyn has better artists, better venues, and better crowd so it’s no surprise that more well known artists are moving their shows to gallery’s and venues out here. Something I think is really great is that a lot of bigger venues are giving smaller bands the opportunities to play bigger shows or open for headliners.”

She blows out her last cloud of smoke and puts the butt out in the ashtray on her side of the table. The term hipster has become a stereotype to residents of Brooklyn over the past decade. If you wear ripped denim, vintage frames or know somebody in a band you’re automatically categorized into the mix.

“I don’t think I’d call myself a hipster, but I know a lot of other people that would. People see the way I dress, they hear about the neighborhood I live in and there’s this automatic label that comes my way. I haven’t really changed. My style is probably the biggest change I’ve seen within myself. I do a lot of shopping at consignment and thrift shops so I’ve picked up on that trend. It makes for a nice afternoon and I work at a flea market so whenever I see something I like I grab it!”

The term was once coined to label someone who was stylish in a way that went against the grain. A rebel, but a rebel with a purpose. An artist who could express their vision on a canvas or by the clothes they wore on their back. It went beyond just the area in which you lived in or if you ate organic foods. That vision has become distorted, to say the least.

“A hipster is a trendy person with a certain attitude. A bit on the grungier side. Anybody can be a hipster. How you live at home, what you do with your daily life, and where you hang out are all different aspects of being a hipster. A lot of people here are considered hipsters because they’re starving artists that are just trying to make their own way as an artist, which is beautiful and awesome.”

Jimi Hendrix, Jean-Michael Basquiat, Woody Allen are all names that at one point in history set the bar for what it meant to truly be a hipster. Their lifestyles and accomplishments gave light to thousands of starving artists working in the dark who would be content with even half of their success.

“They’re not trying to go down the corporate route, which so many others are trying to take. Hipsters act accordingly to their surroundings. They’re not trying to fool anyone, they’re just being themselves”

Williamsburg to Carson means growth, both as an individual and a member of the community. Not only is she finding herself, but she’s also figuring out what it is that she truly wants from her surroundings. Sometimes in life in order to move on one must move out and spread their wings to see where it takes them. Only one short year out of her home in midtown and she is determined to see how far her wings can take her.

“Manhattan will always be my home. But Brooklyn is for sure my new borough”IMG_0667 IMG_0646 IMG_0638

Williamsburg Rough Draft

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It’s 6:20 p.m on a cool fall evening. The sun is starting to set and just a few beams of light make it through the high-rise that is directly across the street. It blocks the view of the east river from the window but a glance of the New York City skyline can still be seen if you’re on the right angle.

 

The coffee table in front of her is littered with rolling papers and raw tobacco. Carson Cachevsky sits down after a long day of work and starts to roll a fresh cigarette for herself. Julia a life long friend sits to her left in a zebra print chair. Demi, another life long friend sits to her right in a tiger print chair. She sits back on her black leather couch, seemingly like the queen of her own little Williamsburg jungle, flicks her thumb and lights her cigarette.

 

“I moved here a year ago in September. At the time I was a server at the Brooklyn Flea Market, Smorgasburg. It was very different than any other part of Brooklyn, especially this Part of Williamsburg. It was a little trendier, a younger crowd with a little more money. It was cleaner. I was apartment hunting with some friends online and we stumbled upon this place. As soon as we saw it we knew we had to check it out, it was twice the amount of space we would have gotten anywhere in Manhattan.”

 

She takes a sip of her beer, a bud light 40 that she got from the bodega across the street. There are still signs of her years spent in Manhattan that she refuses to let go of, no matter where she lives.

 

“It was the first time I had ever been out of the house and I wanted to see what it was like across the bridge. It was a personal decision. It was getting out of my parents hair but also just not being in midtown anymore. I have a very strong connection with my family at home, I just wanted to find a new part of Manhattan, or I guess what I should say is a new Manhattan for myself. I was so used to Midtown, it became my perception of New york and when I moved everything sort of changed. I started to want to learn about new neighborhoods, new communities new people”

 

Moving into another borough has actually made the relationships with her friends a bit more meaningful. Although they may not all live in the same building anymore, they still see each other, enjoy each others company and catch up on anything and everything that’s relevant in their lives. The only thing that has changed is where they find themselves on a Saturday night.

 

“The crown Victoria. There’s also the night of joy and northern territory, which just opened up right as I moved into the neighborhood. One of the great things about bars in this area is the rooftop. I don’t have to have a great view of the water and the skyline because almost everywhere I go there’s a rooftop where you can see it all. And when it comes to art and music Brooklyn does it best. Better artists, better venues, and better crowds are out here so its no surprise that more well known artists are moving their shows to gallery’s and venues out in BK. Something I think is really great is that a lot of bigger venues are giving smaller bands the opportunities to play bigger shows or open for headliners. They want locals to play and get their name out. There are also a lot of smaller venues around here, which are sort of like holes in the walls but they really give that opportunity and you’d be surprised, a lot of people go. I regularly attend shows at Cameo, The music of Williamsburg, Output, Brooklyn Bowl.”

 

 

The term hipster has become a stereotype to residents of Brooklyn over the past decade. If you wear ripped denim, vintage frames or have facial hair you’re automatically categorized into the mix.

 

“I don’t think I’d call myself a hipster, But I know a lot of other people that would. People see the way I dress, they hear about the neighborhood I live in and there’s this automatic label that comes my way. I haven’t changed really, my style is probably the biggest change I’ve been able to see within myself. I do a lot of shopping at consignment and thrift shops so I’ve picked up on that trend. It makes for a nice afternoon and I work within a flea market so whenever I see something I like I grab it! A hipster is a trendy person with a certain attitude. A bit grungier. Anybody can be a hipster. How you live at home, what you do with your daily life, and where you hang out are all different aspects of being a hipster. A lot of people here are considered hipsters because they’re starving artists that are just trying to make their own way as an artist, which is beautiful and awesome, they’re not trying to go down the corporate route which so many others are trying to take. Hipsters act accordingly to their surroundings. They wear clothes that are vintage because they shop at thrift shops. They go to see friends playing in bands at those whole in the wall venues we discussed before, and they live where they live because that’s how much money the make. They’re not trying to fool anyone, they’re just being themselves

 

I have another meeting with Carson and a friend of hers, Demi, on Wednesday October 8th where I hope to ask some questions I did not think of the first time and elaborate on some of the things she said in the past interview.

5 Questions for

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I’ve been thinking long and hard about what questions I’d like to ask the person I interview within the Williamsburg area. These are the questions I’ve decided on:

1. How long have you been established in Williamsburg

2. Has the gentrification of Williamsburg done more good or bad for you; rent, friends, local shops closing

3. Where is the rest of your family?

4. Did the change within the neighborhood ever make you want to leave? Do you plan on leaving?

5. What is your favorite part about your neighborhood, and has that changed?

Williamsburg Pitch

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The neighborhood that I would like to pursue, the area I’d like to explore, and the community I’d like to investigate is Williamsburg. More specifically the Northwest quadrant of Williamsburg, from about north 1st up to north 13th street and from Kent to Driggs avenue. I have many reasons why I’d like to better my knowledge of this area, a few being the following. One, I already spend a large portion of my time within the community. Two, I feel embedded into the culture that you find all around the Williamsburg area. Three, I know there is still so much to learn about the community in which I think I know so much about.

In 2011 the consensus for Brooklyn was at 127,398 people. Over the last three years I would expect that number to have gone up to over 140,000 residents. The community itself is based on 2.179 square miles, most of which consist of waterfront views overlooking the water and downtown Manhattan. The split between male to female occupancy is split right down the middle, 50/50. The median age for females is 25 while the median for males is 28. And along the lines of ethnicity, the break down looks a little something like this; 50% white, 11% black, 27% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 7% other. The building mix within the confinements of Williamsburg is as follows; 28% new buildings, 13% walk up, 11% luxury high-rise, 8% loft building, and 7% pre war. Over the last five years, the community has seen a 10% increase in new as well as luxury high-rise buildings.

I’m a fan of art. Music, sculptures, paintings, food, performing arts. I like going out and seeing things that people have created. I grew up in the suburbs confined to a primarily white Jewish community. When I had the opportunity to shove off for college I started to explore. When I made my way into Manhattan the grinding gears of the subway drew me more and more towards Brooklyn. After I had visited a friend who lived on Kent Avenue and then went to my first performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg I was sold on everything it had to offer. Later that year I attended my first art show, a little boutique right off of Driggs. A bunch of bearded hipsters, and short hair having women packed into a small gallery to compare and contrast works of art by a Miami based artist, Alex Yanes, who was doing a pop up in the area. I remember feeling so out of place, yet at the same time feeling right at home. I’ve now been roaming those very streets for close to four years, finding new dive bars to hang out at, new artists to see, and new spots to dine on some of the best cuisine New York has to offer. My time spent has been nothing short of propitious. It’s nice seeing the New York Skyline from another perspective…

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