The neighborhood that I have chosen to focus on reporting is Bensonhurst of Brooklyn. Even though I used to live in two other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Bensonhurst has become my favorite neighborhood after living for three years. One can see this neighborhood as a little square box in the Five Borough Map. However, the demand for this neighborhood is as increasing as the real estate price due to its significant location and the diverse ethnicity. This is one of the convenient places in Brooklyn because the major “D” express subway runs on New Utrecht Ave which crosses from North to South and the Bay Pkwy which connects Belt Pkwy expressway on the West and Ocean Pkwy on the East of Bensonhurst.

Bensonhurst has also two different names: one is known as Little Italy and another is second Chinatown of Brooklyn. These two names reflect the 24-hour Italian grocery stores, Deli and Italian bodega, Arabic restaurants, several of Chinese restaurants including a giant seafood buffet place and supermarkets, several 99 cents stores, and the different small businesses ranging from phone repairs and accessories shops, Kung Fu bubble tea shop, Burger Kings, Sprint, Radio Shack to Marshalls on 86^th street. The demographic of Bensonhurst neighborhood is the mixture of different socioeconomic status including from many households of middle class such as doctors, physical therapists, teachers, and business owners to low-income wage earners such as college students, new immigrant families, and cab drivers. On the way from 79^th street to 86^th street subway station, one can enjoy the view of different lifestyles. For example, from 79^th to 81^st street Jewish orthodox community is occupied and the rest of the neighborhood is occupied with Italian, Russian, Chinese, and few Hispanic families.

As Bensonhurst neighborhood is surrounded with the convenient stores, medical clinics, schools, banks, the community center, the senior housing, the parks, and the churches, there are some conflicts I have noticed since I moved in 2012. These conflicts are children trespassing, noise from midnight parties, and the parking disputes as the new households are moved into the neighborhood. As a local resident, these conflicts are arisen due to lack of coherent and communication among other groups in the neighborhood. In my neighborhood profile, I would like to interview the director of Bensonhurst Jewish Community Center, which is right in front of my home, to learn more about the community services at the center and the conflicts around the neighborhood.