In many ways, de Blasio embodies the transformation of a borough that was long considered a poor relation to Manhattan, a place many Brooklynites still refer to as “the City.” For a while now, it’s been clear that much of New York’s cultural and artistic energy has moved across the East River, vacating Manhattan—or the lower two-thirds of it—to its fate as an urban theme park and empty nesters’ retreat. Meanwhile, the home of Rhea Perlman, Vic Damone, and Mike Tyson has become an international brand name, a signifier of all things cool and urban. (“Trés Brooklyn,” the French say.) It has Jay Z, the Nets, and enough artisanal restaurants to feed an army of hipsters with Civil War beards. And now Brooklynites are setting the city’s political agenda.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 19:37:28 +0000