Bushwick
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Cleanup-date Bushwick is a neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA. Founded in 1661 by Dutch Director-General Peter Stuyvesant as Boswijck, (Dutch for "little town in the woods"), it is the site of some of the earliest settlements in Brooklyn. Bushwick officially became a part of Brooklyn in 1854.
Originally home to Dutch, German, and Scandinavian settlers, Bushwick is now a predominantly Hispanic and black neighborhood. Bushwick broders with Ridgewood, Queens; Williamsburg; and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Although Bushwick is one of the poorest sections of Brooklyn, it has seen a recent influx of young artists, professionals and students fleeing skyrocketing rents in Williamsburg and Manhattan. With gentrification, real estate developers have tried to re-christen western portions of Bushwick "East Williamsburg", much to the amusement and skepticism of Bushwick residents who still remember the devastating lootings and fires of the New York City blackout of 1977.
Bushwick also has its charm. Strolling down DeKalb Avenue one might see a plethora of Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican and Chinese restaurants, public schools, newly installed McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, niche churches and renovated lofts. Flocks of trained pigeons swarm above in a funnel cloud of indecisiveness, getting their daily exercise from trainers on rooftops, who swing long poles in the air to influence the birds' motion. The racket from the elevated BMT Jamaica Line and BMT Myrtle Avenue Line reverberates off the buildings, the flash of sparks able to pique anyone's peripheral vision. Fine shopping can be done on Knickerbocker Avenue, whether for clothes, appliances or food.
Major subway stops include Jefferson Street, DeKalb Avenue, and Myrtle/Wyckoff Avenues on the BMT Canarsie Line (Template:NYCS Canarsie), Central Avenue on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line (Template:NYCS Myrtle), and Koscuisko Street of the BMT Jamaica Line (Template:NYCS Jamaica east J). Bus lines serving Bushwick include the B38, B13, B26, B52, B54 and B60. The Myrtle Avenue/Wyckoff Avenue bus and subway hub is currently being renovated into a state-of-the-art transportation center, expected to be completed in 2006.
Notable Bushwick residents/former residents
- Tod "Tod A." Ashley, musician
- Bushwick Bill, entertainer
- Rick Gonzalez, actor
- Julius La Rosa, singer
- Momus (artist), Musician
- Rosie Perez, actress
- Eric West, actor and singer
- Mae West, actress
- Pastor Bill Wilson, pastor America's largest Sunday School
See also
Ridgewood, Queens, which has an interconnected history with Bushwick