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2003-05-01 - 4:01 p.m. I just had a strange encounter on my new subway line. I got on the first car of the N train pulling my backpack in front of me so I can lean against the wall. A few minutes into my ride a woman standing at the pole leans towards me and asks, �Are you from Wisconsin?� �No,� I say. �California?� �No, I�m from New York. I was born here.� She looks confused. I look down and notice the label on my backpack. �Is it because of the Sierra Club?� She shakes her head no. Starts to speak and then lapses into silence. I try to see myself as a stranger. Khakis, timberlands, blue Henley T, maybe its the tan suede barn jacket. Okay not chic but I got at a thrift shop, and hey, its raining. Oh maybe its my new bubble umbrella, the kind usually sported by the kindergarten set. Alright, I�ll admit that bubble umbrellas for adults look a little strange but, call me crazy, I like to see where I�m going particularly in Manhattan where the taxis would as soon hit you as pick you up as a fare. And if you�ve ever walked down a street in New York when its raining, you know that umbrellas can be lethal weapons in a crowd. Most of us don't know Umbretiquette. After a few minutes of this internal speculation the woman leans over again. �But you�re not from Brooklyn, right?� �Yeah, I am.� Again she�s confused. �But how long have you lived in Brooklyn?� �Um, all my life.� She looks at me in disbelief. I laugh self consciously. �I don�t look like a Brooklynite?� She looks as if on the verge of uttering something she doesn�t want to say. �Its just�� She shakes her head and steps back. As we pull into the station she walks towards the door and says, �Don�t feel bad. I�ve lived in a lot of different places too.� What the? What part of �all my life� didn�t she get? And what exactly was it about me that made her start this whole exchange. Am I not Brooklyn enough for yous? Which got me thinking about Brooklyn. As most people have, I�ve had mixed feelings about my hometown (incidentally the only borough to have ever been a city in its own right). Here are some of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly sides of Brooklyn. Good: The view from the Brooklyn promenade Bad: Trying to park anywhere nearby Ugly: The occasional whiff of crack being smoked there Good: Brooklyn Dodgers Bad: Brooklyn accents Ugly: People arguing loudly (in Brooklyn accents) about the sale of the Dodgers�get over it already! Speaking of Brooklyn accents� Good, Bad & Ugly: Saturday Night Fever & Welcome Back Kotter! Just plain Ugly: That Steven Segal flick, Out for Justice. (Actually any Segal flick really). Good: Brooklyn Bridge (possibly the most beautiful bridge in the world) Bad: Traffic on said bridge. Ugly: The road rage caused by said traffic on said bridge. Good: The Brooklyn Day parade Bad: The slaying of Yusef Hawkins Ugly: The Crown Heights riots Famous Brooklynites Good: Steve Buscemi, Woody Allen, Chris Rock, Spike Lee, Norman Mailer, W.H. Auden Bad: Al Capone Ugly: Mike Tyson Good: The Coney Island Cyclone Bad: Nathan�s Hot dogs and Brooklyn Beer (bad for you but oh so good!) Ugly: Mixing the three Good: The Third Avenue Fest, Brooklyn Day and other assorted street fairs Bad: Too many block parties on major thoroughfares that block up traffic and cause mass confusion on how to drive! Ugly: The lack of adequate sanitation and clean up after both! All in all I must say I have a positive hometown feeling - its hard to hate a place that has been the site of so many momentous occasion - good and bad. Which still doesn�t explain why I don�t come across as �Brooklyn� enough for that chick on the subway but then again, why should I care what she thinks - I�m a New Yorker. Drink of the Day: Any of Brooklyn Brewery's finest, my personal choice Blanche De Brooklyn � 
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