Brooklyn and Queens
I took a FlixBus back from Washington to New York. For some reason, the train was outrageously expensive on a Friday, so I opted for the $30 bus ride instead. The journey took about four hours. It rained heavily along the way, but by the time we reached New York, the skies had cleared. The bus dropped me off right in the heart of Manhattan.
I spent my last two nights in Queens, just off Jamaica Avenue. Looking at the map, it seemed like a convenient spot for getting to Brooklyn—though, the fastest subway route between Queens and Brooklyn went through Manhattan. Interestingly, Jamaica Avenue isn’t named after the Caribbean island; its name comes from “Yameco,” a word in the Lenape language meaning “beaver.”
When I arrived at my hotel, a giant TV screen was already set to Newsweek. I spent a few hours watching, but it wasn’t the television news I remembered. I haven’t owned a TV since 2003. On Newsweek and Fox News, the news has become pure entertainment—little remains of real journalism. Between segments of dramatized opinions, the Mad King appeared, hawking cheap watches. The Wi-Fi password in my room read: americafirst.
Antojitos Restaurante & Bar
I wasn’t sure what to eat for dinner, so I walked up and down Jamaica Avenue until I spotted a Mexican restaurant. Antojitos means “little cravings,” and since a large part of the United States was once Mexican territory—from 1821 to 1836—I figured it would be interesting to have some Mexican food. Lately, I have this odd habit of connecting food with geopolitics.
After studying the menu, I went with Tex-Mex beef enchiladas and beans—plus a salt rimmed margarita, which hit the spot. The place wasn’t busy. Music blasted from a TV screen, and one of the two men sitting at a table across from me kept giving me a thumbs-up. Maybe he didn’t speak English and this was his way of communicating. I returned the gesture with a thumbs-up of my own. I decided I’d try barbecuing the same Tex-Mex dish myself this summer back home.
Brooklyn
I dedicated my final day to exploring Brooklyn. I joined the morning commuters on the subway, where everyone seemed lost in their phones. I can’t help but feel that phones have made us lonelier as a species.
The fastest route from Queens to Brooklyn was actually through Manhattan. I wanted to photograph some of New York’s bikes, so this was my last chance. Bike messengers have mostly switched to electric now—the fixies are gone. Their current weapon of choice is the Chinese EP-Arrow10, which costs around $1,800.
The view from DUMBO, Brooklyn, looking toward Manhattan with the Brooklyn Bridge in full view. In the distance you can see the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc, which would tragically collide with the Brooklyn Bridge later that day, resulting in the deaths of two crew members.
Jacob’s Pickles, Southern Comfort Food
The name sounded Jewish because of “Jacob” and the Jewish tradition of pickling, but the food was actually Southern. In hindsight, the word “biscuits” was a giveaway. I ordered the Honey Chicken and Pickles biscuit sandwich for $17 in DUMBO. The original Jacob’s Pickles is located on the Upper West Side near Central Park. The lunch was so filling that all I had for dinner was $1.50 worth of bananas from a convenience store in Queens. The biscuit was stuffed with two giant pieces of perfectly fried chicken, and the pickles were packed with spices. All in all, very satisfying. If I ever return to the States, I’d love to visit the Deep South—I’m a fan of True Blood, the TV series based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries.
Honey Chicken and Pickles biscuit sandwich.
Prospect Park
Another beautiful, large park in New York. I wished I had brought a book, but I left my bag at the hotel—I generally hate carrying stuff. Most visitors were running or playing sports. Since I wasn’t dressed for exercise, I just sat on a bench for an hour, watching the people go by.
I haven’t been to New York in the 1990s, so I can’t say how much has changed. But I found it hard to reconcile the raw lyrics of Gang Starr—both artists, Guru and DJ Premier, are from Brooklyn—with the affluent parts of Brooklyn I wandered through. I saw Gang Starr perform live twice back in the 1990s.
Iconic view of the 1909 Manhattan Bridge, famous for the 1984 film C’era una volta in America directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. I always feel a bit embarrassed taking the same photo as everyone else, so I quickly moved on.
American wine
You don’t often see American wines in Europe. It was sunny—perfect for a glass of red on a terrace. But finding a bar with pavement seating wasn’t easy, so I ended up back in DUMBO. The choice was simple: the menu offered only one American red by the glass—a 2021 Tensley Red Blend from California’s Central Coast, priced at $16. This winery was founded in 1998 by Joey Tensley. Though it’s a blend, Tensley specializes in Syrah grapes.
You might expect American winemakers to benefit domestically from the 20% tariff Trump imposed on European Union goods on April 9, 2025. But the TACO president backed down quickly—by April 11, the 20% tariff was off the table for three months and reduced to 10%. Still, the tariff war makes American wines more expensive. Portugal exports nearly 60% of the world’s cork, French oak barrels must be imported at higher costs, and China produces many glass bottles now subject to a 145% tariff.
Including sales tax and the customary tip, I paid $20 for a glass of red wine. Sitting under the Brooklyn Bridge (DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, but is also located under the Brooklyn Bridge Overpass), the location certainly added to the price. By far, this was the most expensive glass of red wine I’ve ever ordered.
My last glimpse of Manhattan.
Back in my room, there was a critical segment on Putin’s Russia on Newsweek, but the main focus was on the attacks against evangelicals in Ukraine. Evangelicals make up only 2% to 4% of Ukraine’s population, yet they have a strong lobby in the USA. While JD Vance has said, “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine,” Steven Moore, a veteran Republican Hill staffer, coordinates support for Ukraine from an evangelical Christian perspective.
