Cortelyou Road has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It served as my route from the house just down the block that I shared with my parents and four siblings on Westminster Road to Holy Innocents Grammar School. It served as the link to the subway that carried me to Automotive High School.
When I married, I didn’t stray; instead, my wife and I purchased a home nine houses away from where I grew up, and we raised our two sons there. In fact, only the years spent in the Navy — where I developed my love for photography — severed my direct contact with the neighborhood that I love.
When I returned from the service, the area was beginning a regeneration. The biggest shock for me was returning to my old Flatbush neighborhood—now called Kensington. New restaurants and businesses came and went. Gone was Carl Hart’s bike shop, replaced by La Puerta Roja, a wonderful Latin American restaurant. San Remo Pizzeria remains and is still the best pizza in the world.
I have now retired after 20 years as a photographer for the MTA — the best job I ever had — and am noticing so much I missed when I was rushing to and from work. My neighbors on Cortelyou are catching my eye: the local deli workers, parents walking their kids to school, the cashier at Foodtown, the retired vet outside the Catskill Bagel Co., the homeless man and his dog who have taken up residence on the street.
Some don’t want their pictures taken, but I am always surprised by how many allow it. I’ve captured the neighborhood celebrating during the Flatbush Follies, protesting in front of P.S. 139 during the Black Lives Matter movement and rejoicing in the Pakistani community on their Prophet’s birthday.
I carry my camera wherever I go; I don’t ever want to miss the opportunity to shoot something of interest. When I am able, I try to make an 8-by-10 print for the people I photograph or send them a digital file.
Other photos I have taken around New York City can be found at pcpics.com.
