Wen and I went for a huge walk around Brooklyn today. In honor of a recent NY Times article on Crown Heights, we decided to wander over and check out the historic district (PDF).

It - plus surrounding Bed Stuy - are a truly unique area and well worth a visit; here are some photos.

The historic district starts with a couple of gorgeous old apartment buildings - The Bedfordshire and The Imperial.

The Bedfordshire

The Imperial

The Imperial Vertical

Around the corner, it's time for homemade iced tea. Note the peeling paint; what makes Crown Heights so interesting is that there's a huge variability in both the architectural styles and also the quality of the buildings. Abandoned buildings sit next to million dollar row houses.

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There are many, many local churches (almost all Baptist or Pentecostal):

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Note the scimitar in the carving below!

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We paused for shaved ice; well worth the $1.

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This guy could have used some shaved ice; it was damn hot.

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A couple more photos, showing the local character:

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The Brooklyn Public Library (Eastern Parkway Branch) is right on the edge of Crown Heights:

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And finally, a shot of the Union Street Bridge's administrative building. Not anywhere near to Crown Heights, but I liked the photo.

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