How to Walk Church Avenue and Fall in Love With New York Again

Feeling down on the city? All we can say is you’re not the first and you won’t be the last.

There’s an entire genre of writing dedicated to love and hate in New York. Mary Phillips-Sandy, editor and producer of Comedy Central’s Indecision Forever, has her own prescription on how to avoid downfall and, instead, to fall back in love with New York City. According to Mary, walking down Church Avenue can do the trick.

What to do if you’re falling out of love with New York:

Walk the stretch of Church Ave. from the B/Q Church station to the F/G Church station, preferably on a weekend or during the evening rush hour. You will pass a Golden Krust, an Islamic center, a Mexican hole-in-the-wall that sometimes advertises tamales via hand-written sign, a West Indian place, a synagogue, a halal market, Polish meat markets, a place that advertises tax preparation in several Eastern European languages, a couple Indian-Pakistani-Bangladeshi markets. You will pass Orthodox Jews in those black hats, women in hijab, women in saris, dudes in track suits, neighbors calling across the street to each other, parents herding a gaggle of parka’d children toward the bus.

No doubt about it, that’s a good stretch. There are other spots in the neighborhood that can be similarly great. It should go without saying that, for example, Coney Island Avenue and Flatbush Avenue both bring together disparate corners of the world and place them right next door to each other. The results can be amazing to watch.