Marlon

Marlon

Brooklynite, Joy Indulgent, Water engineer

“I would love to be philosophical and all that, but the truth is, in order to be anchored in this city, the first thing you need is money. This city is not cheap, and you can’t set up any kind of foundation here without money. You’ll be homeless. Second, you need a good support system. Friends, family, someone you can turn to for a conversation, or to borrow a few dollars.”

“I came here in the 90’s and have always been a Brooklynite. We lived here in Bed-Stuy, and my dad would not let me go pass certain streets. There were these ‘no-go’ zones. People lived normally without fear of crime though. You knew the neighborhood and people who lived here. People would mostly mess with outsiders, but of course it was a different situation back then.”

“Everything was guided towards going to Manhattan. A lot of us were sick of that. We were more the relaxed group. We’d lay around, hang out, relax. It was like that joke with Lamilton Taeshawn saying ‘I only want to do hood-rat things with my friends.’ That was it. We’d ride bikes, drink wine in the park out of paper cups, walk around the streets. It was a casual way of living. Of course this has changed with age, but that solidified Bed-Stuy as a place to be for me.”

“I work as an engineer for the city. Essentially I am working with water - drinking water and dirty water. The city primarily gets its water from the Delaware River. That water is pretty much protected and clean. It goes through ultraviolet light to kill all the bacterias and some flocculation processes. You get some chlorine and fluoride added in and it’s pumped out there.”

“If you don’t have a sense of self in New York, you’ll pull yourself apart trying to figure out where to be or where to fit in. You have to have a sense of self to know who you are and to find your community. Otherwise, you’re just going to be all over the place, and probably lost because you don’t know where to go.”

“Brooklyn is such a large and vast place. It’s hard to encapsulate the entire vibe of the borough because it’s so diverse, but if there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that it’s homely. It’s the place people set up and live.”

Q&A

“The biggest lie about New York is that we are mean, unfriendly and rude people. It’s perceived in that manner because people visiting are only interacting with New Yorkers in transit. When in transit, people do not care to be jovial. At 8 a.m. on their way to work, people don’t care to smile. They are already trying to tune out from a stressful situation having to deal with other people on mass transportation, trying to get to x, y, z on time. And there you are in their space trying to invade it, so of course someone is going to be rude to you. People in transit are not the ones you want to talk to.”

What neighborhood do you live in? Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Best thing about living there? Great mix of people and plenty of great local restaurants and bars.

Favorite neighborhood in New York? Crown Heights since it has a mix of Caribbean heritage, newcomers, bars, restaurants and is easy to get to and from Manhattan.

Favorite street to stroll? Jefferson Avenue in Bed-Stuy.

Why? It’s a beautiful tree lined block that’s quiet with great brownstones. Good to clear your mind or just enjoy architecture.

Favorite restaurant? Fancy Nancy in Bed-Stuy.

Favorite bar? Casablanca Cocktail Lounge.

Hidden gem? La Isla restaurant on Broadway in Brooklyn. Some of the best Spanish food. And it’s cheap.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? Learn to do everything a bit quicker because we are busy people, always in a rush.

Your New York soundtrack? Juicy by The Notorious B.I.G. The only song I recognize as a New York soundtrack because it captures the thoughts and feelings of the residents of the urban jungle.

5 THINGS THAT TELL A STORY ABOUT MARLON

RUM “It’s from my country Guyana. We make excellent rum. I like dark liquor. I don’t drink that much at home. It takes people coming over for me to make a drink.”

PING PONG “My love for ping pong started in college. I got amateur decent and played with roommates and friends. Now we play tournaments at the Emerson bar at Myrtle.”

BABY PICTURE “My first, favorite nephew. He is not a year yet. He lives in Jersey. That is my favorite person. Uncle is always here for him.”

GOLD NECKLACE “People make fun of Guyanese people for loving their gold. We enjoy gold. I don’t wear jewelry in the streets, but I enjoy wearing them in the house for some reason. For entertainment.”

BEARD BALM “I use this every day. I need a moisturized beard. Having a dry beard is not fun, so this is necessary.”