Killer B’s - Brooklyn, the Beatles, and the Botanic Gardens

I don’t miss work but I do miss Brooklyn. For many years I worked at a “major international bank.” One of their office centers was across the street from the Barclays Center … smack dab in the middle of hipster-heaven Brooklyn NYC. And while I don’t miss the 3 trains each way to get there, the neighborhood itself was tremendous. Entertainment, food, parks, bars, boutiques, history, unparalleled people-watching…it has it all. But two of my favorite places are the Brooklyn Museum of Art and its next-door neighbor, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. I hadn’t been there in a while. It was a gorgeous weekend so the lovely Mrs. E and I headed to the Botanic Gardens.

The Botanic Gardens share a parking lot with the Museum, so on a whim, we decided to wander into the Museum first. What a score!!!! From now through August 18th is an exhibit of about 250 photographs taken in 1963-64 … the onset of Beatlemania … by Sir Paul McCartney. It’s amazing! They are part of thousands of photos McCartney shot during this period but were never printed before.

The images of that US tour are iconic. But these photos are a completely different perspective. They show the frenzy from the Beatles’ point of view.

There are also lots of behind-the-scenes images that are fascinating. It turns out that McCartney is a pretty good photographer. He’s got a good eye. If you are nearby, I highly recommend visiting. It’s a wonderful exhibit.

The Botanic Gardens were, as always, delightful. You completely lose sight that you are never more than a couple hundred yards from the hubbub of downtown Brooklyn.