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Q & A: Rebecca Delgado

By Patrick Verel | Special to amNewYork

September 5, 2007

Rebecca Delgado lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. (Photo by Jonathan Scheff / September 5, 2007)

Rebecca grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, but moved to New York City a year ago for acting school.

Why did you choose to live in Greenpoint?

I had a bunch of unfortunate roommate experiences in Astoria and in Manhattan, and a friend of mine mentioned Greenpoint. I was sort of looking for some place I could move as soon as possible. I found a place I could move into the next day, and slowly I started discovering it was a really nice neighborhood.

What do you like best about it?

The proximity to the waterfront, the skyline, and the fact that it's pretty calm, compared to some places you go. The Polish part makes it feel more like Europe, which is something I appreciate. There are all sorts of culture and history.

What would you change if you could?

I would definitely make the transposition better. I would like the G train to run like a regular subway, and I would keep the area from becoming too overbuilt.

What are your favorite places to eat?

I like the Thai cafe that's across the street from the garden, on Kent Street and Manhattan Avenue. It's just fresh, fast, good service, and the chefs are funny.

For Polish food, I like Christina's on Manhattan Avenue. Polish food is similar to Swedish food, and Christina's is affordable, and it's good for the price.

Cafecito is a coffee shop on Manhattan Avenue and Green Street that's really cute and they have nice sandwiches.

What are three pros and three cons of living in Greenpoint?

Pros

The view from the rooftops.

I would say it's very safe.

There are a lot of nice people in general, I like the atmosphere.

Cons

On the weekends and evenings, there is some seriously bad transportation. I can spend an extra half hour waiting for the G train.

It smells bad in the summer; and some people say it's polluted, because of the gas leak.

It's getting more and more crowded

What's one neighborhood gem that you'd really miss if it were gone tomorrow?

There are several that I don't want to say because I want to keep them to myself. (Laughs) OK, I'll say The Garden, which is an organic supermarket on Manhattan Avenue and Kent Street. It's all organic, you can get great fruits and veggies and just nice products. I feel like it's a huge centerpoint for the neighborhood.