5th Avenue: 24th Street - Park Place

It's been a while since I've just wandered around taking photos and my storefront addiction was in need of a fix. After satisfying my always-present need for cemetery exploration by walking through Green-Wood Cemetery, I decided to walk the rest of the way home (2 miles exactly) down 5th Avenue through Park Slope. I live right on the border of Park Slope and Prospect Heights, and what I always find fascinating about New York is how distinctive neighborhoods can be from one another.

Park Slope is the epitome of Brownstone Brooklyn, and 5th Avenue is one of the main retail streets through the neighborhood. Brooklyn's 5th Ave is slightly more mom-and-pop than the more famous 5th Avenue in Manhattan—but like all of New York, things change quickly. There's a Barnes and Noble and a handful of big name banks and chain stores, but there's still some really wonderful, old signage, diners and small businesses to be discovered.

As usual, I was drawn to anything neon, strange, handpainted, vintage-looking or with a clever-sounding name. These types of walks—where I'm hyper-focused on storefronts and signage—are always uplifting to my New York-loving soul. It's tempting to get depressed with every demolition or the closing of a beloved business, but just knowing that there are still authentic, interesting places sandwiched in between every Chase bank and Dunkin' Donuts is comforting.

"Amazing Variety Store" wins points in the generic hyperbole department, Brooklyn Superhero Company (yes, this is a real store) wins for best closed sign (NOPE.), the laundromat and "TV Repairs" tie for best handpainted signage and Garry Jewelers wins for best signage overall—but it's the "I Want a Breast Pump" storefront that will continue to haunt and confuse me for a very long time.

More city walks: First Avenue: 1st - 34th Streets | First Avenue: 92nd - 34th Streets