Esquire contributor Dave Wondrich has lived in Brooklyn for 30 years. Over that time he’s seen the neighborhood go from one bordering on despair to one in danger of looking like Stepford America. Artisanal specialty shops have replaced many original establishments. Now, even those stores and restaurans that represent what has come to be known as quirky, educated, hipster Brooklyn are now being moved out to make way for the chain stores clamoring to move in.

In his article for the March 2013 issue of the mag, Regarding This “Brooklyn” Everyone Keeps Talking About, Wondrich plots the borough’s transition and lovingly reminisces on the persistant stalwarts that still remain.

map of Wondrich’s Brooklyn originals