There is a free-standing McDonald's on 4th Ave. at 1st St. in Park Slope. It even has a drive-thru that stays open 24 hours a day on weekends. It is a pilgrimage site for any soul that needs coffee or a hamburger at 2 am, or 4 am, or 6 am, when regular old deli coffee just won't do.
When I walk to work, it is still dark outside, and the glowing M is a beacon against the dark Brooklyn sky. The site is walled in glass and the glittering fluorescence spills forth, illuminating the whole block; it is so bright, that I must stay on the opposite side of the street when passing.
It has the presence of a preserved turn-of-the-century building surrounded by high-rises. It has space on all sides, on its own plot of land (parking lot). Its contemporary high-tech touches are subtle: there is a small decal on the window reminding you that you can follow McDonald's on Twitter and check in on FourSquare.
During the day, this spectre is the quaintest of buildings in the neighborhood, with its low sloped red roof, banners waving, and a carefully landscaped mulched border. Its well-maintained paint job is untouched by graffiti. While I am not a devotee it this place, I really do admire it.
