Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
New York Shitty Day Starter: Feministing
Filed under: 11222, Culture War, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
From Banker Street.
Miss Heather
Note: The second image hails from none other than the SWO’ed and vacated Sweater Factory Lofts.
155 Calyer Street Update
It has been some time since I have revisited this property. I have written about it rather extensively and as of the last post it has been served a Stop Work Order. A number of people have wondered what is slated to grace this property. Well, I have the answer: it is going to be a laundromat. I suspect many will agree with me that such a business is sorely needed in this part of Greenpoint.
But this post isn’t about a dearth of goods and services. That is boring. Rather, I am going to write about how I learned this space is going to be a laundromat. This is infinitely more interesting, as you will see.
After pulling some seriously brutal hours, the Mister took last Friday off. Inasmuch as I can deduce he spent it playing around on the computer. This is his usual m.o. when he has down time. In any case, whatever he was doing was interrupted by a phone call. It was our landlord. He was quite upset. Long story made short: he was the author of the work at 155 Calyer Street. After receiving a Stop Work Order his secretary did some research and discovered New York Shitty. Somehow they put it together who is the author of this site: me.
My husband informed me that our landlord seemed to be under the impression I was angry at him and raised a stink about 155 Calyer to take a dig at him. I can assure you (and him if he is reading this) this was and is not the case. Had I known he was responsible for this I probably would have approached the matter a little differently. I probably would have given him a head’s up that the work at this site has come to the attention of a number of people and the absence of any work permits was probably going to net a complaint to the Department of Buildings. But why trifle with what could have been? Here and now my landlord thinks I have it out for him.
I do not. But I (and a number of other Greenpoint residents) do have a “thing” for illegal demolition and construction work. Especially when it comes to landmarked properties. This is the result of witnessing years upon years of watching abuse being heaped upon this neighborhood and my community’s quality of life at the behest of unscrupulous speculators. And this city’s seeming unwillingness to do anything about it.
What’s more, I really like purple aluminum siding.
All in all, our landlord is a swell guy. Although I have voiced frustrations about the living conditions in our humble abode in the past, since there was a change in management— and our former Super was sent packing (that man was about as worthless as they come)— things have been quite good. When things break (and they do, this is inevitable) they are fixed in a timely manner and more importantly they are fixed properly. I would not have a signed a two year lease (sans rider— which was one of the most odious and legally questionable documents I have ever seen and it should be noted was NOT drawn up by our landlord) last month if I was unhappy. Much to the contrary: I am quite happy.
Except for the fact I probably had a hand in getting my landlord in trouble. I feel pretty bad about that.
I am certain when this laundomat is up and running it be an asset— not a detriment— to the community. Foremost and above all (and I suspect I speak for many when I write this) I am relieved that this space is not going to be another bar. We have way too many of these already.
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Street Seating Du Jour: Cat’s Cradle
Some of you might be wondering why I have entitled this sectional and mattress assemblage (from Green Street) “Cat’s Cradle”. The answer can be readily found to the left: they are located next to the only dumpster in Brooklyn— and perhaps the entire world— that both eulogizes and pays homage to Kurt Vonnegut.
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Photo Pool: Part II
This item (which I presume hails from either Dobbin or Banker Street) was the second thing I gazed upon over my morning coffee today. To see the first one click here. Both come courtesy of algul siento who has made this otherwise dreary day much more provocative for yours truly.
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Street Art Du Jour: Three In One
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Street Art
From West Street.
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Photo Pool: BE CAREFUL
This sign (which graces a construction site on Freeman Street) comes courtesy of Caryn Rose. Kudos to you, Caryn. This is one spectacular find.
More importantly, Hard Hat Hannah likes it as well!
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Trivia For a Souper Cause
A lot of people have been horrified by the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Of all the people I know none more so than my friend, poet and Greenpoint fashion plate extraordinaire, Philip. As it would happen he hails from Haiti. He told me when he saw the church he in which he was baptized rendered to a pile of rubble he was devastated. Buildings can inevitably be replaced, human lives cannot. This is why I was incredibly happy to learn that the folks at the Greenpoint Reformed Church and t.b.d. have organized a benefit for Red Cross Haiti Relief.
Samara writes:
Dear Miss Heather,
Thank you for donating a photograph to the silent auction of the Souper Trivia fundraiser for the Greenpoint Soup Kitchen (I am now the happy owner of said photograph, as I bid on it and won it) and for including the event on newyorkshitty.com.
There will be another trivia night fundraiser @ t.b.d. on Thursday, January 28th @ 7:00; this time, all proceeds will go to the Red Cross’s Haiti Relief Fund.
The format will be the same: $5 a person to play, teams of up to 6, 5 categories of 10 questions each, plus a picture round. 1st, 2nd & 3rd place prizes are gift certificates to local Greenpoint establishments. Ann will be the MC. The only difference is that this time there will not be a raffle or silent auction.
Please come if you can. And we would be very grateful if you could include the event on newyorkshitty.com.
Duly posted, Samara— and thanks for the kind words. In closing I would like to make it known to all business owners reading this that you too can help by donating prizes. Here’s the deal: they need to in increments of six. After the first Souper Trivia Night concluded a problem arose: as prizes were given out to the winning teams it was discovered they could not be distributed evenly to the winners of six teams! Thus far The Brooklyn Kitchen has donated six gift certificates of $20 each as prizes for a winning team. I will be contributing six photographs to be given out as prizes as well.
Souper Trivia Night II
January 28, 2010 starting at 7:00 p.m.
t.b.d.
224 Franklin Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222
Any and all who are interested in learning more about this event or wish to donate prizes should contact Samara at:
samaraqk (at) earthlink (dot) net
Use your creativity and your heart: donate a prize. It’s for a very worthy cause.
Miss Heather
UPDATE, January 26, 2010; There will also be a prize for most creative and/or compelling answer to a trivia question!
Greenpoint Restaurant Watch: Activity At Ichiran?
If today had an overriding theme it would be one of restaurants. I started my morning with an employee of Cafecito recounting how one of our more colorful citizens threw a fit last night when he refused to serve her (because she was drunk) and she hit him on the back of the head with a menu. Apparently she threw a coffee cup at one of the cooks on another occasion. Speaking as someone who has been on the business-end of this woman’s behavior (she grabbed my arm and went on a five minute tirade on the sidewalk because I refused to give her Halloween candy last year) I find this behavior, however aberrant or inconceivably, entirely plausible. Not only is this woman certifiably nuts, but she also has a thing for elephants. I know this because she is also a frequent patron of the junk shop. Whenever we get in anything of a pachydermal nature I cringe. No matter how intoxicated or otherwise impaired she may be, this woman has an uncanny ability to locate any and all things elephantine in the store. When she does she invariably proceeds to shout:
Olifant! Olifant!
Over and OVER. To be perfectly frank, it’s downright unnatural— and a bit creepy. But that is not what this post is about. This is.
Video evidence of someone actually working in what has long been promised to be Ichiran’s noodle shop! I pointed this most auspicious (and overdue) activity out to a neighbor, he told me not to get my hopes up. He is under the distinct impression someone is living in this space.
This just keeps getting stranger and stranger folks!
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Photo Du Jour: Socrates R.I.P.
I had heard a great deal of buzz about this in my inbox and I regret to report it is true.
Socrates Diner is no longer in business. As you can see the gentleman in the above photograph is dumbstruck. His name is Alan and he was nice enough to tell me a few things he knew about this establishment:
- It had been in business for at least thirty five years.
- Its proprietor was a man named Charlie.
Alan went on to tell me he was concerned that Charlie had died. Apparently he does (did?) have a brother, but he had no interest in the restaurant business. He operates a real estate business in Astoria.
In any case, so long Socrates. You will be missed.
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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