Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
New York Shitty Day Starter: All You Need Is Love
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Miss Heather
Daily Bloomblight: Thank You For Not Smoking
Filed under: 11222, Bloomblight, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
Methinks maintaining a smoke-free environment is the least of this property’s (which is located at 164 West Street) problems.
Miss Heather
P.S.: The sun is out and it’s a balmy 46 degrees. I am going for a walk. More later.
Today’s Bit o’ Bloomblight: 11 Orient Avenue
Today I woke up in a rotten mood. This is not necessarily unheard of this time of year; there’s something about the short days and long cold nights I find unsettling. Wishing to be alone, I decided to go for a walk. My logic for doing so was as follows: I would probably find an object for my anger. I did.
This is the sight which awaited me when I rounded the corner from Metropolitan Avenue onto Orient Avenue. The address is 11 Orient Avenue. For those of you who are wondering, here’s what this property looked like in May 2008.
While hardly easy on the eyes, it is better than the following.
A colossal pile of dirt and rubbish.
As it would happen I encountered a very kindly old lady walking by this delightful sight. I asked her what happened. She was unable to pinpoint an exact date, but told me it happened last week when the winds were particularly strong. The fence simply collapsed. As you can see, this lot is now open for any and all to exploit as they see fit. Currently it appears to be a garbage disposal area. I have little doubt it will be inhabited in the near future. Albeit not by tenants of a more affluent persuasion, who were undoubtedly was the demographic the developer and Robert Scarano, architect, had in mind when these plans were filed in 2007. So it goes.
I have written this before and I will write it again:
I strongly believe people respond to the environment around them. This is why I am a big fan of public art especially in our subway system. Gestures as grand as a mosaic or as simple as keeping public facilities neat and clean send a positive message. The vigilance (or this case, lack thereof) with which our municipal government enforces the laws put in place to preserve our, the citizenry’s, quality of life speaks volumes about their attitude as public servants.
This is unacceptable. No one should have to live with this.
Miss Heather
Audience Participation Time: Lipstick on a Pig
I concluded the yesterday’s postage with a rather lengthy screed about derelict construction sites in Williamsburg and our city’s inability and/or unwillingness to police them. As you can probably deduce from said post, I have been stewing over this phenomenon for some time. I will not lie to you: it felt good to finally “get it out”. What’s more, I really enjoyed one of the comments left on the aforementioned post.
Xris of Flatbush Gardener writes:
It’s not a sidewalk, it’s a promenade.
It’s not graffito, it’s a fresco.
It’s not a vacant lot, it’s an atrium.
It’s not an abandoned foundation, it’s a sunken garden.The real estate moguls just need to turn that thing around and put lipstick on that pig!
I have given Xris’s proposition considerable thought and have decided that we, the residents of north Brooklyn, should lend a hand in this sterling endeavor. Which brings me to this.
I found this “enhanced beverage” at North 12 Street between Bedford and Driggs Avenue yesterday afternoon. I find many such specimens in north Brooklyn— usually at failed construction sites. They are known in some circles as “trucker bombs”. Per the Urban Dictionary:
A plastic container (could be a milk jug or a water bottle) that a trucker pisses in while he is driving his truck. Then he throws it out of the window so that he does not have to stop to relieve the call of nature. Can also be a plastic bag and feces may be involved. “Don’t get hit with that trucker-bomb”
This terminology may suit middle-America but it simply too pedestrian for the upscale haven that is Williamsburg (which, it should be noted, has reduced truck traffic). A neighborhood where a one bedroom apartment can run you anywhere from $2,000 a month and up deserves better. So far the best re-branding I have come up with for this human by-product is “McCarren Kombucha”. Certainly a better name can be found. This is where you come in: can you think of a snappy new name for this urban artifact? If so, please leave it in the comments.
Thanks!
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Day Ender: The Unbearable Blightness of Being
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, Culture War, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
As I mentioned previously, the online and offline zeitgeist in north Brooklyn— be it northside, southside or even Greenpoint was on decidedly on the surly side today. I have spent a great deal of my day patiently listening to people complain about one thing or another that pisses them off. Now it is my turn.
218 North 9 Street
I have no idea who inscribed this on the rapidly deteriorating construction fence which graces this site, but he or she hit the nail on the proverbial head. Follows are a few amenities you can find at this property located in the heart of fashionable Williamsburg.
Pockmarked sidewalks and garbage.
LOTS OF GARBAGE.
As the previous photograph indicates, this open air loft has an open door fence policy. Any and all are welcome to come on over, sit a spell and hang their hat.
Or in this case, a coat.
Who wouldn’t want a balcony looking at this?
Or this?
184 North 8 Street
I have written about this site on a number of occasions. They have since sealed off the garage door which had been pried open. With predictable results.
CANT STOP US WELCOME MATE
236 North 7 Street
But Bloomblight isn’t just about derelict lots. Just take this, for example.
The above summons is for a defective sidewalk shed. Somehow the heap of garbage (which includes a suitcase) was overlooked.
And last, but hardly least…
This failed attempt at public safety hails from North 6 Street just west of Wythe Avenue.
Lest I have not made it clear already I strongly believe people respond to the environment around them. This is why I am a big fan of public art— especially in our subway system. Gestures as grand as a mosaic or as simple as keeping public facilities neat and clean send a positive message. The vigilance (or this case, lack thereof) with which our municipal government enforces the laws put in place to preserve our, the citizenry’s, quality of life speaks volumes about their attitude as public servants.
This is unacceptable. No one should have to live with this.
Miss Heather
P.S.: All the above photographs were taken December 14, 2009.
Greenpoint Degentrification Watch: Lofts 305 Still Sucks
Filed under: 11222, Bloomblight, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
Remember this edifice? It is located at 305 McGuinness Boulevard. I have written about this testament to the failure of the “gentrification” of Greenpoint on far more occasions than I care recount. Look ’em up on my site. That said, I really enjoy comparing this to this. That’s some damned good Photoshop work! But I digress.
My friends at Curbed scooped me on the infamous lock-out back in April. Today, I will recount to you a few problems a current resident is experiencing at 305 Lofts. While you read the following I want you to bear in mind this person, whose identity I will keep anonymous, is paying $2,800 a month in rent for this “experience”. Here’s the back-story:
- The reason this person lives at 305 Lofts is because he/she originally signed a lease (and tendered a security deposit of $3,000) for an apartment 110 Green Street: another nondo known as The Viridian.
- The organization behind this atrocity went bankrupt and his/her agent (under the hire of Cityspaces) showed him/her 149 Huron Street (the now failed Geo Condominiums— see a pattern developing here?). After noting the buckling wood floors (and less square footage) he/she refused.
Then the agent took him/her to 305 McGuinness Boulevard. AKA: 305 Lofts. He/she signed a 2 year lease and now regrets it. BIG TIME. Among other things:
- His/her apartment is still unfinished— as is a great deal of the building.
- The tap water is white or brown— this varies by apartment.
- The tiling in his/her bathroom is cracking and laden with mold. This has to be doused with bleach every day.
- His/her oven does not work properly due to lack of sufficient insulation/cabinetry.
- The landlord— or someone purporting to represent the landlord, one never knows with this place— has made it known that anyone involved in forming a “tenants’ group” will be evicted.
Nice, eh?
By the way, landlords retaliating against tenants for organizing is illegal. Then again, given all the problems with this property it is all too clear they don’t care— and why should they? The people behind 305 McGuinness have been hit with several violations for endangering public safety. The fines assessed (and paid) range from $480 to $2,000. This is what public safety (READ: a human life) is worth per the Department of Buildings.
Miss Heather
160 North 12 Street PSA: No Peeing Please
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, Culture War, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Upside down or otherwise I can personally attest that there is a public urination problem with this site. It makes me wonder what will happen when this site reaches fruition as a seven story hotel/ad hoc pissoir.
Miss Heather
Williamsburg Photos Du Jour: 184 North 8 Street
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, Street Art, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Taken November 30, 2009.
Miss Heather
East Williamsburg Photos Du Jour: Adopt Me!
Filed under: 11206, Bloomblight, Bushwick, Bushwick Brooklyn, Crazy Cat Lady, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn
Looks like Mayor Mike has delivered on affordable housing after all!
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Day Ender: Guess Who?
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, Street Art, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Winning by 5 percentage points does not a mandate make, Mike. If my memory serves me correctly, you lost the borough of Kings— which is where the above sullen missive (and numerous others) can be found. Appropriately enough, it is on a rotting fence gracing a derelict construction site slated to be a high rise: Bloomblight.
May your four years as a lame duck (and a highly unpopular one at that) be interesting ones. I hope it was worth it. I look forward to documenting them. Your purported “achievements” are a gold crown in a mouthful of decaying teeth. I should know; I live in one of the abscesses.
Miss Heather
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