Greenpoint
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Culture on the Cheap
Greenpoint Photo du Jour: Howl
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
From West Street.
Miss Heather
Ah, Greenpoint!
Earlier today I made a rather fascinating discovery; when you run the search terms “drunk” and “Greenpoint” some mighty interesting things pop up on YouTube. The following are three of my more “choice” finds. Enjoy!
You know, inasmuch as people are angry at the prospect of doling out $2.50 to ride our fine city’s subways and buses I really do not mind. With “in flight” entertainment like this dude I have no qualms whatsoever with ponying up an extra fifty cents. As a matter of fact I consider money well spent.
Miss Heather
Williamspoint Photos du Jour: It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like X-Mas!
Kent Avenue, Williamsburg.
Lorimer Street, Greenpoint.
I would like to advise my fellow north Brooklynites not to overindulge this upcoming turkey day. The eyes in the Stuy will be watching us.
Miss Heather
TOMORROW: Portraits From The Soup Kitchen
For those of you who are staying in the Garden Spot this upcoming Tofurky Day there are plenty of ways to get your fix of thankfulness. As I mentioned before, there will be an interfaith service at Ahavas Israel starting at 7:30 p.m. Volunteers are always welcome at the Greenpoint Reformed Church’s food pantry and soup kitchen. Especially tomorrow when they’ll be serving up an early Thanksgiving dinner. Ann Kansfield wrote (in her press release):
The Greenpoint Reformed Church Soup Kitchen will host a special Thanksgiving turkey dinner on Wednesday, November 25 from 6-7pm. The event will mark the opening of a new art exhibit featuring portraits of the soup kitchen’s patrons and volunteers painted by Janice Bridgers.
The soup kitchen has found innovative ways to help feed increasing numbers of homeless and low-income individuals. The kichen manages to feed a hot meal to 80-100 people each week on a shoestring budget. We expect even more people to come for the pre-Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday night. The meal will consist of turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving trimmings.
Adding to the evening is the opening of an art show featuring portraits of the soup kitchen’s clients and volunteers. The artwork is meant to increase self-esteem and pride among individuals who are often demoralized and hopeless. The artwork is displayed with gallery lighting in the same room where the soup kitchen meals take place…
Founded in 2007, the Greenpoint Reformed Church Soup Kitchen is a non-sectarian program that provides a weekly hot meal for homeless and low income people in North Brooklyn. The number of people served by the soup kitchen has risen signficiantly due to the downturn in the economy.
Janice Bridgers began painting portraits of people associated with soup kitchen after she began volunteering with the program. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and makes a great tasting pot of soup.
Here are a few works by Ms. Bridgers (which I have to admit as a painter who defected to sculpture I rather like. They are strikingly reminiscent of Alice Neel.) you’ll see tomorrow night at the soup kitchen. Each painting will be for sale (they’re $300 each) and all proceeds will go towards the soup kitchen.
You can see more of Ms. Bridger’s work by clicking here. In closing I’d like to mention that the soup kitchen and food pantry needs our help now more than ever:
Each day there’s a new story about how the decline in our economy is leading to an increase in demand for food pantries and soup kitchens. We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people coming through the doors of the Greenpoint Reformed Church’s soup kitchen and food pantry. As you might guess, the funds needed to help feed so many hungry people haven’t kept pace with the demand. In fact, our city funding got cut this summer. Our pantry is empty right now, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing to you.
We need your help, and we’re asking you to do two things. Please make a Thanksgiving donation to Greenpoint’s pantry and kitchen. No gift is too small – we can do a lot with just $5 or $10. We’re able to buy food at a reduced cost from the NY Food Bank, so we leverage every dollar donated to us. Second, please help spread the word and forward this message to five friends asking them to donate a few bucks. If everyone gives a little, we can do so much.
We’re aren’t a large non-profit. We don’t have a fancy building or shiny equipment. You can be assured that your donation goes directly to help people who would otherwise fall through the cracks of our society. Along with helping people, you also have the benefit of your donation being tax-deductable.
You can send a check to:
Greenpoint Church Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry
136 Milton St.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Or make an online donation by clicking here.
Miss Heather
Seeing Is Believing!
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
After basking in the knowledge that Xtra Discount was coming back to Greenpoint I decided to go down to 856 Manhattan Avenue today and document this most auspicious development.
As I took the above photograph a woman passerby asked:
Why are you taking a photograph of this?
I gave the matter some thought (this IS a very good question after all) and replied:
Xtra Discount lost their lease at the space across the street (pointing at WaMU) and it was feared they were gone forever. This establishment was a great place to buy socks. I am very happy that I won’t have to schlep twenty minutes just to buy a pair of fucking socks. So I decided to take a photograph of the new storefront so I could post it online and share the good news with everyone.
Believe it or not, I think she understood.
Miss Heather
Anything f’ Thanksgiv’n?
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
I imagine a number of you are preparing for Thanksgiving. Before I commence with the task of hunting and gathering all the proper vegetables for the feast I’ll be preparing (chile rellenos with rice, beans, salsa, soup and sangria!) I thought I would take the time to share a little bit ‘o’ of old New Yorkiana with you: Ragamuffin Day.
What is Ragamuffin Day, you ask? That is an excellent question. Imagine if you will a dash of Halloween on Thanksgiving Day. Children throughout our fair city would dress up in tatty clothes, blacken their faces and go door to door asking:
Anything f’ Thanksgiv’n?
If the man or woman of the house felt charitable he or she would throw them candy, fruit or change for their efforts. And just like the “trick or treating” we know today there was ample latitude on both sides— beggars and beggees alike —for mischief. Do you know what a “red penny” is? You will after reading this article from the November 27, 1931 edition of the New York Times. Enjoy!
Those of you who want to learn more about Ragamuffin Day from a distinctly Greenpointian point of view should point and click your way over to Greenpt.com. There you will find a number of amusing firsthand accounts of this long gone tradition.
Miss Heather
Photo Credit: SuzyO of Py-O-My (who I will ordering my apple pie from!)
Greenpoint Photos du Jour: Art Lover’s Special
Ever had one of those moments when you realized something so fucking obvious you could kick yourself? Well, I had one of those epiphanies recently. It was as follows:
Greenpointers like chainsaw sculptures. A LOT.
Follows are a few of my favorite specimens. Enjoy!
Kingsland Avenue
India Street
The flower is a nice touch.
Eckford Street
Pope preaching to an assortment of woodland creatures and a Fedders box: priceless.
Miss Heather
Miscellaneous Foodstuffs
I spied this menu in the window of a laundromat yesterday. Thinking this was a new restaurant in/near the ‘hood I grabbed a menu. It isn’t. Here’s the scoop.
ANYTIME is a website: www.anytimeny.com. This site (which appears to be in development) not only offers to deliver food, but smokes and beer as well. Their hours are 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m. daily and their delivery zone (as culled from their web site) is as follows:
It should also be noted that they accept credit cards (VISA, AmEx, Mastercard and Discover): $15.00 minimum for delivery.
If and/or when any of you, dear readers, give this business a whirl let me know. I’m quite curious to say the least! And oh yeah, you get a free soft drink with your first “web purchase”.
ANYTIME: Late night food, booze & smokes
www.anytimeny.com
Next up, (and a note of somewhat well-substantiated intelligence), the mastermind(s) behind the Endless Summer taco truck which graces the intersection of North 7th Street and Bedford Avenue is going to expand to some more permanent digs…
IN GREENPOINT.
Tacos & More is the name.
668 Manhattan Avenue is the address.
And (718) 346-2626 will be their phone number.
It is slated to open “next year”. Given that that our current one is almost over I imagine the wait will not be too long.
Last up, my buddy Larry da Junkman loves all things cheap. Especially coffee. I love wine (a hearty glass of claret on a cold day is noting short of sheer bliss). So you can imagine my delight when I checked out the new Porto Rico coffee shop he tipped me off to only find a new(ish) wine shop to boot!
Porto Rico, regrettably, was closed. But I did take a looksee at blue angel.
All in all, it was pretty neat. They had an interesting selection, much of their stock was quite affordable (READ: At/under $15.00 a bottle) and a very handsome chap named “Dude” mans the premises.
Had there not been a screaming child * on the premises I would have stuck around and made a purchase. Methinks I might take them up on delivery instead: blue angel delivers “throughout Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint” daily from noon to 9:00 p.m. One bottle up to TWO CASES. You know, for those extra special occasions.
Porto Rico Coffee & Tea
636 Grand Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
blue angel wines
638 Grand Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
(718) 388-2210
To close on a somewhat related note, X-tra Discount is back! Their new store will be located just across the street from their old digs (which is now WaMu). Seekers of affordable housewares in Greenpoint rejoice.
Hallelujah!
Miss Heather
UPDATE, 4:18 p.m.: I just received a very nice email from one of the peeps behind ANYTIME. Jessica writes:
Hello Miss Heather. I hope you are having a lovely Monday. It’s nice that it warmed up a little today. I LOVE what you do and I’m a very avid reader of your posts, thus I was overcome with excitement to see that today you wrote about my restaurant, Anytime, and so I figured I should tell you a little bit more about us.
The original owners opened shop in ‘99 and were on North 6th Street until my partners and I built a sparkling new kitchen on Skillman Ave in August. We are working on making a spectacular eat-in restaurant and are delivering to all of Greenpoint and Williamsburg until 5 am every night, though we are closed f’ Thanksgiv’n and Christmas. The sad news..L.. is that we are still awaiting our new liquor license for the new space, so there won’t be any beer deliveries until early next year. The good news however, is that we just started an amazing new menu last week (which you saw) and which I am very excited about. Our chef, Berty Richter (previously of Lamb & Jaffy) makes delicious hummus daily from scratch and we have added some real gems to the menu. My favorites are the Soy Honey Ginger Wings, Cuban Toasted Sandwich and Pumpkin Cheesecake!
I really do hope that you and Mister Heather will give us a try, and let me know how you like it.
Thanks for posting about us and have a great Thanksgiving!
As “Chip” would say to “Dale”:
No, Thank YOU! 😉
*It should be noted that said child belonged to a client, not the proprietors.
Photo Credit: Endless Summer Tacomobile; www.offmanhattan.com
Anyone Lose A Briefcase?
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Everyone’s fantasy is to find a briefcase full of money. No strings attached.
When I encountered the above item (at the intersection of Dobbin Street and Norman Avenue) I knew it would not contain money. I know my luck. What’s more, I live in Greenpoint. Nonetheless my curiosity was killing me. I stared at the briefcase wondering what was inside. My post 9/11 self cried:
There might be a bomb in there!
Thankfully my rational side prevailed and I reminded myself:
- This briefcase is located in Greenpoint.
- Greenpoint is a neighborhood no one (save developers; the various and sundry parasites who shill their interests and the people who actually live here) gives two shits about.
- Ergo, it is no one’s interest to blow anything up at the intersection of Norman Avenue and Dobbin Street.
So I said to myself:
Fuck it.
and kicked the damned thing open. Here’s what I found.
If anyone lost a briefcase full of clay this weekend you can find it at the northeastern corner of Norman Avenue and Dobbin Street. Its contents appear to be more or less intact, but who am I to know? I suppose only the owner of this case would know for certain.
Miss Heather
THIS WEEK: Williamsburg-Greenpoint Thanksgiving Interfaith Service
In addition to the numerous volunteer opportunities at the Greenpoint Reformed Church* those of you who want to put the “thanks” back into Thanksgiving might be interested in attending the Thanksgiving Interfaith Service at Congregation Ahavas Israel right here in Greenpoint! This year’s service (a yearly joint collaboration of Congregation Ahavas Israel, the Greenpoint Reformed Church, the Greenpoint Islamic Center, the Church of the Ascension, St. Anthony’s, St. Stanislaw’s and the St. John’s Lutheran Church) will feature a sermon by Rabbi Avi Weiss, Dean of the Open Orthodox Yeshiva Chovoveih Torah*. Refreshments will follow.
Thanksgiving Interfaith Service
Wednesday, November 26, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
Congregation Ahavas Israel
108 Noble Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222
In closing I feel compelled to pass along another albeit highly secular reason to attend this event: I have it on good word the interior of this otherwise ordinary looking synagogue is absolutely breathtaking. Check it out!
Miss Heather
*Whose Christmas wishlist you can see here.
**Who apparently is ranked one of “America’s Top 50 Rabbis” by Newsweek
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