Greenpoint Photos du Jour: Dog Days & Cat Nappers

From Manhattan Avenue.

From Huron Street.

Miss Heather

Andromeda NYC

Yes, yet another contender has thrown his/her ring into the tattoo ring in Greenpoint. This establishment’s name is Andromeda (which I would presume to be an offshoot of that Andromeda of Ab Fab fame) and its business hours are noon – 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, noon – 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Andromeda NYC
827 Noble Street (just off Manhattan Avenue)
Brooklyn, New York 11222

This development makes me wonder if tattoo parlors slated to become the next banks* here. Thoughts, anyone?

Miss Heather

*Yes, Thai restaurants have been supplanted by usury.

Meet Belvedere XL

Diana G writes:

So that photo you posted a few weeks back on Guernsey where it looked like they were putting styrofoam up on a building turns out to be the latest Belvedere atrocity – BELVEDERE XL!

When I read the above email I thought she had certainly made a typo. I was all too wrong.

Presenting Belvedere XL!

God, this is just screams great advertising copy like:

Livin’ Large At Belvedere Forty

or

Sip Your Forty At Belvedere Forty!

or best yet

Belvedere 40 …Works Everytime!

I want to give a big thanks to Diana G and the wizards at Belvedere Realty for giving me the biggest laugh I’ve had all week!

Miss Heather

Photo Credits: Diana G & Miss Heather

P.S.: I am still eagerly awaiting the debut of Belvedere 30. Think about it.

Greenpoint Photo du Jour: Symmetry

From the intersection of North 15th and Banker Street.

Miss Heather

Retail Space Coming To Oak Street

As I was walking home from checking out the scene at Calyer and Franklin Street I spied this brand-spanking new conversion on Oak Street. Suspecting that this is a residential to commercial conversion I looked it up when I got home: it is. Although Franklin is certainly thriving nowadays this storefront does feel a little off the beaten path. Needless to say I am very, very interested to see what happens with this space and have to commend the owner for doing a professional job. The latter is a bit of a rarity here in the Garden Spot.

Miss Heather

This Just In

If any of you are wondering exactly what happened on Franklin between Oak and Calyer Street, I have the answer! Apparently water leaked into an underground power line and Con Ed’s emergency crew are busy replacing it. Those of you who are thinking about driving or biking through this area (Franklin from Greenpoint Avenue to Calyer) should be extra careful, as visibility can be very limited —or better yet, take an alternative route like Lorimer or Guernsey.

Miss Heather

Greenpoint Then & Now: Shanghai Lee

Today’s installment hails from the intersection of Bedford and Manhattan Avenue. If you look carefully at the old photograph you will see the spirit of Shanghai Lee’s past.

And just as I stated in this post, if you look carefully at the facade of what is now Le Brique today you will still see a glimpse of Shanghai Lee’s future!*

Miss Heather

*Before moving to Franklin Street, that is.

Greenpoint Puts Manhattan Avenue Bike Lanes To Good Use

I am still fascinated by the responses to my post about the newly created bike lanes on Manhattan Avenue. Streetsblog called it “hysterical” by which I suspect they meant “alarmist” and/or “anti-bicycle”. So be it. If some people want to construe my concern about the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists in such a manner there’s nothing I can do about it. In any case, over the last week I have seen bicyclists using this new path, along with a few folks of the four wheel persuasion.

When this guy (from Java Car Service) noticed I was taking his picture he immediately tried to extricate himself from this bike lane.

Worried that your dry cleaning won’t arrive on time? Don’t worry, the city has provided ample parking.

Need a quart of milk? Why bother parking, it will just cost money at the meter. Why not use the bike lane instead?

The same goes for the Garden. Isn’t it, after all, “greener” to park your car (and truck) in the bike lane instead of idling?

The same goes for scoring that valuable parking space. Why go around the block when you can sit in the bike lane and wait for the guy to pull out instead? You saw that spot first, dammit! It’s yours!*

Miss Heather

*This is satire. Those of you who don’t/can’t/won’t “get it” might be interested to know that the fair babes of the Emerald Isle are in grave danger. But I suppose cannibalism is greener than factory farming.