HOLY SH*T!

I just received the above photograph from a fellow Greenpointer named Tammy Jez. She writes:

this may look like a war zone, but nope, it’s in front of my apartment on newell street and norman avenue in greenpoint brooklyn. i came home last night from a weekend getaway… to find my place of residence had barely survived a three story high fiery explosion. according to a neighbor, around 2am saturday night (sunday morning) some youths set fire to a mattress, pushed it under a pickup truck, and the effect is shown in the attached photos. check out the melted siding !!! its a miracle no-one got hurt. definitely a close call. unfortunately, to my knowledge the youths have not been identified.

Damn.

From what I can tell the 94th Precinct had a very busy weekend. The very same morning this truck was torched New York’s Finest took down a pit bull in the middle of Huron Street. Sheesh.

Miss Heather

Photo Credits: Tammy Jez

THIS WEEK: Ba-Rock Brooklyn

This Saturday, July 26, Ba-Rock Brooklyn will be having a fundraiser right here in Greenpoint. Live bands (with such interesting names as “Mobile Wash Unit” and “Madam Robot & The Lust Brigade”) will be performing at T.B.D., Lost & Found Bar, Van Gogh’s Radio and Queen’s Hideaway starting at 6:00 p.m. After an evening of short films Apollo Heights will grace the stage at East Coast Aliens at the stroke of midnight. Lastly, this evening of entertainment (which is way too jam-packed for me to go into here) will be capped off by an after-party at T.B.D.

Those of you who are interested in attending can learn more about this event (and others in the works, including another event in Greenpoint August 9!) by checking out Ba-Rock Brooklyn’s web site. Be advised the price of admission is $20.00. This is a fundraiser after all!

Miss Heather

Subway Poster du Jour: Nassau Avenue

What can I say about this modified poster (from the Queens-bound platform of the Crosstown Local)? It is what it is.

Miss Heather

Greenpoint Photo du Jour: Styll

From North 15th Street.

Miss Heather

Studio B: The Battle For Hearts & Minds Continues

This weekend I learned that Agnes Piekarska, the much-maligned “Manager” of Studio B, has discovered New York Shitty! How do I know this, you ask? She has taken to commenting on my blog!

On July 19, 2008 she wrote in regards to this post:

I’m sorry you feel that way . I wish someone will contact me about that. Thanks. Agnes

Not only does this comment make absolutely no sense, I chafed at Ms. Piekaraska’s repeated insistence that she was completely unaware of people having issues with her establishment. So I replied:

People have contacted your business about this stuff. REPEATEDLY. Quit acting like this is all news to you. It isn’t.

Today, July 20th, I awoke to find this missive awaiting my approval. Lucky me.

You got this totaly wrong. I’m Just a manager and not the owner I live in the area and I”m trying to help out . This is the first time I got to your webside and I’m glad . You have to get some of the facts right and I will gladly explain to you who is who or what is going on. Thank you for your time. Agnes

To wit, I replied:

Feel free to write any epistle you want, Agnes. That’s what the comments section on this blog are for.

I have yet to get a reply from Ms. Piekaraska, but Neighborhood Threat had a few things to say:

Here are some facts that are right:
1) Until any of us started complaining to the press, you as the manager of the club did nothing to mitigate the problems in the neighborhood.
2) when the club is open, there is an increase in trash. you sweep in front of your club and that’s it. there are club fliers all over the block, in the street, across the street. you don’t put out trash cans in front of your club, and there’s one city trashcan on the corner of calyer, which is filled to overflowing on the weekends… from YOUR CLUB, because there’s nothing else going on over here.
3) you allow patrons of the club to re-enter at will. i understand they can’t smoke inside, but most clubs have a ’smoking pen’ in front of the club where smokers can congregate. They don’t allow people to sprawl up and down the block because it IMPACTS THE NEIGHBORHOOD. when you let people go in and out of the club at will all they do is sprawl down the block and onto our stoops.
4) you can clearly see from the front door if people are hanging out up the block. have security move them along. have someone stand on the corner of calyer and meserole and direct them out of the neighborhood. when they see someone peeing against the wall across the street, someone should walk over there and tell them to stop. (do you not have enough bathrooms or something? i’ve never seen so many people peeing in public.)

What about what happened on the 4th of july? you lit off fireworks in the street. there were hundreds of people in the street and you didn’t disperse the crowd when you were done.

You don’t help and you don’t care EXCEPT for the fact that your club won;t make as much money. You don’t care what it does to the neighborhood. Right now you’re trying to handle the problem by not having events at the club.

btw, i notice that you finished the retractable roof. i thought the point of having it was that you would close it and minimize noise and stop the people from smoking out on the street. at least that’s the line of BS you’ve been feeding us.

the club doesn’t hvae a c of o for the second floor but yet there are people on the second floor constantly. there’s also an illegal apartment and there’s no residential zoning in that building.

we’re going to make sure that there’s a representative from every residential building in the neighborhood that your mr. fisher says “isn’t residential” at the hearing on the 31st. so you can have people blog here for you and post comments that are clearly written by a publicist as much as you want. you’ll keep doing what you want but boy will we do everything we can to hold you accountable.

It certainly looks like the upcoming Public Safety Committee Meeting at Community Board 1 will be quite lively. Not only are the angry neighbors organizing but as Mr. Heather and I discovered last night, the “owner” (“Manager” or whatever) of Studio B was having a tete a tete on the rooftop terrace with someone bearing more than a passing resemblance to Ken Fisher!

The above photograph was taken at 8:00 p.m.

Miss Heather

UPDATE 7/2108: Agnes has replied!

Greenpoint Photo du Jour: Peephole

From Manhattan Avenue.

Miss Heather

Le Brique Is Open For Business

In what is possibly the fasted turn-around for a restaurant in Greenpoint history, last Thursday, July 17, Le Brique officially opened for business. I learned this from a tipster who happens to live near this establishment. N writes:

Have you checked out Le Brique? They had some opening party on Thursday, with a DJ that shook our apartment with early 90’s dance music. I would imagine from the fast turnaround… that the same owners that operated Little Korea operate this establishment. I hope the food is improved though. And I hope there are no more 90’s dance parties.

I agree on both counts. I do hope the food is good and they refrain from playing early 90’s dance music. Bad music is sort of like bad food: both are sufficiently awful the first time around. Click here to see what foodstuffs this, Greenpoint’s newest restaurant, is serving. Among the more traditional French fare you will find blood sausage. Yummy.

Miss Heather

P.S.: If you look at the square shaped “gems” gracing this storefront you will notice they read “Shanghai Lee”. Very amusing.

Retail Coming to Norman Avenue

I first learned about this garage-to-retail conversion via my buddy over Neighborhood Threat. Curious to see firsthand what she was talking about, I put on my sandals and strolled over to the intersection of Norman Avenue and Lorimer Street.

Neighborhood Threat writes: Walking up Norman today, I noticed that those lovely old weathered garage doors between Lorimer & Manhattan had a DOB permit on them: CONVERSION OF EXISTING GARAGE SPACES TO RETAIL. It’s a great location, but who’s going to rent them? I think we’re getting to the point that we need the parking spaces more than the retail spaces these days.

She brings up a salient point: parking is a big enough nightmare nowadays. However, my primary concern is what kind of retail business will occupy this space? The prevailing pattern in Greenpoint nowadays seems to be having too many of any one business, e.g.; Thai restaurants, 99 Cent Stores, BANKS, etc. The previous having been said, I’m wagering this will become a boutique. Hopefully it will be one whose wares are affordable to those who do not have the benefit of a six figure salary.

But I am not holding my breath.

Miss Heather

TOMORROW: Stoop Sale at 115 India Street

Since tomorrow’s weather will be a much more moderate 90 degrees* I thought I would pass along this stoop sale slated for 115 India Street. Among the wares in the offering are “miscellaneous household goods”, electronics, CDs and clothing. You know, the usual stuff.

Stoop Sale
Sunday, July 20, 2008
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
115 India Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Purportedly most items will be priced at $10.00 or less!

Miss Heather

*This is sarcasm.