Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Live From Huron Street
Filed under: 11221, Fuck This Shit, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Wow, WTF
As I suspected, after last night’s storm the Dame sex toy ads are showing signs of distress. This is of course because they are wheat pasted paper affixed onto a construction fence.
I have asked Dame if these advertisements are theirs and if they had permission to post them on this fence. So far, radio silence.
Once again, the NYS code for graffiti:
S 145.60 Making graffiti.
- For purposes of this section, the term “graffiti” shall mean the etching, painting, covering, drawing upon or otherwise placing of a mark upon public or private property with intent to damage such property.
- No person shall make graffiti of any type on any building, public or private, or any other property real or personal owned by any person, firm or corporation or any public agency or instrumentality, without the express permission of the owner or operator of said property.
Making graffiti is a class A misdemeanor. — ypd.com
If Dame ain’t claiming this as theirs or stating they had permission to post these advertisements on the fence in question, why does the 94th care?
Simple answer: they enforce/obey the law how they see fit. As such, I am arrested on a very tenuous charge at best— and the police later violate the law by trying to delete photos from my phone while it was in their custody. Tried.
The 983 Manhattan Avenue Parking Spot Of Death: And Now Another Word from the DOT
Since the CBS 2 segment aired there hasn’t been much to relay other than the traffic enforcement agents seem to have stopped— or have seriously cut back— “policing” this ticket trap. Then this morning I received an email. It is so fascinating I am going to share it right here and now. Enjoy!
New York Shitty analysis:
- How is “pedestrian safety” relevant to the legality (or otherwise) of this, or any, parking space?
- Let’s consider pedestrian safety on the block in question. If “traffic enforcement” took the time/effort to, say, hang out at the intersection of India Street and Manhattan Avenue and ticket each and every motorist and bicyclist who blew through through the traffic signals located there they would make a tidy sum. They would also actually be doing something which does facilitate safer streets for pedestrians. But it is much easier to go after the long-hanging fruit of people parking in an ambiguously marketed parking space.
- A response “by mid-July”, you say? NICE.
You can’t make this shit up, folks…
New York Shitty Photo Du Jour: If It Fits, It Sits
I spied this while strolling down Centre Street yesterday. It was too good to pass up and I have made a six inch by six inch print of it which is for sale for $4.95 a print here. Also, I did a pass by the Manhattan Detention Complex which is located across the street. I had a friend with me at the time and I wanted her to see the “Customer Service” entrance as I find it grimly entertaining.
Fun Fact: Google has reviews for the “MDC”. These can be perused by clicking here. Here’s a teaser:
Food was decent for a jail. Although the rooms were dirty and smelled Funny, not much to do, no one was severely injured at during the stay. The staff was decently helpful and the guest were surprisingly friendly.
I have to say this is eerily reminiscent of an AirBnb review. Manhattan Detention BnB. So there you. Closing on a totally unrelated note, prior to taking the day’s walk I met with a reporter from CBS Channel 2. They produced a news item about the Manhattan Avenue Parking Spot of Death which not only aired last night but interviewed our City Councilman, Steve Levin, about the matter. You see, he himself has been tricked by this money mill. In any case, I want to applaud him for taking the time to speak up about this and state plainly the sentiment held by a number of folks hereabouts regarding this matter. That sentiment being this space, which has no reason to be made illegal parking in the first place, should simply be made legal. Well done!
P.S.: The Brooklyn House of Detention also has reviews on Google. One is accompanied with some mighty interesting photos. The image at left is one of them. I will let your read the accompanying copy on your own but I will state right here an now it is the sort of stuff folks like our Vice President would not find the least bit amusing. Instead, I will leave you with this review which is considerably more concise and less detailed:
It’s like vegas- you only really want to be there 2 nights
Indeedy!
Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: Workin’ For The Weekend
Looks like “traffic enforcement” is at it again. On a Saturday, no less. What dedication! In any case this is an excellent opportunity to share a couple of things:
- Given this new parking by app thing it could be argued that the city would, could stand to make money by simply legalizing the space and generating revenue from it. However, I suspect they are rolling with the short-term strategy of hitting folks with parking tickets costing $115.00 a pop. And, as we have learned, the truly lucky folks accrue the additional costs of getting towed.
- A follow-up complaint to the original complaint (getting more Kafka-esque by the minute!) has been filed: DOT-331717-Z3B9
Oh, did I mention I am looking into installing a webcam so everyone can watch this banquet of bullshit unfold in real time 24/7/365? Well, I just did! Happy Saturday!!!
Spotted On Manhattan Avenue: The DOT
This morning I popped out nice and early to get bagels. I noticed the Department of Transportation was afoot. Naturally my curiosity got the best of me so I checked my favorite illegal parking space for new signage. What I found should hardly be surprising…
Wanting to know what this “zone” business was about (I do not drive a car and have no intentions of doing so anytime soon), I did a spot of online research. Here’s what Patch.com has to say about it. The article in question dates from December 19, 2016:
NYC transportation officials announced Monday that within the next few weeks, New Yorkers will be able to fill any Muni-Meter between 14th and 59th streets in Manhattan via the ParkNYC app, now available for download on all app stores.
And by summer 2017, “every metered parking space in every borough” will be payable by app, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) announced.
The coolest part: By the time every meter is hooked up to the system, you’ll no longer have to sprint back to your car when your meter’s up. Instead, you’ll get a notification from the ParkNYC app, which will prompt you to refill the meter with your phone.
The lamest part: In order to get started, you’ll have to load your account with a minimum payment of $25…
So these “zones” have been put in place so one can pay for parking via an “app”. How very 21st century! As is being required to make a minimum payment of $25.00. Clever!
In closing I will leave you, gentle readers, with a couple stills taken from a video I shot yesterday morning at 10:22 am.
Yep…
Manhattan Avenue Parking Spot of Death Update: And Now A Word From The DOT
(Department of Transportation worker parking in front of 983 Manhattan Avenue so as to procure some lunch, taken April 3rd, 2017.)
As I stated in a previous update, a 311 complaint has been filed regarding this problematic parking space. Specifically, that the lines on the street and signs are not in agreement as to the legality (or, in this case, illegality) of the space in question. Well, gentle readers, this has been brought to the attention of the DOT. Specifically, the person whose jurisdiction is the signage. Yes, you just read me correctly: the person in charge of signage was contacted, not the person in charge of the markings on the street. As you can imagine this fellow does not seem to “get” what the problem is. Somewhere Franz Kafka is smiling.
And now part two!
The problem here is straightforward enough. At least to someone who is not a bureaucrat. In the interest of fostering a better understanding of the issue at hand I offer these videos taken April 3rd, 2017. One clearly shows the discrepancy, the “mixed signals” if you will, between the placement of the sign and the markings on the street. Among other things. Enjoy!
Remember folks, your choices behind the wheel matter. Today’s choice was fried chicken. Yum!
UPDATE, 10:22 am: They’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
Crosstown Local Photo Du Jour: Nassau Avenue
Filed under: 11222, Crosstown Local, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Wow
Taken January 15, 2016.
Quicklink: And Now The Permits!
As promised, NAG got their hands on the permits regarding Cityfox’s kiboshed Halloween party at 20 Clay Street (AKA: the NuHart Plastics Factory) and have made them public. I have to say my eyebrow was raised more than once by what I beheld. For starters a local (READ: Greenpoint) business, the One Stop Beer Shop, was the liquor license applicant. But even more interestingly (to me, anyway) was who handled the catering (!):
Those of you, gentle readers, who may be wondering why I find this noteworthy can/should take a moment out of your day and do the following:
You have my personal guarantee what awaits you is worth it. In closing, I will leave you with a few thoughts I tendered via email to various concerned citizens, neighborhood organizations, elected officials and what not. Enjoy!
In any case (and it is not my intent to sideline the environmental concerns here)…
If I understand what (excised) wrote correctly by law all liquor licenses, including those for events, should be run by the Community Board. However, this was not/is not the case. Had proper protocol been followed, this would have been on our radar well before the Thursday or Friday before the event. E.g.; it would have been placed on the agenda/list for the SLA committee, the agenda would be made public and someone, noting the address, would have caught it, contacted the authorities, etc.
In a nutshell, I want to know if we are going to start following the rules here. Otherwise this can and probably will happen again elsewhere. It is not like we’re lacking in similar such large commercial/industrial spaces…
Urban Artifact: Chapter One
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Urban Artifact, Wow, WTF
It is rare that I find myself mumbling “There’s something you do not see everyday”. Greenpoint is host to a great number of oddities. This is part of its charm. However, this item (which is located on Huron Street) did just that. This piece (which is signed by “Steven”) reads as follows:
Grandpa hangs his Japanese flag while World War II is going on.
“Grandpa” sounds like one hell of an interesting guy. It should be noted that the flag in question, and I can assure you “Steven” is being quite modest, is the war flag for the Japanese Imperial Army. Yup. I can only imagine what Chapter Two will bring. I am not sure I want to find out…
Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: Manhattan Avenue
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Wow, WTF
Looks like someone has been busy…
(Taken September 18, 2015.)
NYS Flickr Pool
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