Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Greenpoint Photo du Jour: Everyone’s A Critic
Filed under: Area 51
Perhaps it is just me, the advent of spring or our troubled economy but people seem to be a little more gruff and pugnacious than usual. Even for New York Shitty.
I mention this because when I glanced at the above poster at Greenpoint Avenue stop of the G yesterday I found yet another indicator of the pervasive surliness shrouding our fine city.
You know we are living in troubled times when even the saintly George Clooney is getting guff.
Miss Heather
Public Service Announcement
Once in a very blue moon I learn something so disturbing I feel compelled to pass it along because it is in the public’s interest. Before I continue I want to make it clear that it is not the purpose of this post to rumor monger. I will recount the facts I have been provided and you can draw your own conclusions.
A month ago a good friend of mine who worked in the deli at the above depicted establishment started getting red spots on her skin. These coincided roughly with a new vendor providing the deli’s chicken. Thinking it was merely due to one of the many things that lurk in uncooked chicken she took extra care to wipe down the counters, utensils, etc. It was all to no avail: the red spots persisted.
Concerned, my friend brought this to her supervisor’s attention. She also pointed out that she was not the only person afflicted with these lesions: five out of seven of her coworkers displayed similar symptoms. Her input was summarily dismissed. After some cajoling on my part my friend finally visited a physician. His prognosis was as follows:
SCABIES
Needless to say my friend underwent treatment and quickly found another job. As I said at the beginning of this post, these are the facts as I know them. I will leave it to you, dear readers, to take heed or dismiss this cautionary tale as you see fit.
Miss Heather
P.S.: Lest any of you are wondering what healing scabies lesions look like. Here you go!
THIS WEEK: United Friends of McCarren Park
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Thursday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. the newly formed United Friends of McCarren Park will be meeting at the Automotive High School Library. Some items on the agenda for this event are as follows:
1. The “group structure†subcommittee will present a proposal for an ongoing structure and format for the group. It is going to change the way you think about democracy.
2. If the structure proposal is agreed upon, UFMP will vote on members of a Steering Committee. Those interested in taking a leadership role in this new group will be asked to introduce themselves and say a few words about their interest in the park, etc.
3. Ideas for continued outreach to other park users, etc.
Those of you who are not familiar with U.F.M.P. is about will find this synopsis from their latest announcement informative:
The best way to get the parks we deserve is through persistent community attention to each park. GWAPP (Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks & Planning) wants to help kickstart a big (and sustained) Push for Parks all across our North Brooklyn neighborhoods by helping to create (where one doesn’t exist) support (where one does exist) and unite (where, as with McCarren Park, several active groups co-exist) park-specific Friends Groups.
The purpose of these groups will be to gather information about the way the community uses the park, the issues and needs of each park and, most importantly, establish a community representative (or two or six or twenty) of that park, acting as a watchdog and persistently (key word) pushing for improvements – whether from the city, the Open Space Alliance (www.openspacealliancenb.org), neighbors, local businesses, grants…
We have an opportunity, with this particular Mayor and the promises made regarding the McCarren Park Pool, Ice Skating Rink and Skate Park, to push for real improvements in McCarren Park. We need to make sure we have a unified and coherent voice in the way the park is maintained and plans made for future developments. With the Pool reconstruction underway (design-wise at least) it seems the various user-groups of this potentially wonderful park have a shared purpose. Let’s use it to make the park better
Anyone who is interested in attending April 3rd’s meeting, has suggestions for the meeting format and/or agenda or wants to suggest other park user-groups who might wish to participate should contact Dewey Thompson at:
dthompson (at) pickerelpie (dot) com
In closing, I will leave you with some materials I recently acquired that hail back to the McCarren Park of yore. I am not too certain when they date from (my guess is the 1980s), but they bear testament that to the fact that the only way we, as residents of North Brooklyn, are going to effect any real and lasting change regarding our public spaces is to unite and hold our public officials accountable for the promises they have made.
The more eagle-eyed among you will notice closing Driggs Avenue to vehicular traffic is not such a new idea after all.
Comfort Station– in disrepair
Despite the radical changes Williamsburg and Greenpoint have undergone the last ten years I find it perversely comforting (no pun intended) that some things remain the same.
Miss Heather
P.S.: Be sure to check out the enlarged rendering of the old park plan which graces the beginning of this post. It is quite interesting.
Back In Business!
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
As some of you might have noticed, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory experienced an electrical outage this winter which required them to close to make repairs. Well, as of my latest walk down Commercial Street Sunday evening I noticed they are back in business. Just in time for a spring time scoop (or two)!
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
97 Commercial Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222
All you sweet tooths out there should take note that this establishment keeps rather unusual business hours: Thursday – Sunday 3:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Miss Heather
Carroll Gardens Photo du Jour: NO CRAP
Filed under: Area 51
Whatever it is you are thinking about doing in front of this house on 3rd Street, forget about it.
Miss Heather
What Is Wrong With This Picture?
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
I stared at this poster for a good five minutes before I finally got up the gumption to take a photograph of it. Naturally my fellow Crosstown Local patrons were curious as to what I found so interesting. So I showed them.
CHANGE IS: a copy editor who needs a refresher course in geography.
Everyone within earshot found my discovery quite amusing. A man to my right summed it up beautifully when he said:
What do you expect? It’s the G train.
Our humble subway line might take its (well deserved) lumps. Sure it is crowded. Granted, it is slow. Very slow. But at least we know where we’re going.
Miss Heather
AntiWHAT?!?
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
I found this product gracing a shelf laden with an assortment of anti-headache and diarrheal medicines at Bagel on the Run. At a mere $2.50 a pop I had to own one for posterity. Given that this neighborhood recently received lavishly illustrated signs admonishing the citizenry not to drink in public parks, I am certain this product will be a big hit.
Miss Heather
Williamsburg Photo du Jour: South 5th Street
Filed under: Area 51
Although I have spent most of my childhood in the southwest (and have years of high school and college Spanish lessons under my belt) I will attempt to give a translation of the above (with some help):
There is not place in this world; our world (is) for prejudice of any type.
Very true.
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Photo du Jour: Lorimer Street
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Speaking as someone who was forced to watch the Challenger launch (and explode) in school this gives me the creeps. Only Florida would issue commemorative license plates like this.
On the bright side, at least this wasn’t affixed to a Pinto.
Miss Heather
Meet Miss Scarlet
Filed under: Crazy Cat Lady
This lady has fallen on hard times. Per BARC’s web site:
Scarlet was abandoned in an apartment an building when the occupant disappeared. She was alone for weeks without enough food or water until the super went in and found her. Good Samaritans took her in for a while, but couldn’t keep her. She is calm and gentle and used to living with cats, although she prefers calm, adult cats. This sweet little girl has suffered enough trauma and deserves a good home.
Despite her plight Scarlet found the affections of Mr. Heather quite pleasing.
This is a happy cat face if I have seen one. Scarlet’s previous person (Rhett Butler?) might have left her high and dry but:
…tomorrow is another day!
I am certain there is someone out there who would like to give this lovely lady happy tomorrows forever by giving her a home. Tara would be nice, but I am certain she’d settle for a railroad apartment.
Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition
253 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Adoption hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5:00 p.m.
Speaking of BARC, mark your calendars.
Galapagos will be hosting a bodacious burlesque benefit April 28 with all proceeds going to help down on their luck kitties like Miss Scarlet and very deserving dogs like this guy.
Galapagos
70 North 6th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
(718) 782-5188
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
You must be logged in to post a comment.