Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Much Ado About Film Shoots
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Many of you are undoubtedly aware that my buddy over at Neighborhood Threat was less than pleased with last month’s film shoot for Fringe on her block. In fact she has even blogged about it. Twice. I can’t honestly say I blame her. If I had to listen to a car chase being filmed at 3:30 a.m. (as seen in the photograph at left taken by Gubatron) I would be less than pleased.
Well, now thanks to the wonder that is the Internet she has learned another voice has been raised in opposition to film shoots in Greenpoint. I’ll let her take it from there:
…I have sympathy for residents unhappy about filming (especially when Fringe AND Life On Mars are back at Franklin & Greenpoint one day after the other – Life On Mars needs A LOT of space for all its vintage cars, but I don’t have sympathy for one group of people in Greenpoint:
Construction companies…
Not just any construction company either: but the one responsible for the condofication of 1 Hanson Place. Read about Neighborhood Threat’s most curious discovery for yourself by clicking here.
Miss Heather
Subway Wars: Greenpoint Vs. East Williamsburg
Next to the Morgan Avenue L train entrance on Bogart Street.
From the Smith – 9th Street bound entrance of the Crosstown Local at Norman Avenue.
Miss Heather
Presenting The Pee Pee Phone
Filed under: Area 51
Yesterday I shared with you the good news about Shitfone. Today I introduce to you for your reading pleasure a new(ish) blog from the East Village entitled Slum Goddess. In her latest installment our heroine waxes poetic about the “Pee Pee Phone”. S.G. writes:
These lovely images are of The Pee Phone located by Ray’s Candy Store on the corner of Avenue A and 7th street. This phone booth reflects the very definition of decadence. I have observed all kinds of craziness happening in and about this phone. For one thing, everyone and their mother pees on it. Sometimes they purposely pee on the receiver just for an added bonus…
Yup, and it only gets better.
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Photo Pool
Although I try to refrain from posting photographs from the same contributors two days in a row I simply could not resist passing along this great shot of Calyer Street taken by mugsniffer. I like it not for its patriotic subject matter or interesting composition, but rather for its rainbow assortment of asphalt and aluminum siding. Simply magnificent!
Miss Heather
Food Porn Du Jour: Motorino
Filed under: Williamsburg
I’ve been writing about food a lot of late. I take very little pleasure in doing so: I’m more interested in eating. What’s more, there are women who much are more talented and dedicated writing about gustatory delights than myself. However, I like to pass along a bona fide gem when I find one: Motorino is one such place.
I’ve been casing this establishment for some time. Unlike a lot of restaurants in north Brooklyn a great deal of attention has been given to both the surroundings and the cuisine.
The Mister devoured the meat plate (as seen at left) while I enjoyed Earl Grey tea, cheese and homemade bread.
This anchovy pizza was so loaded with capers and olives I wanted a taste…
but I was perfectly content with my Margherita.
We were fortunate enough to be seated next to a woman who brought her aunt and uncle to give Motorino a whirl. Newspaper clipping in hand auntie asked to talk to the owner of this establishment; he gladly obliged. She recited the provenance of this space for his edification. As it would happen she and her husband have lived on Orient Avenue for 87 years. She was sharp as a tack. What’s more, she liked the food. When the Mister and I asked for take-out boxes her party was concerned we were sending it back because we didn’t like it. We did— albeit too much: we were stuffed!
If the local buzz (and all the delivery we saw getting prepped) is any indication this restaurant’s cult status will not last long. Check it out!*
Motorino
319 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211
(718) 599-8899
In the meantime you can peruse their menu by clicking here.
Miss Heather
*Be advised they have yet to receive their liquor license but are perfectly amenable to you bringing your own wine and beer.
Williamspoint Photos Du Jour: Pre-Valentine’s Day Revue, Part II
I enjoyed putting together yesterday’s selection of pre-Valentine’s Day goodness so much I have decided to hit you up with some more snaps of love north Brooklyn style.
From Noble Street.
I can safety state that this is the only upbeat missive I have found on a Real Housewives of New York City subway poster.
Almost seven years later Carlito is still missed on South 3rd Street.
Love’s a poppin’ all over the place on Hope Street! Feeling lonely this upcoming weekend? Don’t despair, make your way over to Maria’s Deli.
The word on Diamond Street is they serve a lot more than just sandwiches.
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Video Du Jour: Hi, Ho!
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Yesterday I woke up in a rotten mood. I suspect the fact our apartment was well over 80 degrees probably had something to do with this. In any case I didn’t stay surly for long. How can you not crack a smile when you see someone having this much fun collecting bottles?
Am I the only person in this neighborhood that doesn’t have an i-Pod? I s’pose that’s Greenpoint “gentrification” for you!
Miss Heather
Chewing Karl Fischer’s Chocolate (Once Again)
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
I planned upon completing New York Shitty’s blogahhreafest yesterday by writing a very nice (and well deserved) puff piece about a new pizzeria in the ‘hood. Then the following challenge darkened my Twitter doorstep.
Intrigued to see what this was all about I pointed and clicked my way over to WGPA’s web site:
Every year, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce sponsors a Building Brooklyn Award for the best architecture of the borough. And every year, Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg come up short. Since the nominations are due on Thursday, we’d thought we’d throw out a few of the projects that we think are award worthy (and a few that are clearly not worthy).
First, their rules. To be eligible, a project must be completed and have received a CO or TCO in calendar 2008. Now our rules. We’re looking at projects in North Brooklyn only. The BB categories are a little bit wacky (do we really need two categories for residential buildings under 5 families – that’s so 20th-century Brooklyn?). So we’ve added a few of our own.
As of the writing of this post, they haven’t. However, Scarano’s “Canvas Condominiums” made it onto their list. Albeit for different reasons than its very own tenants would recommend.
Not nominated:
118 Greenpoint Avenue
Scarano ArchitectThis one was designed to the highest preservation standards – those of the NYC Landmarks Commission – but the results are underwhelming to say the least. None of it rises to the level of the unregulated Mill Building. This project would have passed unnoticed, though, were it not for the cornice, which looks like someone installed a crown molding on the face of a factory.
Um, you forgot the fact it is located next to a poultry slaughter house whose stench has been rather fowl (pun intended) of late. One would presume the WGPA would understand the primary rule of New York City real estate: location, location, location. Apparently they do not. Nonetheless, if you’re into treading upon offal-soaked sidewalks on the way to the G train in the morning (or really like chickens), this is the place is for you. Be sure to inquire about the eastern-most units: they have windows overlooking this facility!
But back to my nomination. Who else would I recommend than my good friend Karl Fischer and the Newtown Creek-esque creation train wreck he erected at 130 Diamond Street?
The presence of a discarded stove in the foyer is a nice touch.
Savor for a moment— if you will— the painstaking crafts CRAPmanship lavished upon this stairway.
See that door to the left? That’s the entrance for the “mobility impaired” (READ: wheelchair users). Makes a damned nice place to chuck your garbage doesn’t it?
The highly skilled and no doubt well recompensed laborers* who built this magnificent testament to Greenpoint gentrification didn’t see fit to remove the shrink wrap from this panel. And so it has remained there for a year now.
Note how seamlessly Karl’s Krap fits in with its neighbors.
But the erection of this satellite dish (whose cable is draped on the front of the building) is a promising start! One would presume such luxurious digs would be wired for broadband, but then again this is only Greenpoint. We’re living La Vida Fischer, baby:
That’s what makes parts of Brooklyn so special. You have all of these rowhouses, townhouses, smaller-scale developments, more neighborhood-friendly developments. You have more open space. The quality of life in this way is going to be preserved in Brooklyn.
– Karl Fischer
Um, okay.
Miss Heather
P.S.: Next year the WGPA can look forward to me nominating this gem. Provided it actually gets completed. Even if it isn’t I’ll nominate it anyway.
*This is sarcasm.
Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: Life On Mars
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Follow are a few shots from a film shoot I stumbled upon yesterday while out for walk. Enjoy!
A most unexpected feast on Milton Street.
Trucks aplenty.
In all the years I have lived here I do not think I have ever seen this garage door open.
There were a slew of cool old cars on Noble Street. This Corvair was hands-down my favorite!
Much was afoot on Franklin Street.
This is not to suggest it was all work and no play on the Life On Mars set. These chaps were clearly having a good time while catching a few rays on Noble Street!
Miss Heather
Best. Valentine’s Day Promotion. EVER.
Filed under: Area 51
A couple months ago we had a BIG problem at Chez Shitty. After arriving home from a night of birthday celebrating and bowling we discovered a bed soaked in piss. Of the feline variety. This was hardly conducive to a good night’s sleep but proved to be a source of considerable and much heated debate at the time.
Theories abound as to how this came to pass. Here is mine: ever since Tortilla left us his brother Artemis has taken up the cause of picking on my cat Frances. To use parlance borrowed from my buddy Brian (over at Heeb Magazine) Artemis takes great delight presiding over the cat box in our bedroom like “a Sudanese warlord”. But unlike Sudanese warlords, Artie (as I call him, because being saddled with a female name is probably one of the sources of his churlishness) is not interested in starving Frances or raping her. Rather, he wants to bar access to her cat box. Her solution to this problem is to hold it as long as she can until she can’t. That’s when our bed gets a golden shower the likes of which render our sheets, bedspread and mattress pad unfit for human habitation.
I consider myself to be a principled person. Among the stringent (if contextually flexible) moral code I live by is this statute: I will sleep in no one else’s piss but my own. This has yet to happen, but you know how the Boy Scouts motto goes: be prepared. Unlike myself Mr. Heather was a Boy Scout and to this end he saw fit to purchase what I call a “pee pad”. Not just any pee pad but one with space age technology. A 21st century commodity to redress age-old incontinence.
This item came from none other than the Bedwetting Store. And I was charged with the task of staying home so as sign for the package. Lucky me. Initially I found this to be a bit distressing. Would you want your neighbors to see a parcel addressed to you with “THE BEDWETTING STORE” on the return address.
Long story made short: it didn’t. This is a shame as I was coming around to the idea that being a client of the Bedwetting Store might give me some much-needed street cred. Inasmuch as my more youthful (READ: cool) female brethren here have taken to dressing like Frankenhooker or spinsters my inner cool spotter told me incontinence, surgical stockings and orthopedic shoes may very become the new “cowboy boots with sundress” soon enough. But alas the brains behind the Bedwetting Store were discreet and listed Uresis Associates LLC (or something to that effect) on the package. Damn.
Nonetheless Mr. Heather* has been on their mailing list ever since. Which brings me (finally) to the subject of this post.
Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like pee-resistent bedding, underwear with electronic piss detectors, shit stain removers or other uresis related “accessories“. Like most deeds most dirty, the perversion lies not in the contents of one’s pants but in the most sordid recesses of one’s own imagination (and fucked up childhood).
If the above is your idea of a good time (and you know who you are) get thee over to the Bedwetting Store. STAT.
Miss Heather
*Who has yet to provide feedback regarding his purchase via their Amazon store— for reasons I suspect many of you can well imagine. I’ll probably end up ghost-writing the review for him.
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