Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Rainy Day Cafe?
Tony (who took the above photographs) writes:
We stumbled upon this new place on N. Henry between Meeker (BQE) & Engert. It’s called Rainy Day Cafe and what brought me inside was a sign for Avocado Shakes. Inside, we met the owner & chef, kinda of a camera-shy dude named Nestor whose creations come from Bali cuisine, but also felt a lot like a cafe you might find in California. The smoothie was made with fresh ginger, organic rice milk, avocado, honey & ice and was pretty tasty. He also makes dinner and it seats probably about 10 people total. It’s definitely a completely random little place and not sure that many people have noticed it yet.
I certainly haven’t! Thanks for giving us the head’s up. I know where I’ll be going tomorrow— rain or shine!
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Day Ender: A Greenpoint Avenue PSA
This evening the Mister and I took a good friend of ours out to dinner. We met at the B24 bus stop at the intersection of Greenpoint and Manhattan Avenue so as to sojourn to Sunnyside. As we were waiting the Mister found this.
These fliers are a dime a dozen in Greenpoint. The poster’s M.O. is consistent (if the message a bit daft): a flier is posted in Polish and beneath it is a flier in English. These are annotated with a Sharpie Marker to indicate what language is being employed. I have found these on buildings, derelict construction fences, call boxes. You name the flat surface and chances are one of these fliers is gracing it.
Truth be told I try to ignore them. I respect this person(s) opinion— he/she/they is entitled to it— but quite frankly I disagree. On some occasions I have the rhetoric contained in these missives to be downright offense. So I tune it out. Thankfully the Mister doesn’t engage in this practice. Tonight he found a real corker.
I want you to think about this fellow Greenpointers. Especially since it made me think of this:
I wonder if this is what happens when someone eats crabs from Newtown Creek (and they do. EAT CRABS. FROM NEWTOWN CREEK.)? I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.
Miss Heather
Just Another Sunday Night In East Willie
Filed under: 11206, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
I have a confession to make: I like East Williamsburg. There are a number of reasons for this, among them:
1. Like it or hate it— for better or worse— this neighborhood delightfully eccentric. Where else have you seen a dead rat on Siamese hydrant sporting a bottle cap for a hat flanked by an empty fifth of brandy and an empty baggie of cocaine? Don’t everyone speak up at once.
2. Not unlike the Garden Spot of the Universe, East Williamsburg is an honest-to-god community. They help each other out in times of need.
Which brings me to what my buddy Chin, a former Greenpointer and current East Williamsburg resident, recounted to me this evening. In an email entitled “on the way from your house” she writes:
This dude was sitting on the ground screaming at his girlfriend to “just pull it! NOW!â€Â And I was wary. Then as I passed he said:
Excuse me, are you strong enough to pull this nail out of my foot?
Turns out he stepped on a nail and it went THROUGH his shoe and lodged in his foot. I felt bad so I gave it a shot, but there was no way to grip it hard enough. So I went back in my house and came out with a pair of needle nose pliers, and got a grip on the nail, and his girlfriend held his hand while we all counted to three—and I just pulled it the fuck out. My good deed for the day.
That’s neighborhood love for you. It’s one thing to check someone’s mail, sign for a package or house-sit someone’s cat. I have done all the previous on a number of occasions. But pulling a nail out of a total stranger’s foot?!? That, dear readers, is pure unadulterated East Williamsburg magic.
Chin, I salute you!
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Homelessness On The Rise?
B (who took the photograph at left) writes:
So, I have found guys sleeping in my foyer (or whatever you would call the space between the open street door and the door that actually goes into the building) two nights running. I feel like homelessness in the neighborhood has exploded in no time at all. It’s like when we moved to the city some time ago. Am I wrong? There are so many people all of a sudden with no way to live. And I feel like I might be one of them soon. I am becoming very worried about the economy et al…
What do you think?
I am very grateful B took the time to bring this matter to my attention. The subject of Greenpooint’s homeless population is something I have written about before and have been meaning to follow up— but alas has been “lost in the shuffle”. Today I will endeavor to correct this egregious over sight.
Last week I (finally) commenced upon getting caught up on my blog/web reading. First and foremost on my list was the Greenpoint Reformed Church. Their latest missive contained some alarming (but sadly, unsurprising) news:
…Thanks to an incredible group of volunteers and the generosity of many donors, between 70 and 80 people are able to enjoy a delicious, healthy hot meal every Wednesday night. The food pantry continues to grow, with the line of people waiting for food often extending down the block to Franklin Street.
I have also been told that the demand on the Greenpoint Food Pantry this month (and last) is the greatest they have ever seen. They are increasingly seeing more and more families and senior citizens on fixed incomes needing help to put dinner on the table. I for one find this not only to be a truly sad occurrence but it is a damning testament to how this city treats its the ones who need help the most: children, the indigent and the elderly. A one way ticket out of town does not fill an empty stomach: it is merely kicking the can. But I digress.
Here are my thoughts/observations (regarding B’s email):
1. Yes, I have observed a noticeable increase of “unhoused” people in Greenpoint. Especially around the intersection of Greenpoint Avenue and Manhattan Avenue.
2. There is a difference between being “unhoused” and homeless— at least as far as our fair city is concerned. A substantial number of the folks who are sleeping on our sidewalks, in our parks and foyers have family who live here. These individuals often have substance abuse problems which have made living at home untenable for their loved ones. So they live on the street. Why don’t these guys go to a shelter, you ask? Well, they are precluded from doing so for a number of reasons. Among them:
- If someone seeking shelter has family in the city he/she is ineligible to stay at a shelter (because they are, in New York City’s eye technically not homeless!).
- As I mentioned previously, a number of homeless/unhoused people have substance abuse problems. Shelters forbid drug and alcohol use. This deters a great many of them from seeking shelter and/or help— even when he (or she) really needs it.
- Our city’s homeless shelters are bursting at the seams as is.
3. The previous having been written, I have noticed a lot of new (and often very young) faces nowadays. Individuals who clearly do not hail from here and/or have friends or family who reside here. I often wonder where they are coming from. I have several theories about this:
- Migration: These individuals have moved here— be it forcibly or voluntarily— from somewhere else. They have elected to stay here because Greenpoint largely turns a blind eye to homeless people. They are not liked, to be certain, but they are for the most part tolerated.
- To clarify the previous point, some of you may or may not be aware the city homeless shelters in Manhattan are being phased out. They are being (re)located to the outer boroughs. The new(ish) homeless shelter in Crown Heights (for single men) is one such example.
- There are more homeless (or “unhoused”) people in our city. If the lines at our local food pantry are growing— people who are one layoff or missed rent check from being on the street— chances are a great many more people just like them have already found their way there. This is why I do not disdain SROs (single room occupancy residences). Provided they are clean, well-maintained and managed (for the tenants’ sake/safety). SROs provide affordable housing to people who would otherwise find their way onto the streets. They may not be glamorous or sexy but SROs provide a much-needed service.
- Drugs: I don’t know what the statistics are. What’s more, I don’t really need to read them. I have been seeing more and more evidence of heroin use, e.g.; people (youths mostly) nodding off on the street and used syringes in north Brooklyn.
The above hails from a luxury condominium site (designed by Karl Fischer) on Kent Avenue.
I do not profess to be an expert. I am not a social worker. But I have lived here for some time and as a result have the ability to see trends in the making; if the actual number of homeless people in this city is not going up, they are certainly becoming more “visible” in Greenpoint. Nonetheless we should not look upon these people as “statistics” or an inconvenience: they are living, breathing human beings. Just like us.
In closing I’d like to offer some solutions— or at least means to help alleviate the challenges we are facing as a community. Follows are a few things I would like you, dear readers, to consider:
1. Understand & Advocate: homelessness is not the problem. It is a symptom of a greater problem. Don’t get angry at the man sleeping in your apartment building foyer (B didn’t). Get angry at what put him there— and vote accordingly.
2. Volunteer: The Greenpoint Reformed Church has done a stellar job of serving north Brooklyn’s neediest. What’s more they’re really nice ladies. They need volunteers/help for their upcoming Thanksgiving Dinner and beyond. From their web site:
…There are some things that we cannot purchase from the Food Bank, and we have a new wish list:
* Large 12″ heavy duty Chinette paper plates
* Coffee
* Iced tea mix
* Ziplock bags (both freezer bags and sandwich bags)
* large heavy duty garbage bags (preferably big drum liners)
* heavy duty clear recycling bags
* three new heavy duty round garbage bins
* a hand washing sink (and someone who has the expertise to install it)They are especially in need of additional volunteers with the following special skills:
* Polish language
* marketing and publicity
* web design and maintenance
* electrician
* plumber
* interior design/organization/storage/space usage
* big, strong, burly people who can act as a loving, yet forceful security-type folks
To learn more about how you can help make a real change in the lives of people who really need (and deserve) it email Ann Kansfield at: ann (at) greenpointchurch (dot) org
3. Go to Souper Trivia night and/or donate a prize!
Once again, you can learn more about this event (I will post a reminder next week) by contacting Ms. Kansfield the previously-listed email address.
Miss Heather
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