Greenpoint
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Culture on the Cheap
Greenpoint Fashion Watch: Pretty In Pink
The other day we had a “family unit patronize the junk shop. It was of a variety I am seeing more frequently nowadays: an affluent co-ed, her boyfriend, mom and pop. My coworker Cass and I watched in amazement as this foursome spent no less than ten minutes debating the pros and cons of a $30.00 rug. At one point the mother even asked us if we knew where it came from— as if we would know such a thing in an unexpected Antiques Roadshow moment. We answered that we had no idea. Eventually they broke down, bought the rug and went on their way. I turned to Cass and said:
I cannot imagine having the kind of life where I need a team of four people to help me purchase a rug. Seriously, it must be interesting to have the luxury of filling your head with that kind of crap.
Cass nodded in agreement and I continued:
So help me I pray to god that when I get to be that woman’s age I will not dress like that. What is it about affluent middle-aged women and the “Stevie Nicks”/urban medicine woman look? She looks like she ought to be hawking smudge sticks in Santa Fe.
We all get older. This is a fact of life no one relishes. But I gotta ask: does it have to be like this? I learned the answer to this question on Manhattan Avenue yesterday afternoon:
No, it doesn’t.
I cannot over-emphasize the Greenpoint glory of what you are seeing here. This GGilf (I will leave it to your imagination to deduce what this acronym means) not only has a rose in her flaming red hair, but is sporting a magenta leather blazer (who knew they made such things?) and coordinating plum colored micro-mini. Her ankle boots sport spiked heels (anything else on Manhattan Avenue would be passe) and her stockings were nothing short of amazing. Their pattern was a mix of sheer and opaque diamonds. Very mod.
I want to give a special New York Shitty salute to this Manhattan Avenue fashion plate. She is living proof one can be older and stylish! When I get to be this woman’s age I want to look like this. Hell, I want to look this good now!
Miss Heather
East Williamsburg Street Art du Jour: The Birds
Filed under: 11206, Bushwick, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Street Art
From McKibben Street.
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Photos du Jour: Zeitgeist
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Street Furniture
Today’s “day starter” was probably a more than ample indication that I kicked off this beautiful day in a rotten mood. For those of you who are not “in the loop” I will use this post as my personal wailing wall:
- Friday morning Chez Shitty had neither heat nor hot water.
- Friday night Chez Shitty had heat and hot water.
- Saturday night Chez Shitty had ample heat and NO hot water.
- Sunday morning Chez Shitty was sweltering but no hot water was to be had from our taps.
After some investigation on the Mister’s and my part we deduced that only one of the three plumbing stacks in our building were, in fact, providing hot water. Or to put it another way: only one third of our building had hot water. Yet we were the first and to my knowledge, ONLY, people to complain about this. Go figure.
I consider myself to be a pretty simple person. I don’t ask for much. Life promises very little other than paying taxes and dying. I endeavor to use the time I have to enjoying myself, getting to know people and helping make my neighborhood a better place for those who are here presently and those will (inevitably) come.
The previous are difficult to do when one’s hair looks reminiscent of Don King in his prime and one’s skin is itching for lack of proper hygiene. A number of people (the Mister included) romanticize foreign locales or “the good old days”. I am not one of these people. I do not want to live in a world without:
- Penicillin
- Woman having the right to vote
- Legalized birth control
- Indoor plumbing/sanitation
And the all too relevant subcategory under “Indoor plumbing/sanitation”: HOT WATER. Does this make me arrogant American? I think not. I believe the latter most three points to be a human right (as a majority of humans populating planet earth are women). The first is a given— or if it isn’t— it should be.
Then again, I think feminine hygiene products (and birth control, for that matter) should be free. This may strike some as socialism but I see it as common sense. Viagra and its numerous brethren are covered by many health care plans in New York State but birth control and maxi pads aren’t. And now, thanks to certain politicians those who may have to seek the recourse of abortion, can’t .*
A friend of mine was once told (by a female practitioner, no less):
If you want to play, you gotta pay.
What is wrong with this picture? As I made it clear at the beginning of this post, dear readers, I am NOT in a good mood. But I digress.
This morning I was faced with two options:
- Stay home and fume over having no hot water.
- Go for a walk and fume over having no hot water.
I chose the latter. Follow are highlights from my jaunt with commentary. Enjoy!
MANHATTAN AVENUE
Anyone who has ever has to stand in line at Rite Aid (which is where this missive hails from) will understand the author’s state of mind. It’s almost as bad as our Post Office. ALMOST.
NORMAN AVENUE
A stuffed dog. On a leash. 100% Greenpoint.
GRAHAM AVENUE
A flickr contact of mine, Jon Feinstein (a very talented photographer), documented something identical to this in Williamsburg. He tagged his photograph as being “antisemitism”. I’m not certain if that is what is going on here.
But this annotation certainly suggests antisemitism on someone’s part. Which party, I do not know.
And last, but hardly least, what is probably the best piece of street seating I have ever beheld!
FRANKLIN STREET
EAT SHIT!
Clearly I was not the only person who was in a shitty mood today.
Miss Heather
*Those of you who take issue with “House Vote 884” AKA: The “Stupak” Amendment, click here for a list of who was naughty and nice.
From the New York Shitty Inbox: Another Catnapping?
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Crazy Cat Lady, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Friday night I shared with you the good news about Larry the bodega cat’s (who can be seen at left) heroic rescue and return to his rightful owner. I will not lie to you: I was ecstatic when I saw his “mom” toting him back home. Unfortunately my revelry was short-lived. You see, I awakened the next morning to find a most troubling email in my inbox. Jason writes:
Hey Heather:
I don’t know if you have heard about the store cat over at Pets on the Run (989 Manhattan btwn Huron and India)? It seems that either last week or early this week the good proprietor’s cat was stolen. When I went in there at the beginning of this week to get some cat food he was telling another customer the whole story and he was pretty broken up about the whole affair. I am wondering if there are any connections between Larry’s journey and this? The businesses are quite close to the cat vortex….
Obviously it cannot be established if the same person who took Larry (whose intentions were good, if misguided) has taken our dear Lucas (who can be seen with proud papa, Zohar, below).
Nonetheless I find this to be a very, very worrisome trend. What part of DO NOT TAKE SOMEONE ELSE’S PET does the perpetrator of this, Manhattan Avenue’s latest catnapping, not understand?
If you have seen Lucas (who reputedly disappeared on Halloween) please contact his proud papas, Zohar and Malik, at the above telephone number (you can see this flier in larger format by clicking here). They (and Pet on the Run’s patrons) are heartbroken. Thank you.
You can see more pictures of Lucas (who it should be noted has a small tuft of white fur on his chest) via his foster mom’s web page.
Miss Heather
P.S.: It would appear another cat named Larry mas gone missing.
I found this flier on Metropolitan Avenue near Leonard Street, if my memory serves me correctly.
Williamsburg Photo du Jour: Beware of Dog
Screw the dog, I’m more scared of the cat!
Miss Heather
P.S.: This is one seriously big hombre. I mistook him for a dog from across the street. I wasn’t the only one, either.
New York Shitty Slide Show du Jour: Manhattan Selections
Yesterday the Mister and I made a late afternoon trek to Manhattan. It had been a good while since I had knocked around 14th Street. Boy has it changed! Follows is a mini slide show of some of the more noteworthy items I saw while pounding around the East and West Village and places in between. Enjoy!
On that note, I’m off to enjoy this lovely day. If what I have heard is true it will almost the 70 degree mark. The heat at Chez Shitty is on full blast and we once again have no hot water.
Just felt like sharing. More later.
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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