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Culture on the Cheap
Great Moments In Abjectecture: Quincy Street
Filed under: 11216, Abjectecture, Articles of Fedderization, Bed-Stuy, Bed-Stuy Brooklyn
Many of you have noticed I have been pounding the pavement in Bed Stuy a lot lately. There are a number of reasons for this. Among them:
- I am trying to assemble a nice selection of photographs for my upcoming show at Creek & Cave.
- I simply like Bed Stuy.
If these is one word I would use to describe the topography of the Stuy it would be this: heterogenous. Nowhere else (in north-ish Brooklyn, anyway) will you see a more diverse selection of architecture. On any given block one will find meticulously restored brownstones, derelict construction sites, foreclosed properties, slick new condos and, of course, Fedders Specials. Which brings me to Quincy Street— and the subject of this post.
To the right we have your standard run-of-the-mill three story rowhouse. These are a dime a dozen. On the left we have a Fedders Special. These too are a dime a dozen. But there is a something more going on here than the usual air conditioning boxes, disproportionate balconies, exposed electrical meters and copious use of cement.
Instead of being embedded in the building proper, the mailboxes have been affixed to the front door. This may seem trivial, but I want you to consider this: what is going to happen if you have someone checking his/her mail and another tenant wants to exit the building? Of course this is not only poor engineering, it is also quite ugly.
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Photos Du Jour: The Other Bedford Avenue
Filed under: 11206, 11216, Bed-Stuy, Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Clinton Hill, Street Art
Taken March 17, 2010.
Miss Heather
Crosstown Local Photos Du Jour: Nassau Avenue
Filed under: 11222, Crosstown Local, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
Won’t help. You gonna die unhappy Face up.
OMG! This sounds interesting! How’d they know Greenpoint peeps would into (indecipherable) and pretentious theater?
Those of you who are wondering what the above item is referencing should click here.
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Spring Has Sprung!
Filed under: 11222, Advanced Life Forms, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
Lindsy writes (on the evening of March 17, 2010):
I went to park at the end of Manhattan Avenue this evening while walking my dog. I didn’t have my camera and the one on my phone is a joke. There is a tree full of Peep chicks in a variety of color. They are stuck onto the branches and also surround the trunk. There also is some silly string around the base of the tree. It was a sweet surprise and a great contrast to the factory building and the liquid waste basket known as the Newtown Creek.
I suppose it should go without saying this morning I headed to the scene in great haste.
The Peeps have indeed come to roost!
Signs of mirth were present.
The silly string has since been relocated about twenty feet to the west. Why, I do not know. I have learned it is better not to dwell too deeply upon such things.
You can always leave it to Greenpoint to be on the vanguard of springtime merrymaking. While the hoi polloi were busy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day we have advanced to Easter. Screw what the calendar says; we’re not going to let a piece of paper get in the way of our good time! Perhaps somewhere in rodentia heaven Fatboy has seen fit to smile upon us?
Miss Heather
P.S.: Lindsy was not the only person to take notice of the Peep tree.
Todd waxes poetic:
Ahhhhh the miracle of life, the endless cycle of regeneration, the bright neon that signals the approach of the equinox!!
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Locked Out
T (who sent the above image) writes:
Attached you’ll find a pic of our lovely new park at the end west end of Greenpoint Ave. I have no idea what this park is called, so I can’t be more specific but I’m pretty sure you know the park pictured. I’m sure you’ll also note that the gate to this public park is padlocked and that the sun is still shining. What you might not know is that this gate has been padlocked for three days straight with no notice as to why. I have been by this park with my lovely canine companion Kenneth twice a day for the last three days – morning around 6:30 and evening around 6:30 and never has it been accessible. Is there something I don’t know about the park schedule that would cause it to be closed? Also, if it should in fact be open, do you have any idea who I should complain to? I called 311, but as I mentioned this park is not marked with any name from without and the 311 operator had no record of a park at the location so did not know who to call. I filed a general complaint. Is this something I can send on to our assemblyman friend? Thoughts? As this is pretty much the only unpaved park in my area, it’s pretty friggin annoying that I can’t get into it.
This public space is called WNYC Transmitter Interim Park— or something to that effect. Of course this information is not of much use if the 311 operator has no idea this park (if you can call it that) exists. But I’ll leave the semantics and philosophical stuff to the city. Here are four people/entities I would recommend T contact about this (or any other neighborhood) problem (in order of relevance):
- The New York City Parks Department
- Community Board 1 (I go into more detail about how to go about this here)
- Our City Councilman: Steve Levin
- Our State Assemblyman: Joseph Lentol
I hope this has been helpful, T!
Miss Heather
UPDATE, March 18, 2010; T has some exciting news to relay! He/she writes:
I am extremely pleased to report some actual good news on this. This morning, as a result of my 311 call, the District Manager responsible for this park called me back. We were both on cell phones so I did not 100% catch his name but I believe it was Harmon or Carmen. First, how’s that for promptness?!? Awesome! Second, he was not only beyond polite but also clearly interested in this and concerned. We spoke for about ten minutes, the result being that he had already spoken to the employee responsible for that park who reported he had been closing it at 5:15 every day. Harmon/Carmen explained to me that their employees are still on winter hours and that within a month, as dusk officially becomes 7 or 8 o’clock, they will switch to summer hours.
I feel it’s important to commend our public servants in this or at least note that everything functioned exactly as it should in this case. There was the kind of promptness, concern, respect and knowledge on display that should characterize every interaction between citizens and the city apparatus.
Thanks Harmon/Carmen!!
Greenpoint Business Watch: A Blind Item
This afternoon as I was walking down Franklin Street I bumped into a friend of mine. As it would happen this person is a local business owner and in this capacity hears a lot of neighborhood buzz. For starters, he/she told me a boutique is slated to open on Oak Street (who knew?). But what I found intriguing was the following, which constitutes today’s blind item:
What vacated storefront on Franklin Street is also slated to become a boutique?
The answer might interest and/or amuse you. For the reveal click here!
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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