New York Shitty Day Starter: I Want My Money

May 30, 2009 by
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

Lest I have not made this clear I am rather fond of the proprietor of Brooklyn11211. He is a very intelligent person. He has an eye for architectural goodness and possesses a brand of acerbic wit I adore. But we occasionally disagree— make that more often than not nowadays— regarding the 2005 rezone. And rezone 2.0. The 2005 rezone in north Greenpoint is a total and utter failure. Derelict properties, vacant lots and “nondos” pepper my landscape.

Needless to say I found it interesting when my colleague, Brooklyn11211, recently conversed with Jake Mooney of the New York Times and relayed a far more optimistic view of Greenpoint than I possess. What would I know? I only live here and have the pleasure of living on the same block with one of gentrification’s most notorious failures: The Viridian. Sure, I was never fond of the bus depots running 24/7/365 which preceded this faux Modernist turd. But after that “public nuisance” was razed and Magic’s folly commenced Ms. Jacob’s eyes ceased to exist. And my block got seedy.

Now that Magic Johnson (and his funky bunch have declared bankruptcy) and his heap of shit (110 Green Street, AKA the Viridian) is derelict my block has become much more lively. CASE IN POINT:

This delightful footage I shot at 1:00 this morning.

My colleague in Williamsburg and Jake Mooney can talk up Greenpoint all they want. The previous is my reality. And I suspect over the summer it is only going to get worse.

Toodles!

Miss Heather

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Comments

11 Comments on New York Shitty Day Starter: I Want My Money

  1. wizzlewolf on Sat, 30th May 2009 9:09 am

    2. Miss Heather,
    I feel for you. I really do. As soon as I started watching that video clip, I could feel my blood pressure raise and the hair on my arms stand on end. The footage was all too familiar to me. For years and years, I lived in downtown Detroit. Every night, there was screaming, fighting, sirens, etc. right outside my window. I get this and it ain’t fun.
    I hope your future has more peace, quiet, and harmony. Good luck with this.

  2. xdx on Sat, 30th May 2009 4:21 pm

    3. or move to ridgewood like me…. its so peaceful out there.

  3. Rebecca11222 on Sat, 30th May 2009 9:38 pm

    4. McCarren tent city by the end of June. I wonder how that will jive with the Saturday farmers’ market?

  4. Halden on Sun, 31st May 2009 8:55 pm

    5. This is me rising to the bait: http://www.brooklyn11211.com/archive/2009/05/looking-up.html

  5. missheather on Sun, 31st May 2009 9:20 pm

    6. “Baiting” has nothing to do with it, Brooklyn11211. As I said before, I like you— I simply disagree with you. Rather it has to do with what is going on here now and why/how it came to pass. We can argue why my block has become what it has become six ways to Sunday (a block, I will add that is largely excluded under the new re-zone). It doesn’t change anything: a huge derelict luxury “nondo” inhabits my block. And it has attracted criminal elements.

    Not since I lived on Clay Street back in 2001 (around the corner from the Greenpoint Hotel) have I seen the kind of “activity” as I see on Green Street nowadays: drug dealing on my stoop, men casing my block, women beating each other over “money” owed and so forth.

    Do I still think you and Mr. Mooney are overly optimistic? Absolutely. There are serious problems here and I wish— at long last— someone, ANYONE, would acknowledge this. Yet no one has stepped up to the plate. I blame the likes of Mooney for this, not you. We have more in common than you think; why the acrimony?

    šŸ˜‰

  6. marhissa on Sun, 31st May 2009 10:25 pm

    7. Man that sucks. I recently moved into the Canvas Lofts on Greenpoint, but before that I was in the Astral. It used to get kind of rough and loud outside on some nights, but it was always clear that it was better than the situation a few blocks north, around your area. I’m definitely with you – I’m not really sure where anyone could be getting an optimistic feeling about North Greenpoint.

  7. missheather on Sun, 31st May 2009 10:50 pm

    8. Don’t fool yourself, marhissa. There’s plenty of fun to be found on your stretch of Greenpoint Avenue and further south. Burglaries mostly.

  8. marhissa on Sun, 31st May 2009 11:01 pm

    9. Oh really??? What have you heard?

  9. missheather on Sun, 31st May 2009 11:17 pm

    10. Well, you have the peeps leaving Club Exit looking for trouble. Throwing over garbage cans and raising holy hell. A bartender at the Black Rabbit found a woman passed out under his car. (Good thing he looked first.)

    HSBC recently was robbed. The Associated Food has been burglarized. Someone was robbed at gun point at Franklin and Noble Street. Just for starters.

  10. mikki on Tue, 2nd Jun 2009 9:42 pm

    11. I dont think Halden was being acrimonious at all, fwiw. He responded with a gentle jest and a serious statement in response to yours. Seems like a cordial disagreement.

  11. missheather on Tue, 2nd Jun 2009 9:48 pm

    12. It’s all good.

    We need to have a good bush rumble once in a while. You know, for appearances. That said, there are some serious problems manifesting in my neighborhood which I can assure you are no laughing matter. I wish someone would pay attention to them.

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