Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Greenpoint Photo du Jour: Meserole Avenue
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
I have walked by this tree on a number of occasions. In all that time how the hell could I miss Bullwinkle (and his sidekick Rocky) staring imploringly at me?
Miss Heather
Miscellaneous Props
Filed under: Area 51
I have finally started the gradual overhaul/restructuring of my blog roll. Because this process is like watching paint dry to yours truly, I imagine it drag on for the next week. That said, I would like to point out a couple new additions and give a shout-out or two.
I finally checked out this space in earnest during their holiday art fair last month. It is an impressive facility and I encourage anyone who needs a place to work, be it a place to fabricate visual art, a fully sound-proofed recording studio, a performance space or simply a quiet space to sit down and write to give to go down to 195 Morgan Avenue and see what they’ve got. Right now they are taking submissions for a solo show this upcoming spring. For more information click here and you’ll be redirected to their web site.
Here’s the mission statement from its founder, Deborah Fisher:
SELLOUT is a practical blog about an impractical lifestyle.
Artists face all the problems the consumer citizenry faces. We eat and drink and drive and buy things. We need health care; battle 30% credit card interest and stupid little fees; are having a harder time getting a full return on a gently used power tool at Home Depot. We will retire or get sick one day. We hate to admit it, but sometimes we need jobs. And at the same time, we are all trying to pull off a career that makes our parents feel just a little sick with worry.
What does it mean to be an artist in this era of corporate feudalism? We may talk about that. But this blog will focus more on what it takes and how to do it better. Less painfully. With more dignity.
The premise for this blog is a very interesting one. I look forward to seeing how things develop.
Lastly, I received an email from my buddy (and fellow Greenpointer) at The Brooklyn Nester. She writes:
The National Pie Council has named National Pie Day, January 23rd.
My blog is encouraging its readers to bake a “Pie for Peace” (in the spirit of MLK), and send us a photo with a brief description. I wanted not only to inform you about the pie holiday that approaches, but also, to encourage you to make a pie as well. It would be a great honor to get a pie picture from you…or even see a post about pie on your blog!
Anyone interested in submitting a pie can do so via email at:
thebrooklynnester (at) gmail (dot) com.
Anyone requiring assistance to consume said pie(s) should contact me, Miss Heather, and I will send Mr. Heather over to assist you.
Miss Heather
Goodbye Blue Monday
Filed under: Bushwick
I had the pleasure of discovering this establishment while out knocking around in last week’s unseasonably warm weather. Intrigued, I went inside.
What I found was a rather neat coffeehouse/performance space jam-packed with every conceivable form and variety of stuff. And per their MySpace page, it is all for sale (god help Mr. Heather):
Goodbye Blue Monday was born 23 years ago (GBM was incorporated in 1984) and yes, its name is an homage to Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, “Breakfast of Champions or Goodbye Blue Monday.” AND YES!!! — EVERYTHING (almost, like 99.9% of everything) IS FOR SALE!!!! (Talk to Steve for more info.)
Twenty three years is a very impressive amount of time to operate a business. Unfortunately, this incredibly fun establishment may not be around too much longer: the proprietor has been diagnosed with cancer and is struggling to make ends meet. That said, a number of benefits are being planned to help him (and Goodbye Blue Monday) to survive. Anyone interesting in attending or performing at one of these events (the number of live performances they have scheduled—benefits and otherwise— is absolutely mind-boggling) should check out their MySpace page for more details.
Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York 11221
(718) 453-6343
Oh yeah, be sure to give Buddy a head rub for me!
Miss Heather
P.S.: On a semi-related note, please check out this post on Queens Crap about a lovely young girl in dire need of a bone marrow transplant.
Bushwick Photo du Jour: Graham Avenue
I found this beautiful old storefront during my last jaunt to the Moore Street Market. For those of you who are not in the know, the Graham Avenue Business District (from Johnson Avenue to roughly Cook Street) is an amazingly fun way to while away part of a Saturday afternoon— especially if you are a Mexican food maven like me. Not only did I find a number of hitherto untried hot sauces to try, but I also stocked up on fixings for many a cold winter night meal:
- Rajas
- La Morena refried beans with chipolte and adobo
- Some of the best looking poblano peppers I have seen in months
- Culantro (think cilantro on steroids)
- And much, much more!
Do give this area a whirl. Be sure to check out the Moore Street Market while you’re there:
Moore Street Market (AKA “La Marqueta”)
110 Moore Street
Brooklyn, New York 11206
Bon apetit!
Miss Heather
Thinking About Beer
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
One of the books I am currently reading (I usually read 2-3 books in tandem) is “Dry Manhattan: Prohibition in New York City” by Michael A. Lerner. Although I have not completed it yet I’ll say it is a pretty enjoyable book, if dry in parts (pun intended). Despite what the title implies, there isn’t much material about the outer boroughs in this tome.
This dearth of information made Miss Heather wonder:
Gee, I wonder what Greenpoint thought of prohibition?
Knocking around the Garden Spot in 2008, I can assure you we Greenpointers sure love us some beer. I cannot fathom what would happen to this neighborhood if its alcohol supply was cut off. Some would (rightfully) argue it would become a better place. I, on the other hand, am not so certain. If it wasn’t for the King of Beers I would have jammed an icepick into the eye sockets of the many developers and landlords who have seen fit to work until 9:00-10:00 p.m. at night a long, long time ago. But I digress.
Beer and Greenpoint have a long relationship. It may at times be dysfunctional, but it is a relationship nonetheless. What did a Greenpointer do when this solace of the working man was taken away courtesy of the Eighteenth Amendment, you ask?
Very simple:
- They made their own. Leonard Suligowski (Greenpoint born and bred, and former reporter for the Greenpoint Star) told me about hearing the popping of bottles in the middle of the night when he was a child. This meant the beer his father was brewing in the backyard was ready to drink.
- Bootlegging was a common avocation as well.
- As I learned from the following article from the June 12, 1921 edition of the New York Times they took to the streets en masse. With five marching bands and floats to boot!
Here’s another piece of Prohibition-era Greenpoint glory from the July 15, 1921 edition of the New York Times (sub)titled Dry Sleuths Assert They Have Found a Place in Brooklyn Where Drinks Sell at 25 Cents. The address where these “25-cent drinks” were sold sounded familiar to me. When I looked it up later it totally made sense. Read on and learn for yourselves.
To learn where poor Mr. Kellman was serving up the cheap hooch, click here.
Miss Heather
Strong Enough For a Man, But Made For a Greenpointer
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
I discovered this super-sized bottle of suds recently at the local bodega. Amazed by its sheer size (and very reasonable price of $3.50) I had to give “Baltica Extra Lager 9” a whirl.
Vital Statistics
Brand Name: Baltica
Country of Origin: Russia
Ounces: 51 (one quart + one pint + 3 ounces)
Price: $3.50 ( ~$0.07 per ounce)
% Alcohol: 8
Bottle: Made of plastic
New York Shitty Analysis: The good thing about this beer coming in a plastic bottle is you won’t beat yourself senseless with it after you realize you spent an entire $3.50 to consume this substance. As I imbibed Baltica I often found myself wondering if carbonated urine was the fluid inhabiting this bottle. Not wishing to submit my person to the field research necessary to find out, I present to you the following visual aid instead.
You can draw your own conclusions, follows are mine.
Anyone in search of an economy set of bowling pins should invest in ten bottle of Baltica. Simply pour out the “beer”, fill them with sand and *presto* you are ready to bowl! Those of you who simply must learn how nasty this stuff is for yourselves (or just want to play a few sets) you can buy Baltica Ale at:
Greenpoint Grocery
1018 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Miss Heather
Heart Like a Wheel
Meet Chevette, a little kitty with a BIG story to tell! Per Lisa Vallez (a volunteer at BARC):
BARC Shelter’s kennel manager, Jose, made an unusual rescue last Saturday afternoon. A man named Richard thinks he has a kitten under the hood of his Chevy
TaurusTahoe. He’s driving and has his dog Duff in the car with him. Duff doesn’t like other dogs and really doesn’t like cats. Richard decides to drive to the shelter. No, not the safest solution, but the kitten we call Chevette is safe and sound if a little greasy. She also needs a home and prefers public transportation, in a cat carrier please!
If anyone out there is interested in giving Chevette a home, I would recommend firstly that you peruse BARC’s adoption requirements and then pay her a visit at:
Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition
253 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Adoption hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5:00 p.m.
You can check out Lisa’s photoset about this pint-size automotive enthusiast by clicking here. In closing I would feel remiss if I didn’t state that I think this kitty cat’s name should be Shirley. As in the first lady of drag racing herself:
I want to be the fastest woman in the world – in a manner of speaking.
Miss Heather
UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: Chevette has been adopted! True to form, she is one fast woman! That said there are still plenty of kitty cats (especially kittens— like these guys) awaiting homes at BARC, so why not swing and check them out this weekend?
Photo Credit: Lisa Vallez
Transmitter Park
Filed under: Area 51
One of the highlights from last night’s town hall meeting was Rich Mazur’s rather enthusiastic presentation of the park slated for the western tip of Greenpoint Avenue. Follows is the tentative design.
Here are a few fun facts about this space:
- The site of this park is where WNYC once had their transmitter (hence the moniker “Transmitter Park”).
- It has a budget of ten million dollars.
- It will be 1.8 acres in size.
- The final design will be presented June of this year.
- Its completion date is set for winter 2009-2010, making it very likely that this will be the next park to be built in north Greenpoint!
Anyone who wishes to learn more about Transmitter Park (or aid in its creation by becoming a volunteer) can contact Rich Mazur via GWAPP at:
info (at) gwapp (dot) org
Of all the plans presented last night this one was by and far my favorite. Not only is the location fantastic, but I suspect I speak for many when I say quality park space in north Greenpoint is long, LONG overdue.
Miss Heather
Image Credit: Greenpointer (a web site which unfortunately appears to have been abandoned)
Public Service Announcement: Upcoming Bedbug Seminar
Though this is a ways off, I want to pass along that a bedbug workshop will be conducted March 12 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Hope Gardens Center in Bushwick.
Hope Gardens Center
195 Linden Street
Brooklyn, New York 11221
To R.S.V.P.: 212-863-8830
In addition, I have learned you can request that a bedbug seminar be conducted in your neighborhood by calling 311*. I would strongly advise each and every Greenpointer (infested or otherwise) who is reading this post to call and request a meeting be conducted right here in The Garden Spot. This situation effects all of us and the more knowledge we have about how to fight these “vermin of Satan” the better.
I do not want to this to happen to me. I’m making the call. How about you?
Miss Heather
Photo Credit: Chintamani
*I just tried this and got the run-around. More to follow.
GWAPP Town Hall Meeting
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
I would like to thank any and all New York Shitty readers who slogged through last night’s delightful weather to attend GWAPP’s Town Hall Meeting. I certainly learned a lot and I hope you did as well. In particular, I was pleased as punch to learn that some of the funds from the $50 million gift Michael Bloomberg has given to refurbish the McCarren Park pool will be allocated towards new public lavatories.
That said, I hope those of you came away as interested in the future park space planned for Greenpoint’s waterfront as I was. For those of you who were unable to attend this event, I will be featuring highlights over the next several days so you can get up to speed!
Miss Heather
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