Greenpoint
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Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
After I won the hat contest this evening (at tbd and gave props to Pa Heather— who was present— and to whom I dedicated the bottle of Maker’s Mark I won while wearing this) I encountered this select piece of street seating in front of the Viridian on the way home.
This one’s for you, Bob.*
Miss Heather
*You are gone— but not forgotten.
More Fun At The Viridian
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
On February 19, 2009 K wrote:
…I figure you know about this due to linking alerts for your blog but here we go… or there He went.
Magic’s magic is ummmm… bankrupt!?
Not to wish ill, but let us be reasonable about the reality of where we live and what it can (should?) house.
Maybe they’ll make a skate park for the youth in the drained pool… and turn the sauna into a Public Russian (Polish) Bath House?
Among the numerous ideas my Greenpoint think tank came up with as to what to do with this Modernist monolith (including a scenario which can only be described as post-Apocalyptic class warfare) I really liked the idea of having the pool utilized as a public skateboarding park. The sad fact is the parks in my fair burgh are abysmal. The only thing worse in Greenpoint are arguably the drivers. When I see a child skateboarding on the street I get worried.
Children* should be able to have safe facilities where they can get a little exercise. It is my belief that being physically active allows kids (of all ages) to blow off steam and consequently keeps them out of trouble (and Miss Heather’s hair). Needless to say when I noticed two teenagers opening the front door of the Viridian (as seen above) shoving a prepubescent boy inside and then holding it shut (thus encasing a Greenpoint young ‘un in luxurious captivity) I found it most interesting. In fact, I immediately pulled out my camera to document the most unorthodox use of a former condominium building I have seen to date.
I know Magic Johnson (a dedicated advocate of physical fitness/paid spokesman for Aetna) would be most pleased to know his monument to progress on Green Street is helping our children stay physically active and have a little fun to boot. Perhaps the new sales strategy for 110 Green Street should be…
The Viridian: The Affordable Choice for Luxurious Male Bonding/Hazing Since 2009.
Miss Heather
*Who, by the way, my dislike of is grossly exaggerated. It may take a village to raise a child but it takes only one self-important, pedantic and narcissitic parent to create an asshole.
The Viridian Blooms!
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Those of you who have read this blog know I have no affection for this development. For reasons only known to him Magic Johnson decided to fund/put his face on this, The Viridian (a fancy word for green, as in Green Street, in Greenpoint and how much “green” are you willing to outlay? $400,000 for starters.), in the name of urban renewal.
Urban renewal suggests blight. When I first moved to this block 110-130 Green Street housed businesses: a bus depot and stone worker’s shop. I can’t honestly say I liked having buses coming and going all hours of the night past my apartment. I didn’t. On the other hand I knew this came with living in an “industrial” neighborhood and with such businesses come jobs and tax revenue. Then came the rezone and shortly thereafter the Viridian.
I never experienced blight until Magic and his funky bunch moved in. Green Street has never been pretty— but it got a helluva lot uglier after Magic razed one third of it. Graffiti, garbage— LOTS OF GARBAGE, junkies shooting up and nodding off (on his illegally parked construction equipment) is what I will always remember the Viridian for. A condominium complex purported to sport such luxe accommodations as a concierge, rooftop cabanas, virtual golf, etc. A testament to progress and and urban renewal.
As of January 3, 2009 here’s what I saw:
A contextually inappropriate, shoddily built and VERY UGLY pile of crap. Let’s have a virtual auction my fellow Greenpointers. How much would you pay to rent a 500 square foot apartment in this dump? I’ll start the bidding at $500. One dollar per square foot.
Miss Heather
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