Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
SCADGate: Post Script
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
The last twenty four hours I have been plagued with what either has to be a cold or one of the nastiest allergy attacks I have experienced in recent years. (We’re talking the variety where you feel like your entire head is going to explode.) Needless to say I have not been in the most chipper mood. That is, until I received the following email from the Ombudsman of the Savannah College of Art & Design, our good friend Trey. He writes:
Heather,
I have seen the latest posting about the Lumet award. It was nice to have a hand in this cooperative effort to return Mr. Lumet’s award. The missing piece is now an address where we can send you some “SCAD booty” as it was noted in the article.
We greatly appreciate the efforts of you and Rebecca in this strange endeavor.
Thanks again
If the thought of free swag was not enough to perk me up I also received word from Rebecca11222 that this rather bizarre series of events has been memorialized for all posterity by having a song written about it. But it’s a lot more than that, as you will see.
Fuck Cats. I’d like to see Andrew Lloyd Webber top this!
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Inbox: The Fun Keeps On Coming At 184 Eagle Street…
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
or would that be the Luxe Guesthouse?
Anonymous writes:
Greetings… I noticed that you covered the “shadiness” that is the development at 184 Eagle St. I am sad to say, I am a resident at 184 Eagle St, and unbelievably I am under a lease. I can tell you first hand that this place is basically a Hostel, and while most original tenants have found a way out of here, I am still trying (with my security/last month intact). Nevertheless, shady things keep happening at the building (the other day a group of girls at the door asked me if the “club” was open today, whatever that means).
Perhaps that D.O.B. complaint I found so amusing is true?
As you can see this was filed February, 5 2009…
and we’re still waiting.
In closing here are some screencaps of Luxe Guesthouse’s and Department of Buildings respective web sites for your amusement.
Since when in the course of requesting a reservation is one’s gender, nature of visit and nationality been relevant to secure a place to hang one’s hat. Oh wait, I forgot, this place is totally illegal!
1/30/09: the Department of Buildings takes note that 184 Eagle Street is a new building without a valid Certificate of Occupancy.
2/27/09: I am tipped off to an illegal hotel/hostel being operated at 184 Eagle Street.
2/28/09: I am tipped off that the powers behind Luxe Guesthouse have been canvassing Greenpoint businesses.
3/19/09: “Caller states there is an illegal apartment on the 5th floor”
3/19/09: the Department of Buildings takes note, once again, that 184 Eagle Street has no valid Certificate of Occupancy.
3/30/09: I beat my head against the wall once again.
4/3/09: The Department of Buildings notes the elevator at “182 Eagle” is not functioning properly. So they issue paperwork to the respondent:
Best Value Inc.
394 McGuiness Blvd. LIC, NY 11222.
Could someone please explain to me the previous timeline of municipal malfeasance? Let’s review:
- We have a building with no certificate of occupancy whatsoever.
- Yet it is inhabited by renters…
- and patrons of an illegal hotel/hostel.
- The Department of Buildings is clearly aware of C of O issue.
- They have cited the owners of this building twice for this offence.
- They have cited the owners of this building for an inoperative elevator.
- Yet the Department of Buildings has yet to figure out what many of us know already: 184 Eagle Street is being run as an illegal hostel/hotel.
Which brings me to this:
A Certificate of Occupancy is used for a number of purposes:
- to establish how a property is to be used, e.g.; residential, commercial, manufacturing, etc.
- it also establishes occupancy, e.g.; how many people can be in said space.
- it is used to determine taxes on landlords.
This building has no Certificate of Occupancy. Luxe Guesthouse, AKA: 184 Eagle Street, will only take cash, money orders, travelers checks and paypal. Can you say tax evasion?
Miss Heather
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Abundant Life, Disassembled
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Jay Lombard (who took the above photograph) writes:
I saw this last night, snapped a photo and then saw you had mentioned it… Took out an entire section of iron gate. Could easily have wiped out kids who gather in front for an after school program…Have a good day and keep an eye out for cars on sidewalks.
This is some of the best advice I’ve heard of late given some of the recent, um, activity in our neighborhood. In closing I strongly advise anyone who witnessed this incident or the one which culminated in Violetta Krzyzak’s horrific death and a three car pile-up in front of Rivera’s Grocery* make it a point to attend this month’s 94th Precinct Community Council Meeting. Here are the deets:
94th Precinct Community Council Meeting
May 18, 2009 (that’s next Monday folks!) starting at 7:30 p.m.
Capital One Bank (AKA: The Greenpoint Savings Bank)
Calyer Street Entrance
807 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222
Miss Heather
*Especially those of you who were further south, e.g.; Driggs, Nassau or Norman Avenue.
SCADGate: The Conclusion
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
This morning I was reminded that all good things— even a curious case of a lifetime achievement award in inexplicably found in traffic triangle in Greenpoint— must come to end. Rebecca11222 writes:
Well, a pall hangs over the apartment today: the SCAD Lifetime Achievement Award has been returned to it’s rightful owner: Sidney Lumet’s publicist.
The kind people at SCAD and the Savannah Film Festival arranged for postage and packing materials. I just wrapped it & then dropped it off at FedEx.
I received some awesome SCAD booty (travel cup & tee-shirt) for my trouble. AND an offer from the director of the SFF to host me in Savannah should I like to visit. But the apartment feels empty, somehow.
See attached for photo of Sanford with the travel cup.
I suspect I speak for everyone (except perhaps Sanford, who appears to be less than impressed with the reward reaped by his owner’s good deed) to learn this story has a happy ending. If that award could talk I imagine it would have an interesting tale to tell. But alas, it is keeping its silence and we will have to be content with the whiff of serendipity it brought our lives. Bon voyage, prodigal lifetime achievement award! I hope you enjoyed your stay in the Garden Spot of the Universe.
Miss Heather
Hot Tamale!
After giving the matter considerable thought I have come to the conclusion my life generally revolves around two things:
1. Consuming Mexican food
2. Searching for more Mexican food to consume
Incomprehensible as it may seem to some of you I not only can but often will eat nothing but Mexican food for days on end. Few things please me for breakfast more than a plate of enchiladas. That is save of course tamales but that’s where I hit an impasse:
1. I’m too lazy to make them.
2. Most tamales to be found are NOT vegetarian.
Therefore you can imagine my delight when I found the above announcement at the Beaner Bar. Mouth watering, I went in for a late morning fix.
Once I placed my order I busied myself with the cup of Homies. Whoever came up with this idea is damned genius, not unlike place mats at Denny’s these little guys kept me entertained as I awaited for my hunk of corn-husk wrapped, tomatillo slathered goodness.
This is what a Beaner Bar cheese tamale looks like. Note the two salsas to the right. The red one was tasty but a teensy bit mild for my taste. I am very persnickety about my salsas. What’s more I want the most bang for my $3.00, e.g.; I want it to burn coming in and going out. Twenty Four hours later I was happy to learn the green salsa fit the bill perfectly.
I could resist playing with the Homies as I enjoyed my meal. Here they are cheering me on as I knock back that shot glass of green salsa. In all seriousness (or at least as serious as one can be about eating tamales and playing with Homies) if any of you find yourselves on the other side of the BQE some Sunday afternoon give these bad boys a whirl. The vegans out there reading this take note: they do on occasion serve vegan tamales as well. Check it out!
Jose’s Momma’s Tamales
Sundays at the Beaner Bar
447 Graham Avenue
Brookyn, New York 11211
(718) 599-1063
Oh yeah, I would woefully remiss if I didn’t make mention of their bathroom. Better yet— I’ll show it to you instead!
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: R & R
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
From McGolrick Park.
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: Dude, Where’s My Park?
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Some of you may or may not be aware that I am on the steering committee for what has been dubbed “WNYC Transmitter Park”.
But most people, my fellow Greenpointers included, better know it as “that vacant lot at the end of Greenpoint Avenue”. I mention this because GWAPP in cooperation with NAG (Neighbors Allied For Good Growth) will be conducting what can best be called a “Park-In” protesting the lack of open space in Greenpoint promised under the now infamous 2005 re-zone. I’ll let the folks from NAG take it from here:
Remember the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning? In it, we were told that in exchange for enormous buildings along the water front we would receive a number of parks and open spaces to relax in, to get up by the water, to play soccer, to do whatever we please!
Not one park has been completed, not one has been opened.
So while the rest of New York City is celebrating “It’s My Park Day!” on May 16th, NAG and GWAPP will be instead asking, “Where’s My Park?!?” in an act of community awareness and civic action.
Bring your kids and your grandmas to the NAG Office (N 8th and Kent) at 12:30p to make some pro-park crafts and picket signs, and then join us at 2:00p at Bushwick Inlet (N 14th and Kent) as we march down past several of the promised parks’ locked gates. The day will end with a block party full of music, games, refreshments, and community… in a parking lot.
Come help us make a scene! It’s the only way we’ll unplug the City’s deaf ears across the river.
What NAG’s press release does not mention specifically is WNYC Transmitter Park is one of the “promised parks”. I have been assured the money has been set aside to build it. And by “it” I mean the park, not the pier and water taxi.
Still, when I walk by this site (as I did May 9th which is when the photographs gracing this post date from) to discover a newly built deck, tires and oil drums being employed as planters it makes me wonder…
what’s going on? If the Parks Department (who owns and occupies this land) can enjoy this space why can’t we?
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Bushwick Inlet Park (where the Monitor was built and as such is a historically significant site) and 65 Commercial Street (which is currently occupied by the MTA) are also on the itinerary. The previous should be a park. The latter leaves me with certain trepidations. David Yassky’s lackeys have seen fit to spam a great number of neighborhood groups in north Brooklyn with a petition addressed to Mayor Bloomberg demanding the MTA vacate 65 Commercial Street:
Particularly frustrating is the fact a few months ago the MTA decided, seemingly of it’s (sic) own volition, to remove the buses that had been the main obstacle for leaving the site.
What’s particularly frustrating to me are the manifold ways David Yassky has failed north Brooklyn as a City Councilman and seems unwilling to admit it. Sure, I like the fancy garbage cans with his name emblazoned upon them (for reasons I will not go into here) but I cannot shake the feeling David “I’m running for Comptroller” is simply using us for votes. I have learned over the years that the key to deciphering David is to follow the money. His maligning of the MTA is merely a crass exploitation of popular sentiment against their malfeasance. So as to direct attention away from his shoddy record in our community (take 184 Kent Avenue, for example).
Those of you interested in participating in this event (and I encourage you to do so, you can get more details by checking out NAG’s blog) please do not confuse Mr. Yassky’s recent interest in Greenpoint or financial involvement in its “parks” (READ: India Street) as being genuine concern. Ask him why a parcel of land ostensibly owned by the New York City’s Parks Department has yet to become a park for its own citizens.
March For Parks
May, 16, 2009
Preparations start at the NAG Office at 12:30 p.m.: 101 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn 11211
March starts at Bushwick Inlet at 2:00 p.m.
The odds David Yassky will be soap boxing/shilling for votes when you reach the promised “party”: let’s just say I wouldn’t bet against it.
Miss Heather
P.S.: This the most vomit-inducing plea for money I have seen. EVER.
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Another Greenpoint Car Crash
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Ashley writes:
Woe that I do not have a picture of this for you (though I did beg my husband to try and get one when he called me) but it appears that reckless driving has once again (dis)graced our ‘hood. Around 3:30 this afternoon, a driver going at a very high rate of speed crashed into the front doors of the church located on Leonard between Nassau and Driggs. He fled on foot. Word on the street is that no one was hurt, thankfully. (The details of the crash that claimed the life of the neighborhood woman in April continue to make my heart heavy.)
When my husband walked by, they were trying to remove the car and had to take down the front awning of the structure to do so. There was emergency equipment all around and the fire department had blocked off the street to traffic.
What the hell, man? This is Greenpoint. Drunks – I am okay with. Crazies – I welcome for entertainment value. But seriously, this shit scares me. Apparently no sidewalk is safe in our Garden Spot.
I am curious if anyone else has any more details on this incident…
Indeed. If anyone reading this knows more about Greenpoint’s latest incident of inanimate objects colliding with motor vehicles please share them via the comments. I have said it before and I will say it again:
What the hell fuck is happening to our community?
Is the Garden Spot of the Universe becoming the next Rock Ridge? This would certainly appear to be the case. I’m not a big fan religious institutions in general but someone seeking a closer relationship to his (or her) maker should be able to do so with the reasonable expectation that someone behind the wheel of an automobile isn’t going to hasten the process.
Miss Heather
UPDATE, 9:08 p.m.: Matthew Glasson writes:
When I saw your post, I ran out… to get some pics of the Abundant Life Assembly church on Leonard. There were several people out in front and while I was initially across the street, once they saw I had a camera they invited me over to get better pictures of the damage for insurance purposes. The car had already been removed. According to the pastor, Irene Hanna, the guy stole the car from up the block (it was uncertain whether the owner of the car had left his keys in the ignition or not). The car thief then drove down Leonard St. before losing control, hitting a parked car and then crashing into the front awning of the church, destroying the gate and causing the awning to collapse. Apparently, the driver then got out of the vehicle and high-tailed it out of there, but he didn’t get very far and was apprehended by the police.
…What the hell is going on out there?
Once again, indeed. You can see Mr. Glasson’s photographs of the aftermath of our latest car theft “incident” by clicking here. CAVEAT: viewing said contents might make you consider becoming an athiest— or at the very least an agnostic.
NYS Flickr Pool
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