Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
New York Shitty Day Ender: Post-Halloween Edition
Filed under: 11206, 11211, 11222, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Huron Street, 11222
Roebling Street, 11211
Ingraham Street, 11206
Grattan Street, 11206
Miss Heather
Bloomturds!
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, Bum Shit, Dog Shit, Dung of the Day, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
I have given our fair mayor a lot of guff of late. Today I was reminded of some of his notable achievements as I strolled the streets of Williamsburg. I felt a twinge of guilt. In the interest of giving credit where it is truly due I will showcase my finds here.
This is 224 Wythe Avenue. At a casual glance this may appear to be yet another half completed construction site/eye sore. I assure you this is not the case: upon closer examination you will learn it is much, much more!
I suspect I speak for many when I write that public lavatories are in short supply in north Brooklyn. Granted, this one is not appointed with toilet paper or soap— but then again most of the facilities around here aren’t. To its credit the Wythe Avenue crapper does sport a measure of much needed privacy and the orange safety fence is a nice touch.
There are a great many privies to be found in Williamsburg. All one need to do is look for them. Above is my personal favorite. It hails from North 9 Street.
This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “full of shit”. I don’t know about you but I’d be exhausted after discharging such a copious amount of effluvia from my body.
Thankfully someone has been kind enough to donate a mattress to this al fresco pissoir.
But Bloomblight need not be so abject. It can also be uplifting. Just take North 4 Street (as seen above), for example.
No longer need those prostheses? Freecycle ’em on North 4 Street. Someone else might!
I present for your peace of mind a piece of leg!
What in god’s name IS this?
Miss Heather
NEXT WEEK: Day of the Dead
Halloween will soon be upon us. Shortly thereafter will be yet another holiday of which yours truly is rather fond: Day of the Dead. On that note those of you in search something to do this Monday, November 2nd, need not look any further than Williamsburg’s very own El Puente Garden. From the CB1 Yahoo group:
You are invited to El Puente’s Espiritu Tierra Community Garden on November 2nd for our DÃa de los Muertos Celebration and Garden Fundraiser! The event will take place at the garden (on S. 2nd btw. Roebling & Driggs) from 4:30-6:30pm. This event is free and open to all ages; however, there will be food & raffle tickets for sale, and donations are always welcome…
Among the treats promised are educational games, movies, live performances, traditional food, an altar and art work by Chicano and Mexican artists. All proceeds will benefit El Puente’s community garden which, if you haven’t seen it already, you should. It’s impressive!
Day of the Dead Celebration
November 2, 2009 starting at 4:30 p.m.
El Puente Garden
South 2nd Street between Roebling Street & Driggs Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Miss Heather
Williamsburg Construction Watch: The Blair Witch Project?
Filed under: 11211, Abjectecture, Area 51, Bloomblight, Culture War, King's Crap, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Some of you might have noticed that I have a category on this site called “Area 51”. For those of you who are not in the know this is a reference to the mysterious military installation in Nevada. Many theories abound about this establishment but no one really knows what goes on there. But back to the point of this post.
When I awoke this morning my head felt like Keith Moon’s hotel room after a bender. I don’t know why. I’m guessing the weather, not alien abduction, was to blame. I decided to shake the cobwebs out of my mind by taking a little walk around Williamsburg. What I got in return was a colossal mind fuck which could fall under a number of categories. Among them:
- Bloomblight
- Construction/Destruction Porn
- Gentrification
- Culture War
- Halloween
This is the reason I created the category “Area 51”: it is a repository for things that defy easy description. On that note, here they are.
#1 5 Roebling Street
These monolithic slabs of King’s Crap sit atop the space formerly occupied by the now deceased “Giant Fart Cloud Building”. It was at this site that I found two items of interest.
I cannot for the life of me figure what this missive means— much less to whom it is directed. Perhaps the following artifact (which is located approximately 20 feet away) has something to do with it?
Truth be told this gave me the creeps. Big time. Thankfully I got some good mojo shortly thereafter on North 10 Street. Which brings to…
#2 178 North 10 Street
What could I possibly find uplifting on this block, you ask? The first and only use of Feng Shui at a construction site I have ever beheld, that’s what!
A bagua presides over 178 North 10 Street. Having some knowledge about such stuff, baguas are usually employed to redirect/deflect bad “chi”. In the case of this block one has to wonder what is the source of said bad vibrations.
This?
Or this?
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Day Ender: Bedford Avenue Blight
it’s through this world I ramble
I see lots of men
some will rob you with a six gun
some with a fountain pen
— Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd by Woodie Guthrie
Amusingly enough, shortly after I stumbled upon this find I encountered a (poorly attended) press conference regarding 1015A. All the north Brooklyn notables were present: Steve Levin (he’s really short), Rami Metal, Stephanie Thayer (the Executive Director of OSA and north Brooklyn’s Parks Poobah), a member of GWAPP was present, and so on and so forth. Sadly, I missed meeting Yassky (so as to tender some of my readers career advice to him).* While they had their face time with the media here’s what I found two blocks away:
ROEBLING STREET
NORTH 9 STREET
I fail to see the “logic” of 1015A. But then again, I am not lobbied, wined and dined by real estate interests. Simply put: 1015A seeks to “encourage” speculators/Bloomblighters (who have raped north Brooklyn six ways to Sunday) to “maintain” their fences in return for renewing their building permits. In true “fox guarding the hen house” tradition, the Department of Buildings will be entrusted to make sure these developers comply. Given what happened at 493 Myrtle Avenue earlier this year this is cold comfort.** In essence, the very people who are the biggest offenders to our quality of life will be rewarded for not breaking the law.
What is wrong with this picture? Does this mean if I have enough influence/lobbyists I can jaywalk whilst sipping a 40 for the next four years?
Miss Heather
P.S.: This one’s for you, Uncle Kent.
*Whose fashion malfeasance was not unnoticed by Aaron Short. My recommendation for a Yassky makeover: Tom of Finland.
**Whose incompetence enabled a three story building to be built (and occupied) on 95 Clay Street without permits.
Bloomblight Photos Du Jour: Built For Collapse
95 Bedford Avenue
250 North 10 Street
568 Union Avenue
It would appear the invocation of “watchmen” didn’t quite work as intended.
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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