Greenpoint
Cafe Cito Bogota
THIS WEEK: Newtown Creek Stink
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Speaking as someone who remembers the rather *a-hem* robust cologne Greenpoint was rocking last summer and has seen how truly deplorable Newtown Creek is firsthand, this is a must-do event.
Polish Slavic Center
177 Kent Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222
(718) 383-5290
Why not make an evening of it and have dinner at their cafeteria first? I’ve heard the meatloaf is delicious.
Miss Heather
Photo du Jour: Ho May Kitchen
Filed under: Area 51
Although I have never eaten there, I love the Ho May Kitchen. This restaurant is located at the intersection of Woodpoint Road and Frost Street. Many of you who are reading this know the previous is a less than spectacular location. The fact they serve up vittles behind bullet proof glass bears testament to this fact.
Foodstuffs aside, I love the old school sign, years of accumulated grime, excessive use of brown paint and even the bullet proof glass. What this building lacks in class, it more than makes up for in character. Which brings me to the new sign I found on its store front recently.
Craptastic advertising or sarcasm? I am leaning towards the latter. Give ‘em hell, Ho May!
Miss Heather
Moore Street Market, Revisited
After mentioning this establishment in a post last week I thought it would be fun to learn a little bit about its history— especially in light of the fact that the future of the Moore Street Market looks very cloudy nowadays. Per the June 13, 2007 edition of the New York Daily News:
…the city’s Economic Development Corp. had suddenly notified 20 merchants who operate in the cavernous Moore St. market in Williamsburg that the building was to close June 15 to make way for new affordable housing.
After decades at the same location, the merchants were furious at the city’s bullying tactics.
“At first, they offered us $20 a square foot for our businesses and told us we had 20 minutes to make up our minds,” recalled Virgilio Rodriguez, owner of Ramonita’s Restaurant and head of the merchants group. “No papers, nothing in writing. Just get out, they said.”
The bureaucrats at EDC didn’t even have the common sense to consult the local community board about the city’s plans to demolish the market – something required by city land use laws.
The good news is this market was spared closure for another year. The bad news is this year ends June 2008. Will it survive or will it be razed to build “affordable housing”? I guess we will find out soon enough.
Follows is an article from the July 29, 1941 edition of the New York Times about the opening of the Moore Street Market. Not only was the turnout for this event enormous, but New York’s very own Fiorello La Guardia was master of ceremonies. Enjoy!
Here is the plaque at Moore Street Market commemorating this event.
You can find it inside the Moore Street entrance to your left.
Miss Heather
i-FORCE
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
One thing I have noticed about Greenpointers (and Polish men in particular) over the years is they love large automobiles. Whereas public transportation or a Honda Civic would pass muster with an average person, these chaps demand Humvees, pick-up trucks or S.U.V.s. The bigger, the better. Last weekend I came upon one such vehicle on Nassau Avenue. Amused by the sheer size of this gas guzzler, I went in for a closer look.
Nothing declares “Ask me about my castration anxiety” like bright red paint job and a placard emblazoned with the phrase “i-Force”. I cannot believe professionals are paid to come up with this stuff. Seriously. Give me five minutes and a copy of Penthouse Forum and I’ll come up with a dozen pieces of ad copy better than this.
No wonder this gent is worried about his balls: they’re tiny! Those fellas sure look awfully cold. He should knit them a nice little cozy to keep them warm.
Miss Heather
P.S.: Testicular trucks should hardly be surprising coming from the neighborhood which invented “Snoodling”.
Bushwick Photo du Jour: Montieth Street
Filed under: Bushwick
Even in its current wrecked state this is one neat mural!
Miss Heather
Poopie Po Polsku?
This weekend, dear readers, I beheld my very first piece of dog doo signage directed at the local Polish-speaking population…
at Scholes Street and Manhattan Avenue?!?
I am not an expert at public outreach, but I have to wonder how effective a sign admonishing people in Polish is going to be in a neighborhood that is largely Hispanic. Of course the punchline here is during all my years of living in Greenpoint (which is rumored to have a rather sizable Polish population) I have never, ever, seen such a sign posted here.
No wonder there is dog shit all over the place.
Miss Heather
A Greenpoint Moment: Newel Street
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Be advised that the buzzards are not working at 115 Newel Street today. Perhaps they have Martin Luther King Day off?
The same cannot be said for the lions, horse heads and eagle* which grace this property: they are faithfully at work making this building look like ass.
Miss Heather
*Or is this a chicken? It is sort of hard to tell.
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.
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