Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Fedders Friday: The Gruesome Twosome
Yesterday I had a epiphany. One of those fleeting moments when one stops what he (or she) is doing, takes a few steps back and asks him (or herself):
This is my life?!?
This moment came to pass while I was sorting through my rapidly expanding collection of substandard architecture for this week’s installment of Fedders Friday. I shit you not, this process took one full hour of my time. During which I found myself sizing up the virtues of one pile of prefab shit or another. Exasperated (and coming to the realization that I am in dire need of a vacation) I decided to showcase a couple of beauties from East Williamsburg. Here they are.
Maujer Street
This thoroughfare is rapidly becoming a veritable Fedders paradise. Believe it or not, this is one of the more attractive offerings to be found here.
As you can see this building is lavishly appointed with all the luxury trimmings we have grown to expect in north Brooklyn: surveillance cameras, exposed gutters and, lest we forget, Fedders boxes.
It also sports a nice cement front yard from which one can contemplate the finer things in life, such as overflowing garbage cans.
Lorimer Street
I have been watching this monstrosity cutting edge piece of architecture with a mixture of horror, confusion and fascination for months.
I spent ten whole minutes trying to decipher the seemingly random placement of Fedders boxes on this wing. Then I came to the conclusion there are some mysteries in life one simply will never comprehend. As Donnie Rumsfeld so sagely stated:
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.
Add to that: There are things we know we don’t want to know.
I wonder which street gang this chap is referring to? Crips or Bloods. Given the copious use of red brick on this building, I’m going to say Bloods.
Whoever they are, I am certain they will make their new neighbors feel right at home.
Miss Heather
P.S.: I’d like to give a special Fedders Friday honorable mention to this property on Stockton Street.
Newly constructed homes for sale.
Make that a lot of newly constructed homes for sale.
It’s like a dream come true! Where’s the grass?
MTA: No One Rides For Free
Filed under: Bushwick
I always dread when the Metropolitan Transit Authority sees fit to cut off subway service and presses “free” shuttle buses into service. This arrangement has always bothered me. Maybe it was waiting in a long queue to get vouchers? Or was it being packed into said said buses like so many sardines? Something about the whole set-up struck me as being very, very wrong.
In any case, yesterday my long-harbored suspicions about this shady practice were finally confirmed.
It would appear that in the absence of regular subway service we rapid transit goers are expected to service the bus drivers.* No disrespect to the hardworking folks of the Transit Workers Union (I have met many a VERY COOL bus driver) but this is a little too up close and personal for me. Methinks I’ll walk instead, thank you very much.
Miss Heather
*MARK MY WORDS: The TWU’s grievances regarding pensions, wages and retirement during their last strike would have been swiftly and quickly addressed had this demand had been put on the table.
Bushwick Photo du Jour: Strike A Pose
Filed under: Bushwick
From the Canarsie bound platform at the Jefferson Avenue stop of the L.
Miss Heather
News On The Bed Bug Front
HPD will be visiting Greenpoint May 6 to give a two hour seminar about the pernicious vermin afflicting a lot of people in New York City: bed bugs. The purpose of this gathering is as follows:
- What are bed bugs?
- Are bed bugs dangerous?
- How do you know your home is infested with bedbugs?
- How can you get rid of bedbugs safely?*
- What are some bedbug myths?
Points #1-3: As my comrade to the south piquantly stated:
Hm, I thought the idea was to avoid infestations.
BushwickBK is entitled to his opinion. As am I— and I politely (and rationally) beg to differ. One cannot avoid infestations if he/she does not know what to look for— and the sad fact of the matter is most people don’t.
Which brings me to point #5: Bed bugs do not care about your socio/economic/ethnic status. Gay, straight or bi, they’ll happily dine upon anyone who gives them the opportunity. Even if you own a condo and speak English as a first language.
The HPD bed bug workshop in Greenpoint will be conducted May 6, 2008 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m at…
The Greenpoint Reformed Church
136 Milton Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222
R.S.V.P: (212) 863-8830
In closing there’s a new bed bug wailing wall online. It is called New York vs. Bed Bugs. Last week I was asked by a reporter why I cared so much about the bed bug problem in my neighborhood. My answer was a very simple (and selfish) one:
I do not want to get them.
I know far too many people who have (and continue) to go through the utter hell of exterminating these creatures. An ounce of prevention is worth several months (and hundreds of dollars) worth of cure. Call and R.S.V.P. today.
Miss Heather
*Point #4: Yesterday evening I listened to two men on the G train (at the Clinton-Washington stop) discuss bed bugs. One advised spraying them with Lysol because (and I quote):
That slows them down.
His counterpart said he found one on his mattress, sprayed it with alcohol and then applied heat with a blow drier.
Um, that sounds kind of dangerous.
Great Moments in Aluminum Siding Volume XV: The Gauntlet
I recently watched the trailer for this movie on Videodetective. Why would Miss Heather entertain herself with seventies schlock, you ask? Well, I took a walk down Eldert Street recently and thought of this movie for some inexplicable reason.
The owner of this house appears to be rather vigilant about being protected from the elements. Whether or not the aforementioned are his neighbors or merely inclement weather is anyone’s guess. I can almost hear Sondra Locke whining from here.
One thing’s for certain: beige is clearly this person’s favorite color. So much so that he elected to have his car match his house. Those are some pretty fierce rims. There’s no way in hell an army of sharp shooters are going to blow out this guy’s tires.
Miss Heather
State Funds Allocated For Brownfield Study
Last week I received a press release from the Newtown Creek Alliance announcing that they, the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center and Riverkeeper have been awarded a New York State Brownfields Opportunity (! — Ed. Note) Area grant in the amount of $625,545. What is a “BOA Grant” you ask? Here is a brief synopsis from the aforementioned press release:
The BOA program, created in 2003 along with the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, is an innovative planning program that provides communities with financial assistance to facilitate the collection of basic information about an area blighted with brownfields. The program provides assistance to identify, prepare, create, develop, and assemble information to be included in an application to “nominate†an area as a BOA. The program also provides financial assistance for site assessments performed in designated BOAs.
Designation of an area as a BOA can provide other benefits. For example, projects located within the BOA can receive priority and preference when considered for financial assistance under some State, federal or local programs, and may receive preference in infrastructure improvements. A BOA designation is likely to help attract redevelopment interest because of the community support that underlies a BOA plan.
The funds for studying Newtown Creek will be used in manifold number of ways. Among them are:
…to assess redevelopment opportunities for contaminated sites along the Creek pursuant to intensive community input, emphasizing high-performance, environmentally sustainable industrial uses, parks and wetlands creation, and improved environmental infrastructure. The study will examine the watershed as a whole in an effort to improve the environmental condition of both the land and water. The Newtown Creek study area includes portions of Long Island City, Maspeth, Greenpoint, East Williamsburg, and Bushwick.
Those of you who are interested in getting the full scoop (or simply want to savor sound bites from numerous public officials) click here and you will be directed to the press release on Riverkeeper’s web site. Be advised this item is in PDF format.
Miss Heather
Great Moments In Real Estate Rhetoric: Irving Avenue
Filed under: Bushwick
Granted the house in question is located in Queens, but the above advertisement was located in Bushwick. Exactly what kind of “magazine-like house” is this realtor pushing? Golf Digest? Field & Stream? Soldier of Fortune? Playboy?!?
If it is the latter most the Mister and I are packing up our bunnies and moving to Queens!
Miss Heather
Presenting Gentrification Bingo!
First off I want to thank everyone out there for their generous submissions. I received some real doozies from a number of you. As promised earlier this week here is the first draft of Gentrification Bingo for your Friday afternoon entertainment. Enjoy!
I will be dedicating next week to generating three more cards so as create a set of four. In the meantime keep those submissions coming folks:
missheather (at) newyorkshitty (dot) com
Happy playing!
Miss Heather
“East Williamsburg” Photo du Jour: Stagg Street
The force of change in north Brooklyn is currency.
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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