Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Brooklyn Photos du Jour: Boro of Found Toys
Green Street, Greenpoint
India Street, Greenpoint
Herbert Street, Greenpoint
Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg
Leonard Street, “East Williamsburg”
Bushwick Avenue, Bushwick
Miss Heather
Dung Of The Day: Madison Street
I see that Curry is no longer on Isiah’s menu. I wonder how he will supplement his diet (now that calling women “bitches” is no longer acceptable)? Let’s turn the page and find out!
Bon apetit!Â
Miss Heather
How To Win Friends And Avoid Parking Tickets: Bushwick Style
Filed under: Bushwick
Unknown to us (until recently) 142,000 free parking permits were issued by this fair city. Unknown to the city, is exactly who received these permits.
All I know is this chap on Decatur Street has found a way to avoid being ticketed for having a derelict car parked for over two months. Do you want to know his secret? Read on.
First, you put a very friendly sign on said car. Be sure to wish the reader seasonal cheer.
Second, be sure you have a(n expired) permit for the “Real Time Crime Center” on your dashboard.
Thirdly, is it just me? But a busted up car with a smashed windshield belonging (ostensibly) to an officer of the law strikes me as sending a very negative message to the public. I think I read it about this kind of thing somewhere. It was called the “Broken Windows” theory, I think.
Miss Heather
Introducing Friedrich Thursdays
During my latest jaunt to Bushwick I had a most embarrassing moment. The following building (which is located on Schaeffer Street) was the catalyst.
As I laid eyes upon this building my first thought was:
Didn’t I feature this building already? I must have gotten the location wrong! Shit!
When I arrived home I frantically logged onto my computer and fact checked. Fortunately (or would that be unfortunately?) I was not incorrect: Bushwick simply sports an inordinate number of Fedders Specials.
Moving forward I will endeavor to have a better eye for detail —which brings me to the purpose of this post. A building need not sport Fedders boxes to be Fedder-esque in nature. The fine folks at Friedrich have their fair share of eyesores for the choosing and to ignore this fact would be a travesty. Thus, Friedrich Thursdays was born. Today’s turdage hails from Halsey Street.
As you can see this building is the epitome of what I like to call the “High Fedders Style”. It is appointed with such niceties as mismatched entrances, fake keystones, burglar bars, zero plant life, plenty of parking and…
duct tape. In the event of a chemical or biological weapons attack this unit will be 100% prepared. And this, dear readers, gives yours truly ample peace of mind.
Miss Heather
Bushwick Photos du Jour: Intimations of Gentrification
Filed under: Bushwick
Yesterday we explored the differences between Greenpoint and Buckwick’s animal statuary. For those of you who have not read this post, the following photograph (from Bushwick) will bring you (somewhat) up to speed.
I really like the heavy chains. Were they placed around this dog’s neck to prevent theft or to keep him from mauling some innocent passerby? I suppose only his owner knows for certain. Speaking of dog owners, as I was walking down Decatur Street recently I made an important realization:
Bushwick dog owners are even scarier than their canine counterparts. Yes sir, when I see signs like this the first word that comes to my mind is gentrification. After all, once you begin to find mass produced signs invoking threats of physical violence in a neighborhood, you can rest assured luxury condominiums (and Fresh Direct) are soon to follow.
Thank goodness an upstanding citizen on Bushwick Avenue is keeping it real. “Who needs a hoity toity sign?” this person asked, “As long as I have my trusty Sharpie marker any flat surface will convey what I have to say.”
This is what I call kicking knocking it old style!
Miss Heather
The Mayor of Bushwick Avenue
Filed under: Bushwick
I am certain a number of my friends to the south are familiar with this strip of row houses. They are located on Bushwick Avenue between Menahan And Bleecker Street. In fact, I imagine a number of subway patrons pass these nondescript buildings every day as they commute via the J train. What they probably do not know is a mayor of New York City once lived in one of them.
His name was John F. Hylan. He was the 96th Mayor of New York City and this modest domicile (at 959 Bushwick Avenue) was his home. Here’s an incredibly concise biography of “Red Mike” (as he was known) from Wikipedia:
Hylan was born in Hunter, New York a town in upstate Greene County where his family owned a farm. Hylan married young, became dissatisfied with farm life and moved to Brooklyn with his bride. He found work on the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad and rose through the ranks to become a locomotive engineer. Ambitious, he studied law even as he worked on the railroad. He was fired after allegedly taking a curve too fast, endangering a supervisor who had been preparing to cross a track. Hylan always contended that he was wrongfully discharged (Some versions of the story have him reading his law book at the same time as driving).
Despite his industriousness, he was described, even by his friends, as a mediocre intellect. Nevertheless, he became a judge in the Kings County (Brooklyn) county court and was in that position when he was tapped by Tammany Hall as a dark-horse candidate for Mayor, running as a Democrat, through the promotion of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who shared with him a desire for municipal ownership of utilities.
Hylan defeated the reformer John Purroy Mitchel in the 1917 mayoral election, restoring the power of Tammany at City Hall. He easily won re-election in 1921 but was defeated for re-nomination in 1925 by State Senator James J. “Jimmy” Walker. Walker later appointed Hylan to the municipal judiciary.
As mayor, Hylan railed against “the interests” and put in motion the building of a publicly owned and operated subway system, which became the IND division of the New York City Subway. Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island was named for him.
Interested to learn more about Mr. Hylan the Mayor I dug around the New York Times online archives. Most of what I found was exceptionally dull. I suppose this shouldn’t have been too surprising: even his own friends conceded the 96th mayor of New York City was a bit of a dolt. Or was he? Read the following article from the April 23, 1916 edition of the New York Times (dating from Mr. Hylan’s tenure as a Kings County judge) and draw your own conclusions.
…Are we now to be deprived of our personal liberty, the privacy of family and home, by a spy system imposed on us by public officials? If this is to be tolerated, what will the end be?
Excellent question Mr. Hylan. It is (almost) 100 years later and I find myself asking this very question.
Miss Heather
Same Borough, Different Worlds
You can really tell a lot about a neighborhood by how its residents choose to decorate their properties. I recently came across two different houses: one is located in Greenpoint, the other in Bushwick. Both employ canine statuary, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The messages these home owners intended to convey could not be more different.
First up, here’s a stoop from Housman Street.
The tinsel, silk flowers and icicle lights (all preferred articles of decoration in Greenpoint) exude Easter time cheer. To further enhance this effect the home owner placed a cherubic little lab puppy on his stoop. As you can see, it bears a sign which reads “WELCOME”.
Now let’s take a look at this house on Eldert Street in Bushwick.
The wreath is rather nice— in fact I’d go so far as to say it is of Martha Stewart-esque quality. But that down home cozy feeling is somewhat diminished by the presence of a security camera (which can be seen above the horse shoe). If the chains used to secure this canine ambassador to the fence are any indication, he must be one nasty character.
In closing, I do not think I would want to be this house’s mailman.
Miss Heather
Hooking Up “East Williamsburg” Style
It is an all too common conundrum. You princely pup (for the purposes of this post let’s say he is a Highland Western Terrier) is lonely. Being the caring pet owner you are, you immediately put a cunning plan into action that turn your doggy’s frown upside down in no time!
Step 1: You make a flier.
Step 2: Post your fliers. Where should I place them for maximum effectiveness you ask? Should I post them at the local kennel association? The ASPCA? Craigslist? Nerve.com?!? Of course not, only a practicing amateur would do that. You know how to pimp your pup right. So you gather up your fliers, grab your scotch tape and proceed to those brand spanking new bus shelters on Graham Avenue.
Step 3: Be sure said shelter features an advertisement for Kaletra —and for chrissakes place place your canine solicitation out of the view of small children!
This is a family-oriented neighborhood.
Miss Heather
Introducing Fedders Fridays
This week has been a truly hectic one for yours truly. Every day I found myself running here, running there or running damned near everywhere. And as I was doing the aforementioned running around I made a startling discovery: no matter where I happened to find myself Fedders was already there. After giving this disconcerting fact some thought I decided why not honor the legacy (and ubiquity) that is Fedders by featuring a different manifestation of their product every Friday?
This inaugural installment hails Stockholm Street and Evergreen Avenue in Bushwick —a neighborhood bursting at the seams with Fedders goodness.
Just look at those electrical meters and cement. Tres chic!
The artiste who designed this building was even thoughtful enough to put burglar bars over the boxes on the first floor. It’s a good thing too. Not only do they add a certain gulag-esque je nais sais quoi to this domicile, but I for one would get super-pissed if some simpering wannabe stole my Fedders boxes. I’ve heard these bad boys can fetch three figures on the black market…
Miss Heather
Bushwick Photo du Jour: Halsey Street
Filed under: Bushwick
Well alrighty then!
Miss Heather
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