Ask A Greenpointer Asks You

November 2, 2007 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

Apollo Cleaners, 1019 Manhattan Avenue

Recently we were posited a question which (frankly) I am not qualified to answer*. Here it is:

I just moved to town and I have no idea where to find a good tailor! I am all thumbs when it comes to sewing or else I would do it myself. Please help!

-Short girl with long pants.

I bounced this query off my buddy over at 11222 and she conceded that just about any dry cleaner here could probably do a job as simple as hemming pants. She’s probably right. However,  I have met people who could break an anvil if given the chance, so I thought it would be a good idea to put this question up for you, dear readers, to answer. If you know of an especially competent tailor in this neighborhood, please help this Garden Spot newbie out and post it in the comments.

Thanks!

Miss Heather

P.S.: On a related note, the laundromat at the corner of Green Street and Manhattan Avenue has changed names and hours. It is now called “Apollo Express” and is open 24 hours.

*I do my own alterations. Been sewing since I was 15.

157 Green Street: Fedderized!

November 2, 2007 ·
Filed under: Articles of Fedderization, Greenpoint Magic 

I have been remiss in sharing the following masterpiece with you, dear readers. Thankfully, the international coalition of imbeciles working on the facade of said property Thursday night (they were cutting marble with a saw) was just the reminder I needed!

Question: What happens when an otherwise unremarkable four story building on a less than spectacular block is sold to someone with a lot of money and no taste whatsoever?

157 West Street

It gets Fedderized, that’s what! Over the last year I have watched (and listened to) this building evolve from a mildly tatty, but more or less intact four story tenement to the poster child for the prevention of Fedderization. Let’s take a closer look at its, a-hem, amenities, shall we?

1. A front door better suited to grace the entrance of a topless bar.

Front Door

In keeping with the class the aforementioned adult establishments exude, the first floor of this building is sheathed in…

Marble

2. black marble. Wow, it really spices up this frumpy chateau! So much so you can barely notice…

First Floor, 157 Green Street

3. the rolling steel door to the right. Why can I not shake the feeling that some wise guy got whacked behind one of these doors? Is it the marble? The garish chrome entranceway? The rolling shutters? Or…

Sucko Stucco

4. the two tone institutional gray stucco juxtaposed with a baby shit beige fire escape?

I just can’t pin it down. Regardless, I think this building should win a Lifetime Achievement Award and be inducted into the Fedderist Hall of Fame. Ordinarily one would have to schlep all the way out to Flushing to see a building this ugly.

Mazel tov!

Miss Heather

Birds on a Wire

November 1, 2007 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

Flight

Perhaps I am simply slow on the uptake, but I have noticed that a flock of the above birds has taken to roosting on the phone lines of Manhattan Avenue lately. I am not complaining or anything mind you, I think they’re neat.

Birds on a wire

Besides, if the above pigeon seems A-OK with sharing this stretch of prime sitting space with this chubby little yellow companion, I say he (or she) stays.

Thoughts, anyone?

Miss Heather

Booty Call: #6 of the Greenpoint 10 is…

November 1, 2007 ·
Filed under: Dung of the Day, Greenpoint Magic, Other Shit 

the pimp-a-licious Stuporintendent of the Astral Apartments.

Bedbug Arms

Wishing to pay homage, I swung by Chez T & A yesterday. It would appear the critter problem at 74 India Street is alive and kicking biting.

Never mind the mushrooms.

Damn the bedbugs.

Sometimes a hardworking man (with a hard-on) needs to take pictures of half nekkid women to blow off steam.

Putting the Ass in Astral

How can fixing shit stand a chance when one can watch two hot chicks pretend to suck face instead? And badly at that.

Bad news Astral dude: Japan cornered the market on school girl lesbo shit a long time ago. I should know: I have volumes of it. I only read the articles*, lest any of you are wondering.

Which brings me to this week’s very sucky motivational poster.

Astral Asshole

Don’t let the bedbugs bite!

Miss Heather

*This is a joke. I cannot read Japanese.

Crappy— In More Ways Than One!

October 31, 2007 ·
Filed under: Bum Shit, Dung of the Day, Greenpoint Magic, Other Shit 

It’s been awhile since I have seen me some super shitty construction fences, so this morning I moseyed on down to West Street to get my fix. I was not disappointed.

Fence, Kent and West Street

The above fence can be seen at the southwestern corner of West and Kent Street.

C’mon In!

Here’s a nice shot of the hole in the fence.

Garbage

Next to it resides this festering pile of garbage.

Sidewalk Crack

The sidewalk in front of this fence has a nice crack…

Have a nice day

as did the gent taking a shit behind it. I don’t know what the hell this guy ate, but I could smell the Ghost of Dinner Past* over fifteen feet away.

In closing I would like to state that I prefer to envision the glass as being half full. This site is not a public safety hazard: it is an al fresco public lavatory. Don’t laugh, it’s probably cleaner than the women’s crapper at McGolrick Park.

Maybe I should call the CRACK PROS?

Miss Heather

*Or would that be the Ghost of SHITmas Past?

Halloween Decorations du Jour: Holy Shit on Humboldt Street

October 31, 2007 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

Earlier this week I received an email tip from a newbie New York Shitty reader named Ben. He wrote:

Hi Miss Heather —

I stumbled upon your blog a few weeks ago, and I really enjoy it (I’m a Greenpoint resident myself, formerly Diamond Street, currently Jewel).

Apologies if you’ve covered this already and I’ve somehow missed it, but there are absolutely phenomenal Halloween decorations at 652 Humboldt — a massive top-to-bottom display of all kinds of crazy stuff. I’m sure some pictures of it would look great on the blog…

Ben

Well, I walked down there yesterday to check it out. I forgot the exact address, but then again I didn’t really need it. Even at a distance it was pretty obvious which house he was talking about.

The Welcoming Committee

I have said time and time again that Greenpoint is the coolest fucking place in the universe. And I every time I have said this I have meant it. The disbelievers among you who wonder why anyone would feel this way about the Garden Spot need only behold the following photograph. It pretty much says it all.

Hurling on Humboldt

These folks managed to outfit this most unhappy chap with a pump so he vomits a continuous stream of blood into a barrel. Could you imagine what would happen if someone installed such a thing in Park Slope? There’d be a fucking riot, that’s what!

Navy Seals would have to be brought in to extract all wadded up panties out of the sanctimonious ass cracks of stroller moms block by block. It would be chaos. Total and utter chaos. Sort of like Compton —except with a lot of rich white people brandishing attorneys instead of Uzis.

Haunted House on Humboldt

Yes, there really is a house underneath all this stuff. I can honestly say this is the most mind-blowing Halloween display I have ever seen. It literally left me speechless.

The previous photographs do not do this masterpiece justice. Those of you who have the means really should check this out in person. It is unbeFUCKINGlievable. Or, you can click here and check out my Flickr photo set. Take my word for it: it’ll be the coolest waste of your employer’s time you’re going to find on the Internets today.

Happy Halloween!

Miss Heather

Nappytime at 158 India Street

October 30, 2007 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

It’s been awhile since I paid my pals over at 158 India Street a visit, so I swung by today at 1:30 p.m. to see what’s shaking. Little did I know it would be nappytime for the chaps of Biltmore Contracting.

Nappytime!

So if any of you, dear readers, happen to walk down India Street today, please keep the noise down. Even rough and tumble construction workers need their beauty sleep.

Miss Heather

It Happened, Folks!

October 30, 2007 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has given the initial go ahead for the Eberhard Faber Historic District! Here’s the scoop from Brownstoner.

Miss Heather

Halloween Photos du Jour: Russell Street Extravaganza

October 30, 2007 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

77 Russell

Mere photographs hardly do justice to today’s selection of Greenpoint Halloween decoration goodness.

77 Russell Street 2

The location is 77 Russell Street.

Greenpoint Terrier

And the Greenpoint Retriever on the premises commands you to come. Obey him.

Miss Heather

A Very Greenpoint Ghost Story

October 30, 2007 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

Russell Street Mad Man

In keeping with this week’s Halloween theme, I have selected a very special tale from Greenpoint’s past to share today. It involves a seance gone very, very wrong. From the November 10, 1923 edition of the New York Times, I present to you a ghost story that could only happen in the Garden Spot.

11/10/23 NYTimes

Some people might be afraid of ghosts, but we Greenpointers aren’t. We’ll even walk right up and bite them.

Miss Heather

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