Bushwick Inlet Watch: Progress

This weekend the Mister and I took his parents to Pop’s Clothing— and in so doing I stumbled upon a most pleasant surprise.

oct3

The owner of this property has begun removing all the overgrowth and garbage. Sort of.

trash

The box with the dead rat is still there.

critter

And now he has a friend! I made it a point this out to my mother and father in law. When I brought the sorry state of Bushwick Inlet up with the owner of Pop’s he had a number of interesting observations to share. Among them:

  1. This is a chronic problem.
  2. He was once almost ticketed for littering when he attempted to clean up this property (because he couldn’t take it anymore). He was told in no uncertain terms that he cannot mow his neighbor’s yard.
  3. There is a homeless encampment on this site.

Sure enough, he was right.

tent

Curious to see if the clean-up at Bushwick Inlet was a fluke (or a figment of my imagination) I returned yesterday to see what’s shaking.

bwickinlet

Sure enough, they had cleared a little more. At this (glacial) pace I imagine they’ll be done in a week.

boxofun

The “box-o-fun” is still there— as is the dead rat. Albeit a little worse for wear.

deadthing

Yummy.

Miss Heather

*Which was recently the subject of a story by Aaron Short. I strongly recommend you read it.

A New York Shitty Love Connection

CORNrowanTHUMBSome of you might have gathered from the preponderance of non-Greenpoint content of late that I have been lurking our fair city. This is because my inlaws are in town and they want to see the sights, sounds, and yes, SMELLS of the Big Apple during their brief stay.* Fortunately I have my good friend Rowan and Crappy to keep me in an “outer borough” state of mind.

It all started with a corn stalk (which can be seen at left). My inlaws happen to reside in Iowa. Corn is very common there. Corn is not, however, very common in Greenpoint (which is where this stalk was found). More specifically it was found on Bushwick Inlet between North 14 Street and North 15 Street: an ill-kept, trash ridden sidewalk which sits atop brownfield.

I found this fascinating. Enough so to write a post about it. A week later I walked by only to discover that someone had killed the corn— and the cobs were nowhere to be found.

Rowan (who provided the above photograph) wrote on September 28, 2009:

Saturday evening, around 6:30pm, I decided to check the corn plant. It’s broken in two. Photos to come, but I’m a bit sad that someone destroyed it. Also the Marlboro packet was still there.

To wit I replied:

I noticed that today. Even more frightening is the corn appears to have been taken. Presumably someone ate it. YIKES!

This morning I had the pleasure of moderating Rowan’s rebuttal:

Someone’s going to have very toxic corn poops.

Shortly thereafter I received an ominous email from Queens Crap. It read as follows:

Do you, in your vast annals of dog shit photos, happen to have one that’s laden with corn? If not, you will when I get home from work tonight.

I replied that I did not have such a find in my “vast annals”. Follows is Crappy’s reply:

You won’t be disappointed.

I wasn’t.

corncrap

This delightful artifact was found at the intersection of DeKalb and Cypress Avenue in Ridgewood. It is proof positive that my buddy across the creek knows blue chip crap when he finds it.

Yummy.

Miss Heather

*And they most, assuredly have. They walked by the Newtown Creek Waste Treatment Plant on Thursday afternoon and partook of a particularly fragrant subway ride today.

New York Shitty Day Ender: Brownfield Farms?

On Labor Day I posted an item entitled (appropriately enough) Happy Labor Day From New York Shitty. Among the scenic points of interest I pointed out to my fellow Greenpointers was Bushwick Inlet…

pandorasbox

and this dead rat. This was several weeks ago. Not only is the dead rat box still there, but more garbage has accumulated and the weeds have overgrown the sidewalk to a point where pedestrians are taking their chances on the bike lane nowadays.

Kentatn14

The owner of this property, Motiva, also has holdings on Paidge Avenue. For some inexplicable reason those facilities there are better maintained.

Perhaps my buddy, fellow Greenpointer and New York Shitty contributor, Rowan, offers an explanation: they’re trying to go green on brownfield.

RowanCORN1nys

They’re starting a farm. Rowan writes (in regards to the above photograph):

Yes. A lone corn plant.

CORNrowanNYS

I couldn’t believe it. Is this really corn?

Hell if I know. Can anyone out there verify if discarded Marlboro containers and dead rats make good compost in a brownfield? Is this a halfhearted attempt to restore some much needed greenery to The Garden Spot of the Universe? A foray into alternative fuel? Or simply a public nuisance?

Miss Heather

New York Shitty Day Ender: Sunset

binlet

From Bushwick Inlet.

Miss Heather

Happy Labor Day From New York Shitty!

The sun’s out, the weather is pleasantly mild. I cannot think of a better place to while away this Labor Day than a nice walk along the Greenpoint’s waterfront.

pleasedie

(Java Street)

pandorasbox

deadrat

(Kent Avenue)

Or not. A half-eaten sandwich and a dead rat covered with flies are but a fraction of the delights which await you if you decide to visit Greenpoint’s waterfront.

detritus

Is it detritus you seek? Kent Avenue has it in spades!

sidewalk

But if you’re looking for a little Greenpoint greenery you’ll be hard-pressed to find it anywhere else.

north14

Who needs parks when we have this?

cup

Although a discarded styrofoam cup sort of defeats the message. You know, after all this walking and tea quaffing I need to go to the bathroom. Methinks I will head over to Kent Street.

econohead

It looks like they have locked up the Econoheads. Damn.

community

Oh wait, here’s a toilet…

bathroom

and it is even appointed with a sink— very nice! On August 13, 2009 The Brooklyn Paper published an article entitled “Gates of Wrath”. Follow are a couple of quotes from this tome.

Greenpoint continues to have virtually no access to its waterfront and [proposed] parks are still years away from completion… These street ends, once fully open, accessible, and clean, will provide the community with three desperately needed waterfront havens. — David Yassky, City Councilman* for the 33rd District & Candidate For City Comptroller

10kentst

“It might just be a crumbling street end, but people are eager to get down there and be by the water. — Stephanie Thayer, Parks Employee and Executive Director For Open Space Alliance North Brooklyn.

detail2

Only the best for Greenpoint.

Miss Heather

P.S.: To see some late summer rodent love— East Village style— click here. Trust me: it’s worth it.

*Who has been in office since 2001 and is just now “noticing” what anyone who has lived here for a year knows all too well. Way to go, Sherlock-fucking-Holmes.

Greenpoint Photo Du Jour: Low Tide

May 10, 2009 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

binlet

From Franklin Street.

Miss Heather

Dog Doo Sign Du Jour: Have Sharpie, Will Travel

April 6, 2009 ·
Filed under: Dog Shit Signage, Greenpoint Magic 

pickupyourdogshit

Although this is not a sign per se, I have to confess that I like this person’s moxie. This missive a la Sharpie Marker hails from Franklin Street just north of Bushwick Inlet. A locality that anyone Greenpointer worth his (or her) salt will attest is a rather popular place for errant pet owners to leave their dog bombs. Well done, dog shit vigilante!

Miss Heather

Greenpoint Photo Du Jour: Monday, Monday

April 6, 2009 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic 

bushwick-inlet-nys

From Bushwick Inlet.

Miss Heather

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