Greenburg Slide Show Du Jour: Blizzard!

As promised, here is are some highlights of from my sojourn in the snow. It was nice to see kids (of all ages) out having fun. I regret to inform everyone no snow phalluses have been erected in McCarren Park— yet. But hope springs eternal and the day is still young. Enjoy!

And on that note, dear readers, I am off to take a nice HOT bath!

Miss Heather

McCarren Park Photos Du Jour: Meet The Meat!

Ever since I shared the good news about the hunk o’ mystery meat at McCarren Park I have received a number of inquiries from folks horrified, amused and everything in between. All had more or less the same question on his/her mind:

What the hell is that?

I have been asking myself this very same question. So I put on my coat and headed down to investigate the matter personally. I go the extra mile for my readers.

I am pleased to announce that as of 12:16 p.m. today this curious culinary item is still there!

It measures exactly ten inches long…

and appears to have once belonged to a sea animal of some kind in cow or bull’s mouth (see comments).  Yummy.

Miss Heather

New York Shitty Day Starter: Park Of The Month!

Many of you are probably not aware that our very own McCarren Park has been chosen by the New York City’s Parks Department as January’s  “Park of the Month”! Follows is the press release announcing the good news from the Park’s Department web site:

McCarren Park has been named January’s Park of the Month. Bordered by Nassau Avenue, Bayard, Leonard and North 12th Streets, McCarren Park has been providing endless recreation opportunities for people in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint areas of Brooklyn for more than 100 years. The nearly 36-acre park is a gathering place for the community, with space for kickball, soccer, bocce, handball, basketball, football and tennis, along with running tracks, walking paths and playgrounds for children.

“For more than a century, Brooklyn families have treasured McCarren Park’s infinite opportunities for fun and relaxation,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “Thanks to the continued involvement and dedication of neighborhood residents and community groups, McCarren Park is benefitting from many recent improvements, with the additional support of our public-private partnership with the Open Space Alliance of Greenpoint/Williamsburg. A ‘rad’ new skate park and a restored pool are among the major initiatives to ensure that the park remains the recreational hub of Greenpoint and Williamsburg for many years to come.”

A sweet skate park, complete with steps, ramps, wedges, cheekwalls, pyramids and combination ledge obstacle, was completed in October 2009. Funded with over $800,000 from a DEC grant, the City Council and Mayor Bloomberg, it allows Brooklyn skateboarders to practice their ollies, grinds and other tricks, while trying not to slam on the concrete.

This winter ground was also broken at McCarren Pool as a part of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiative. The original McCarren Pool was a majestic New Deal-era structure with huge arches and enough space for 6,800 swimmers, but it was closed in 1984 after almost 50 years of use. With the leadership of Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Julius Spiegel, Community Board 1, and a $50 million allocation from Mayor Bloomberg, McCarren Pool will again bring refreshment to the hot summer months beginning in 2012.

McCarren Park was named after Patrick Henry McCarren, a Cambridge, Massachusetts native who went to school in Williamsburg. After working as a cooper along the waterfronts, McCarren turned his attention to politics, soon rising through the Brooklyn Democratic Party to win election to the State Assembly in 1881 and the State Senate in 1889. Following McCarren’s death in 1909, the site previously known as Greenpoint Park, was renamed after him.

Major renovations transformed McCarren Park in the 1910s, including the construction of a running track that transformed into an ice skating rink in the winter, tennis courts, a platform for dancing, play equipment for children and fields for baseball, football and soccer. Brooklyn’s first children’s farm garden opened on the site in 1914 where “little farmers” grew radishes, beets, carrots, beans, onions, lettuce and corn. Around the same time, the garden’s “Farm House” was used by clubs and church groups as a social meeting place.

Renovations at McCarren Park are still continuing today to modernize the park and turn it into the pride and joy of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Not only is the pool being restored to its original glory, but in March 2008, Parks installed $920,000 worth of night lights over the soccer field to extend playable hours. May 2006 marked the completion of an entrance garden named after Thomas Stofka, the late Director of Brooklyn Forestry. In 2005, Parks renovated the running track, while replacing the worn out dust bowl with a synthetic turf soccer field.

Park of the Month introduces some of our greatest parks and recreation centers to curious New Yorkers and visitors alike. Visit www.nyc.gov/parks for more information about McCarren Park and an archive for past featured parks.

My buddy Queens Crap (who brought the above corker to my attention) writes:

Who writes this shit?

I don’t know, but it is apparent this is the handiwork of someone who has not been to McCarren Park. There are a number of lovely parks in New York City. McCarren is not one of them. But this is not to suggest this public space does not have its singularly unique charm. CASE IN POINT: the following item which was found there on Super Bowl Sunday by Orange Genius. It is entitled “WTF?!?”

The Mister: What is that?
Me: A piece of meat.
The Mister: What kind of meat?
Me: I dunno. Mystery meat. It appears to be wrapped in newspaper. It kind of reminds of something from the Godfather.
The Mister: Maybe it’s the Park’s Department press release?

Miss Heather

New York Shitty Day Ender: Presenting The Williamsburg Stroller Patrol

D (who I presume to the founder of this, north Brooklyn’s newest blog) writes:

Hi Heather,

A fellow mom had sent me your post on tips from the NYPD. I re-posted it. Hope that is okay with you. There has been so many problems with the car services and crimes in the last few weeks that I started the blog in hopes of keeping our moms safe. A nanny was hit by the dog run over by McCarren recently and that was (one) of the last straws. If you could suggest to your readers who live in Brooklyn to email us with any complaints/tips I would really appreciate it. Thank you!

I am neither a mother nor a nanny but this blog does touch upon something I take very seriously: pedestrian safety. I suspect we all, parental units or otherwise, can agree the increased traffic in north Brooklyn can be a nuisance at best, downright deadly at worst. It has been my observation that car services and cabs tend to be the most problematic. In any case, here’s the mission statement of the Williamsburg Stroller Patrol for those who are interested— or simply curious:

We are part of a Brooklyn Mom group who have started this blog in order to be informed on a daily basis if necessary on how to keep our families safe. A number of us have had huge problems with cars not stopping as we have been walking with our babies or young children. After calling the car services and having our concerns treated with rudeness we decided to start this blog. We will report on everything concerning neighborhood safety. What car services are great for us moms, which car services are not and even the car number.They will not receive our service or patronage. Also, we’ll share what streets have had problems with violence. This is a community blog. Please feel free to email us with your post and it will be posted as soon as we receive it. Our goal is for this blog to be about a daily (if necessary) watchdog communication for us mothers.

Any and all tips and/or complaints for the Williamsburg Stroller Patrol should be sent via email to: wbstrollerpatrol (at) gmail (dot) com.

God speed and good luck, Williamsburg mothers. This crazy cat lady in Greenpoint has your back!

Miss Heather

From The New York Shitty Inbox: A Very Special Request

As you can probably imagine I receive a number of very interesting requests in my inbox. Methinks this one (which arrived this morning) may very well take the cake. It comes a graduate student no less. He/she writes:

My name is (excised) and I’m a grad student at the Pratt Institute (Environmental Management Systems) enrolled in a “Solid Waste Management” class. Our coursework involves creating a “zero waste” plan for McCarren Park. As an initial step we’re attempting to inventory and classify sources of waste in the park, and one of those sources is of course doggy poo. I’m working with my colleague (excised), who is copied on this email.

We’d like to come up with an estimate how much volume of dog poo we’re dealing with. Do you have any sense of how many “hits” this dog park gets on an average day? Do know someone who might have any helpful stats on this?

Thanks in advance for any info you might be willing to share.

Yes this site was initially premised on the dog shit problem on my community. But— in this is a big but— over the (almost) four years I have operated New York Shitty, its subject matter has expanded tremendously. I rarely feature dog doo on this site anymore (with the occasional exception of charmers like the one gracing the beginning of this post which I recently found on Berry Street. The hearts are a nice touch.). I am simply too busy. What’s more, I have better things to do than count turds. Especially in sub-freezing weather.

Nonetheless, I want to be helpful. I too was a graduate student once. Granted, I never had to aggregate turds— but I sculpted quite a few. A number of them were quite convincing. To this end I have forwarded this person’s request to a few folks I suspect will be in the know. I would also like input from you, my readers. How much dog shit do you think is in McCarren Park on any given day? You can tender your estimate via comments or email at: missheather (at) thatgreenpointblog (dot) com. I will forward your responses.

I thank you in advance for your immediate attention to this matter.

Miss Heather

Williamspoint Videos Du Jour: McCarren Park Mirth

If what I saw at McCarren Park earlier today is any indication (giant snow penis notwithstanding) there was much fun to be had by creatures, be they bipeds or otherwise, as a result of yesterday’s blizzard!

Miss Heather

Williamspoint Photos Du Jour: Presenting The Snowmen of North Brooklyn

(with a decided emphasis on “men”)

Since the sun was out and the weather was too terribly blustery, the Mister and I went for walk. Our reasons for doing so were two-fold:

  1. To get out the apartment.
  2. To peruse the snow creations of our fellow Williamspointers.

To this end we headed to McCarren Park without delay. We were not disappointed.

snowman

This old school model can be found near the Lorimer Street entrance.

snowman2

This lovely specimen can be found a little further afield. The collar is an inspired touch.

snowman3

It’s a tough job being a snowman. Hence why it is nice to take a load off and sit a spell!

bedford

Although a bit primitive, I found this fella (which hails from Bedford Avenue) curiously compelling.

pgallery

This gaggle of snow creatures hails from 979 Lorimer Street.

pgallery2

I met the trio of very creative lasses behind this assemblage of snow critters, which they entitled “The Peanut Gallery”. They were quite nice.

pgallery3

What is it about the mixing of Halloween and Christmas imagery this year? I don’t know— but I like it!

jabba

And last— but hardly least— a little something for the ladies.

snowpenis

I know what you’re thinking:

Is this (which is located a stone’s throw from the women’s “comfort station” at McCarren Park) what I think it is?

snowpenis2

Affirmative. Although this person’s command of male anatomy is a bit inaccurate, the point definitely got across. Much to the amusement of passersby.

snowpenis3

Here’s a close up.

snowpenis4

And here it is after a minor refinement.

Miss Heather

Williamspoint Photos Du Jour: Old School, Part II

Associated FoodNYS

For your delectation this chilly Saturday afternoon here is a second installment of vintage photographs from Greenpoint and Williamsburg as culled from my collection. Among the treats in store are a number of wonderful photographs from Manhattan Avenue, the Green Oaks Club and Peter Pan Bakery; and a shot of our very own State Representative Joseph Lentol looking incredibly stylish. Enjoy!

Note: as an added bonus I tossed in some printed material. It is a document outlining the proposed changes and upgrades to be made at McCarren Park. Be sure to view the accompanying map at full size. It’s a hoot!

Miss Heather

UPDATE, 9:40 p.m.: It has been brought to my attention that the rather handsome chap at far left wearing “earth shoes” is none other than Community Board 1’s very own manager, Gerry Esposito!

Williamspoint Photos Du Jour: Santa Invasion at McCarren Park!

santa 1

santa 2

santa 3

santa 4

Tony (who sent me the above photographs) writes:

Hopefully some NYS readers will send you better pix from the Santa chaos in our hood this morning.

Indeed. Anyone know what this is (was?) about? If so, please share via the comments. I’m dying to know!

Miss Heather

Williamspoint Slide Show Du Jour: Old School

PartytimeNYS

This weekend yours truly has been getting caught up on a few things I have been meaning to do, but have never gotten around to doing. One of these tasks has been organizing, scanning and uploading my collection of photographs from Williamspoint of yesteryear (such as the rather awesome one which graces the beginning of this post). I am proud to announce that I have begun this arduous process. Follows is a slide show featuring what I have processed so far. Enjoy!

As the previous sentence indicates, I am far from done with this project. You can anticipate more great old pictures in the (hopefully) near future! Tomorrow I will be featuring another slide show of some of my photographs taken in Williamspoint from 2001-2004 B.C. (before the real estate crash). Boy, how things have changed!

Miss Heather

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