I started seeing you months ago on the way to work. At first it was a coincidence, then I started to look forward to it. Every day, like clockwork, you were there. I got a thrill but I never thought we would actually speak. The more I saw you, the more I was inrigued by you and attracted to you, and when you sat next to me the first time, my legs started to shake…that’s when I knew I had it bad. I swear to you – I am not crazy, I’m a very successful, well-adjusted, attractive woman and though yes, I do have a serious crush on you, it’s quite innocuous and sweet. Just once, I want to talk to you, maybe find out where you’re from, or what you do, or whatever…that would satisfy me. Sure, I fantasize about you tearing my clothes off…but that shouldn’t be a deterrent from you talking to me. Tonight, I mustered all the strength I could to actually speak to you, and it REALLY didn’t go over well, but hey, I had to take a chance. So next time, if I try to talk to you again, give me a chance, okay? I swear, I’m a nice person.
It REALLY didn’t go over well? The next time should be the charm, then.
Comments Off on Disconnected in Brooklyn on Craigslist: I’m Your C Train StalkerTags:Missed Connections
July 22nd, 2007 · Comments Off on Doc Pomus Project @ Celebrate Brooklyn Slideshow
Here’s a slideshow of the excellent Doc Pomus Project show at Celebrate Brooklyn last night (7/21). You can click right over to our flickr set if this doesn’t do it for you.
Comments Off on Doc Pomus Project @ Celebrate Brooklyn SlideshowTags:Celebrate Brooklyn
July 21st, 2007 · Comments Off on The Modern Continues to Improve Life on N. 7th St.: Water, Sewers & Crack Edition
The development known as “The Modern” on N. 7th Street in Williamsburg between Driggs and Roebling continues to be a source of joy to its neighbors. There are serious concerns that it is destabilizing adjoining buildings and that no shoring has been put in place. On Sunday, we took another photo of the way the building is undermining the sidewalk. We were going to run that, until we got this email from a resident about a new problem who says the use of a fire hydrant to supply water for the site has apparently caused a leak and may lead to serious problems. The contractor was asked to stop or to switch to another fire hydrant. He refused, saying that one up the street doesn’t provide enough pressure. (Note to FDNY: If there’s not enough pressure for a construction site, there might not, uh, be enough water pressure if something on the block is going up in flames.) In any case, here’s some of the email:
The photos above are from the front of my home on North 7th St. The Hydrant has been used for eight hours a day since Monday to supply water to a new construction at the Modern Williamsburg up the block. On Wednesday I noticed that water was coming out of a crack in the sidewalk by the gate of my home. I went up the block and asked the Foreman to shut the hydrant.
He refused and stated that they have a permit to use the hydrant. The pictures above were taken about 10 minutes ago. The water is coming out faster than yesterday and there are now two holes forming in the crack that water is coming out of. I did call 311 on Wednesday and I filed a compliant #1679469. I was told the DEP would come out and take care of this problem. So far no DEP, but lots of water.
I now fear that I could get stuck with the bill if this gets any worse…I can get a bill for thousands of dollars because the Contractor up the block has a permit. I could use some help. I don’t have $4,000. and I fear that if this is not resolved, the whole sidewalk could collapse.
We would think it wouldn’t be asking much for the city to do its job on N. 7th Street before this development causes serious problems for the neighbors.
UDPATE: As it turns out, the problem is even worse:
It turns out the machine that the water was being used for busted the sewage line yesterday. We have reps from The D.O.B, D.E.P, Keyspan and Con Edison at the site along with 5 various trucks. Work started at 7am and will go through the day and might go into Sunday if the Sewer line is as badly damaged as a Rep from D.E.P thinks it is. This site has already been given a stop work order for nearly damaging the L train tunnel that is right under the site. As soon as they were allowed to go back to work they damaged the sewer line.
More to come, no doubt.
Comments Off on The Modern Continues to Improve Life on N. 7th St.: Water, Sewers & Crack EditionTags:Construction Issues · Williamsburg
July 21st, 2007 · Comments Off on Gone Again: Greenpoint’s Little Stop Sign That Can’t
Remember that stop sign that was cut down by a traffic accident at the intersection of Green Street and Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, which has been rendered dangerous by construction? Well, it was put back up after it was cut down. And, our Greenpoint correspondent, who sent in the above image, notes that it didn’t even last three days. She writes:
Even though they installed it an additional foot or so away from the street, it didn’t keep someone from taking it out. I think it was up for three days this time. Always endeavor to persevere, I say.
Should be back up any day now.
Comments Off on Gone Again: Greenpoint’s Little Stop Sign That Can’tTags:Signs Under Siege
July 21st, 2007 · Comments Off on Here’s Your Siren Festival Schedule
You don’t need GL to tell you any of this, but in case you’re wondering when which band goes on, here’s the schedule for today’s Siren Festival in Coney Island.
Comments Off on Here’s Your Siren Festival ScheduleTags:coney island
July 21st, 2007 · Comments Off on New Look Kent Avenue: Toll Brothers Update
If you read GL or our work over at Curbed, you know we’ve paid a lot of attention to the Toll Brothers developments on Kent Avenue. (We also have noted their efforts in Gowanus, but those are still in the planning and lobbying stage.) Why the Toll Brothers? Partly because we’re fascinated by the urban building strategy of a company best known for McMansions and partly because theirs are really the first of the luxury developments that will completely changed Kent Avenue. In any case, the photo above shows the current state of progress on Northside Piers, which has gone up astoundingly fast. The one below is, of course, the North 8 Condo, which has featured the “Williamsburg All Grown Up.” marketing theme. It will all be small potatoes at this time next year, when The Edge buildings north of Northside Piers should be nearing completion as should several other projects.
Comments Off on New Look Kent Avenue: Toll Brothers UpdateTags:Developers · Williamsburg
July 21st, 2007 · Comments Off on Check Out a Color Vid of Coney Island in 1944
If you’re fascinated by Coney Island, you’ll love this YouTube vid, which came to our attention thanks to a post on the Coney Island Message Board by New York Dave.
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From one of our readers comes a story of some theft issues in the Gowanus and Park Slope area. We’ll let him explain:
I moved into Park Slope/Gowanus (Degraw between 4th and 5th) in the middle of May and since that time I have had my bike stolen from in front of my Apt (learned to use a U lock) and I just had my car broken into while parking on Degraw just before 3rd between 3rd and 4th. Broke in and stold my GPS that was in the center console…some other random small things including my sons books and toys. A very interesting way to get introduced to the area. I had my GPS mount out which probably tipped them off. I drive a Hundai Sonnata…so it is not particularly fancy. The police were very nice but, of course, even with NYPD CSI taking prints off the car and the metal teapot that they used to smash in the window…not going to really get my GPS back.
Nice touch leaving the teapot behind, as you can see in the actual photo of the actual aftermath above. Our writer adds of the teapot, in fact, “Nice teapot eh? I cleaned it out and will keep it to remember how never to leave anything in my car… and perhaps have a cup of tea.” That’s the Brooklyn spirit.
While we haven’t gotten any reports of sewage geysers erupting in the streets in Gowanus as happened last year during an especially bad rainstorm, we did get these photos from Mirabelle Studios of flooding on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and the Canal. While the flooding has nothing to do with the Canal itself nor with the raw sewage that undoubtedly flowed into it in massive quantities on Wednesday, it does (again) show the tendency of certain spots in the neighborhood to flood. If you have any photos of flooding, sewage geysers or any other storm-related Gowanus issues, do send them along and we’ll put them up.
Here’s a bit of totally gratuitousneighborhood gossip sent to us by a reader. It’s of interest because the building in question is 125 2nd Place in Carroll Gardens. So what, you say? Well, it is the building next door to 360 Smith, the controversial building that would be built by developer Billy Stein and designed by architect Robert Scarano. Our tipster writes:
The unfortunate first house on Second Place next to the proposed 360 Smith street is or was owned by a woman very prominent in Carroll Park. At least, until yesterday. She has been the President of the Committee to Improve Carroll Park. So, the question is, who was her house was sold to ???? (All bets are on Mr. Stein.) She is leaving early August.
The resident in question is Judy Rayner, who has had prominent and productive civic involvement in the community as the President of the Committee to Improve Carroll Park. (The property intrigue aside, she will be greatly missed in the community.) We don’t generally pass on who is selling to whom scuttlebutt, but thought it interesting in this case. Available online property records do not yet show that the property has changed hands or to whom it has been sold, so we must reemphasize that the only solid info we have is the email tip.
July 20th, 2007 · Comments Off on Brooklyn is a Hotel "Haven," But Don’t Tell Anyone A Lot of Them Are in Gowanus
The Brooklyn hotel boomlet gets another dose of publicity with a NY1 story surveying the scene and taking note of the expanded Brooklyn Marriott, the Gowanus Holiday Inn Express, the Gowanus Comfort Inn and the Hotel Le Bleu as evidence of a developing “haven” for “Outer Borough tourists.” (Translation: your mother-in-law from Chicago visiting you in Park Slope that you want to put far enough away that she can’t walk over to the apartment.)
We’ve had our share of fun with these places. It’s not because we don’t believe that Brooklyn should have hotels–everybody needs a place to stow visitors or to, you know, do whatever one goes to a hotel to do. No, it’s the length to which some of these hotels have gone to hide their true location that has caused us great writing joy.
The Holiday Inn, which is so close to the Gowanus that someone with a good arm could get a baseball part of the way there, is the “Park Slope Holiday Inn Express.” The Comfort Inn, as we noted last week, claims proximity to Prospect Park and calls itself the “Comfort Inn Brooklyn Bridge” whereas the only bridge to which it is close is the Union Street one.
From the NY1 report:
“We’re serving a great need in the neighborhood. We have a lot of people for weddings and first-time grandparents coming to the neighborhood, and a lot of people relocating to Brooklyn, as well,” says Comfort Inn Brooklyn general manager Richard Murphy.
Owners say for several nights this week the 104-room hotel was at 100 percent capacity, even though the area is not exactly touristy, with warehouses and city housing nearby.
“Inside the building is where we excel,” says Murphy. “This is where we give our personalized service.”
It had never dawned on us, until this very moment, that a hotel could excel outside the building, but we somewhat understand why he would be motivated to say that.
And, then, there is the Hotel Le Bleu, Gowanus’ first boutique hotel, which is bound to cause more than one tourist to hyperventilate when the pedestrian reality of Fourth Avenue trumps the bucolic online rendering. Le Bleu, as always, promotes le view from le roof. We wonder how many tourists are going to dig the Gowanus panorama as much as, say, us?
Comments Off on Brooklyn is a Hotel "Haven," But Don’t Tell Anyone A Lot of Them Are in GowanusTags:Gowanus · Hotels
We figured that this summer Friday is as good a day as any to bring an updated view of Karl Fischer Row (aka Bayard Street) from a different angle. That would be Ikon in the foreground, with the Thing on Top (of which we are not admirers) making slow progress. (Is it just us or has construction been painfully slow?)
July 20th, 2007 · Comments Off on How to Do a Building Rehab, Catch Some Z’s & Fight Acid Reflux
140 Scholes Street is going through a heavy duty rehab, presumably to emerge as luxe condos or apartments. Our Greenpoint correspondent caught this moment of sleeping on an angle sufficient enough to combat a serious acid reflux problem. She also caught some of other conditions on Scholes should you be inclined to check in on the state of things.
Comments Off on How to Do a Building Rehab, Catch Some Z’s & Fight Acid RefluxTags:East Williamsburg
July 20th, 2007 · Comments Off on Displaced Tenants of Greenpoint Building to Protest
We received an email that the tenants of 202 Franklin Street in Greenpoint are planning a “Vigil Against Harassment and Displacement!” on Tuesday (7/24) from 6PM to 7:30PM. The rent-stabilized tenants were displaced three years ago by a fire and have been frustrated in their efforts to return. The email says:
The landlords, Franklin Global Realty, have refused to make any repairs despite a court order, and an agreement with HPD. They continue to drag out the court proceedings and offer buyouts the tenants, hoping to vacate this valuable site to build more luxury condos…We need to make an example of this building to prevent other landlords from assuming that they can vacate buildings and displace long time residents who have a legal right to return to their homes!
There a blog/website up about the Greenpoint fight if you want to check it out. Back in January, the group held a vigil to protest treatment of the displacement tenants by the landlord.
Something–we’re not sure what–tells us this is a very lost cause. But here goes:
