Every now and then in our wanderings, we come across something unexpected and, um, interesting. So it is with this next item, which caught the attention of the adolescent side of our brain with the title “Pop a Squat.” It’s from a myspace entry posted by someone named Jenny. Here goes (verbatim):
So on my way home from work the other day I saw something rather disturbing. I was walking down Smith Street and I saw a typical looking park slope Momand her two young girls standing on the side of the street. As i came closer to them I saw the mom standing over her little girl who was probably around 2/3. The little girl was sitting on a bucket with a plastic bag in it trying to pee! The mom said to her other little daughter, who was wandering away a bit, come here honey Julie is going to go pee pee! I was extremely uncomfortable with this. I mean maybe I’m being too critical but to pull out a port-o-potty on the street (a crowd main street no less) so you’re daughter can pee seems wrong to me. Is this what happens when you potty train kids? I feel like if it was an emergency she could have walked into any of the restaurants on the street and they would have let her use their bathroom. I mean already feel weird about dogs pissing all over the streets now we have little kids doing it too.
Interesting questions. While we’re always happy to poke fun at Park Slope Moms, how do we know the mom whose child was peeing in a bucket on Smith Street was a Sloper? Maybe we don’t know the telltale signs, but to us, a Park Slope Mom and a Carroll Gardens Mom and a Cobble Hill Mom on Smith Street would all have a kind of similar look. Which leaves the question of children peeing in the street, regardless of neighborhood of origin.
September 27th, 2006 · Comments Off on A Short Greenpoint Oil Spill Primer
Since the “Community Update” on the Greenpoint Oil Spill and the testing confirming benezene, methane and other fun things under the ground is tonight (Wed. 9/27), we thought this would be a nice day to rehash some facts about the spill so large it makes the Exxon Valdez spill look on the small side. The Greenpoint spill left at least 17 million gallons of “petroleum products” (and some say as many as 30 million gallons) beneath Greenpoint. The spill dates back to the 1950s, though it was only “discovered” in 1978 when the oily sheen was noticed on Newtown Creek, the body of water that separates Brooklyn and Queens. The original tanks that leaked belonged to companies that are now Exxon Mobil, BP and Chevron Texaco. The trouble dates to a time when 23,000 gallons a day of gasoline and other products were refined along the banks of Newtown Creek.
For nearly two decades, nothing was done while the toxic plume–containing carcinogenic benzene, explosive methane and other substances–spread under Greenpoint. Since 1995, Exxon has removed about half the spilled oil, but at the current pace, it will take another two decades to clean up the rest of the spill. The current furor dates to the revelations about the 20-year time frame for the cleanup that was made public earlier this year.
No one even knows the full extent fo the spread of the plume, according to Riverkeeper, which filed a suit against Exxon Mobil in 2004 to force a faster cleanup. It is believed the plume is migrating in the general direction of Long Island City, and oil is still leaking into Newtown Creek. The recent testing that confirmed the presence of benzene and explosive methane was done as a result of the Riverkeep lawsuit.
A half-century after the original spill, Brooklyn’s equivalent of Love Canal has also gained enough traction in the press to finally attract the attention of a multitude of state officials. Excellent background stories on the full extent of the mess and the decades of inaction are available via a Block Magazine article, a nice summary story in the Brooklyn Rail and another good roundup from this spring in the Village Voice. There is a good, well-maintained directory of major news articles about the spill here at greenpointvexxon.com. And, if you’re interested in tons of original documents and PDFs, the Department of Environmental Conservation has a massive “Greenpoint Petroleum Remediation Project” website.
Tonight’s meeting is at 7:00 at the Princess Manor at 92 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint.
Meantime, here’s our food for thought of the day: How is it that a 17 million gallon oil spill that happened 50 years ago is only half cleaned up and that testing of toxic vapors in people’s homes is only being done today?
Note the containment boom in the photo below, which was taken on Newtown Creek near the original site of the spill.
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September 27th, 2006 · Comments Off on Brooklyn Runner Hits First Milestone
We’ve been terrible about linking to Gary Jarvis, AKA Runs Brooklyn, who is one of our favorite Brooklyn bloggers. Gary, you might remember, set the ambitious goal of running every street in our borough and has been blogging about it since Spring while taking excellent photos of nabe highlights during his runs.
While we were comatose, Gary hit the one-quarter mark last week and published his “Quarterly Report.” Congratulations!
Gary writes:
Over the last few months I’ve really seen a lot of Brooklyn. I’ve been through most neighborhoods at least once (though I haven’t yet run in some of the micro-neighborhoods near downtown like DUMBO or Vinegar Hill, nor have I been to the gated community of Seagate, which is on the western tip of Coney Island), and there are several — Gravesend, Bath Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Bensonhurst, Marine Park — which I’m within a couple of runs of finishing up. I have, thus far, concentrated on the southern third or so of the borough, which explains why I’ve seen so much of Gravesend and so little of, say, Clinton Hill. As I’ve noted here before, this is a pretty deliberate move which means a lot of long subway rides now, but which I’m hoping will begin to pay dividends in the winter, when I can start piling on the miles a lot closer to home.
So far, Gary has done 54 runs for a total of 476.91 miles or 436.57 “unique miles” as he counts them.
His runs are outlined above in orange on the map, which is available in larger size on his blog.
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September 27th, 2006 · Comments Off on Why We Love Red Hook
We love Red Hook, and one of the things we truly like about the nabe is that it retains some of its flavor despite the encroachment of some popular restaurants and, of course, the big Fairway. We posted the top photo over at Curbed yesterday, but figured we’d share here too, along with this bottom photo, which is a sign a few feet down the street tacked up by the same person. We were told the sign has been ripped down by either city workers or Con Ed, but that a new one was put right back up. The fort that was once in Red Hook was called Fort Defiance, after all.
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To:Atlantic Yards Opponents From:Gowanus Lounge RE:Appearance of Split in the Opposition
Just thought we’d say a few words, because we’ve noticed that the debut of BrooklynSpeaks has raised a few hackles in the anti-Atlantic Yards camp. We’re guessing that this has made for a couple of ha-ha’s around the water cooler at Forest City Ratner.
We only have one thing to say: Can’t we all just get along?
Not that you need us to tell you, but one of the most politically and financially powerful groups of politicians, developers and business leaders we’ve seen in recent years is pushing the Atlantic Yards project through before anyone can do anything to stop or change it. Relatively speaking, those fighting to block or change the project are doing so with comparatively few resources and almost no powerful friends in the political establishment. Perhaps you noticed that the City Planning Commission only called for a modest 8 percent reduction in the project yesterday and is okay with the height of Miss Brooklyn? Division in the ranks is the last thing that Brooklyn needs right now. As for you, BrooklynSpeaks, we’d take you to task for jumping in so late in the process and introducing extra confusion, but you’ve already done so, so what’s the point?
We personally respect and admire all of those trying to work changes in Atlantic Yards. Some of you are personally courageous in standing up for your beliefs. In a world in which principles are often disposable, we have deep resepct for that kind of dedication. Some of you have deep neighborhood roots and a burning concern for the direction in which Brooklyn is going. Still others, have had an impact on mulitple public issues and a role in protecting quality of life around New York City.
The truth is, we’re depressed that you didn’t try to work this out privately and didn’t come up with a division of labor, at it were, on Atlantic Yards before this all went public. But, it’s not too late. It would be for the best if everyone involved in trying to shape the outcome of this fight were to hash out their differences and divide up the work.
How? Well, BrooklynSpeaks ought to acknowledge that eminent domain is not an appropriate tool for developing Atlantic Yards, even if it’s politically simpler to ignore the issue. Legal action to block Atlantic Yards on the basis of eminent domain and other issues is entirely appropriate and BrooklynSpeaks ought to support those efforts. That turf, however, is best left to Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn and its supporters.
We do think it’s valuable to push for signficant changes in the project, including a redesign with significant public input, as a fallback. This is necessary for the public good, should the legal strategy not stop the development. To do otherwise, will be to leave Brooklyn with a massive, unchanged project. Atlantic Yards will or won’t be built. If it is built–because the political and judicial decks were stacked–Brooklyn will be somewhat less of a nightmare with a five million square foot project than an eight million square foot one, and Miss Brooklyn will be less offensive vis a vis Prospect Heights if it’s 15 stories less tall.
Who are we to say any of this? Just a dumb blogger with a somewhat informed opinion who finds the squabbling at this late date and at this critical juncture a little demoralizing. It’s late in the fourth quarter, the two-minute warning’s sounded, you’re behind 17-14 and you need a field goal to tie and a touchdown to win. This is not the time for the quarterbacks to get into a fistfight on the sidelines over who’s playing on the next drive.
Please sit down and work this out, and come out with a united front.
When last we heard from Brooklyn Bridge Park it was summer and Sen. Hillary Clinton had said she opposed the building of luxury condos in conjunction with the proposed development, then beat a hasty retreat. In late summer, the very respected Project for Public Spaces, put the project in its Hall of Shame and placed a scathing critique on its website, calling it “a suburban-style park catering mainly to upscale residents of adjacent Brooklyn Heights and ceding control to new residents of the precendent setting, private, residential development inside the public park.” Such drama has made Brooklyn Bridge Park–which is a big waterfront open space project financed by luxury condos–one of the most controversial park developments to come along in any of New York City’s boroughs in a long time.
Yesterday, the always engaging streetsblog, passed on word of a press release announcing a transportation study aimed at examining “potential future means of providing access to Brooklyn Bridge Park, with an aim to reduce reliance on personal vehicles.” $1 million for the study is coming from Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, who also got funding for the development of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Initiative. There will be a public meeting about access issues for the proposed development at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4 at the auditorium at St. Francis College.
Litigation over the highrise condos proposed for the site continues, but if the development goes forward, there could eventually be a light rail line or shuttle buses or other ways for large numbers of people to get to it without cars.
Ghang Thai Kitchen has opened in the space on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens formerly occupied by Tuk Tuk. The latter was, once upon a time (2002-03ish) a fairly decent Thai eatery (for Brooklyn), but had gone way down hill. It got a frighteningly bad score from the Health Department not long before it went to the big restaurant graveyard in the sky. Ghang Thai, meanwhile, was previously noted for having a pre-opening sign in the window that said, “Ghang Thai Kitchen Serve Thai Food.”
In any case, the new restaurant looks nice and the menu is solid. It doesn’t break any new ground, but offers an assortment of the dishes one would expect–pad kra prow, pad prik khing, all the basic curries, etc. All dishes are available with chicken, pork, beef, squid, shrimp, vegetarian duck and vegetables and tofu. In its favor, is the fact that there’s nothing too cutesy on the menu.
September 25th, 2006 · Comments Off on "Brooklyn Speaks," But Who Will Listen?
Well, the BrooklynSpeaks website–which is dedicated to trying to make changes in the Atlantic Yards proposal–went live last night. At first glance, it certainly covers the ground that one would expect including the out-size scale of the development and the top-down process that has gone forward without meaningful local input. It takes some tough stands and is highly critical of the process thus far, although it takes it as a given that the arena will be built and is really there to offer guidelines to mitigate its impact.
The groups behind BrooklynSpeaks are Atlantic Avenue LDC, Boerum Hill Association, Brooklyn Heights Association, Fifth Avenue Committee, Municipal Art Society, Park Slope Civic Council, Pratt Area Community Council, Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
While we have respect for these entities, and particularly for the role that the Municipal Art Society has taken citywide over many decades, we must note some signficant omissions from the list. Despite the “wide net” sounding name, BrooklynSpeaks does not speak for many concerned Brooklynites. We also note the possibility that BrooklynSpeaks will lead to division in the opposition to Atlantic Yards or that it will be seen as such, which will be damaging. By adding another level of nuance and set of opinions to those already on the table, it could also serve to confuse what is already a terribly confusing issue for the average resident.
There is too much to get into here, but basic principles listed on the BrooklynSpeaks site are:
1. Respect and integrate with surrounding neighborhoods 2. Include a transportation plan that works 3. Include affordable housing that meets the community’s needs 4. Involve the public in a meaningful way
(Norman Oder offers his usual thoughtful and complete analysis over at Atlantic Yards Report.)
On the pressing issue of scale, the group says that the project needs to be “substantially reduced” and says that substantial reductions “might be” from 1/3 to 1/2. The group also calls for a greater proportion of genuine affordable housing and it is critical of the public process so far, calling it “deeply troubling”:
The Atlantic Yards proposal was conceived by the developer and the political decision-makers behind closed doors and has moved forward with no significant input from New Yorkers. No Brooklyn official will get to vote on the project.
Overall, it calls the proposal “deeply flawed.” The group calls for “a redesign with public input.”
That statement aside, our first impression is that the site takes a tougher stand on some issues than we might have expected, but also pulls some punches and uses some soft words like “might.” The group mentions eminent domain as an issue, but does not take a stand on it and, in effect, accepts that it will be used, which is certain to alienate some of the Brooklynites that have been fighting the project.
Develop Don’t Destroy’s Daniel Goldstein points out that the BrooklynSpeaks groups “support eminent domain and support the arena” or, at the very least, “accept” both. In point of fact, the website section on “superblocks” shows property that would have to be taken by eminent domain as part of the project.
Sponsors are holding a press conference about the site at 3:30 this afternoon.
And so, some very respected groups have decided that it’s advantageous to steer their own course on Atlantic Yards at this point. The more important questions, however, are: Who will listen and will it matter?
UPDATE: Early this afternoon, Develop Don’t Destroy posted an item on its website saying that it “welcomes more voices” in the Atlantic Yards discussion but that “they have failed to hear the voice of the community on the issues of the arena, eminent domain abuse, city oversight of the proposal, the unknown public cost, the severe environmental impacts, and the lack of affordable housing guarantees.” The item says that their position on some issues, like eminent domain, “is not immediately apparent to someone who browses their website” and that it might result in some people “unwittingly signing on to their principles.”
It says: “We call for the BrooklynSpeaks group to be forthright and clear on their position on eminent domain and the arena, and so that individuals who sign onto their ‘principles’ understand that by doing so, they are explicitly endorsing the arena and implicitly endorsing use of eminent domain.”
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September 25th, 2006 · Comments Off on A Crash Course on 33 Million Refugee Surrounded by Park Slope Affluence
Gowanus Lounge made a point of stopping by the “refugee camp” set up by Doctors Without Borders in Prospect Park and spent an hour getting a tour of the facility from a Canadian nurse named Christine Nadori. The “camp” was set up from Sept. 20-24 and drew thousands of visitors. The experience was depressing and enlightening at the same time, bringing us back to the war zones we’ve been in and serving as a weird counterpoint to the affluence of Park Slope and to the carefree play going on in the park just 30 yards away.
No snarky remarks or jokes in this item.
The camp was set up to draw attention to the plight of 33 million refugees and “internally displaced persons” around the world and to the conditions in which they live and the challenges they face. Ms. Nadori has worked to save lives in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chechnya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and the Sudan among other war torn spots.
“Setting up a refugee camp is like the ultimate NIMBY,” Ms. Nadori said about a problem that most governments are loathe to deal with.
Among the things we learned are that 75 percent of all refugees are women and that, of course, they are at risk of every form of exploitation and violence that you can imagine. We were introduced to such things as BP5, a horrendous looking basic nutrient, and to the term “shitting field,” which is what they call the outdoor bathroom area in a refugee camp before enough hole for latrines can be dug. We learned about health care in refugeee camps and that there are different kinds of malnutrition and that nurses use bands to measure middle upper arm circumference to judge the degree of a child’s malnutrition. We learned that cholera is entirely survivable as long as proper hydration is available and that “cholera beds” are cots with a hole cut in them and a bucket underneath.
The camp has been touring around. If it comes back to New York again, we highly suggest a visit. A few more photos are below.
Tourguide Christine Nadori
BP-5, basic nutrition.
Cholera tent with bed.
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September 25th, 2006 · Comments Off on Williamsburg Goes to the Hipster Dogs: The Brookvids Video
Here’s the video version of our coverage of the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition‘s Dog Show and Parade in Williamsburg yesterday. It was a fun event, featuring the Giglio band from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Williamsburg, the Hungry March Band, floats and a whole bunch of people and their dogs. To watch click on this link or just click the embedded video.
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September 25th, 2006 · Comments Off on Williamsburg Goes to the Hipster Dogs: BARC Dog Parade
We did the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition Dog Show & Parade in Williamsburg today. We’re putting a few photos here and have a full flickr photoset with 56 pics. Also, you can click here to get the slideshow. Or, simply watch the embedded slide show at the bottom of the post. Cute as hell. BARC also has its own item up and links to photos.
September 24th, 2006 · Comments Off on Brooklyn Speaks Remains Mute
We’ve checked back on the Brooklyn Speaks website a few times since its announcement–they were supposed to go live yesterday–if only because we’re curious to see what they’re up to. As of nine o’clock this morning (Sunday), they’re still mute. Although the site’s been updated to say they’re going live today. (Whether this is because they’re still getting their act together or they want to make the Monday morning papers, we don’t know.)
Why the interest? Why does it matter? It’s always interesting and it always matters when a player enters the game in the fourth quarter, especially one that might be angling to negotiate a change in the rules. Particularly one that claims the name “Brooklyn Speaks,” which would seem to include a lot of people who might not want Brooklyn Speaks to speak for them. Which is why we’re anxious to see what they’re saying.
In this case, we’re especially interested in seeing what Brooklyn Speaks is saying and to what extent the groups that are hopping on the bandwagon are repudiating stands they have taken earlier or picking fights with other community groups. Of clear interest here is the group’s apparent desire to avoid the messy issue of eminent domain and to, de facto, endorse the end run of the local planning process by vesting control of the project in Albany.
We have said it several times since word surfaced of this effort–which apparently was organized quietly, without letting all the groups working the Atlantic Yards fight in on the party: United fronts work best when opposing megaprojects. Conversely, a divide and conquer strategy works to the benefit of the opposition. When Jane Jacobs was fighting the expressway that Robert Moses would have built across Lower Manhattan, the opposition gathered traction through unity, not civil war. It’s an imperfect analogy, at best, but manages to make the broader point.
Maybe, Brooklyn will decide to speak later today so we can see if what they’re saying is a good thing. Or not.
Here’s the fourth installment in our fledgling Gowanus Lounge Brookvids Series, a few minutes on the wonderful Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus. The Carroll Street Bridge is one of our favorite offbeat spots in Brooklyn, one of those places that transports you from everyday NYC and puts you somewhere else entirely. It has always reminded us, for some reason, of Amsterdam. (Oddly, as a kind of fourth cousin, twice removed of the Magere Brug, the skinny bridge over the Amstel River. Okay, so go ahead and laugh.) In any case, music here is American Analog Set. To view, click on this link or, of course, just click on the embed.
We’re waiting to see what “Brooklyn Speaks,” the new group that is trying to find a seat at the Atlantic Yards tables, has to say before assessing whether they are bringing useful and serious proposals to the discussion. Our initial assessment is that a divided opposition can play into the hands of project supporters. As of 10AM this morning, the BrooklynSpeaks website was still in template form, saying only, “Make Atlantic Yards Work for Brooklyn,” and inviting visitors back.
For now, we will quote what No Land Grab has to say about the fourth-quarter players coming off the bench:
What is apparent is that both voices in the debate over how to respond to the project feel that the other side is gambling on a risky strategy. The individuals of the groups that secretly developed the Brooklyn Speaks campaign felt that relying upon a legal challenge would leave the neighborhoods surrounding the project with nothing to negotiate if the legal challenges were lost. The groups that have led the fight thus far are wondering if Brooklyn Speaks does not go far enough and has already set a course for negotiating for a scaled-down project that is already in the hopper. These groups have what Forest City Ratner needs most, that’s Dan Goldstein’s condo, without which Phase 1 of the project cannot be built.
For now we will only say that a lifetime of experience covering development and communities around America has taught us this: the battlefield is strewn with community opponents that ended up fighting each other instead of the project to which they objected. Time will tell.
September 23rd, 2006 · Comments Off on Check Out the Hawks in Prospect Park
Our friends at Prospect Park send word that this is Hawk Weekend at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. Specifically, you can “meet” trained, live hawks from Noon-4PM today (9/23 and tomorrow 9/24), join a wild hawk watch (12 – 3 PM each day), and take a Discover Tour hawk walk (3 – 4 PM each day). If you really dig birds or hawks there will also be an introduction to birdwatching walk (12 – 1:30 PM on Saturday), hawk mask making crafts (1 – 3 PM each day), face painting (1:30 – 3:30 PM each day) and a screening of a film about New York’s most famous hawk, Pale Male, (3:45 – 4:45 PM each day). The first two sailings of the park’s cute little electric boat Independence on Saturday and Sunday will be birdwatching cruises with a special emphasis on hawk watching (departures at 12 PM and 1:15 PM).
And, if hawks aren’t your thing, there’s always the Harvest Fair at the Lefferts Historic House today and tomorrow from Noon-4PM. The Prospect Park people say you can “harvest potatoes in the garden of this circa 1783 Dutch-American farmhouse and cook them in an 18th century style hearth and brick oven. There will be plenty of sweet apple cider, demonstrations of linen cloth being made from flax using a spinning wheel and kids can learn to make musical instruments from dried gourds.” Wonder if you get to keep what you harvest?
Finally, but definitely not least, the Doctors Without Borders Refugee Camp is in the park through Sunday, open from 9:00AM-6:30PM. This one’s a definite on our list.
September 23rd, 2006 · Comments Off on Brooklinks: Saturday Very Visual Edition
Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related news stories, blog items and, especially on weekend, images (like our last-gasp of summer photo, above).
September 23rd, 2006 · Comments Off on Gowanus Lounge Saturday Curbed Wrap Up
Regular readers and clickers (we thank you) know we post over at Curbed too from Monday through Friday. Here are some of this week’s offerings posted by our other blogging personality:
September 22nd, 2006 · Comments Off on De-Industrialization of Williamsburg Continues: GL Has the Demolition Porn
Another day, another Williamsburg demolition. Or two. Or three. Or four. There are entire blocks of Williamsburg, especially in North Williamburg closer to McCarren Park, that have been entirely cleared of their industrial buildings in the last 12 months. Some are now big empty lots; some are construction sites.
We recently wandered by the Allen Zipper Company at 70 Berry (pictured above) and found that it was not only no longer making zippers, but that the roof and part of the interior was gone. We also noticed that scaffolding had gone up around the Wonder Foods factory at N. 8th Street and Driggs, (below) which was notable for the wolf mural that had been painted on the side. (We actually remember when a lot of the factories and warehouses that are now being demolished were operating businesses.) We have no idea what particular project is destined for this site, but we know instinctively that it’s bound to be a luxury condos or rentals.
Meanwhile the photo below offers an older demolition shot of what used to be at the corner of N. 11th and Roebling, and is now in the process of becoming a huge residential development. The sign outside says McCarren Park Mews (which probably has one or two old timers spinning in their graves), but there’s no solid information about it.
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