Santa Maria!
Actually overheard someone say: “They’re carrying…something.”
Her name is Mary. Perhaps you’ve heard of her?
Actually overheard someone say: “They’re carrying…something.”
Her name is Mary. Perhaps you’ve heard of her?
What Exactly is Andrea Peyser Getting At?
Andre Peyser, the sex-obsessed New York Post columnist, recently penned an opinion column on Carroll Gardens and the recent knife fight on Smith Street. I can’t say I’m sure what the opinion is, or what the point is, but, have at it, you crazy old coot:
“It was a place where immaculate brownstones came with St. Mary’s lawn statues. Kids played stickball in the street to escape un-air-conditioned houses. And grandmas sat on stoops night and day — gossiping, grumbling and cursing in Italian, while picking specks of trash off well-worn stairs.
Ok. Mainstream stereotypes of Italians, with an apparent lack of knowledge about remaining community? Check.
“Now, it seems the old days never really went away. They just went to sleep.
Earlier this month, in an incident straight out of the Brooklyn of old novels, fancy pizza man Mark Iancono got into a knife fight on Carroll Gardens’ posh Smith Street. In broad daylight. With mob-connected ex-con Benny Geritano, whom he’s known for decades. How could this happen in 2011?”
I assume that she is trying to drum up some fears that the mafia is still active in the neighborhood, and that THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN IN EXPENSIVE STROLLERS?
“Others say the beef was over a dame.”
Dame? What is this, 1953?
“Unless the knife fighters talk, the stereotypes will continue. And the gossip.”
The gossip…that you’re starting?
New Round of Whining from Cobble Hill Towers
The conversion going on at the Towers has prompted some fresh cries about…well, I’m not exactly sure. From the Brooklyn Paper:
This is the last bastion of diversity in Cobble Hill,” said one 10-year tenant. “And to take these rent-stabilized apartments out of the housing pool is really harsh.”
Former residents agreed.
“The people who live in that building, there’s no way they can buy,” said Carl Rosenstock, who lived in the complex for 13 years.”
What the Brooklyn Paper seems to miss (and, to be fair, so did the Times and Patch) is that NOTHING changes for the residents if they don’t want it to. If they are subject to rent stabilization and/or rent control, they can stay in their apartments with no changes to their rent other than who they make the check out to (which could change at any time anyway). Their neighbors might change, but that is a factor of their neighbors accepting five or six figure buyouts, not a fault of the new owners.
D’Amico’s
Sylvie Morgan Flatow, ne-of the Carroll Gardens Diary, took a look at D’Amicos, over at the Carroll Gardens Patch. Lets look behind some more old doors, as we’ve done plenty of times before:
Van Brunt Waterfront
This is the third in a series of videos created for the Carroll Gardens Diary of the changing streetscape of Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Columbia Street from the 1950’s through today. Most of the changes are due to the trench of the BQE, but there have also been huge changes in the port.
Today’s is a section of Van Brunt Street that used to extend north to create a street grid with two streets that only have stubs left: Irving and Sedgewick Streets.
My grandmother once told me that she and my grandfather used to go park the car down there.
“Oh, when you couldn’t find a parking spot?”
“Yeah, right.”
Con Ed Workers Would Rather Park
Apparently never ones to skip irony, workers at Con Edison’s location on Third and Third have taken to the papers (and putting fliers under the windshield wipers of area cars) in a bit of a fear/proletariat campaign, casting Con Ed as the bad guy for…putting them in the same situation as everyone else. From the Brooklyn Paper:
“The energy giant will close the private parking lot inside its superblock complex bounded by Fourth and Third avenues and First and Third streets — sending workers hunting for spots alongside residents in the already spot-challenged area.
“This company don’t give a damn,” said union president Harry Farrell. “All they care about is money.”
What the article fails to mention is the specific reason as to why this free parking is being eliminated; it only cites cost savings as a reason. Given the 12% rise in electricity rates just in time for the summer, shouldn’t Con Ed be lauded for attempting to keep their costs down, and unintentionally creating smarter transportation and economic policies in the process?
Evidently these members of UWUA Local 1-2 believe that Con Ed should continue to subsidize their personal commuting habits. In their (unintentionally hilarious) flier, they seem to indicate that since they are utility workers, their choice to live in the suburbs should be subsidized by all rate payers, and that, despite their noble careers in public service, they will be left with no choice but to make our lives miserable via lack of parking if this lot is closed.
Weak.
Another Look Behind Old Doors - Chic Elegance
Sylvie Morgan Flatow, ne-of the Carroll Gardens Diary, took a look at Chic Elegance, over at the Carroll Gardens Patch. Lets look behind some more old doors, as we’ve done plenty of times before:
“Anthony’s mother was the one who told him of the available space at 306 Court Street. He borrowed five thousand dollars from one friend, five thousand dollars from another, and soon enough was making monthly rent payments of two hundred and seventy five dollars.
How the hell am I gonna pay this back? was his first thought.
Easily.
Chic turned into a neighborhood hotspot. In 1983, he made more money cutting hair than he makes today. And that was when the haircuts cost you less than ten dollars. “
Columbia Street Park - Finally!
The New York Post just found out about Columbia Street and the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway.
“It was supposed to be Brooklyn’s next Smith Street, but the Columbia Street Waterfront District never became the borough’s next hot spot thanks to years of being saddled by relentless street-repair work and failed redevelopment projects.
But now city officials hope to finally breathe some life into this long-isolated neighborhood by transforming a dingy, two-acre lot into a new waterfront park.
Preliminary renderings show a Department of Transportation storage lot at the corner of Columbia and DeGraw streets being converted into new green space, including a dog run and tree-lined lawns and paths.”
I’ve been hearing about the Greenway since high school, so this “announcement” is on par with the Post’s coverage of the PPW bike lane, but this park should benefit the community at large and the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway specifically. The Greenway folks have taken a unique, successful tact with their development efforts, focusing on specific nodes, of which this park is one of them. Congrats to Meg, Brian and Milton!
YET MORE Oysters in the Gowanus
From a TED Talk:
Amazing Interaction with the He-She of the Carroll Street Stop
Ever wondered what the story was with the he-she who is always asking for money at the 2nd Street/Place exit of the Carroll Street stop? Well, someone stopped to ask him/her about their life. From Going Under NYC:
“There it was. I had broken the silence that was part of our relationship for the last year. I was talking to a stranger.
-Oh nothing, just away working on the masterpiece.
-The masterpiece? - I said, a bit curious.
-Yes, got myself a bit of a new face, don’t you notice it?
-I think I do, actually.
-Well, you better. Because that was about a year’s worth of standing here.
-huh?
-You see… I am on my way to be a woman, but those operations sure cost a lot. I don’t know how to do much –as a man, because I got plenty of plans when I become a woman- so I beg for money.”I will admit, I have been less than outgoing to this person, but this recanting of his/her story is very interesting. I’ve seen him/her in Red Hook frequently, so I assume that he/she lives there.
