greenpoint is the new williamsburg

according to the always-on-the-tip-of-the-internet new york times:

On a scorching July afternoon, the frisson of hustle and bustle that delineates the weekday rush hour was in full swing at the intersection of Greenpoint and Manhattan Avenues, the dowdy commercial heart of Greenpoint. Horns blared, and unlike other times of day or night, when the traffic ranges from intermittent to invisible, pedestrians actually did have to look both ways before jaywalking. In this, the genuine Brooklyn, crosswalks are for sissies, classic apartments are walk-ups, loud is the default sound level, and burly men of a certain vintage still wear sleeveless undershirts in public.

Until Greenpoint’s artsy sister neighborhood to the south, Williamsburg, set a brash example by surrendering to glassy condominium and hotel towers and urbane renewal that yanked the cost of shelter in a Manhattan-ish direction, vinyl-sided six-family tenements were the backbone of the housing stock here. And century-old trees shaded the crumbling sidewalks. But lately the biggest shadow being cast in Greenpoint belongs to Williamsburg.

Vinyl siding doesn’t represent Greenpoint’s cachet any longer; virtual doormen, rooftop farms, artisanal gin and brick-faced condominiums do. The virtual gatekeeper is a prime amenity at the sold-out 93-unit Pencil Factory condominium on West Street, where the penthouse sold for just over $1 million, a neighborhood first. (via)

oh, just shut up.

thx liz!