nassau avenue, williamsburg's junk drawer

read this fun piece about my street.

that explains a lot.

from the new yorker. there's more, including a princess manor shout-out.

bonus link: how yelpers talk about restaurants in greenpoint vs. bed-stuy (hint: racist).

this radiolab is cracking my s up.

of course the atm is in greenpoint.

why i killed emilube.

this morning i woke up to news on instagram that nirvana played a secret show at a bar in greenpoint after their rock and roll hall of fame induction at barclays last night. guest singers included joan jett, kim gordon, and annie clark.

then i walked into work and emilube goes "guess what i did last night."

and then i killed her and now she's dead.

(before she passed away, she told me that she stood next to carrie brownstein.)

the fire in greenpoint

i saw smoke rising over the navy yard when i was leaving work yesterday evening. then kylie sent me this pic of what she thought was a fire at the disaster eggs. turns out it was a recycling facility across the street at 860 humboldt street. the firefighters finally stamped out all the embers this morning.

busted.

In order, the top five Brooklyn neighborhoods where binge drinkers live are Greenpoint; Downtown Brooklyn/Brooklyn Heights/Park Slope (yeah, the DoH counts these very disparate ‘hoods as one place, so); Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights; East New York/New Lots; and Sunset Park. (via)

#glugglugglug

don't act like you weren't wondering.

what's happening at nassau and mcguinness?

this morning, i walked outside and passed by the WASCO auto parts storefront on the corner of nassau and mcguinness, just like every morning. and for the first time in a year and a half...the door was open!! and look what's inside:

a series of arched steel ribs, and the structure for a bar just exactly where you might expect one, and maybe a cooking area beyond? looks like this corner is about to class itself right up!

i did a little bit of internet research and found this over at new york shitty:

I have received a number of emails voicing concern about what it going to happen to one of Greenpoint’s (and McGuinness Boulevard’s) preeminent features: The WASCO Auto Shop. I have some very good news: last night a liquor license application for an “eating and drinking establishment” was approved for this property.

During the proceedings the applicant, a twenty year Greenpoint resident, assured everyone that 139 Nassau Avenue’s signature feature, “WASCOmobile” (which has been identified as a Chevy Nova*), would be kept! In addition, the garage doors looking upon McGuinness Boulevard— the Champs-Élysées of north Brooklyn— will be converted into large bay windows for patrons’ dining pleasure. This was the source of considerable amusement to a number of gentleman on the panel— one of whom noted that all McGuinness Boulevard has in the way of ambiance are “roaring semis”. But hey, as long as everyone keeps their hands and feet inside at all times things should be just fine— right? (via)

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!

secret ramen

secret bar (aka "no name bar") now has a secret ramen kitchen up in there. I really like ramen, but the onset of spring seems like an inauspicious time to start serving up hot soup.

 Greenpoint just got ramen. No Name Bar at 597 Manhattan Avenue started serving noodles last night, out of a tiny kitchen in the bar’s downstairs. 


 Lindsay Salminen, the chef, has worked at Diner, Pies ‘n’ Thighs, A Voce and Sweet Deliverance, and for now she’s keeping the menu as tight as her cooking quarters. Salminen (who is a BB pal) was serving pan-fried lamb noodles ($9), a vegetarian ramen with mushrooms, pea shoots and green onions ($10), pork ramen ($12) and hard boiled quail eggs ($5) as an offbeat bar snack. She plans on offering two ramens each night and adding a seasonal salad item to the menu.

greenpoint: the hollywood of the east coast

the good wife is shooting on nassau avenue this morning, at AmBeR of all places! GPP likes to joke about dining at this classy establishment, but i might have a to get a bit more serious if nurse hathaway eats there.

thx liz for the photos!

wooooahhh!!

wanna see a video of that billboard falling on the BQE by our house this weekend? be careful, it's in polish.

winners!

the l magazine has put together a list of brooklyn neighborhood power rankings, and guess who's right up top.

Why You Should Move Here Greenpointers are under the misapprehension that their quiet, lovely (but not dull) post-industrial waterfront neighborhood is still some kind of secret—it is not. But some of its gorgeous, quiet blocks retain a marvelous hidden quality (we’re looking at you Oak Street) just steps from the old New York neighborhood-bustle of Manhattan Avenue or the mellow gentrified sheen of Franklin Street. Maybe it’s the stalwart presence of the longstanding Polish community (half of the hood’s approximately 40,000 residents), or the isolating “G” factor but, somehow, Greenpoint has managed to absorb the northward seep of Williamsburg’s consumer-driven “counterculture” without turning into a hipster mall. And that’s why it’s our number one neighborhood in Brooklyn. 

fyi, brooklyn magazine updates this list on a weekly basis. if you haven't subscribed yet, please do. it's gorgeous.

Update on the Pepper Sprayed

She's from GREEN POINT! Neighbors!

Interview with Pepper Sprayed Protester Chelsea Elliott from ANIMALnewyork.com on Vimeo.

SPOTTED.

at the nassau stop on my way to work this morning.

two arms inc. : neighborhood series

(via)

happening in greenpoint

keep your peepers peeped for an eric berry look-alike at 0:33.

what did you learn today?

i learned that all the streets that cross manhattan avenue in greenpoint (my new home) have alphabetical names (up to O). look!

from north to south tip2tip :
ash street - box street - clay street - dupont street - eagle street - freeman street - green street - huron street - india street - java street - kent street - greenpoint ave (used to be lincoln street) - milton street - noble street - oak street

how fun!