Neighborhood Threat

On the way to work this morning, we conceded to each other the sad likeliness that the 50% off sale at Harricco Pharmacy was a precursor to the place going out of business. Jokingly, we suggested to each other that a Duane Reade would surely move in - based on my theory that the only people who will be able to afford Manhattan Ave. will be the chains.

Tonight, getting off the G train, we ran into a local couple who were complaining about the same thing we were, and overheard them say, "And Duane Reade, here we come." They confirmed that it was going to be a Duane Reade, taking over the candy store on the very corner, the upstairs and the downstairs of the building, and that the buildings between it and the corner of Milton (except for the bank-now-medical-clinic) were going to be torn down and a highrise was going in.

This explains the businesses moving around, and the continual empty storefronts - who wants to move in if you're going to have to close up shop soon?

Confirmations and/or denials appreciated.

Posted by clr at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

t.b.d., at 224 Franklin. As I comment on the post, just what the neighborhood needs, a reason for the hipster morons pouring out of Studio B yelling 'WAKE UP! EVERYBODY WAKE UP! I'M HUNGRY!" can head this way.

I'm not sure that being stuck all the way up at Green St. is going to guarantee any flow of clientele. Although it would be fun to see the customers from Tommy's and the Mark Bar head this way.

Death watch anyone?

We don't need another bar. We need: restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores.

Posted by clr at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Earlier this winter I joked to a friend that I was going to do a review of the 99 cent stores in Greenpoint. But then one closed, and then another closed, and I was STILL going to do it. But, time, and energy and all that. And I have been focused on finishing my second novel (hence the dearth of posts here.)

But tonight on the bus, I noticed that XTRA on Manhattan has big GOING OUT OF BUSINESS signs in the window and I got pissed. XTRA was a cut above the usual 99 cent crap on Manhattan Ave. The people who worked there didn't treat everyone like a potential shoplifter, and you could find nicer things than the other stores had.

That's a HUGE space. I guarantee that whatever goes in there will be 1) two stores, because it's too big for one undertaking and 2) some kind of crappy-ass chain that we don't need.

At least it can't be another bank, because they're already all here (Commerce is opening on Bedford this summer). I hope.

Posted by clr at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1) INDIAN FOOD COMES BACK TO GREENPOINT: From the CB1 agenda for next week, we see that a Zaika of India Inc. is applying for a restaurant beer/wine license. I could be dead wrong but it would seem that L and A Italian is being succeeded by an Indian restaurant. I will be VERY happy if this is true (although still sad to have lost L and A).

2) 155 Calyer: The former home of the hapless William Taft Vegetarian Diner is now some type of design studio. Which is a fine use of the space, but gosh we (selfishly) wish it was new commerce.

Posted by clr at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was skimming the CB1 mailing list about tonight's hearing, and as usual, paying close attention to the liquor license applicants. One entry caught my eye:

Sakura 6 - 837 Manhattan Avenue

837 Manhattan Ave. is on the corner of Noble, where the hardware store used to be. There's still a FOR RENT sign on it, but there is also a handwritten sign (magic marker on bright green posterboard) advertising the coming of Sakura Japanese restaurant, that has a branch in Ridgewood.

:::and there was much rejoicing:::

Now, when I think "Ridgewood" I think that wonderful, cheap, clean yet impossible to get to neighborhood in Queens, just over the border from Bushwick, but in this case, I think it might be Ridgewood, NJ, which is apparently home to a very well regarded Japanese restaurant called Sakura.

In either event:
1) NOT another Thai restaurant!
2) NOT another bank!
3) NOT another check cashing place!
4) NOT another dollar store!

Now, if the Ramen shop would only open up, I'd be in heaven.

Posted by clr at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

11222 reader Don writes in to report of the demise of this neighborhood institution:

Did you see that L and A Pizza on Manhattan Ave closed. Very sad day in Greenpoint. They must have been there for 30+ years. Can't wait for another dollar store.

My response was that I doubted we'd actually get something as useful as a dollar store.

L and A Pizza was great. We lived on their $10 pizza on Tuesdays when we were broke. It's too bad that they couldn't capitalize on the influx of people to the neighborhood.

So Miss Heather reports that Greenpoint is *not* getting a Ricky's, which leaves that space on Manhattan (formerly a dollar store and a check cashing place) open, and the former hardware store across the street (in the same building as the former Noble Yoga [which, btw, is now a residential loft, whose legality I kinda question, but I could be wrong, haven't checked the zoning]) is still for rent.

And finally, I saw the locks being changed on the former William Taft Diner. Maybe another hapless tenant will be taking that space??

Posted by clr at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did they even last three months? Everything in that space seems to be doomed. And it's a GREAT space! Just off Manhattan Ave., near the school, a laundromat, the gym - there is so much potential. And the landlord allows food - not all landlords do!

Oh, wait - maybe it wouldn't be doomed if the people running the businesses knew what they were doing.

I feel bad for the kids who were running that place, but I'm not surprised that the place has been shuttered for weeks now.

What next?

Posted by clr at 01:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On a weekday B61 ride up Manhattan Avenue, around 3:30pm, it seems that only ONE side of Socrates is for rent. The other side appears to be alive and kicking. Why it was not alive and kicking on a Saturday afternoon (when the photographs were taken) might be WHY that side is up for rent, but at least part of Manhattan Ave. has been saved from the Blimpies and Soup Men of the world.

At least for now.

Tomorrow, a report on a tree massacre and missing lightpost.

Posted by clr at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I stopped to tie my shoe on the way to the G train this morning, and when I looked up, I was in front of a real estate office. Just out of curiosity, I quickly scanned the offerings in the window - and discovered a listing sheet for My Place, a restaurant that used to be at 109 Franklin - that's right inbetween Alter and the bodega on the corner of Greenpoint and Franklin. (No, I didn't see the price, I'm not here to shill for free for whoever's selling it.)

I never ate at My Place - I believe it was a Thai restaurant at one point, but it was never open when I wanted to eat there, or I just never considered it as an option for some reason. The location has always been good, since the Pencil Factory is right there, and it's a major intersection, and there still isn't all that much down here (yet). A nice little cafe or sandwich shop would be a fine asset to the area. Just please, for the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Not Another Bar!

Posted by clr at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another Greenpoint establishment goes out of business. Socrates, despite its close proximity to the Nassau G stop and the busy intersection, somehow couldn't keep up with the times. Of course, we don't know what the rent was, and if it was raised, and if the building changed hands, or anything else; no one nearby seemed to know what had happened and why they were suddenly gone.

This end of Manhattan Ave. is one of Greenpoint's crossroads (Manhattan and Greenpoint Ave. being the other), not coincidentally because there's a subway stop there. But it also gets all the foot traffic of people coming up Bedford Ave. from the L stop, and three buses stop there as well. It's a great location for the right kind of business, one that can benefit the neighborhood because of its location and benefit the business because of its location. That assumes, of course, that the rent is not Bedford Ave.-unreasonable already on Manhattan Ave.

Posted by clr at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I apologize for the dearth of entries. Last week I was on vacation, and this past week I have been under the weather. I am hoping that this two-week absence from paying attention to the neighborhood accounts for me completely not noticing that George's Variety Store, a neighborhood institution, is gone.
No "going out of business" signs, no "EVERYTHING 50% OFF" (the usual warning). Just - gone.

I went out this afternoon, camera in hand, to take a few shots to accompany some pieces I'd wanted to write, and discovered, to my shock and horror, that George's old-fashioned storefront windows were completely empty, the shutters half-drawn. As the sign advertised, George's "Has Everything!" and the shopfront windows were always a barometer of the seasons and the changing times: in the winter, woolen hats and space heaters. In the summer, plastic sandals and beach toys. And last year, during the baseball playoffs, a Mets hat and a t-shirt were hurriedly stuck into the front-most corner of the window nearest the front door.

Even as it stood empty now, the signs on the front door still told stories. As I poked under the shutters to try to get a photo, an elderly woman stopped and questioned me: "What's going on?"
"I don't know, just that the store's gone and it's too bad, and I wanted to get a picture."
Another grey-haired resident strolled up as we began to chat, and I just stood there and listened to the two of them.

Apparently "he got a price he couldn't refuse," is the neighborhood scuttlebutt. That this was once one building, but now it's two, and the half that George's sits in (a liquor store is on the ground floor of the other half) has been sold. The women said they rightly didn't know what they'd do now that the store was gone: "Where will I get my clothesline?" And lamented some other closings that they just assumed I'd know by name: "Ed down the street, Sam--" she gestured down Manhattan Ave.

I need to come back in the morning when the cars are not streaking up and down Manhattan Ave., threatening to clip me in the rear as I stand in the middle of the road, trying to get a great shot of a great old sign : "Since 1938! Has everything! Greenpoint's favorite!" It would be nice to think that this establishment will be replaced by something that will truly serve the community, but if I'd have to guess:
1) 99 cent store
2) Mobile phone store
3) It will sit empty for the better part of a year (because the price that couldn't be refused will require a rent that nothing worthwhile can afford) and then we'll get a nondescript miserable chain-based something that will not last 12 months before going out of business, leaving behind another empty shopfront, this time with no character whatsoever.

Posted by clr at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is about a Williamsburg establishment, but I use it since I have no good Greenpoint one just yet.

Let me go on the record as saying that our house hates Anna Maria's Pizzeria on 7th and Bedford. Hates it. Last possible destination for pizza, ever. Too greasy, for one, but for two - the guys that work there are horrible. Rude, imperious, slow. I know that their customer base consists of individuals who are, for the most part, rude, obnoxious and demanding, but not all of them are. If you don't want to serve the local population then move somewhere else.

On the other hand, further down Bedford between 8th and 9th is Vinnie's. Better pizza. Less people. People who work there are human. Vinnie's, however, had a major strike against it: they closed at an hour unspeakably early for the Bedford corridor - 8 or 9 pm.

Things started looking up for Vinnie's earlier this year when they installed an ATM that only charged 99 cents. And then, one day, the boyfriend came home and said, "Someone new is working at Vinnie's." How did he know this? Signage indicating NEW LATE HOURS! VEGAN FRIENDLY! BE CREATIVE IN YOUR TOPPINGS! The later hours - not 3am, just midnight - meant that Vinnie's is a realistic dinnertime or post-concert alternative for us, as well as for the hundreds of people who get off the L train and walk down Bedford to go home. The people for whom dinnertime is not 5pm, or 6pm, but 7, 8, 9pm (or later). People who also likely despise Anna Maria's, and once they find an alternative, won't patronize them ever again.

Now, Vinnie's is still Vinnie's. Locals who came in for their tray of lasagne for a family event can still get all of that. And if you act like a jerk, they'll treat you like one. They didn't need to stop being Vinnie's. But with a small adjustment, the business can still be viable, and make that Bedford Ave. rent. More importantly, a member of the neighborhood will still be able to stick around, instead of being driven out.

And I won't even go on a rant about how ludicrous it is that you can't get pizza after 8pm in Greenpoint.

Posted by clr at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1) Key Food Offering Delivery: In addition to a marked increase in hours, they are now offering delivery, for a $4 charge. That would make it well worth your time if you did not have a car. They are also trying to offer more prepared meals. I know some people have issues with Key Food, but I still find it a more satisfactory shopping experience than the Garden or anywhere else.

2) The Black Rabbit: I saw this establishment listed on a recent Greenpoint map, and didn't notice it in real time until tonight, driving the boyfriend back from Woodside. The listing I saw said indicated it was also a restaurant, but research has proved that it has food but is essentially a bar. I don't want to say, "Just what we need, another bar," but that's exactly what I'm thinking right now. We.do.not.need.another.bar. I do not want Greenpoint turning into the Lower East Side, where people come from outside of the neighborhood and take over the neighborhood with inconsiderate noise and thoughtlessness every night.

3) On that note, the bar across the street from us on Franklin St. is now open. I don't know what it's called; the sign just has a picture of a diamond on it. We keep meaning to go in, and at some point will actually get around to it.

4) Brooklyn Label has umbrellas for its outside seating now. However, the liquor license has not shown up yet. We have gotten over our need to eat there every weekend as well as once or twice during the week, especially when the prices went up, the weekday menu got stripped down, and the food quality dropped a bit. Don't get me wrong, I am still thrilled they are in my neighborhood, and still have a love affair with the Chili Colorado - I just think that on some level they are not quite hitting the target for every other day in the week that is not Saturday or Sunday brunch. For example, for a while they were offering Steak Frites for about $13 or $14, and it was *excellent*. That's the kind of thing I'd like to see on a regular basis, at a price I believe is reasonable for that item.

On some level, I appreciate that the weekday menu items are cheaper than the same items on the weekend, but since I live here and know this, it kind of irks me that I am paying more for the same thing when I am there for brunch. What I would appreciate is more selection during the week at a more reasonable price. One final tip: if you are ever there during the week and are attracted to the specials, be sure to ask what the price is BEFORE you order it.

I did not mean to turn this into the Brooklyn Label blog entry.

5) Cafecito is going to start offering an arepa menu next week! There's a press reception next Friday I am unable to attend, but it sounds super-yummy and might eliminate fruitless trips out to Jackson Heights in search of the Arepa Lady.

Posted by clr at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was walking up Manhattan Ave. yesterday and noticed DOB permits in the window of this location I blogged about previously. They both refer to a grill and ventilation to the roof, so clearly we're getting a new restaurant, or a bodega with hot food. Either would be a very welcome addition to the neighborhood in that location. If whatever goes into this space stays open late, they will have *zero* competition on that corner- which is an entrance and exit for the Nassau G stop - after hours (which, in Greenpoint, is 7 or 8pm). I'm not even talking 24 hours (although the neighborhood could use something else in addition to my beloved God Bless Deli and Grocery) - even staying open until 11 or midnight would give them a clear advantage.

Posted by clr at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This convenience store - it's not even a bodega, all it had were snacks and drinks and magazines and newspapers, and I believe coffee, and at one point, ice cream sodas - is no longer with us. Standing at the corner of Norman and Manhattan, it's reached the end of its useful life. Of course, it could be a case that the owner passed away and no one in the family wants the store, but more likely, a victim of rising rents.

On the other hand, "victim" is a pretty subjective term. Was this store serving the needs of the neighborhood? It did stay open relatively late, given its proximity to the Norman St. exit of the Nassau G stop, but there's a plethora of these stores in Greenpoint and this one had huge square footage to deal with. I'm sure they just didn't have the volume any more.

Almost just across the street from this shop, a 99 cent store is going out of business. I keep trying to get a shot of the storefront, covered in large signs in English and Polish, advising that everything was half-off, but haven't gotten it yet. It'll probably be closed by the time I manage to make that happen (which is how I'm starting to feel about a lot of things in the neighborhood).

I'm excited for the opportunity for new commerce, but I don't want to see more of this kind of thing. I'd love to see the business plan that provided the data that people in this neighborhood are going to pay $10 for a bowl of soup. The Blimpie's that was open for about all of five minutes was in the same stretch as this shop above and the 99 cent store. We don't need more chains, local or national.

Posted by clr at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My intent to get dinner there tonight was thwarted, by lack of selections, and a need for the staff to get the kinks out of the organization/service. No entrees, no soups. Fine, I settled for a sandwich, which comes with a side - and then the sides weren't all available - "but we can give you any vegetable you want!" they said, eagerly. So I went back to the menu to reconsider, and in the meantime, other people ordered - and when they were also urged to get a vegetable, and asked "Is it cooked or raw?" were met with panic on the face of the staff - and then, "Sure, any way you want it."

If I wasn't eager to get home and watch the game - it was already 7:25 - and my hands weren't full, I would bring a book and patience, and be happy to support this welcome addition to the neighborhood. Which is what I would urge you to do, until they have a few more weeks' operation under their belt and things smooth out. I also got the impression that the restaurant is being run as a cooperative, so keep that in mind as well.

Posted by clr at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been watching their progress, and even though there were dozens of bicycles parked out front almost every night and people constantly at work, the place was such a mess still that I didn't see how they were ever going to open.

When we came home from the ballgame last night, we saw a sandwich board outside the restaurant saying, 'WE ARE MOST CERTAINLY OPEN'. The boyfriend said, "There's no way," but there were lights on and when we walked by, the place was open and hopping with business. This was after an extra-innings game - and the sign on the door indicated that they are OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT! That alone should put them ahead of the game in Greenpoint.

The questions now:
1) Is the food any good, and
2) Will the service suck?

Going tonight for dinner and will report back.

Posted by clr at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reader Cathy was kind enough to write in with a tip about this establishment, newly opened on the corner of Norman and Eckford. It's a deli/salad-toss/juice bar/coffee establishment, with (I presume) a natural food bent, although the 'natural' part of it didn't really seem prevalent inside.

The mix of offerings seems odd - who is their intended target? - but perhaps being on the popular G-train-corridor that is Norman St. (since there is an exit on the corner of Manhattan and Norman) will appeal to residents and those who work in the area.

I am a firm believer that the key to success is staying open later than normal restaurants in Greenpoint. This isn't a late night kind of place, but please stay open until 8 or so, to get people coming home from work. Closing at 5 or 5:30, in the antiquated belief that people actually get home from work at that time, is a sure recipe for failure - unless of course you're able to do such a smashing lunch business that you don't need to.

Someone could open a late-night pizza joint near the Greenpoint Ave. G stop, serving the crappiest pizza in the world. It wouldn't matter; they would do a bang-up business, because aside from the God Bless Deli & Grocery, there is nowhere else to get late-night food in Greenpoint. I am still astounded by this.

Posted by clr at 06:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greenpoint grocery stores, one woman's opinion:

Associated, Manhattan & Calyer: How does this excuse for a grocery store even stay in business? The help is surly, the selection poor, the odor disgusting. I know the answer: the large selection of imported Polish foods. It closes at 8pm, and I try to avoid going there for anything beyond emergency essentials.

Key Food, McGuinness & Greenpoint Ave.: The crown jewel of grocery stores in the area, but I have a car so I am spoiled. That said, the walk isn't that much further if you are carless, and the selection is superior. However, they have similarly ridiculous hours - which I hear (via the boyfriend) are expanding. But there is no reason this store isn't 24 hours or isn't at least open until 11pm weeknights.

C Town, Manhattan & Java: This store was so inferior when I first moved to Greenpoint that it never entered my consciousness. However, when the boyfriend relocated to the nabe, he was unaware of my existing prejudices and would stop there for items on the way home (since he shares my hatred of the Associated). Someone in the store or the company paid attention to the burgeoning community growing in Greenpoint, or just decided to try to compete with the Garden. The store was renovated, and the selection expanded to include the likes of organic vegetables and Silk soy milk, while still maintaining its extensive Goya selection. It is, however, more expensive than either the Associated or Key Foods. I don't know what time they close, but I suspect they're not exactly pioneering anything past the standard Manhattan Ave. 8pm commercial curfew.

The Garden, Manhattan & Greenpoint Ave.: Either you love the Garden or you hate it. I want to love the Garden, but find the aisles cramped, the selection impossible to comprehend, and the help even surlier than the Associated (which is hard to do). It is convenient when I need or want the occasional organic item, but they are more expensive than even Whole Paycheck. I understand that is the premium for convenience, but the attitude and the tiny aisles remove the convenience factor and make me just want to go down to Union Square. They also close at 8pm, which is just silly - they'd be packed until 9 or 10pm easily.

That said, we have FOUR grocery stores in the zip code, while Bedford-area Williamsburg has to deal with Tops (a store I do not understand and avoid) or the newly renovated C-Town (is it C-Town or Associated?) on Havemeyer. There are a few more grocery stores out towards Graham, but I always perceived them as tiny and typical low-income area-type stores, e.g., limited selection and jacked-up prices (hey, I lived in the Bronx in the 80s, don't start).

Where are all the yuppies moving into the condos going to shop? No, seriously, Karl Fischer Row - where are those people going to get their food? Not everyone orders from Fresh Direct. They don't even have anything within shouting distance.

Posted by clr at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Frank & Son ("Feeling Italian today?") has been on McGuinness and Freeman for a long time. However, it was a LUNCH place (as the sign advertises) and not open for dinner or on weekends. The purpose seemed clear by its location.

For whatever dumb reason, when I was working at home I never thought to come up here for a sandwich (to be fair, it wasn't exactly in my daily perimeter) and then after I got a day job, there were random days off or at home where I thought, I should go up there and get a sandwich. Man, I bet they're great.

Opening Day 2007. We have to go to the 7 train anyway, and we decide that we are finally going to get a legendary (in our minds) sandwich from Frank & Son. We hop on the B61, and when we get to the corner of Green, realize that it's closed. We make do with hot dogs at Shea.

But now I take the B61 almost every day to work and it's never open. It was always open early, again, for their core customers. At this point, it's not just closed for vacation.

Posted by clr at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Calyer St., between Lorimer and Guernsey, two blocks down from Manhattan Ave., is a tiny commercial space. One side is a laundromat, and the other side has had a few tenants.

When I moved to Greenpoint, that side was occupied by a shop that seemed to only sell fabric softener and motor oil (at least, that's all that was ever in the window). One of those stores that you look at from the outside and think, "How on earth do they stay in business?"

They were replaced by an Italian sandwich shop called Frangello's. We were excited when this place opened because Greenpoint needed a good sandwich shop. And they were very, very good - but it took them 20 minutes to make one sandwich, and they were never open. They closed at 3pm on Saturday. Not open on Sunday. Closed by 5pm every weekday. We would walk by there and say, "I'm going home to change and I'll be back in 15 minutes on my way to the ball game, I'd like to get a sandwich" and they'd reply, "Sorry, we're closing." Needless to say, all of these factors is probably why they barely lasted three months.

A few months back, the shuttered space had a sign taped to it, announcing the William Taft Vegetarian Restaurant. We weren't sure if it was a joke or not. Walking by once to find people inside cleaning, we asked when the place would open and were told April 15. That day came and went, and I just assumed it was another NYC restaurant venture that just never got off the ground.

A few weeks ago, we noticed that the bright red FRANGELLO'S awning had been removed. We hoped that meant progress. And last night, the boyfriend noted that there was a new sign out front. I walked up today to get this shot:

There were people inside painting, who claimed they should be open by the end of the month. Hey guys, here's a tip: DON'T CLOSE AT 5PM BEFORE ANYONE IS HOME FROM WORK. If they actually are open at times that people want to order food (and the delivery will be key), and the food is any good, the location is excellent and they should do well.

Hey, at least it's not another bar.

Posted by clr at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Right next to the laundromat on Franklin St., between Greenpoint and Milton. The door was open and the place is ready to go any minute now.

Just what we need, another bar.

On the positive side, I do appreciate the authentic restoration of the window wells and the fact that the decor actually blends into the neighborhood.

Posted by clr at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are a couple of choice storefronts on Manhattan Ave. that have been empty for a while. One is at 880 Manhattan, right next to the church. It was formerly a chiropractor's office, and then it sat empty for a while, and then the building permits went in the window. It was a good location, right near the subway, so I was hopeful.

Tonight, on the way home from the G, I noticed that the newspaper was down from the front window.
What is it?
A money order shop.
Right across the street from - a money order shop.

*sigh*

I'm eyeing the former international phone center on Manhattan in the other direction, right across from the Starbucks. But I fear that it too will be a center for envios de dinero (sorry, don't know the Polish for money order).

My favorite graffiti ever in Greenpoint was on the construction hoarding in front of the now-Bank of America:
WE NEED A MOVIE THEATER, NOT ANOTHER BANK

Right now I'd settle for a grocery store that was open until 10 or 11pm and didn't specialize in 47 kinds of Polish juice, but nothing else.

Posted by clr at 09:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I believe the ground floor of this 4-family house at 43 Franklin St. was being used as landlord-look-the-other-way live-in commercial for a while, and then the FOR RENT sign went up. Everyone had the property for a while, that apts. & lofts sign would go down, and then go up again, and I pretty much gave up on anything useful for the neighborhood going into that space.

A few months ago, I parked my car on that block and noticed DOB permits and activity, and the DOB permits noting something about restoring an existing restaurant or cafe. I was hoping for a coffee house, the boyfriend fervently wanting a closer bodega (as much as we love the God Bless Deli Grocery, it's still not around the corner).

Yesterday, I parked the car in front and this time, there were people inside working that looked like they might know what the place is. Excitedly, I stopped in front of the door and asked, "What's this place going to be?"
"A bar!" the gentleman answered, equally excitedly.
My face fell.
"Come here, come here. Where do you live?"
I pointed, and said, "I just hope you guys are going to be better neighbors than Studio B is."

Yeah, I'm bummed. We don't need another bar on this block; the faux-Irish pub next to the laundromat is about to open any day now (there's a name painted on it now). And with a bar that close to Studio B, the hipsters will all flock to drink there before going to shows at Studio B, meaning their inane chatter about where to go next and where is the subway and whatever other bullshit they feel the need to discuss on my corner at 4am is going to be carried even further throughout the neighborhood.

There was a reason I left the Lower East Side, but even there, the bars all have PLEASE RESPECT OUR NEIGHBORS AND KEEP YOUR VOICES DOWN signs outside. The only thing Studio B has started doing (in its defense) is sweeping up the sidewalk, so it's not completely disgusting every morning after the club is open - but we still won't chance parking on that block any more because of all the broken bottles left on the curb and in the gutter.

I like living in a city and I like living in a neighborhood. We would have no problem with Studio B if the patrons STFU on their way to and from the subway and stopped throwing their trash up and down the block. And same goes for the new, soon-to-open bar at 43 Franklin.

Posted by clr at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)