2013 was a very good year for Greenpoint. We had some bad moments, but overall we pretty much ruled as a neighborhood. Cheers to more good news and happiness in 2014!
• McCarren Park Wins! An almost million dollar drainage system solved the “hipster lake” situation and the park reopened, an expansion was approved, a piano appeared and and Ice Skating rink opened…
• Environment Wins! $19.5 Million GCE fund took your proposals, get food scraps ready because composting is coming!, 2 year moratorium on fracking (Thanks Joe!), stock up on styrofoam because it’s banned bitches. Plus, McGolrick Park Farmer’s Market Winterizes.
• Best missed opportunity of a lifetime! Wolf in a Greenpoint Bar!?!?! via Broken Land’s Facebook, “On Tuesday, December 3, 2013 we welcomed Atka and the Wolf Conservation Center of South Salem, NY. A up-close encounter with a live Arctic wolf while learning about the beautiful, rare and widely misunderstood wolves of North America.” WHAT THE FUCK!!! Wish we were there… Sad fangs :(=
• Best not-missed opportunity, a sweat lodge and crawfish boil at Diamond Bar.
• Best of Vegan – Champ’s Junior Opened on Manhattan Ave, Van Leeuwen made (and still makes) outstanding coconut-ty vegan ice cream
• Shout out to Peter Pan Donuts always and forever THE BEST. They love hipsters and fill their donuts with joy. During Coffee’s Night Out, Champion Coffee made Cold Brew Tiramisu made with Peter Pan Donuts, Mascarpone Cheese and Rum and it was ALL THAT AND THEN SOME!
• Polish food in Greenpoint is always a BEST BET and we put together this round-up and anatomy of a polish sausage.
• Our favorite Colombian restaurant came out to the community!
• Best of politics. The battle of the Stephens showdown, then Stephen won.
• BEST BAND came late in the year with Hand Job Academy rough riding our No Office Holiday Party! We also have our own homegrown rapper who DOES NOT want to be a gangster and Lorde rocked Warsaw.
• From contest to conception BEST PUBLIC ART goes to Leslie Wood’s Greenpoint Library Mural.
• Missing Greenpoint woman is FOUND weeks later – unharmed. Silver alert missing man found, too.
• So many new bars and restaurants opened this year, then so many more opened! We couldn’t keep up and that’s our job!
• BIRDS Wins. Hawks + Falcon or Kestrel? (some big ass bird) on McGuinness Blvd + Mockingbirds in Transmitter Park don’t give a fuck.
• You asked for it. Rocco was not banned from commenting.
• We learned Greenpoint History Lessons about Keramos Hall, Transmitter Park, The Astral, Wooden Houses & The Missing Foundation.
• Round-up: Greenpoint BEST “work from home” cafes.
• Round-up: BEST first date spots in Greenpoint.
• Lost cat reunited with owners (and this one, too, and this one, and this one, and this one) and #samthecat finds a home! Plus this stolen dog was returned to his owners.
• Jen G fuckin’ QUIT and is now the boss of Greeenpointers and her life. Scary for everyone.
• Brunch no longer competes with God on Sundays…
• BEST RESTAURANT goes to Glasserie.
• YOU funded OUR Neon Sign Documentary! THANKS!!!
• We raised over $700 for Greenpoint Soup Kitchen at our Soup Bowl event and Thanksgiving at Dirck the Norsemen raised $500! (Ed Raven ordered me to report that in case your were wondering whether he pocketed your money.)
• Milton St transformed into turn of the century set with horse and buggies!
• Best Places to experience a break-up (various stages)
• East River Ferry graces our shores for 5 more years!
• Best New Shops: People of 2morrow tied with Bklyn Curated.