Have you ever noticed how many banks we have to choose from in our little downtown area of Greenpoint, Brooklyn? South of Greenpoint Avenue, on Manhattan Avenue, our banking options seem limitless: HSBC, Citibank, Bank of America, Dime, Capital One, Chase, Apple, and now, TD Bank.
For the average non-homeowner with a steady paycheck the levels in service don’t differ much from the green bank to the red bank. For homeowners, it’s usually a matter of a quarter percentage savings on the interest of their mortgage. Options are good, but I don’t think that they need to take up so much physical space from the downtown centers of New York City neighborhoods. It’s not like my account is physically there; most banking is done online. And let’s face it, banks are basically big empty spaces used as a public relation tool by an industry that can more easily afford centralized real estate than anyone else. And they are in need of public relations.
I know you hate the newest ugly condo building in the neighborhood, me too, they’re ugly and already falling apart, but this outdoor mall of banks isn’t any better. Continue reading →
My appreciation for abstract art comes more from the streets of Brooklyn than the galleries of Manhattan.
Devoe Street 11222
So, forget that it’s chipped, sprayed or splattered paint and enjoy its properties the way you’re supposed to in a museum. There’s some awfully cool little compositions that can be found on the streets of Greenpoint and beyond.
My appreciation for abstract art comes more from the littered sidewalks of Brooklyn than the galleries of Manhattan.
Meserole Street 11222
Forget that it’s trash and enjoy the materials, colors and textures the way you’re supposed to in a museum. There’s some awfully cool little compositions of junk that can be extracted from the streets of Greenpoint and beyond.
Hausman Street 11222
Van Brunt Street 11231
Devoe Street 11222
Tony Luib has a one man blog about Greenpoint and beyond at Brooklyn Imbecile.
Sometimes it feels like Greenpoint is the capital of Lost Kitty-land, or perhaps where all Internet cats go to retire. It doesn’t take long to find a lamp post covered with layers of lost cat posters, old ones getting covered up by new ones. It feels as though our fine little northern Brooklyn neighborhood is overrun with free kittens, feral cats and locals looking for their lost furry friends.
Ever wonder how this happens? How do people lose their cats? Do they leave their doors or windows open? Are felines naturally attracted to those giant digester eggs at the waste facility on Greenpoint Avenue? Are Greenpointers trying to hipsterize their cats by making them “free range”? If your cat “escapes” your home, would you chase right after it? Or do people think that posting flyers all over the neighborhood will bring them back?
Look at these flyers. Many of them don’t have a good picture of their cats so the tiny chance that someone may identify their missing pet is minimized. And many say, “Goes by: Mr. Fluffypants” Really? Cats respond to names given to them? I don’t think so. And there is the phone number; what are you supposed to do with that? Call and say that you think you just saw their cat running east on Manhattan Avenue?
I do have sympathy for anyone losing a loved one, but might I suggest to all cat owners right now: Take some good mug and side profile shots of your kitty and create a missing cat flyer template now because chances are it’s going to happen.
Now, I don’t have a completely sarcastic view of this. Just yesterday, I was walking down my street and saw another missing cat flier for a very cute long-haired friend named Nappy, and it reminded me of when I lost my beloved feline Casper when I was 12 years old in a land far away from here.
