Come mid-September Greenpoint’s kids can trade the pop-up playground in McGolrick Park for the real deal. The Playground is in the midst of a year-long make over, funded largely by Councilman Stephen Levin and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams
As part of the revamp, the Parks Department has installed new playground equipment and spray showers, added more benches, upgraded landscaping, poured new pavement and put up new fencing. Parks will also refurbish pathways throughout the park in the fall.
While neighbors may cheer the new equipment, plenty will miss an old friend: The playground’s whale has been removed during the rennovation.
But, if you’re more into grass than grass-fed, then Long Island City is the place for you. The second phase of Hunters Point South Park opened last Wednesday, and the Architect’s Newspaper says the 11 acres of riverside park land, “brings a fresh breath of air to the formerly inaccessible, industrialized site and showcases expansive views of the East River alongside Newtown Creek.”
Happy Friday Greenpoint! As per usual, we’re at the top of the list. This time, the list in question is Patch’s “Best New Places to Eat in NYC.”Di An Di (68 Greenpoint Ave), the new Vietnamese eatery on Greenpoint Avenue, takes the top spot.
As far as stunning neighborhood icons with a deep hometown pedigree go, the Mechanics and Traders Bank of Greenpoint, at 144 Franklin Street, is hard to beat, and the entire 3-story 5,760 sqft gem could be yours for $6.5 Million! Continue reading →
In other L-train news, Wired took a look at “The Dreamers of the L-Train Shutdown,” noting how the impending L-pocalypse has really spurred some quixotic creativity in New York, inspiring such proposals as gondolas, pontoon bridges, and inflatable bridges.
Meanwhile, the Village Voice asked, “Is the Rest of the Subway Ready for the L-Train Shutdown?” focusing on the impact that service changes will have on our beloved G train. For example, “No station illustrates the scale of the challenge, or raises questions about whether the MTA is doing enough to mitigate the impact of its own planned work, better than Court Square in Long Island City, where internal MTA documents warn that corridors could be “crush-loaded” once erstwhile L riders crowd onto the G.” Get ready for the crush, Greenpoint. Continue reading →
The pace of change is swift here in the city, what with permits for new developments constantly being filed (like these for 85 and 87 Calyer Street), but this week, area residents are remembering the bygone gems of the early aughts, like Monkeytown, the performing arts paradise which began in a loft space at 222 Leonard street in 2003. (For those looking to relive the glory, Monkeytown may make an appearance in Mexico City later this year.)
