Neighborhood Threat

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.

This post on Brownstoner today got me thinking about one of my pet peeves, Manhattan Avenue. Manhattan Ave. is a constant stream of traffic violations. People double-park with impunity. People park in bus stops. People do a three-point turn in the middle of the street to turn themselves around - in the middle of rush hour.

Commercial vehicles flaunt the rules just as much. I realize trucks need to park to unload but parking in the bus stop so the bus has to stop in the middle of the street is dangerous for passengers and blocks traffic in the other direction. As I commented on Brownstoner, our favorite offender is the armored car that picks up from the Dime Savings Bank at the corner of Manhattan and Calyer in the morning. It drives south down Manhattan Ave., and just before the bank, swerves into the northbound lane and parks (illegally) at the curb in the bus stop. This isn’t a one-time occurrence, either.

If every meter maid in Greenpoint went up to Manhattan Ave. and ticketed the cars, vans, and trucks that parked illegally, double parked, parked in bus stops - all of which create actual, real traffic problems during rush hour - they’d have a bonanza. They’d also increase the quality of life in the neighborhood, which ticketing the poor guy who overslept and didn’t get to move his car in time doesn’t do.

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.

The G train gets a bad rap. It is far more useful than people will give it credit for - that, or everyone bitching about it hasn’t been in NYC long enough to develop creative subway riding skills - Not sure which. People refuse to even entertain living in Greenpoint because of the G train, insisting on immediate proximity to the L train - which to me is far more of a nightmare. At least I’m not waiting three trains in the morning before I can squeeze myself onto one.

Earlier this year, when I was working at 50th and Madison, I would take the G to Court Square and transfer to the E or the V, which left me three blocks from work. (When the weather was nice, I would take the B61 to the first stop after the Pulaski Bridge and get on the 7 at Vernon-Jackson, get off at GCT, and then walk uptown. In my opinion, the B61-7 train connection is the most under-rated connection in Brooklyn. I would say “don’t tell anybody” but it doesn’t matter. People are too myopic.

I work in Tribeca and take the G train to the IND at Hoyt-Schermerhorn and get off at Canal St. It’s a cross-platform transfer and I have a seat for most of my commute. Most people in this area would walk or take the bus to the L at Bedford, squeeze onto a train, and then make the lengthy connection at 8th Avenue, and not even consider the G.

But, this was supposed to be a bitch about the G. Tonight we took in one of the free River to River shows downtown, and then got on the IND at Chambers St. When we got on the G at Hoyt-Schermerhorn, the conductor informed us that the next stop would be Bedford-Nostrand. It ran all stops from Bedford-Nostrand to Metropolitan Ave. - where we were then informed the next stop would be 21st St. in Queens! There was no service notice posted, nor any indication by the conductor that this was a skip-stop train, nor any reason given for the skip-stop. There’s no express track, so I’m really not sure what purpose this served. The MTA couldn’t pull that crap with any mainline train in Manhattan, but they have to realize the G is no longer a poor country cousin.

Who remembers when it was the GG (and the LL)?

They’re baaaack.

What does Dennis Leary require for his filming pleasure this time out?
Both sides of Calyer St. from Franklin to Manhattan.
Both sides of Oak St. from Calyer to Franklin.
And, the best, Franklin St. from Quay to Greenpoint Ave. - but only the west side of the street.
There may be more, but this is what greeted us when we came home last night.

On a WEDNESDAY, no less, which is supposed to be the one day you don’t have to worry about alternate side in Greenpoint.

…But the DOT doesn’t believe in adequate notice, either.

These went up late on Wednesday, on BOTH sides of Franklin St. Accordingly, we moved the car as soon as we got home from work. But if we had come home late, we would never have seen the signs in the dark, and certainly wouldn’t have been up early enough to have seen them.

No notice of remedy. Nothing official on the sign to designate that it was an official DOT sign.

They didn’t start at 7am, either.

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.

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.