The Heat Is On
Exploring Police Presence on The Southside
The police made South Williamsburg an unseasonably hot May in an otherwise cool, rainy month, and June has shown few signs of relenting. NYPD uniforms flooding the Southside caused whispering around the bodegas, interruptions of street corner games of dominoes, and buzzing on community message boards. This was no ordinary patrolling. Officers walked two and two around practically every block, and cop cars made rounds circling areas south of Grand Street. One Sunday, three pairs of officers passed by me over the course of five minutes while I was enjoying an egg-and-cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee on a park bench near the Williamsburg Bridge. Surprised by the sight, I then noticed two other officers across the street and asked them what was going on...
The Doctor Is (Always) In
The Practice of Dr. Jay Parkinson
Imagine being able to call up your primary physician and getting a personalized home visit within hours, complete with follow-up care including video chat, instant messaging, and emails. Then picture having all labs done in the comfort of your abode and having access to your medical records whenever you want. This is the reality of patients of Dr. Jay Parkinson. Parkinson, based in Williamsburg, is on the frontlines of a new kind of health care, which is personalized, accessible and convenient to patients of all ages...
Ask a Chasid
Ok, you see us everywhere. If you live in the ‘Burg, you can’t avoid us. The perception of us is a cross between “Fiddler on the Roof” and the insulated community of the Amish, but with mustaches and technology. Real estate has made for some strange bedfellows and while it seems that in a community that prides itself in celebrating its uniqueness and diversity, there are still some negative connotations and old wives’ tales that are born out of a lack of knowledge or politically correct trepidation. After a lifetime of tolerating comments such as, “Funny, you don’t look Chasidic,” and other brilliant barbs, I would like to initiate an open and informative forum to satisfy all your curiosities regarding the Chasidic “Sects in the City.”
Desert Island Comics
On a chilly February afternoon, I was walking by the barren storefront on 540 Metropolitan Ave. where T-Mobile's probably worst-performing store used to be. A passerby and I laughed at what happened to the sign of an old Italian bakery, which now read, "Sparacino's Bakery/Italian French Sicilian Bread/And Comic Booklets," followed by a small icon of a book. Whoever added the words, I thought, is funny, full of attitude and is going to open a cool shop. The proprietor might also be trying to say something about history and community by revising the old awning instead of getting a fresh one...
An Atheist Goes To Church
Like most other NY neighborhoods, Greenpoint and Williamsburg have their fair share of churches – somewhere in excess of thirty in Williamsburg proper alone. Most have been here for quite some time, some as early as the neighborhoods’ inception, and it follows that not many of them cater specifically to the burgeoning –and primarily younger – group of residents.
That’s why when Williamsburg Church popped onto the scene – with an active blog, sermon podcasts, and comparatively modern graphic design work – it piqued our interest. The article was to be simple and to the point: new unique church in the area offers x, y, z in a neighborhood of yada yada yada. You know the drill – a nice profile piece. Upon emailing the pastor Robert Elkin, however, I was informed that they’d rather not have the publicity. Robert claimed that only church members are fit to tell the community about the church – because they are the ones who really understand it. So, obviously, I took the hint and did the right thing.
I joined the congregation...
Deconstructing the War on (Truck) Terror
What does the Greenpoint community’s effort to stop overweight trucks from illegally using side roads have to do with a bridge collapse in Minnesota, George Orwell’s 1984, and the Department of Defense?
It depends on whom you ask.
Over the past two years, the Department of Transportation has been testing a new truck monitoring system built by American Traffic Solutions, Inc. A combination of cameras and sensors, the technology videotapes and weighs trucks driving down unauthorized roads...
HOTEL DELMANO
Ah yes, just what Williamsburg needs…a new cocktail bar rife with pretense and the type of prices that will leave you asking for an extension on your rent.
But alas, it is possible for some places to rise above their "scene-y" reputations and actually succeed on their own merits. Hopefully, this will be the case with the new cocktail joint Hotel Delmano (82 Berry St.). While no one can dispute this new bar (owned by the same team that brought us Union Pool) caters to the same uber-hip flock of vintage-clad residents that have become synonymous with the Willyburg scene – the bar itself definitely has character and the type of loungy vibe resonant of the Lower East Side...
A Night in the Life of a Doula
An Account of a Mother in Labor
From Wikipedia: A doula is an experienced, non-medical assistant who provides physical, emotional and informed choice support in prenatal care, during childbirth and during the postpartum period.
It was starting to rain outside the window, and the noise of the fetal heart monitor and blood pressure cuff made it hard to fall asleep. I made myself close my eyes anyway, as I was determined to get at least 20 minutes of rest after being awake all night. My client slept peacefully on the bed, while her partner did the same on an uncomfortable chair against the wall. It was a tranquil scene except for the nurse coming in every hour to take my client’s temperature and to check on the baby’s vitals—as calm as a labor and delivery room could be...
Three Rings of Circus in Williamsburg
Williamsburg residents are among the lucky few who don't have to spend all year eagerly awaiting the arrival of an exotic circus. After all, The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Circus Amok and Cirque This all call Williamsburg home, and each of the trio has built a rich history of community performance in the neighborhood.
Circuses in Williamsburg go back to the 1980s, when Circus Amok first planted its oversize shoes in Williamsburg. Founder Jennifer Miller, New York's most renowned bearded lady, moved from Fort Greene to Williamsburg in 1986. Living in a large loft on South 11th Street, Miller was able to maintain an economical and creative life as a performance artist...
Domino Effect
What the Conversion of the Domino Sugar Factory Means for Williamsburg
Well, it’s finally here, the answer to the question that has been on our minds since 2004, when the Domino Sugar Refinery ceased its factory operations: What will happen to the beloved Domino buildings?
It should surprise no one. Just months after the factory closed, its building complex, with the 11.5-acre waterfront site on which it stands, was sold to the partner developers C.P.C. Resources and Isaac Katan. Their plans for the New Domino, a 2,200-unit condominium complex designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners, were revealed in detail for the first time in February...
Hype of the States
Huddled in a dark corner at Rosemary’s Greenpoint Tavern on Bedford Avenue, Hype of the States lead singer, Jezrael, is successfully ducking the outstretched hand of lead guitarist Austin Raukus. He’s trying to cover her mouth.
“We want to sell out!” Jezrael, she announces with a giggle, leaning away from Raukus’ hand. “I’m serious! We do! We don’t want to be cool, we don’t want to be complicated. We just want to make pretty music.”
Texting Your Way out of Brooklyn
On a lazy overcast Saturday afternoon, sitting in a Williamsburg, SMS Cab founder Michael Guthrie pulls out his Blackberry, punches in "N 3rd and Wythe. Thx" and shoots the text message off to 767222. He sets his phone down and takes a sip of his amber ale. We both look at each other, then around the bar and finally out the window. "There's nothing I hate more than talking on the phone," he says as our conversation drops to silence. Less than a minute later, his PDA buzzes to life: "Thanks for trying us out," the text message reads. "We'll send a car ASAP."
Burlesque Sketch
Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School
In a theatrically-lit back room a burlesque bombshell in translucent platforms and satin corset drapes herself over a long scarlet-shrouded table. She's a sort of macabre melodrama poured into skimpy crimson gaud posing seductively before a tightly-packed crescent of scribblers. Though this vintaged scene recalls nostalgic tableaus of Parisian bohemia, it's simply another Saturday for Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School at The Lucky Cat cafe (245 Grand St.) in Williamsburg...
Activists Take Steam Out of Gas Plant Plan
When you think of what Greenpoint and Williamsburg need, what comes to mind first: a 28-acre waterfront park or a power plant? If you went with park, the elected officials, community boards, residents and activists of the area agree with you.
North Brooklyn got one step closer to adding Bushwick Inlet Park to its résumé when the State officially killed TransGas Energy's plan to build a $2 billion power plant on eight acres of land along the East River between North 12th and 14th Streets on Kent Avenue. The State siting board put the nail in the coffin on March 20th, due to the fact their proposal failed to meet health and environmental requirements. TransGas has tried to push through their power-plant agenda several times in the past, most recently 2002...
Handy Warhol
The Crest Hardware Art Show
What do you get when youThe original Crest Art Show dates back to 1990 and in only its first year, helped get Crest True Value Hardware named the Top-Rated Hardware Store in NYC by The Daily News.
After a little hiatus, the next generation of Crest Hardware decided to bring this unique experience back to the Brooklyn community.
The art pieces are placed alongside hardware products which adds to the element of surprise and lends an aura of the unexpected. Manuel Franquinha, the now 80 year-old owner says, "Sometimes people aren't sure if a piece is art or hardware. The only way you can tell for sure is by the price. Hardware is a lot cheaper."
Sewage Ingenuity: Swimming Pool or Affordable Housing in Old Tank?
This is how bad the open space situation has gotten in North Brooklyn. Locals are fiercely debating whether to turn the Greenpoint Sludge Tank, a former human waste storage facility, into a swimming pool or affordable housing.
According to local activist Mike Hoffman, the tank formerly converted raw sewage into fertilizer and shipped the product to Texas cattle farms. Hoffman quipped that knowing this information has stopped him from ever enjoying liver from the Lone Star State...
Organic Grocers in Greenpoint and Williamsburg
The saying goes that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But what if that apple was picked up to two weeks prior from halfway across the country, sprayed with insecticides and pesticides, and then gassed with ethylene oxide to kill bacteria and mold?
That doesn't sound so healthy.
So why not try an organic apple, free of toxic chemicals and grown much closer to home? While organic food options are on the rise nationwide, grocers that carry organic fruits and vegetables aren't nearly as abundant in Brooklyn shops like Met Food or Associated Supermarket...
Enough Policing Already:
What EPA Scientists Are Saying About Government Interference
And How It Relates to The Greenpoint Oil Spill
North Brooklyn residents and regular readers of Block Magazine probably know about a disaster referred to as the Greenpoint Oil Spill, which the Environmental Protection Agency estimated dumped 17 to 30 million gallons of petroleum into our neighborhood soils and the Newtown Creek over the course of nearly a century and a half. The EPA report showed that the plume was much larger than once imagined and that methane gas floated about local homes and businesses...
Kelli Rudick: No One Knows She’s Foreign
In a cold, commodious loft, typical to the indistinct borderlands of East Williamsburg and Bushwick, Kelli Rudick has settled into a cozy, creative life. Born and raised in Israel, she is certainly a long way from home. Still, she has forged a path for her truly unique musical style in a community rife with so much stock uniqueness. Impervious to the flotsam and jetsam of this purported Bohemia, she tells me, "I’m here, and I’m doing my thing."
