The drone of car horns can be heard rattling any resident’s ears. The complaints may be even louder by driver’s who are sitting and staring at the same view of blinking red brake lights. Bay Ridge is the lead into three boroughs. The Verrazano Bridge takes you to Staten Island, the Belt Parkway to Queens, and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to Queens and Manhattan.
The two biggest problems with residents in Bay Ridge are getting in and getting out. Many residents, even though they have cars decide to take public transportation out of Bay Ridge. A local resident Ryan Dawson says, “Unless it is the weekend I don’t touch my car because of the traffic, and the parking when I finally do get home”.
The worst of the three trips, many residents say, is getting to Staten Island from Bay Ridge which is across a 4,260 foot bridge. It seems as if there is never-ending construction going on somewhere on this bridge. Right now, the bottom level is being worked on so one may want to steer clear and head up top. No matter what level one takes from about 3:30P.M.-7:00P.M. one will be sitting in traffic as the Belt Parkway and BQE both flood into the Verrazano Bridge.
A Staten Island resident, Jessica Hughes said, “I used to attend John Jay and in the morning I sat in an hour and a half worth of traffic. After a long day on the way home I sat in another hour and a half worth of traffic on the Verrazano Bridge.” Now traffic cops are present in the afternoon but many residents complain that they cause more traffic and accidents than if drivers obeyed the street lights.
Now the question asked by many local residents is when will the traffic gridlocks stop and what is the solution.
Walking around in the East Village, one can be sure to see the signs of gentrification that the neighborhood has been going through over the past years. Instead of bodegas, there are trendy cafes selling small sandwiches with coffee for $15. Where affordable housing used to be are tall glass buildings, charging $3000 for a one bedroom apartment.
The newest addition to the already visible signs of gentrification is high-rise boutique hotels, charging $400 per night. These hotels are popping up all around the neighborhood, but in particular around The Bowery. The Bowery used to be a historical street, at first home to flop houses and then home to many artists, authors, and filmmakers. Today, residents are being pushed out by landowners so that they can sell their buildings to hotel developers. According to the Bowery Association Network some of the major developments include the Bowery Hotel at 335 Bowery, the Avalon Bay buildings centered on Houston St., and the New Museum at 235 Bowery. In addition, seven more hotels are being developed on The Bowery. The primary issue is obviously that the long-term residents are being pushed out, but residents are also concerned with the character change that the expensive hotels are bringing.
Greenpoint residents understand the importance of going green. On Saturday April 19th Greenpoint will hold, for the first time an Earth Day celebration spectacular. The celebration will be held at McCarren Park and there will be much to do like a scavenger hunt, live music and recycled artwork will be featured as well. There will also be health and wellness vendors, yoga, granola, tree hugging and a bunch of vegans….I bet. One thing for sure it will be interesting if you have never been to an event at McCarren Park before. Quite a crowd gathers.
Our planet is in pretty bad shape and Earth Day should be seriously celebrated across the globe. You never know, if people get a little more interested and learn what they can do themselves to better the world maybe, just maybe they will get out of their Hummer and into a Prius.
What I think is important about this celebration spectacular is that they will be giving lessons on what individuals can do to make a change. Teaching environmentally sound ways of life is what will truly help change, people will no longer have the excuse that one person can’t change the world or that they don’t know what they as an individual can do to change.Say NO to plastic bags at the bodega!
With the quiet blow of the wind comes a heavy, “industrial” stench–don’t bother holding your breath. The smell of factory smoke in Woodbridge can arrive in currents-without warning, seeping under the door, filling the room, and remaining until one contemplates opening a window to air it all; but that would be of no help.
Occasionally, these currents of foul air arrive and make breathing even outside uncomfortable. There is one factory I can see far off in the distance from my bedroom window. But I do not know where exactly the source of the scent comes from or how safe it is to breathe in. New Jersey is notorious for a skyline billowing with gray smoke. And occasionally one must deal with the waft of a stinky smell intermingled with the breeze, even in the small, clean town of Woodbridge.
”It can be annoying. When I’m on my way home I smell it sometimes and I have no idea where it comes from. It’s probably safe but its unfortunate we have to breathe that stuff in anyway,” said one resident.
New Jersey’s Air Quality Awareness Week begins April 30th through the fourth. This time is set aside for residents to pay closer attention to what we put out into the atmosphere, and what we breathe in. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website offers information on how residents can do simple things at home to improve the quality of air in their communities. For more info click here: (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/aqaweek/tips.htm).
Manhattan Avenue, the main street in Greenpoint Brooklyn has been experiencing more store closures than ever before. On my usual walk from the L train on Bedford Avenue to my apt. located just off Manhattan Avenue, I counted four dollar stores that were in their final days of closing or were already closed.”I think that they are just not making money anymore. I mean how many dollar stores do you really need on one street anyway,” said Phillip Osher,23 a Greenpoint resident.Last year while walking from one end of Manhattan Avenue to the next I counted a total of 13 Dollar stores. Now, this number has certainly dwindled. Since the dollar is at record lows wouldn’t it make sense for dollar stores to be doing better then ever as just a few bucks can go a long way in these shops?I guess the answer is no. Store owners can’t afford to stay open selling their cheap laundry hampers, discount sodas and paper towel dispensers. My question is what will open in their place? This quickly changing neighborhood has already experienced the opening of half a dozen banks and a Starbucks; what kind of store will it take to prevail through the declining dollar?I hope one of the discount stores is replaced by an American Apparel.
(Pictured, left sandtrap, right clubhouse)
Scheduled to open this July, the exterior of the Dyker Beach Park Junior Golf Course has been completed. Located on 14th Ave, and Poly Place, when it opens, all kids aged 6-17, can bring a parent and use it for free. Currently, a clubhouse learning center is under construction.
Many are excited by the project. Mayor Bloomberg hopes “To be able to introduce more young New Yorker’s in all five boroughs to the great game of golf.” (http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/index1.aspx?BD=19655).)
However, some residents wonder at its usefulness. Not everyone shares Bloomberg’s enthusiasm. Brinda Onisco, an administrator at P.S.112 , wonders, “What do they need a golf course for? Couldn’t that money go to schools, who are dealing with some major budgets cuts?” The Project is expected to cost over $3 million for construction, with another $3 million being put away for future costs. The project is receiving $1.5 million from the state; the difference is being raised by Senator Marty Goldman and the Cityparks Foundation.
Still, residents have other questions. “Whose gonna come all the way out here for golf?” asks Eric Eaton referring to the relative inaccessibility of Dyker Heights. “You gotta take a local train to a bus (B8) at the end of Brooklyn!” Dyker Heights can be a hard place to get to, especially when you don’t have a car, (like the average teenager). Eaton is referring to taking the R to 86th in Bay Ridge; an alternative route is to take the D train to New Uctrect and walk. “It’s a big waste of time, and money,” he decides.
Opinions vary, on the value of a kids’ golf course, but it is a fact that outdoor activities improve psychological, and physical health. (For more on benefits of golfing http://ezinearticles.com/?Health-Benefits-and-Golf&id=218442
Mary McKie is a mother of 3; two of her children, are teenagers “I wish I could get them out!” she says heartily “but to be honest, I feel like, there is less and less for them to do.” There has been a decline, in recreational activities as banks, and chain stores begin to dominate this part of Brooklyn.
“We used to go bowling, and skating, now all I see are big chain stores!”There’s softball and football leagues, but McKie comments “Not everyone is into that, and things get too competitive.”The Cityparks Foundation responded to the questions raised, by calling them “fair,” but they would not give a quote.
On the corner of 47th Street, and Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, stands a cafe known as Communitea. This low-key, contemporary space, filled with tranquil ambiance has become a home to many locals, and nearby small business owners. However, Communitea is slowly becoming appealing to people all over the city. Communitea is a cafe that clearly distinguishes itself from any other place in the LIC area, with ambient music playing in the background, and the delicious and rather refreshing smell of Chai Lattes. Though Communitea is a small unpretentious cafe in a newly gentrified neighborhood, it has not only been successful in drawing locals, but even appealing to big time sitcoms like CW’s Gossip Girl. Employees at the cafe claim that the show has even helped quite a bit in promoting the cafe. “People come in and they are like, this is the same spot, oh that’s so cool,” says Michael Richter, an employee at Communitea. “And I believe in the episode someone was drinking tea, and that’s an important thing, because though we serve other things, we were initially a Tea House,” he says. The sitcom is filming their next episode at the cafe this Thursday, March 27th, 2008.
by Simon Caller (flickr.com)
One of the reasons I find Jackson Heights fascinating is because of its diversity. However, what really draws me to look into this area is soccer. For me soccer is not a sport, it’s a passion that I live fervently everyday. When I walk around Jackson Heights, I find myself visiting dozens of stores offering my favorite team jerseys, all kinds of soccer balls, and different videos from past tournaments.
Unfortunately, the ugly side of soccer has also reached Jackson Heights; mainly in “El Abuelo Gozon” bar, where soccer aficionados get together for some soccer, some beer, and some trouble.
Soccer hooligans have been terrorizing stadiums for many years, and the fights carry on at this bar to the extend of having police constantly around the site on Sundays, when most of the games are played. Javier, a soccer fan who didn’t want to give his last name because he has fought in different occasions just outside of “El Abuelo Gozon,” recalled being ambushed by supporters from other teams because he was wearing a soccer jersey from the Colombian side “Millonarios.”
“My girlfriend and I were attacked by five guys at least,” he said. “I wasn’t hurt badly so I went back the next week with friends, but nothing happened.”
The manager of the establishment has been unavailable when I have visited. I imagine he is probably busy preparing the place for the upcoming international game featuring Colombia against Honduras. Hopefully there won’t be any trouble once the final whistle blows.
The posting of posters in Chelsea is prolific and unattractive. Posters can be found on the temporary walls around every construction site in the neighborhood, even though there are signs that read, “Post No Bills.” The content on some of the posters contains subjects that should be censored from young children. However there seems to be no stopping these overnight vandals. Since according to Section 145.30 of the New York penal code the law prohibits affixing advertisements to someone else’s property.
Even though the temperature today wasn’t especially warm, Staten Islanders still flocked to Gateway Park to enjoy the sunny skies and refreshing breeze.
Local citizens found themselves enjoying the outdoors today in unity, although their choice of activity varied. Some jogged vigorously while others walked leisurely. Some drifted down the paved trail on rollerblades while others were on bike. Some skateboarded, and some small children rode their scooters. Two friends could be seen tossing a football in the field. A mother watched over protectively as her young child played in the playground. A loving couple sat together in front of the dock by the boats looking out at the water and enjoying the serenity of the day. In the distance, you could see model airplanes flying around. “It is such a lovely day to be outside. My friend and I like to come here when we can to enjoy the scenery and get some exercise,” says 20 year old avid rollerblader Linda Torricelli.
It was a picture perfect day in Gateway Park on Monday, March 24, 2008. No matter what activity was being pursued, no one could deny the joy that comes out of taking a break from routine life and enjoying some fresh air (as fresh as the air can be on Staten Island) in a scenic setting. Everything was quiet and everyone was relaxing, even if it was only for a little while until they were forced to return to the monotony and responsibilty of everyday life.
Gateway National Recreation Area has many locations that are spread across three boroughs and even part of Northern New Jersey. To learn more about a location near you, please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_National_Recreation_Area
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