Yet another home is under construction in Gravesend on Avenue W between East 2nd and East 3rd Streets. On Saturday, there were no workers or penetrating screams of equipment. The building sat quietly waiting to be finished; perhaps quietly waiting to be broken into.
Tucked into a window was a yellow square of paper with a handwritten note reading, “Warning: we are not responsible if you get killed when steeling from us.” On the door is taped another message, “No Metal.” Whether an intentional playful pun, or poor spelling, referring to the apparant thievery as “steeling” is fitting.
“I know that metal can be sold, but it seems crazy to break into a building under construction just to get some,” said a local resident.
Well it may not be as crazy as it may seem. In the beginning of April, copper was trading for nearly $4 dollars a pound.
Metals theft is a problem accross the country. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. has recognized the problem and is working to combat and prevent incidents.
While metal seeking criminals remain active, felt-tip penned warnings of possible death will try to keep them at bay.
Years ago, the MTA had announced that the L line was going to be the first to receive new technological advancement and modernization. As a result, the entire L train was operated almost solely by computers. Passengers were very delighted after receiving the news but they were later disappointed because of detours and delays. Two years ago, if one had asked commuters to rate the L train, they would have probably said it was starkly nerve wrecking, because of the huge time lapses between trains. The train travels from Rockaway Parkway(Canarsie) to Eighth Avenue, and West 14 street (Manhattan).
However, today, there has been a positive transformation. There is a substantial growth in ridership and a great improvement in frequency of service. Reggie Bent, a prominent businessman of Canarsie who travels to Manhattan daily said, ” I can’t believe that the train has improved so much.” The L train has been rated as the cleanest subway in the latest survey in the straphangers campaign. Although the L train has changed, it still has it flaws like most other trains, with overcrowding in rush hours.
On Monday night, the city council passed a measure urging the Albany legislators to vote for the approval of congestion pricing. This means the city will charge an eight dollar fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Great, right? Who doesn’t want fewer cars in the city? They are noisy, polluting, and everywhere. It has been promised that the revenue collected will be used to improve the bus and subway system. If you live in the outer part of the outer boroughs and travel daily into Manhattan, it may not be so great. “Commuters in our city will be able to benefit immediately from mass transit improvements that you will see literally within months,” said Mayor Bloomberg at a news conference. I live between the Neptune Avenue and Avenue X stops on the “F” line. The ride itself takes 45 minutes, plus the walk to the train and from the train to my destination. The closest express train is too far away for the shorter ride to equal a shorter total trip. Short of adding an express train, improvements to the system will do little to change anything for residents who ride this line. Two hours of travel each day is exhausting. As a remedy I purchased a Vespa. Riding along the Belt Parkway into Manhattan, travel time is cut in half. However, the city has said there are no plans as of now to charge reduced fees for scooters or motorcycles. Now we wait to see if Albany will follow the city council’s lead. Eight dollars a day just to go to work or school or two hours or more of traveling? I imagine there will be many drivers asking themselves the same question, debating what is more important, time or money.
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.
One might feel a bit depressed after leaving a loved one at a senior center. However, one can rest assure that their loved ones are in safe hands at Glenwood Senior Center. This institution is a focal point bringing older adults together as one big happy family. The staff makes it their sole priority to ensure that members are treated with respect by making a connection with each individual. Healthy nutrition is very important and is highly promoted at the center. They offer a balanced diet of whole grains, greens and protein.
The center realizes that there are diverse needs and hobbies, thus providing a wide range of activities for its members. On Fridays, the seniors are given the opportunity of bringing along their grandchildren. If one should visit the center on a Friday, I can guarantee that their hearts will be deeply touched by the beautiful picture painted. Seniors are engaged in fun indoor and outdoor activities; in the summer time one could see them enjoying the beautiful sunshine and laughing and talking together. Members also get a chance to express their creative side by taking part in arts and crafts and displaying their own individual uniqueness. The staff knows that exercising is also a very important aspect that is even more vital at an older age. Thus, aerobic classes are offered where members get a chance to be flexible and stretch their muscles and keep in good shape. On a visit to his grandmother, Roger Powell claimed “I could hear the seniors bellowing in a state of excitement from playing a game of bingo.” The seniors have no problem showing off their bodies, some of them are eager to wear their bathing suits into the beautiful pool that is provided for them. Trevor Mcclear said, “I just feel a sense of tranquility when I come into the pool.” But the center goes further, they even offer fieldtrips where members get the chance to leave Avenue H and go to different places. Computer lessons are also offered so that members can keep up-to-date with technological advancements. There are rumors going around that a creative writing and dancing class will be offered.
Graffiti has been a part of New York City culture since the 1960’s. On nearly every block of every neighborhood a name or design, born of spray paint, melds with a city surface. Even the sound of the word, “graffiti”, seems to mimic the motion inherent in its meaning. An artist takes hold of the can and with the wave of his arm, like a magician casting a spell, the surface is transformed.
For some, graffiti is about putting their names in as many places as possible, known as ”bombing“. For others, it is an elaborate art executed with a painstaking attention to detail. They take time to plan their designs, choose its location and breath life into imagination with the hiss of a paint can. A graffiti artist named “CRASH” has even had his work displayed in art museums.
Still, building owners are not always happy when the sometimes indecipherable markings adorn their walls; and the City would like to see the urban canvas wiped clean. To help continue its efforts, the City has invested in 23 new vans dedicated to the “graffiti-free” initiative enacted by former Mayor Guiliani. “The Bloomberg administration’s successful efforts to combat New York City’s seemingly intractible graffiti problem has helped make the City a better place to live and do business in all five boroughs,” said Giovanni Taffa, head of the Graffiti-Free New York operation.
For no charge, a graffitied wall will be repainted or power-washed. All it takes is a call to 311 and filling out a form. In 2007, the 62nd precinct, which includes Gravesend, received the fourth highest number of graffiti complaints. There are more than 30 graffiti clean-ups pending in the area since the middle of October last year.
Despite the City’s actions, it is hard to imagine a completely “graffiti-free” city. Not just because of the logistics, but also what an unmarked city would be like. There is something so NYC about graffiti; the different forms it takes, different styles, the new pieces constantly popping up and the images that have never faded. For five decades paint has covered the City. Graffiti artists will no doubt continue to paint the town red, and every other color of the rainbow.
Irish eyes are smiling. Adults and children of all ages join the festivities. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Bay Ridge on Sunday, March 30th.
The parade, which usually falls the Sunday after the actual Saint Patrick’s Day, was moved back as a result of Easter Sunday. Every year the Irish and many other nationalities from Bay Ridge and surrounding neighborhoods join the fray.
The day begins with a 9:30 A.M. mass at Saint Patrick’s on 95th Street and 4th Avenue, followed by a parade at 1 P.M. that runs from 95th street all the way to 59th Street. After the parade, the day is nowhere close to being over.There is not an empty stool in any of the neighborhood bars. Many local bars offer Irish menus including corned beef and shepherd’s pie, accompanied by enough drink to get your fill.
Many local residents mark this day as Local 40 worker Joe Nicholson says, “with all the various jobs my friends have it is hard to get together, but not on Saint Patty’s Day.” If you enjoy shamrocks, beer and a fun crowd you may want to take a trip down to Bay Ridge next Sunday, to either have a good time or maybe even change your face.
Because I’m cheap I’ll walk an extra two blocks to the laundromat further from my house if I have a lot of laundry and need to use the big washers. Fortunately this doesn’t happen often. However, on Saturday I found myself making my way, in my last pair of clean underwear, through buckets of rain, to the laundromat to do some much needed laundry. As I approached the front door I noticed a sign that read, “we have Wi-Fi.” This was somewhat surprising as nothing else about the laundromat suggests that it would have wireless internet capabilities. No new stainless steel washers and dryers. No modish sculpted plastic chairs to sit in while you wait. Nothing like that at all. Sure enough, though, the sign was telling the truth. Shirking the copies of the Carribean News next to the bench several young people, presumably Pratt students, engrossed themselves in their laptops while a red t shirt spun and flipped end over end in the dryer.
Anything you can do to differentiate yourself from the other guy with coin operated washers and dryers is probably a good thing. On the Ohio State University campus, just a few blocks from where I grew up, there is a laundromat that also has a bar and serves pizza. Which makes more sense in some ways; don’t you have enough to carry to the laundromat already? Do you really want to bring a laptop too?
While there is no denying that wired is the way of the future it is somewhat surprising that a laundromat in Clinton Hill is leading the charge. Despite the surprise and whether or not it is in my opinion a worthwhile addition to a laundromat to have Wifi it is nice to see the entrepreneurial spirit alive and well in Clinton Hill.
It was a beautiful Saturday morning November 8 when Marie Johnson went to Bubblet Wash laundromat at Rockaway Parkway Avenue, Carnarsie. Johnson was eager to wash her loads of whites but to her surprise she was welcomed by a homeless man lying on the seats at the laundromat. There was a huge bag blocking the front door containing his belongings.The air was filled with an unpleasant aroma that would stifle customers in an instant.
Distorted Johnson hastily made a complaint to management who didn’t seem to care much about the situation. Management claimed that he was a friend of one of the workers, rumors had it that he use to live in the projects across the street. Johnson decided to stay despite of her concerns and she wasn’t willing to give up the great parking space outside. She also complained about the stagnant water that was draining beside one of the washers which she had intended to use. Johnson said “this was the worst experience I ever had at a laundromat in the past five years.”
The housing market in the country is still reeling from the subprime loan fiasco. NYC, though, is a real estate world all its own. There is construction for luxury apartments,coops and condos sprouting from the concrete like bamboo. If there is space someone will build certain that someone will cough up the dough to live there.Space is just as precious here. Construction of what workers say will be condominiums is currently taking place in what appears to be an undesirable location. Located on a corner lot, these homes will hear the thundering of the elevated F train, steps away from the Neptune Avenue stop. There is a unhindered view of the Belt Parkway on the horizon of the second story window. Gravesend bay, accross the street, is currently being dredged and clean, men and machinery buzzing about.”It’s noisy, but it will be really nice,” said a worker on the building. He hit nail on the parquay floor. Gravesend homes sell for nearly twice the price of homes in nearby Coney Island. And according to Trulia, sales in Gravesend have far outpaced those in the four surrounding neighborhood from Nov. ‘07 - Jan. ‘08.Gravesend, Brooklyn, a largely residential community, many homes are also recieving face lifts. And much like homes built in the 1970’s have a noticible style, Gravesend is seeing a trend in home design. The drab brick is transforming into a more modern look, reminicent of large suburban homes, with smooth outer walls, lighter and softer colors, and embellishments of columns and window dressing. There are even homes built on several lots, mansion-like in appearance.It remains to be seen if sales in Gravesend will slump, but for now look for construction workers, masons and smiling real estate agents.
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