Author: Halden

Tonight: Benefit Auction at Root Capture

11/04/2009 | Comment

This just arrived in my inbox – a fundraiser for Juliet Dostalek, a bartender at Matchless who was recently injured in a motorcycle accident:

Dear Friends,

Please join us tonight for an exceptional event, produced for an exceptional friend, Juliet Dostalek.

We present a silent art auction, with proceeds going to help Juliet in her recovery from a devastating motorcycle accident.

The artwork available for auction are incredible, here are just a few names:

Michael Crouser
Scott Campbell
Swoon
Timothy White
BAST
Ray Abeyta
Faile
Billy Phelps

DJ set by Simone and Amadeo of Blonde Redhead and Lauren Flax of Fischerspooner. Asahi has us covered on beer, Saltie treats us to some snacks and Oslo keeps us awake with hot coffee.

If you can’t make it but want to bid, you can check out the work on the site.

When: Wednesday, 4 November, 8pm to 12pm
Where: Root Capture, 131 North 14th Street between Kent and Wythe



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Here We Go Again – East River Ferry Service To Be Halted

11/04/2009 | Comment

If it’s November, it must be time to start talking about canceling East River ferry service for the winter.

[The] operator of the ferry service, New York Water Taxi, says that it has not been able to come to an agreement with the city about continuing the subsidy [that is supposed to carry service through to 2010], and that it might have to halt the East River commuter service for the third time in four years. Further, the city’s Economic Development Corporation said that because of the recession, plans to expand the ferry service on the East River have been delayed for at least a year, until spring 2011.

There are a few things at play here, none of them encouraging. NY Water Taxi continues to be unable to make the East River commuter route profitable. Tom Fox, who runs the Water Taxi, has long said that commuter service is just that – a service. He makes money on the tourist service, which in turn subsidizes the money-losing commuter end of the operation. Since there are fewer tourists riding boats in the winter, there is much less incentive for NYWT to run a money-losing route. That’s where the City’s subsidy was supposed to come in, but clearly that has not happened, leaving NYWT to once again threaten to cut off an important transportation route.

The other not-encouraging piece of news is EDC’s statement that the expansion of the ferry route to north Williamsburg and Greenpoint is being pushed back another year. That can’t help existing waterfront developments like the Edge and Northside Piers, and it also doesn’t help the many in the Northside and Greenpoint who don’t live in towers on the waterfront but would like to have a better way to get to downtown or midtown. It also doesn’t help people like Jon Bernstein, who is trying to get community support for a supersized tower on the Greenpoint waterfront or the development of the Greenpoint waterfront in general. As Bernstein said in his presentation to CB 1’s land use committee last week, one of the the big draws of his location is he ferry service he plans to install on the India Street pier wants to build. Bernstein’s primary marketing plan seems to be to attract financial types working on Wall Street (not there are many of them left, and, by the way, most of them don’t work on Wall Street anymore, but that’s another story) by touting the “5 minute” commute from India Street (it’s more like 25 minutes, but whatever).

There is also a whole chicken and egg connection between the expansion plan and the need for City subsidies. If service was expanded to North Williamsburg and Greenpoint (and, if as planned, more trips were added throughout the day), there would be more commuters. But until service expands, the existing Long Island City/Schaefer Landing service is not enough to fill boats – particularly Schaefer, which is so remote that its ridership is drawn primarily from the development. Service stops on the Northside and in Greenpoint would draw from a much larger pool of potential commuters, potentially putting the Water Taxi closer to a break even point on commuter service and potentially have some small but positive impact on the “horribly overpopulated” L train1. (The Water Taxi is more expensive, and does not come with a MetroCard transfer – another thing the City should fix – but it is a viable option for people working in Lower Manhattan and for people working at Bellvue, NYU Medical Center or anywhere else in the East 30s.)

And last, now that the election is over, you can expect that EDC’s postponement of East River ferry service expansion (“because of the recession”) to be but the first in what is likely to be a long winter of City cutbacks.

1. Speaking of which, I was reminded last night that the City/MTA have yet to make to good on the solitary transportation mitigation measure that was promised as part of the 2005 rezoning – the widening of the Bedford Avenue staircases on the L train. It’s been four and a half years since the rezoning was enacted, and still no sign of any impending increase in steppage.↩



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Election Day

11/02/2009 | Comment

Most of the real action happened on primary day, and most of the rest of the suspense was eliminated on runoff day, but there is still an election tomorrow, and there are at least two races that really matter.

One of them is that race at the top of the ticket, but locally (that’s why you’re here, right?), there is an actual race for the council seat in the 34th district. Diana Reyna, the incumbent, won the primary by a narrow 250-vote margin over Maritza Davila. Davila is now running on the Working Families Party line in the general election, and with some Democrats crossing the line to endorse her, the race is far from over.

Reyna has been a solid councilmember for her district. I don’t always agree with her, but I’ve always admired her commitment to her constituents – a very broad range of constituents at that. She has funded a lot of school playgrounds (132, 17) and computer labs (132, 17, 84). She was also a huge proponent of the contextual rezoning of Williamsburg & Greenpoint (including on Grand Street, where she stood up to a lot of flack), and the designation of Williamsburg’s first historic district. She was also about the only Brooklyn Democrat to endorse Barack Obama. In the primary.

Davila, despite months on the campaign trail, is still something of an unknown. Like Reyna before her, she is a close ally of Assemblyman Vito Lopez, the head of the King’s County Democratic Party (a title that has not stopped him from endorsing the WFP candidate). Davila is a long-time employee of Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, and has been active in housing advocacy issues. (Website here, but it hasn’t been updated since the primary.)



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Greenpoint Rising

11/02/2009 | 1 Comment

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The Future India Street Park?

Matt Chaban has finally written his piece on the latest upzoning fishing expedition. This one is at least on the waterfront, where it might be appropriate to consider greater height and density in exchange for increased amenities (in this case, more park and more open space).

And it is a beautiful design.

[Update: Bumped up to full post status to allow for comments.]



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Fuckin’ Delia

10/27/2009 | 1 Comment

A Place To Be In Harmony from russel fong on Vimeo.


This would be appear the moment for Anthony Delia. First he gets his own karaoke (er, car-a-oke) night at The Woods (Tuesday nights, 10pm to 2am), and now he is immortalized on Vimeo.

His advice to new Williamsburgers? Take care of the neighborhood – “Brooklyn was always a different part of the United States from anywhere else.” Indeed.



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Raise the Roof

10/25/2009 | Comment

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Wednesday night (28 October) is the big benefit for the Northside Town Hall capital campaign. In what the Onion’s AV Club is calling “the Gen X concert of the year”, Charles Bissell of the Wrens, They Might Be Giants and Nada Surf* will be playing a benefit at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Doors open at 8, and tickets are $25 (for $75 you can get VIP tickets with special seating, free wine and food and the chance to hang out with the likes of, well, me). You can buy tickets at Teddy’s or online at TicketMaster.

The benefit supports the capital campaign for the Northside Town Hall Community and Cultural Center, a joint project of two longtime North Brooklyn neighborhood groups, Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG) and The People’s Firehouse, Inc. (PFI). Located in the former Engine Company 212 firehouse in Williamsburg, the Town Hall will serve as a home for these organizations to continue to serve, organize, and advocate for the community. The building will also feature a flexible cultural exhibition and community meeting space on the ground floor.

In other words, a great show for a great cause.

* The postcard says acoustic – they’ve changed their minds and are now doing a full electric set.



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Obsolete

10/14/2009 | 1 Comment

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Rivington Street, 14 October


I wonder if Verizon distributes phone books with recycling bags or if you have to supply your own?



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Locale Condo on the Auction Block

10/12/2009 | Comment

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The Locale
Photo: TreeTop Development


Curbed reports that the Locale condo development is about to hit the auction block. This was, I suppose, inevitable, given the utter desperation of the development’s latest marketing ploy – creating a subway-themed development. Which makes sense, since the building is 10 blocks from the nearest subway station (the G at Nassau), you’ll probably forget what one looked like by the time you get home.

Nothing says misguided more than emphasizing your project’s biggest weakness. But then again, when you’re developing across the street from a toxic plume, your opportunities for positive spin are few and far between. (Not that anything else in their marketing plan made sense – if your Manhattan views are over the Newtown Creek sewage plant, you might not want to bring that up, either.)



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Open House Brooklyn

10/07/2009 | Comment

Open House New York is this coming weekend. Here are a few of the more interesting places and spaces in Brooklyn:

All weekend:

The Castle Braid
114 Troutman St/ Evergreen Ave, Bushwick

A former factory space has been converted to 146 apartments with a playful and industrial designed lobby and courtyard creating a modern yet warm atmosphere.

The City Reliquary

370 Metropolitan Ave/ Havemeyer St, Williamsburg

The museum celebrates NYC’s rich history and Williamsburg’s local character through its unique collections, relics and ephemera. Enjoy backyard and sidewalk camaraderie while experiencing obsessive collecting at its best.

Greenpoint View

82 Oak St/ Franklin St, Greenpoint

Located in a former feather factory on Greenpoint’s historic waterfront, this combined gallery and studio space houses workshops and a showroom.

The Green-Wood Cemetery

500 25th St/ 5th Ave, Sunset Park

The final resting place of some of NYC’s most memorable people covers 478 picturesque acres of rolling hills, ponds, trees, lawn and sculpture. On Sat, the cemetery landscape comes alive with Angels and Accordions, a site-specific tour and dance/ live music performance.

Hendrick I. Lott House

1940 E 36th St/ Filmore Ave, Marine Park

Get a behind-the-scenes-preview of this partially restored Dutch Colonial farmhouse, not yet open to the public. A panel exhibition, unique Lott Family objects, and archaeological discoveries from the site will be on display. [Way off the beaten path for North Brooklyn, but included here because once upon a time I worked on the first phase of the restoration of this 18th-century farmhouse.]

McCarren Park Pool

800 Lorimer St/ Bayard St, Greenpoint

One of 10 public pools built by the WPA, this pool could hold 6,800 swimmers at once. After years of use as performance space, it is now being redeveloped as a pool, ice skating rink and event space.

MINE metal/art

177 Grand St/ Bedford Ave, Williamsburg

This retail store and design showroom features the work of local metalworkers and artists. Pick up a walking map to view Kristina Kozak’s outdoor commissioned pieces throughout the neighborhood. [And to see where Kozak makes the magic happen, see Barzel Iron Works, below.]

Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

329 Greenpoint Ave/ Humboldt St, Greenpoint

Dominating the local skyline with its stainless steel digester “eggs,” this wastewater treatment plant is the largest of the 14 NYC Department of Environmental Protection plants. The new facility is also home to a Nature Walk and Visitors Center.

Pier Glass Art Studio
499 Van Brunt St, #2A, Red Hook

This Civil War-era warehouse sits on the upper Bay of NY Harbor facing the Statue of Liberty and is constructed of cut granite rock, virgin timber from the Hudson Valley, and Brooklyn bricks. It now houses a glassblowing studio and exhibition space.

UrbanGlass

57 Rockwell Pl/ 647 Fulton St, Fort Greene

Explore the 17,000 sqare-foot glass-working studios including a Hot Shop, Flat Shop, Mold Shop, Flame-working, and Neon studio. Robert Lehman Gallery at UrbanGlass exhibits work by emerging artists working in glass.

The Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge

290 Conover St/ Pier 44, Red Hook

Lehigh Valley RR Barge #79 is the only floating, wooden, covered barge of its kind in America, and features exhibits about its restoration and transition into a waterborne museum.

Sunday only:

Barzel Iron Works

61 Jefferson St/ Bushwick Ave., Bushwick

Metal artist Kristina Kozak’s 15,000 sq ft studio is located in a working blacksmithing shop owned by Nat Barzily, and features heavy equipment and several hot forges

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Pier 1/ Furman & Old Fulton Sts, Fulton Ferry (DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights)

This 85-acre park, now under construction, will provide access to Brooklyn’s waterfront and spectacular views of the harbor and skyline. [Reservations required]



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