The Williamsburg Nerd

There's a great blog entry at overstated.net which is designed to help folks who are moving from San Francisco to NYC to pick the right neighborhood:

San Francisco guide to New York neighborhoods

"So you’re moving from San Francisco to New York. You liked your cute neighborhood and tasty burritos and you hope to replicate this existence somewhere in the Big Apple. Well kiddo, that’s impossible. Everyone knows there is no such thing as a good burrito in NYC.

This was the fate of a friend of mine a few weeks back. When she described her desires to a broker, this broker responded with, “you’ll probably like Williamsburg.” So this friend gets in the broker’s car and heads over a bridge to another part of town. Her reaction, later over email: “I expected it to be cute. Williamsburg is not cute.” Yes, Williamsburg is definitely not cute. It’s sort of like the Mission, and I’m sure almost anyone from SF would agree that the Mission is also not cute."

Found via kottke.org.

My old friend Cindy Yoon and her sister have just opened up a very cool website which features customizable hip looking wall art for kids. They have an amazing range of cute character designs (YoonKids) which feature a wide range of themes from a singer in a gurl band to a Tae Kwon Do champ. Once you select your character you can change the hair and skin tone to personalize the artwork. Then just press a button and wallah!, custom decor for your child's bedroom arrives in a few weeks.

The site also features 'Yoonies' which are a line of cute animal themed characters, and some very nice looking silhouette designs that have a nice sense of style. Boys need not despair as an additional line of character is currently being designed. The prices for the custom decor are very affordable, and best of all a portion of YoonKids’ profits will be donated to the
nation’s largest children’s literacy organization — Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

The website is at YoonKids.com.

Click on the image to view at full size...

I found this note in the center of the hallway at my apartment building. Although I don't speak Spanish I was able to translate bits via Google's translation tool. From what I can see the poster was upset at the loud music from apartment 26. The two replies seem to be from the person in 26 who seems to be upset about the public nature of the notice.

Photo taken at 331 Keap Street on February 3rd, 2007.

Crossing the Williamsburg Bridge I'm always a bit let down by the street art, but I was recently very impressed by this work on the entrance sign on the Manhattan side of the bridge. This is a detail from the larger image of three abstract faces. I love the use of color and the quality of the line.

Photographed January 31st, 2006.

They're wrecking the movie theater on the corner of Broadway and Rodney in Williamsburg. As a lover of cinema it's sad for me to see this palace of dreams be torn apart. Photographed January 30, 2006.

Here's some video footage that I also shot:

I don't quite like this song as much as "Smile" but this video isn't too bad:

This was a very utilitarian sign outside a restaurant supply store. I like the rather stark nature of the graphic combined with the power of primary colors.

I don't know if this means that we'll get to ever see things cleaned up, but it's very much a step in the right direction:

Cuomo to Sue Exxon Over Pollution in Brooklyn

"Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo moved today to sue ExxonMobil and four other companies over millions of gallons of oil lying under the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn and to repair environmental damage inflicted on the nearby Newtown Creek.

The decision marks a sharp turning point in the state’s handling of the half-century-old spill, which in recent years has sparked lawsuits by Greenpoint residents, local elected officials and environmental groups. A 1990 agreement between ExxonMobil and state environmental officials had required the company to recover the spilled oil, but specified no deadline, levied no penalties for the pollution and required no remediation of either the creek or the polluted soil under Greenpoint.

At least 8 million gallons of oil and petroleum byproducts remain under the neighborhood, and soil tests have revealed toxic vapors emanating from the spill into the homes and businesses above. Mr. Cuomo’s action will seek a far faster pace for recovering the oil, extensive scientific testing to determine damage to the soil and groundwater under Greenpoint, and significant fines under federal environmental laws."

Childrens store window display around Manhattan Street and Grand Street. In an era of multi-national chain stores, it always entertaining to view the unslick displays at local Mom and Pop stores. What made this display interesting was that the mannequins had a very Soviet quality to them. Inverting the photo adds to the surreaism of the scene.

Click on the photo to see it full size. Photographed on January 29, 2007 with my Canon PowerShot SD600.