Williamsburg Franchise Watch 2: UPS Store 2
It's a rare and wonderful thing to be able to name-check two of my own posts in one day. Thank god for the arrival of the UPS Store to the Williamsburg Franchise Watch. For those of you too engrossed in this paragraph to click away, the neighborhood of northside Williamsburg, former quiet hamlet of Polish and Italian families turned ruggedly-hip artist district, turned red-hot post-grad bobo wonderland, turned mezzanine-condominium Shangri-La, has begun cautiously to offer its storefront real estate to national franchise interests. This summer's entry, at the corner of North 5th and Bedford, a Subway sandwich shop, barely escaped the focused attention of the Williamsburg Warriors and now serves as the daytime post of local curmudgeon Leo Kowalski. A casual visual survey of the traffic at Subway (namely, whenever I walk by) indicates a relatively light customer base, though it is next door to a funeral parlor.
And then today, the UPS Store made its franchised intentions known on North 7th, just across from the notorious Finger Building. So far, there are a couple boxes and some papers strewn around inside. And this big banner. No hilariously ironic signage yet, but I'll keep my eyes peeled.
Oh, on that note, there's a Sparky's hot dog place opening up on Lafayette, between Houston and Bleecker. Just north of the aforementioned ironically-signed UPS Store. Coincidence or strange chain consipiracy? You make the call.
franchise-ish , upsstore-ish , williamsburg-ish by tangentialist at 10:32 AM on 20 Oct 05 | Perm-a-link | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Taco Chulo: Guess What's Missing
Tonight's dinner mission was Taco Chulo, the anxiously-awaited new Mexican joint in my neighborhood, on Grand Street's Happening Restaurant Row. On a visit during the renovation we were told the owner(s) is/are from Berkeley, which would suggest a mastery of the burrito form, but tonight's burritos (carnitas and vegetarian, respectively) were missing one key ingredient; mystifyingly, there was no spanish rice inside the burrito. Instead, you get potatoes. Don't bother asking to substitute rice, because there is not a grain in the establishment (except weekend brunches, apparently, when it sneaks into the "Guacamole Breakfast"). Yes, there are refried beans, and an excellent salsa, and the carnitas were "succulent" as advertised. There is simply no rice, and it's only now that I realize how much less satisfying burritos are when it's missing. Also, there was no guacamole, but I've never been a fan anyhow. I'm inclined to think the tacos will be less disappointing, since they don't depend so much on the One True Starch, so I'll hit that next time, along with the intriguing "warm chocolate-coconut
tamales served with chocolate-chile sauce" for dessert. You can't mess up a chocolate-coconut tamale served with chocolate-chile sauce, can you?
brooklyn-ish , food-ish , williamsburg-ish by tangentialist at 11:20 PM on 10 Aug 05 | Perm-a-link | TrackBack (0)
Williamsburg Franchise Watch: Subway, 1; Starbucks, 0
For those of you not intimately familiar with the struggles over development and gentrification in Williamsburg, let me assure you, the battle is fraught. In short:
- Hipsters hate Yuppies
- Artists hate Hipsters
- Artists and Hipsters hate Tall Buildings
- Old People hate Everybody
- Franchises want Storefronts
Well, today the franchises made a healthy noteworthy gain, with the very first national chain entry being a Subway sandwich shop on the corner of Bedford and North 5th (two doors down from the Northside car service). According to the nervous guys inside, it will open in "about three weeks". This should just beat the second franchise that is apparently moving into the Northside: a UPS Store on North 7th Street.
Rumors here always swirled around the imminent arrival of a Starbucks (that's how it went down in Park Slope), but this is a new century, in which multi-grain rolls, reheated meatballs, and low-carb wraps take precedence over the cult of caffeine. I predict this will be one of the busiest storefronts on Bedford within a year, no matter what the rolled eyes say. Anytime had better step up their game.
Postscript: A reader points out that I am forgetting two things--first, Williamsburg includes streets other than Bedford Avenue, which means McDonald's on Broadway and White Castle on Metro both beat Subway to the punch; and second, I neglected to note the presence of a Tasti D-Lite one block away on Bedford, which appears recently to have become a franchise opportunity. I stand corrected, but still shudder at the thought of Subway's bready, franchised aroma.
brooklyn-ish , food-ish , gentrification-ish , williamsburg-ish by tangentialist at 03:36 PM on 22 Jul 05 | Perm-a-link | TrackBack (0)
Night In McCarren Pool
After having ventured into the vastness of the abandoned pool in Williamsburg's McCarren Park with Nick on July 4th, I knew I had to go back at night. The crumbling pedestals and rusting metal, though perilous in low-light conditions, felt humiliated in daylight. I had gotten some nice responses to the daytime photos, but it wouldn't have felt right to stop there. I planned to sneak in at night during the next full moon, and gathered a couple accomplices to protect me from people with knives.
The pool really feels more alive when it's dark. The shadows sharpen every angle, and you can hear every movement in the pool--footsteps, raccoons, pebbles. Because it's such a fortress, the space doesn't feel as menacing as, say, Roosevelt Island at night. It just feels forgotten there, as if all the kids moved away and the water gradually evaporated.
They're repurposing the pool facility for some sort of short dance project in September, which could precede a larger redevelopment project, assuming funds and community support are there. As hot as it was shooting there last night, I have to wonder why they don't just make it a pool again.
[Tien (of tienmao.com) has a flickr set and his commentary]
brooklyn-ish , photo-ish , williamsburg-ish by tangentialist at 12:24 PM on 19 Jul 05 | Perm-a-link | TrackBack (4)
Union Picnic: Thanksgiving Sandwiches For The Ungrateful Hipster
As southern food goes, at least in Williamsburg, Union Picnic is surprisingly good. With the shiver-inducing exceptions of Jabz' Joint and Lazy Catfish (Jabz has since closed, thank god--see my review--and Catfish is nothing more than a SYSCO front), Williamsburg hasn't always had a standby comfort food haven, leaving adherents of chicken-fried steak and meatloaf no option but to trek into the city for Duke's or Chat 'n' Chew.
Union Picnic is inconveniently located on Union Avenue, across the street from Royal Oak, another popular and far-flung destination. This short voyage away from the predictable strip of Thai restaurants on Bedford does not appear to deter the crowds, which is a good sign, and the trip does indeed pay off. I haven't had their fried chicken, of which they appear quite proud, but I have had the aforementioned chicken-fried steak; it's definitely not the top of the heap, but it's a good approximation of a Texan hunk of tough, breaded beef--and that's good enough for Wednesday night, delivered. My favorite test of a comfort food counter, though, is the Thanksgiving sandwich, and Union Picnic gets this right. My brothers will quibble with me on this, but the canonical recipe for a Thanksgiving On A Bun is:
- Turkey, sliced thick and reheated
- Cranberry sauce, preferably canned, still in its natural "ridged disc" form, placed directly on the turkey
- Bread stuffing, also reheated
- Turkey gravy, definitely reheated (cooking the turkey in the gravy is a reasonable expectation on the day after Thanksgiving, but this step can be omitted for convenience)
- Hamburger bun, toasted
Union Picnic tries to out-junk me in the bread department by using untoasted Wonder bread, which I'll grant is pretty authentically last-Friday-in-November, but the sponginess of the white slice is a pale substitute (no pun intended) for a crisp potato roll. Still, when you're not keen on roasting a bird, this is about the best interpretation of a Thanksgiving On A Bun that you're likely to find anywhere in the city; I have looked, and most pale in comparison to Union Picnic's simple example.
I will probably go back for a shot at their fried chicken, and I will probably be disappointed, but this whole Thanksgiving sandwich thing is an example of my new dining theory: let restaurants play to their strengths (i.e. the pork buns at Momofuku), and rather than curse the gods of Williamsburg cuisine for lack of a culinary powerhouse, enjoy the fact that you can live in Brooklyn and get a solid Thanksgiving sandwich delivered, until 11 PM, every night of the week.
food-ish , williamsburg-ish by tangentialist at 08:51 PM on 16 May 05 | Perm-a-link | TrackBack (0)
Pro-Space-Elevator Lobby Emerges
More wheatpaste drama on the Space Elevator front, which is quickly becoming the hot-button issue here in Brooklyn. Over the weekend, the flyer pictured above appeared around Williamsburg, seemingly in reponse to the original anti-Space-Elevator posters. It's a classic grassroots gambit, and I'm sure their claims will falter as more light is focused on the Pro-Elevator coalition. Here's one of my favorite bits:
The Elevator ribbon is only 12 inches wide and no thicker than a pad of paper; its shadow will in fact act as a pleasant urban sundial, saving residents money that would otherwise be spent on costly timepieces. Is it really a surprise that F.E.T.S.E.o.t.N. is also taking money from Big Horology?
This is turning into a pleasantly absurd little debate on the workings of the NIMBY world and the merits of regulated development. The question is, will the real world respond?
Painstakingly transcribed flyer text after the fold...
SUPPORT THE SPACE ELEVATOR!
A Space Elevator would bring the wealth of the Solar System to Williamsburg. Yet some people are opposing it. Why?
Fight Extremely Tall Space Elevators on the Northside (F.E.T.S.E.o.t.N.) isn't telling you the truth about:
JOBS: The Space Elevator will create a thriving local carbon nanotube production industry.
NOISE: F.E.T.S.E.o.t.N. is taking funds from Big Aerospace, which has a vested interest in chemical rockets. A single chemical Atlas booster's launch noise intensity is over 200 dB - a jackhammer's is "only" 110 dB!
TRAFFIC: The 30 mile flight exclusion zone around the Elevator will result in the closure of JFK and LaGuardia airports, reducing overall traffic and air pollution, especially on the overcrowded BQE.
URBAN BLIGHT: The Elevator ribbon is only 12 inches wide and no thicker than a pad of paper; its shadow will in fact act as a pleasant urban sundial, saving residents money that would otherwise be spent on costly timepieces. Is it really a surprise that F.E.T.S.E.o.t.N. is also taking money from Big Horology?
MAIL stoptheelevator@yahoogroups.com AND TELL THEM TO STOP TRYING TO TAKE OUR JOBS, HURT OUR EARS, INCREASE TRAFFIC CONGESTION, AND FORCE US TO BUY CLOCKS!
brooklyn-ish , space elevator-ish , street art-ish , williamsburg-ish by tangentialist at 04:19 PM on 07 Feb 05 | Perm-a-link
Space Elevator Hits The Big Time
Flyers about a space elevator in Williamsburg have been appearing around the Northside and causing a stir among the local residents and their friends abroad, who apparently include Xeni Jardin. There's even a yahoo group, where a discussion on the various annoyances of such a development ("Constant Whirring Noise") is unfolding, and where you can download some copies of your own.
First come the high rises, then the space elevators. NIMBY!
(Note: They appear to have reached their bandwidth limit on the flyer, so I'll share my copy.)
brooklyn-ish , space elevator-ish , street art-ish , williamsburg-ish by tangentialist at 03:00 PM on 02 Feb 05 | Perm-a-link | TrackBack (1)