Amazing Interaction with the He-She of the Carroll Street Stop

 Ever wondered what the story was with the he-she who is always asking for money at the 2nd Street/Place exit of the Carroll Street stop? Well, someone stopped to ask him/her about their life. From Going Under NYC:

"There it was. I had broken the silence that was part of our relationship for the last year. I was talking to a stranger.

-Oh nothing, just away working on the masterpiece.

-The masterpiece? - I said, a bit curious.

-Yes, got myself a bit of a new face, don’t you notice it?

-I think I do, actually.

-Well, you better. Because that was about a year’s worth of standing here.

-huh?

-You see… I am on my way to be a woman, but those operations sure cost a lot. I don’t know how to do much –as a man, because I got plenty of plans when I become a woman- so I beg for money."

I will admit, I have been less than outgoing to this person, but this recanting of his/her story is very interesting.  I've seen him/her in Red Hook frequently, so I assume that he/she lives there.

Not Cool

From the Brooklyn Paper:

"A gun-wielding perp mugged two F-train commuters in separate brutal incidents on May 7 at the Carroll Street station.

The first victim, 56, told cops that she had just gotten off the Coney Island-bound train at around 8:45 am at the President Street end of the station when a man grabbed her purse, pulled a gun on her and said, “Shut up or I’ll kill you.”"

Keep your heads on a swivel people.

Gritty Corner of Smith and 9th Gets Profiled

Metro recently profiled the corner of Smith and 9th Streets. Sounds about right.

"Young hipsters from Carroll Gardens stream off the G and F trains, as do residents of Red Hook’s public housing to the south. Winding past is the murky green Gowanus Canal, declared a superfund site this week by the EPA.

“It’s about time,” Victor Carino, 27, who works at the bagel shop, said of the decision, bemoaned by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and would-be developers eyeing the area. “You don’t have to be an environmentalist to know how nasty and unclean that water is.”"

More Kentile

Kentile

Smith-9th Street F Station Drawn

Here's a video from the New Yorker of the Smith-9th Street station getting drawn


Pretty cool, huh? Well, here's an Urban Sketch of the same station, from a different angle.

Express F Train Service...but not in Carroll Gardens

Well, mixed news for all those in Carroll Gardens who are concerned about the F train service in Carroll Gardens. Although the MTA is currently studying the feasibility of reimplementing express service along the Culver Line, the main beneficiaries would be those in Southern Brooklyn (NOT South Brooklyn) who have extensive commuting times. According to Courier Life:

"“F express is good for some neighborhoods and not others,” according to Andrew Inglesby, assistant director of MTA Government and Community Relations. “It’s really good for the southern portion [of the borough], but for Carroll Gardens, you have to look at which stations will be express stations.” The express would stop at Jay Street, Seventh Avenue and Church Avenue, where the infrastructure will allow its reinstatement. It would bypass Bergen Street, Carroll Street, Smith/9th Street, 15th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway."

Mr. Inglesby has a good point. Commuting to the city from Carroll Gardens is a breeze, especially when compared to the commute times from farther afield in the borough. Although at times crowded (which an express train will help with), one of the characteristics that makes our area so desirable is the short travel times to Manhattan.