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

Ode to the G Train

Pretty funny post over at Scallywag & Vagabond entitled "Observations on the G Train". The relevant parts for Carroll Gardens are:

"The platform sign in front of me says Carroll Gardens and by the sight of the slightly vexed yuppies (vexed because they are yuppies supposedly forced to live in this part of town…) I can tell that everyone manages to take showers before they set out in the mornings and even dare to color coordinate the occasional dress or shirt. They stand there before me, lawyers, yoga aficionados and the usual cafe latte drinkers that they all purport to be. Everyone is apparently well behaved, dressed and mindful to never look one another in the eye (an unsaid law in the NY subway system). As soon as the train pulls in they are respectful, obliging and even mindful of not taking up too much space."

Shocking! Marty Markowitz Comes to Defense of Brooklyn!

This is going to be hard to process, so hold on to your seats. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, Borough President (and new homeowner) Marty Markowitz has weighed in on the MTA's proposed service cuts, which are necessary to close a $400 million budget gap:

“In Brooklyn, the elimination of the Z subway service [forcing the J line to run local], the closing of the Lawrence Street station overnight along the R line, changes to the G and M lines in Brooklyn and Queens, drastic reductions in regular bus service ... and reductions in Access-a-Ride will add up to a disproportionate burden from Brooklynites.”

I know, take a moment to process that. So shocking to hear Marty stand up for our borough!