Greenpoint Trees and Cobblestones
One of my favorite streets in Greenpoint, where I was scouting today, is Guernsey St. btw. Meserole and Norman. The street is lined with gnarled trees that are all bent over toward the middle, creating a canopy. It’s more impressive in the summer when it’s in bloom, but still pretty neat regardless.
I’ve taken about a million pictures of this street, and it never does it justice. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend taking a quick walk down it to experience it yourself.
After, I swung around to some of the factories/warehouses. There’s a great driveway between two warehouses that’s usually hidden by a roll gate, but occasionally is left open to reveal a neat cobblestone driveway that’s probably been there forever.
Has Banksy come to Williamsburg? Nope, apparently it’s a copycat of the famed British graffitiist’s work, but it certainly seems similar. A cute stencil with a pretty simple social message that makes you think about it for all of 5 seconds, and then gets annoying each subsequent time you see it (which will probably be quite often, as this kind of thing is way too revered in Hipstertown for this to come down anytime soon).
Love it.
-SCOUT
That is a great block – Guernsey between Meserole and Norman. I live 2 blocks away where Guernsey begins and I get to see that vantage point often.
it’s not Banksy, it’s the work of Nick Walker. Great artist
I love your photos & comments/information. Just want to mention though that the driveway between the two warehouses in pic above in Greenpoint is not “cobblestone,” but instead paved with cut granite paving stones. A cobblestone road is made of actual rocks dug up and laid down as they are. They are not shaped in any way. They may be set in a bed of sand though like granite paving stones need to be. Cobblestone street example in Boston is Acorn St on Beacon Hill. I don’t know of a NYC example.
Keep snapping, keep yapping. Love it! 🙂
I used to live on that block of Guernsey St, and yes it was lovely, though the black locust leaves used to blow into my basement apartment. The next two blocks north are also amazing–beautiful mix of old buildings, and then the turn as Guernsey becomes Oak. There’s an old mansion on the north side of the turn, and many houses along Oak have long front yards so out of character with NYC today. Also nearby is/was a members-only bar (I think it’s the Capri Club) with two barcounters running the length of the room. Luckily I had a friend who had charmed the bartender and we got to go several times. Was told they had two bar counters because back in the day when the docks or factories shift ended they’d be mobbed as the workers came up the hill from the water. I miss Greenpoint.
After lived in Astoria for a while and had a tiny orchard in the yard, cherry, peach, apple trees planted by prior landlords in the 1940s or 50s.
Thanks for the site, enjoying exploring NYC from afar.