Just a reminder… Councilmember Rosie Mendez is hosting a meeting tonight to discuss ideas for improving the Tompkins Square Park Playground near East Seventh Street and Avenue B. Mendez has allotted some $900,000 to renovate this space… this is the first step in the improvement process…
The meeting tonight is at St. Brigid's on Avenue B (enter the community center space on the East Eighth Street side) from 6:30-8.
Meanwhile, someone offered his or her opinion on the meeting on one of the flyers in the Park… even pointing out a missing word in the text…
[Photo by Steven]
Previously on EV Grieve:
Your chance to brainstorm ideas to renovate the Tompkins Square Park Playground (27 comments)
27 comments:
I assume the city / parks department has allotted this money and it needs to be used or there will less offered the next time round. That's the good part the vague part is where and what will get "renovated". It seems that this money is beyond usual maintenance and I suspect they are pretending to ask our feedback and have already decided how that cash will be spent. I was not happy to see Google "invest" in the park I am really against corporate money mixed in with our taxpayer owned property especially our parks. There are always strings attached to corporate gifts and politicians are all to happy to please a new source of funds.
I will attend this meeting. I would like to suggest two things. The first is that they use the money throughout the park, not only at these two playgrounds, which do not need $900,000 in renovations. The second idea is that they could put a Shake Shack somewhere in the park. Maybe in the open area in the center, where the bandshell used to be.
10:19: Want a Shake Shack? Go uptown to Madison Park! NO MORE SELLING OUT PUBLIC PARK SPACE TO PRIVATE BUSINESS!!!! Oh 10:19...you have the wrong personal politics for this neighborhood. Know your history, please!
@concerned parent
It's apparent now that you are a real estate troll. The Halloween Dog Parade, then Taylor Swift and LL Bean and now this. Anything else I missed.
When Cafe Pick-Me-Up was across the street, a lot of parents, myself included, went there. Now there's nothing. Shake Shack was just one idea. It doesn't have to be Shake Shack, but something would be nice. Maybe a Mud Coffee stand, like in Mud Park on 1st Street.
As far as my being a real estate troll, that's nonsense. What if I said you were a drug dealer troll?
Concerned Parent,
Cafe Pick Me Up now operates out of Gnocci on East 10th Street right across from the Park. There is also 9th Street Espresso on that same block before B.
On East Seventh Street near Avenue B (and across from this playground entrance) is the C&B Cafe. It's a great little place. And if you just want coffee, you can always go to Ray's on A. Odessa also will serve you a coffee to go. Also, you can go to Boxkite Coffee on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and 1st or Café Silan on East 10th Street near Avenue A. (Their croissants and pastries are good.) Flinders Lane on Avenue A near 10th Street also sells coffee to go. It is very good. Given how many viable coffee/pastry choices there are surrounding the Park, it doesn't seem as if there's a need for a place right in the middle of the Park.
The park doesn't need renovations/changes. The blocks and the neighborhood surrounding it do. Less bars and trendeateries mean less transients and douchebags and their doucheaggeriness trolling the neighborhood and the park.
What pill are you on Concerned Parent?
$900k is way too much to "renovate" the kids' playground, which was just recently redone almost completely. Smells like some people are gonna get big paydays from this one.
How about allocating some of that money toward something that's needed, like rebuilding the TSP bandshell?????
"Maybe in the open area in the center, where the bandshell used to be" Why not just sell of the entire park for luxury housing with a shopping mall on the ground level. Never do you sell off what little precious PUBLIC land we have to a private interest. The shake shack only attracts tourists, don't believe me what person working nearby has an hours to stand in line for lunch? Put a shake shack her and more business like it will come attracting more tourist which bring nothing to what is left of the mom and pop businesses remaining. If you love living here which I assume you do, the last thing you want is solve a problem that does not exist with our park.
@Concerned Parent Curious do you work for Tower Brokerage?
Take down the fences. Add more grass. Nothing else. It's a park gosh darn it, not a commercial sector.
You want a burger or shake, there are plenty of stores all around this place. It's surrounded by businesses. jeez. Keep the park a park.
Shake Shack is simply an expensive McDonalds. How anybody can eat that sodium rich food is beyond me. Why oh why would you want to feed that to your children. There are so many places to eat around the park, can you seriously not walk a block to get food, it has to be right there, in the center of the public space, because you are too lazy to stroll down the street? Or too groggy from those salt burgers?
It is kind of odd though that there isn't a hot dog or ice cream cart. Not that I want one, but it is strange that it doesn't exist. Even the food trucks don't come around too frequently during the day.
Food in the park means long lines of people (tourists or not, they will be clogging up the pathways), tables and chairs (also clogging up the open space) and more garbage for the rats to dine on.
In fact, the entire $900,000 should go toward rat eradication and pest control. If that could include human pests, then we would really be making progress.
Plant more trees,too many have been cut down....
Everybody here is so cynical. Go to the meeting. Find out what they're renovating. It's the playgrounds on the east side of the park which don't get used as much because they're old fashioned. Having more children around can only make things better.
They need to take away a playground and make it for use by all. The park has one that's used and the other 2 are empty.
Funny, I was going to joke how the committee would think adding a Shake Shack or a bar would be an improvement but real life always proves funnier.
NO food of any kind as the rat population is already OOC.
Better/more lighting would be a good place to start.
I recall the east side play area was built in 1990-91. Not sure what the condition is since I don't ever go there. Maybe a shack shack for kids!!!!! just kidding.
Won't be surprised if the committee does decide on putting a bar/restaurant there, right next to the playground, à la Luna Park now The Pavilion in Union Square Park where "Men in slim jackets, jeans and fedoras stand by the bar holding cocktails in mason jars. Women sit on stools, sipping pastel drinks from martini glasses, pretending not to notice them. The beautiful hostess in all black stood at the top of the stairs, a stiletto’d sentry sizing up those who walks in or stumbled out. The noise and light spilled into the dark. It was a party on the inside, but the columns looked like prison bars, not keeping the revelers in but keeping the public out of what is rightfully theirs.
The Avenue B playgrounds are not empty when school is out -- they're favored by local schools and after-school programs, since the Avenue A playground is dominated by pre-school children.
Hey Grieve - Will you be linking to a youtube video of The Change Freaks this Friday evening?
I finally tried Shake Shack recently and had to laugh. In Boston, they're called Friendly's. What crap lol
I like Shake Shack. I don't think they should be in the park, but the food is great. It's sort of ridiculous to say a particular food made you laugh.
Right on bowboy!!! TAKE DOWN THE FENCES!
Right on 11:53 the bandshell?. Might as well line up for thunderball and wine and dine
Anonymous 2:42AM, When you sober up, could you tell us what you meant to say?
Shake shack!?! Beyond words... What are these ppl seeing when they look out at the world around them? Are they really that oblivious to everyone else?
Yep, anon 1:56pm, l too planned to joke abt this only to be trumped by brute reality. Truth is sadder than fiction. Sigh.
- Special Ed
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