The Stray Cats of Harrison Alley, Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, NY

Harrison Alley

Here in Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, NY, there lies a street that is gated and chained from the public. Nestled among the old Naval Commanders Mansion on Little Street, lies Harrison Alley.  Dating back to the 19th century, when Irish immigrants settled down here, small row houses stood above cobble-stone streets, where they hoped to start a new life and raise a family. During the 1960's, two brothers who once lived in the private residence still shows its vintage car ( see picture below ) and other mechanical equipment which is now home to several stray cats. There are 2 woman, who feed these cats several times a day, as well as the cats at the Buddhist Temple just a few blocks away.

When I walk Maisy to the Naval Mansion, she is determined to find one of these disease ridden felines, but I always ask her, " Maisy, once you catch one of these cats, what are you gonna do with it? " Of course, I do not want her to get scratched, plus she may be allergic. The area surrounding Harrison Alley has so much potential, either to build new Brownstones, small cafe's or maybe just a new Garden. There is also a lot of junk in there, but then again, they may be antiques in there too. For example, the large black Cadillac or other merchandising equipment used back in the day. I wish I knew the real history behind Harrison Alley, but as for now, enjoy the mystery behind it all and enjoy the pictures.

Harrison Alley & Evans Street, Vinegar Hill

Opposite of Harrison Alley, the Cherry Blossoms a Bloom'n.

It reads, "Closed Circuit Television........"

To your left is Harrison Alley, their mailbox, plus this blue piece of modern art?

Here is the black Cadillac that has been parked here for quite some time, as you can see from the trees that have grown in the back of its rear bumper.

And lastly, one of the stray cats, you can see brown fur growing from his/her side. I have never seen anything like this before. Maybe a vet should stop by and make a diagnosis of this abnormal feline.

Thanks for reading.

Brooklyn Bridge Struck by Crane Atop Barge

Mayhem In DUMBO/Bklyn Heights

Last night, my fiance and I decided to go pick up Mexican food at Calexico in Red Hook. We drove, bringing along Maisy for the ride so she can get a limo ride, the pampered pooch that she is. When we were approaching Old Fulton St., we saw several Fire Engine Companies taking up all the parking spaces towards the East River. We thought it may have been a fire above the New Grimaldi's at 1 Front St., but the emergency seemed a lot more serious then realized. There were droves of people at the Brooklyn Bridge Park checking out all the commotion, but didn't have any idea the enormity of the issue.

Maisy was mesmerized by all the commotion and all the red flashing lights, then again, Maisy, like all dogs are color blind, so she probably saw shades of white and gray. Shannon, my fiance' and I thought the worst, maybe a car had plunged off the bridge or something even more horrifying. Upon our return from picking up our food, we stopped at one of the fire engines, and a member of the FDNY, stated there was damage to the bridge. That gave both of us a sigh of relief and that no one was hurt in the ordeal.

A tugboat was hauling a crane towards the Verranzano Bridge around 8pm, people on both sides of the river heard a large scraping sound and was startled by the noise. Even those walking on the bridge were nervous about the structure may have been heavily damaged and immediately traversed to either side of the bridge, where they could see land beneath them. It was stated in the Gothamist that the tugboat and crane were ordered to steer towards Newark for an in depth investigation by the US Coast Guard. I do not believe the Captain of the tugboat is Italian, like the cruise ship that ran aground earlier in the year.

Maisy is not prone to such events of the human kind, but she gets scared off by loud noises, men in uniform, i.e. FDNY, NYPD, plumbers/electricians etc... So this morning, Maisy and I walked to the park to the damage in the cheerful morning sun. The damage is that of the undercarriage, where work crews have been repainting the underbelly of the bridge and no one was hurt, the work crews have already gone home for the day.

Here are some pictures taken this morning from DUMBO/Pier 1 at the Brooklyn Bridge and those from the Gothamist Website from last night.

The damage is directly above the FDNY fire boat.

The damage stretches 20' feet in length.

The damage is mid-span of The Brooklyn bridge.

Photo credited from the Gothamist Website. 

Traffic was backed up for miles from all directions.

FDNY's Bravest blocking traffic on the Brooklyn bound side.

A closer look at the enormity of the damage,

 I do not think the Captain of the boat is Italian.

Keep Off The Grass!

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Brant Geese

Towards the end of 2011, the NYC Parks Department put up a fence around The Brooklyn Bridge Park, just under the Manhattan Bridge to let the grass re-fertilize for the 2012 season. Leading up to the winter months, residents of Vinegar Hill, DUMBO & tourists flock to the park to take pictures of the both bridges, view the breath taking skyline and lie out on the grassy knoll to eat their lunch or watch the sunset as it sets in the west behind the concrete jungle. 

During the absence of visitors, new residents of the park have taking refuge on the grassy knoll. Brant Geese, a species of bird I never come across. What are they doing here? Shouldn't they be flying south for the winter like their relatives?

 Each and every day when I walk Maisy, for those who don't know Maisy, she is a one year old female fawn Boxer that loves the run amok in the dog run. We come across the fenced-in grassy knoll, she used to love and play tug-of-war with her leash, but now she has to resort to the dried up grassy area along the walking path to play.

So what the NYC Parks Dept. doesn't know is that the once lush grass, is now what you would call dead land. It's looks barren, as if an area of the park saw a lot of foot traffic. With Spring fast approaching, the landscaper needs to follow-up on the status of the lawn. Dogs love to play on the grass, but have now been subjected to the dog run. 

Here are pictures taken the morning of 3-7-2012, you be the judge:

This posting explains that the lawn is closed for the Winter season, they have reseeded the grass and no dogs will be allowed on the lawn.  This should be said for the Brant Geese as well, so this is unfair to the dog owners, dogs who live in the neighborhood know not to defecate on the lawn, and if they do, the owners always pick up after them.

Dogs are thankful Spring is coming.  They will love you even more that they can run around on a lawn, as long as it's not in BB Park. So speak your mind, but dog runs are safer and away from any traffic.

Thanks for reading, Woof!!!