Toxic Brooklyn

Williamsburg is our favorite whipping boy 'round these parts, but we do have friends who live there and in Greenpoint. And for running outside, McCarron Park is the closest option if you have a car.

Those of us on the wrong side of the tracks and on the edge of Sunnyside where it becomes Long Island City know how close we are to Greenpoint--and that smell. We might not want to associate ourselves with the values that Williamsburg/Greenpoint have come to embody, but the environmental issues that are affecting that neighborhood are close enough that we should care.

Watch this online doc to learn more.

Staten Island Has at Least One Saving Grace

I was saved by Bob in Staten Island. I was Gaffing a show for blah, blah, blah and the lock on my truck got busted by an inattentive crew member. I hired her, but production was still going to have to pay because that's the way it goes. They called a locksmith. He kindly offered to come out, drill through the lock and charge us a mere $500.00

I was getting heat from production on this which could only mean delays in payment for me.

So, I called a locksmith who I knew as knowledgeable and trustworthy (Galaxy Locksmith, Tremont Ave. in The Bronx). He didn't know anyone who serviced my brand in Staten Island, but told me to call Stein in Queens or Frank in Brooklyn. Frank said he knew a guy in Staten Island who sells that brand.

That guy is Bob. He's a great locksmith. He's a superb human being.

I had about an hour before we moved from our lunch break and into the next location where we would have to have the truck. I could go the quick route, Bob said, and drill it out.

Or, we could chance it he said, and try to get it open without destroying it. Could take five minutes, could take an hour. But, he was willing to give it a shot. He got it open in three. Replaced the lock, with some effort, in twenty. It was so fast and cheap, I bought two locks.

He could have really screwed me. He knew I had to be back to shoot. Instead, he did what he did and charged me what he would charge anyone else.

There's a lesson here, too about living and working in New York. Sometimes, when you think people are going to screw you over, you're right. That's when you make take a deep breath, make some calls and find someone like Bob.

I was at the next location on time, production had to pay the $85 to get into the truck and have the lock removed. I paid $85 for two new locks.