BoroThreads Guys

Support Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn

The biggest development ever proposed in Brooklyn, Forest City Ratner's 8 million square foot "Atlantic Yards" development proposal for an arena and 16 high-rises in Prospect Heights and Park Slope, Brooklyn, has had no input from the local community and will have no input or oversight from our city council, community boards, or the state legislature. The city will condemn homes and businesses, tie up tax dollars for the billionaire developer, but refuse the input of the people. An unaccountable state public corporation, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), will oversee the project and override ALL local zoning.

DEVELOP DON'T DESTROY BROOKLYN leads a broad-based community coalition fighting for development that will unite our communities instead of dividing and destroying them. DDDB  is opposed to Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards   and we at BoroThreads is too!. The $4 billion project would use at least $1.6 billion in public money and would abuse the state's power of eminent domain–taking private property from one owner to give to a private entity for a private use, instead of a public use.

DDDB is fighting the Forest City Ratner plan so that we can have responsible development in our community. They are fighting and will continue to fight in the court of public opinion, political opinion and in the courts of law.

Help support DDDB by purchasing DEVELOP DON'T DESTROY BROOKLYN clothing at BoroThreads.com. We will be donating 100% of the profits to support the fight against Atlantic Yards so please buy a cool DDDB shirt and tell all your friends to do so also! => To learn more about DDDB visit dddb.net.

Interstate 95

Today, I got yelled at by my GPS.  It was while I was driving on 95 near Newark Airport.  However, that was before I learned I could change the little unit's voice to a British Gent's named "Lee".  It was still rough going, wending my way through the maze of pseudo highways surrounding the airport, but at least I wasn't being grumbled at for taking a wrong turn! "Recalculating..."  

For those of you without GPS units, please enjoy your time WITHOUT a robot giving you directions.  Really, while you still can!  Although extremely useful, it's kinda like having a robotic backseat driver! And, sometimes you get those helpful comments right after you narrowly miss a turn! 

But, truth be told, I love to drive.  I own a '95 Geo Prizm and the thing just keeps running, mile after fuel-efficient mile!  That and good music make all my drives pretty kickin'.  I think I'll always associate Interstate 95 with the GW Bridge and rocketing up into New England.  Enjoy the shirt and throw on some good tunes for me okay?  Driving is always better with music...

Check out the sweet shirts with this design here.

The Bane of All Rats: Rodenticide

Rats have always been a problem in our thriving metropolis!  Could it be because of NYC's reliance on our many sea-faring vessels? Well then, thank goodness we all know about Rodenticide, the chemical that "supposedly" limits the number of rats in our subways.  

Although personally, I think it's always best to find healthy alternatives to horrible chemicals, I have a feeling that we'd have more Ratts in this city than we'd know what to do with!  Because of my interest in dark humor, I thought this design would be a funny way to celebrate the morbid!  Speaking of morbid, did you check out the RATT video link above?  

I feel like I could write a whole paper on the thing.  I mean-- the lead singer's overpowering bangs, Milton Berle playing both a man and a woman and the daughter of the mansion who becomes a RATT dancer...  They just don't make music videos like they used to!  Anyway, I hope you dig the Rodenticide clothing and get some morbid laughs out of it too!

The Orange and White Steampipe, NYC’s Unofficial Icon

Whether you first saw one in the Bangles’ classic music video “Walk Like An Egyptian” or glanced at one from a Taxicab, you’ve probably seen a Con Edison Steampipe sticking right up from the pavement somewhere in the Big Apple.

It’s a subtle icon.  One that’s very modest, in fact.  For example, a person probably wouldn’t think to list the steampipe as one of the famous New York sights.  But, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  This humbly steaming pipe shows up in almost every depiction of “everyday” New York that you’ll see in movies, tv or videos!  I don’t think any other city in the world uses the same model we use here.  And they certainly don’t paint them such cheery colors as orange and white.  Come to think of it, NYC steampipes are kind of like big surreal Barber Poles.

Abandon Hope: The Brooklyn Tow Yard

Well, it’s that time of the year again!  My car got towed and I’m off to the NYPD Brooklyn Tow Center.  Yes, I’m settling in for an F train ride to York.
 
The upside to all of this is that once I called “311”, confirmed my car had been towed, and finally got through to the Navy Yard center, the woman on the phone was extremely pleasant.  She even gave me a voucher number, which, she assured me, would expedite my visit.  “The line isn’t that long right now”, she explained.  “But you give them this number when they ask you for your information at the window.  It’ll be much quicker if you use it.”  I thanked the kind lady and prepared for my sentence: the Brooklyn Navy Yard Tow Center.  A fieldtrip that only costs $185!

A nice walk through the Projects and down York, brings me to Navy Street.  Then, a quick right and I’m in line by 4:45pm.  As I take my place in line, I suddenly get the feeling I’m in prison with 30 other poor souls.  But hey, at least I have a voucher number!  I look behind the bulletproof glass panels to see two clerks, one of whom looks like a cross between Telly Savalas and “The Illustrated Man”.  Wow, two clerks serving a line of 30, did I do my math right?  This is going to be hellish. 

As I slowly make my way through the line, I watch as the two clerks operate in slow motion.  People already at the windows are staring in slack-jawed disbelief at how slowly they are working!  Outside, teenagers from the neighborhood make out, blissfully unaware of the line, which I’ve now decided belongs in Hades.
 
As a whole, we all watch brand new tow trucks stream by with “fresh kills"; brand new cars with parking tickets neatly tucked under each wiper and annoying wax pencil scrawl on their windows.  This prompts me to exclaim, "This is where all our tax money is going?  What about paying for more window clerks?"  But, the duration of my wait beats the fight out of me. 

By the time I am at the front of the line, I joke with fellow prisoners that, at this point, I'd gladly pay at least $250 to get out of here.  The tall guitarist behind me agrees.  He says he’d pay $500 to be able to access an "Express Lane”.

BoroThreads in the New York Times

We just wanted to say thanks to the NYTs for writing a great article about us this week.The section that covered us is The Local, which "provides news, information, entertainment and informed conversation about the things that matter to you, your neighbors and your family, from bloggers and citizens who live, work and create in your community — as well as journalists from The New York Times" in the Ft. Greene/Clinton Hill area. Since I, Marcos, live in Ft. Greene, it is a great resource for what is happening in my hood. Thanks Lily for the interesting angle of the story! =)

-Marcos & Gabriel

MTA Sticking It To Us Again with More Fare Hikes

So here we have it. As of 12:01 a.m. Sunday night, we will be paying more to ride public transportation around New York City.  This is thanks to the MTA's second fare hike in two years – all without any real improvements to service. While it could have been worse, this is still a blow to New Yorkers. But you don't have to take it lying down. Show your frustration with the MTA, and practice some civil disobedience in the process, by wearing a "No Fare Hikes" shirt when you ride the subway!

Here are the new prices for us poor New Yorkers (financially speaking):
Single fare: $2.25
1-day: $8.25
7-day: $27
14-day: $51.50
30-day: $89

Single fare for express bus: $5.50
7-day express bus pass: $45

So pass this shirt along and help us get a point across to the MTA: none of us want anymore fare hikes!

The Genesis of The BoroThreads Guys

Back in 2006 when I was living in DC, I opened my first clothing business, DistrictTees. Often times when I would wear DistrictTees gear around my hood, people would stop me to ask where I got my shirt. I would tell them I designed it myself and people would say, “Oh, so you’re the DistrictTee” guy!” This idea had always stuck in my head and it occurred to me when building BoroThreads, why not let people follow how things are going with the business but in addition, also provide local content through the eyes of the guys who created BoroThreads.

So I started thinking of how fun it would be to provide people not only with hyperlocal news, but also the coolest things to see, do and of course, eat and drink in the 5 Boros. I always happen to be the guy at a party who has too much information on fun things to experience in NYC, so I figured The BoroThreads Guys would be a great outlet for this. Then when I told my business partner, Gabriel, about the idea, he totally got the concept and was excited to make this part of our business. And that is how The BoroThreads Guys came about.

So on our Blog, Twitter, and Facebook we will be your hyperlocal personal assistants filtering and picking the coolest things to experience while living in Gotham as well as providing really cool local content such as our favorite places to eat and drink or cool Real-Time Street Photography as PhotoTwitterers on our Twitter site @BoroPics. You can learn more about Gabriel and I by checking out our BoroThreads Bios.

Enjoy!

- Marcos Salazar

Our Photos for Launching BoroThreads

You see all the nifty photos of us on BoroThreads.com and BoroThreadsGuys.com? They were taken by my friend and fantastic photographer, Wendy Ploger. From the first time I saw Wendy's photos, I was amazed by her ability to capture the moment while also adding a touch of art to each photo that forces you to never want to look away from it. Gabriel and I wanted to thank her for taking us out on a photo shoot around my hood, Ft. Greene. Please check out her photoblog at w-stop.com as well as her gallery of photos (make sure to check out Ernie!)

Thanks Wendy!

Marcos and Gabriel
The BoroThreadsGuys

The NYC Trash Can

I hand drew this design from a photo I took on my street.  I believe garbage cans are one of those iconic NYC symbols that everyone conveniently forgets to write/blog/tweet/photograph/talk about.  Sure, they're smelly and now most are made of somewhat tacky, yet weatherproof, heavy duty plastic. But to forget about them, I think, is a shame.  

Therefore, whenever I walk past this particular metal garbage can, I always find myself studying it's bent and dented character.  And, more subtley, the way the owner has punched holes into it to make sure everyone knows to which address  it belongs.  Although just a lowly garbage can on my street, it's really a sculpture.  And now you can celebrate this garbage can too, it's your own piece of NYC life!  You can purchase an NYC Trash Can shirt here. Enjoy!

- Gabriel