7th Avenue Heat

dogs park for free in s. slope

This dog was tied to one of the new meters on 7th Avenue waiting for its owner to finish shopping at Union Market. Some dogs seem anxious when separated from their masters but this one was perfectly comfortable, lying with its rear in the sun and face in the shade. That would be my choice as well. But unlike this dog I had to feed the meter to park, which I don't mind so much because it means that I can shop at some of these places without facing the likelihood of the double parking fines.

It used to be that I could only shop lower 7th avenue if I had ample time for the long walk there and back, now I can shoot over and perhaps find a space. But I feel guilty about enjoying this because of my S. Slope friends for whom parking has gotten that much harder. I took a very informal survey, asking Pizza Plus and Toy Space what they thought of the meters, and if they thought their business would improve. The people at Pizza Plus were not happy about the meters, but the woman working the register at Toy Space seemed very relieved that her customers would no longer have to park illegally to buy that last minute birthday present or whatever.

The day I met up with this golden retriever I shopped at Union Market for the second time. I got fresh salsa for $3.99, which was all I wanted it to be, but the roast chicken for $8.99 was drier and less flavorful than what I've gotten from Key Food for about 3 dollars less. A little surprising. The tall registers with prominent computer screens at Union Market are completely bizarre and slightly intimidating, but they make it easy to see if you're being overcharged.


If this dog were my dog he'd have had my dry chicken for dinner. I'm sure Union Market can do better.

Confusion About Cooper Black

Honestly, for some reason many sections of 7th Avenue in Park Slope give me a stuffy feeling. I'm not sure why that is, but gazing at the Ace Supermarket I suddenly got a feeling of air and freshness. It must be the sign, but by what alchemy of design did it restore my ability to breathe? Perhaps it's that dusty turquoise, a color that used to be popular for signs but now is all too often being replaced with the "safe" forest green or burgundy vinyl awning signs. That's exactly what happened to the old turquoise sign at the Royal Supermarket on the corner of 15th and 8th. Can you imagine the nightmare of walking around the slope seeing nothing but rivers of forest green awnings?

Or maybe the sign just has a feeling of spaciousness based on it's proportions. The typeface used to print "Ace Supermarket" is Cooper Black, I believe, and I for one like it. I'm not sure if it's because it's chubby like a healthy baby, or if it's paradoxically joyfully buoyant and weighted at the same time, like a particularly well-stocked store. Perhaps it's the vintage appeal, I know I've seen this succulent font in abundance since childhood, and that was a long time ago.

I imagined the typeface was named after a man, but then by coincidence some of my daughter's homework was lying on the floor and it discussed the ancient trade of building containers that held various provisions. A tradesman called a "tight cooper" made finely crafted vessels to hold liquids, a "slack cooper" made vessels for things less leaky like flour and tobacco, and a "white cooper" made containers from cedar or pine. Some of the types of containers these coopers made were firkin, kilderkin, hogshead, butt, rundlet, tierce, puncheon and pipe. I hope my daughter had fun with that vocabulary. I'm waiting to hear her use those words in casual conversation around the house.

Well, in spite of the astonishing coincidence, it turns out the typeface is not named after the trade but is named after its creator Oswald Bruce Cooper (via wikipedia.) But of course, his family name most likely derives from the trade. Either way, it's a typeface very befitting grocery stores. It has a pleasantly full look, which is nice because in this age of opulence and anorexia, it's hard to remember the depths of joy a full and well-made barrel of flour can inspire.

Here's a Behind the Type episode about Cooper Black. From it, I learned how the history of the typeface bears certain resemblances to the bio of Britney Spears.

Goodbye Washboard Launder Center?

I'm not sure what's going on but I peaked in the door as a workman entered and saw there were no longer any washing machines inside. I never washed any clothes there but I'm a big fan of that voluptuous L in Launder and that tiny washboard so easily overlooked on the the shingled "roof." Inside I saw white stucco walls crossed with dark beams like you'd find at The Swiss Chalet back when you could drop in for fondue.

Rainbows and Clouds and Security Gates

What was this place, I wonder?

Speaking of Giants at Little Purity

I wonder if business at Little Purity has perked up since the 2nd St. Cafe closed. I've never seen the place full, but according to the waitress I had today things have gotten better. Not good enough, though, not yet.

One thing is good enough though. That's the Giants' wonder win. I didn't watch the game and that is like missing an eclipse that happens once in your lifetime. But at least I got to watch people talk about the Giants today at Little Purity while I ate my grilled swiss cheese sandwich.

I was killing time in between volunteering for special voting day lunch shifts at my kids' school. On the TV Football players stood on platforms in front of a sea of fans. The commentator mentioned that they were throwing signed jerseys to the crowds. The young man at the cash register started to very slowly shake his head back and forth, and whistfuly commented to someone "they're giving away jerseys..." He started to talk about the game. "I'm going to still be talking about this game when I'm 60," he said, and he must not have been over 20.

A man at a table said he called some friend of his in Boston after the game. They wouldn't pick up the phone once they saw the area code. Didn't want to hear it. The next day they returned the man's phone call pleading "you WON, that's ENOUGH, OK!?" Those New Englanders must be really hurting, and here, people are happy happy HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH. The man at the table started to pantomime the winning pass while describing every detail of the miracle. Then he spoke about how when he decided to throw the Super Bowl party his Chinese wife was so worried about having people over, she cleaned everything, sweated every detail, and how delighted she was with the big win because she saw it as reflecting on the quality of the get together she hosted. Yes, there must have been a lot of very satisfied party throwers around here, and happy guests having the time of their lives.

I hope things continue to look up for Little Purity, there aren't that many places where you can sit down and get a sandwich for under 6 bucks, which is just right for this blogger's budget presently. The coleslaw? Better than average. The pantomime? Excellent.