Wet and gray parking lot

The drizzle I could take. But when the wind started turning my umbrella inside-out and I was standing in the Lowe’s parking lot, that’s when I decided it was time to take cover then hurry home.

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The grand panorama

This is the view from Smith & Ninth, taken last April. I’m hoping to revisit the spot where I was standing, toward the front of the platform, as soon as the subway work is done. It’s not a beautiful view, the Lowe’s parking lot, the poisonous canal, and the elevated highway, but I miss it.

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Under the elevated

Exiting the Lowe’s lot onto Ninth Street, this is the view. I don’t know what the building and smokestack were part of, but they always capture my attention. In this light, the building looks rather barn-like.

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Former “worst picnic spot” transformed

This site ceased being a picnic spot when they took away the tables. There’s so much NOT going for this place: the Superfunded canal, the scrap yard, the elevated highway, the oil tanks, cars zipping around the lot, and the funky aroma, but look at these blooming trees. They are literally a breath a fresh air and a treat for the eyes.

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Everything was blue

Yesterday afternoon, the sky was clear blue. When I walked through the Lowe’s parking lot, it seemed like the color was the theme of the day.

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Lowe’s parking & the missing picnic table

Look very closely and you’ll notice that there’s no longer a picnic table at the green patch at the base of the Lowe’s sign. That means we’ll have to nominate another unfortunate al fresco dining area as the worst picnic spot in Brooklyn. A picnic table, put there for dining purposes, is the only requirement of the competition.

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The super fun Superfund

It’s official; the Gowanus Canal was given Superfund status earlier this week.

Bloomberg’s not happy about it, nor are the real estate developers, who worry about the stigma, though it’s never been a secret that the canal is toxic and leaching into the soil. Others are happy; now the clean-up can begin. Yeah!

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The worst picnic spot

Nice weather and eating outdoors go together … sometimes. The grass is worn down here not by children playing tag but by toxic chemicals from the Gowanus Canal and polluting businesses alongside. If you have a hunger pang in the Lowe’s parking lot and can’t help yourself, be sure NOT to observe the 3-second rule. No exceptions allowed – if it falls, it’s gone for good.

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No place for the indecisive

At Lowe's

Too many choices! They call Lowe’s the kindler, gentler (i.e., feminized) Home Depot, but I’m not so sure. Selecting a paint color is brutal.

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