Carroll Park Getting Calexico, Not a Piazza

The Brooklyn Paper reports that the city has awarded the Mexican restaurant Calexico a five-year contract to operate a food cart in Carroll Park, which “could add new flavor to the park, which has found itself embroiled in controversy since we first reported that Second Place resident Kurt Andersen, a nationally acclaimed journalist for National Public Radio and author, hoped to play a role in converting the park into a more Italian-styled ‘piazza.’ Andersen envisions tables and chairs in an ‘underused’ portion of the western side of the park near Court Street.” Pardon Me for Asking, however, had word of the food truck last week in a post entitled “News Of Carroll Park Piazza Greatly Exaggerated” that said Andersen “is not envisioning a permanent change or displacement of the ball courts in Carroll Park. Instead, he would like to bring even more vitality to our neighborhood oasis by helping to organize a few summer events that will allow everyone in the community to come together for a few themed evenings during the summer.” Still, the Brooklyn Paper has some good quotes from people in the neighborhood who were not into the idea of a piazza: “‘It is an urban piazza,’ said Celia Cacace, a neighborhood resident for 74 years. ‘We don’t need fancy-schmancy chairs or umbrellas. This isn’t Bryant Park. If you want that type of thing, go into the city,’ she added.”
Piazza Mexicano? [Brooklyn Paper]
News Of Carroll Park Piazza Greatly Exaggerated [PMFA]
Photo by indiamos.